QR Wheel and Half Hood (for yet another new owner!)

[lawtoma]

So, after a few years of umming and aahing, I finally put down a deposit on my first Caterham! It's a newly built S3 Roadsport 125, built by a technical college local to Caterham South, run through the Caterham factory and sold to me as the first registered keeper! It's been IVA'd, the documents are with the DVLA and I'm now waiting (im)patiently for the V5C to land on my doormat before Caterham can get the plates printed and I can go and pick it up! As it's already built, it's about 99% to my spec (after a few minor mods). The last 1% (the quick release steering wheel and half hood) Caterham don't have in stock, so I'm going to have to source them myself.

In terms of a quick release for the steering wheel, I'm after something that I can bolt on (rather than having to weld anything). Having read about issues with "sloppy splines" the 'Rapfix' setup offered by meteormotorsport looks like a good option. http://www.meteormotorsport.com/shop/caterham/work... Does anyone on here have any experience of them, or of a suitable alternative?

The half hood I'm not completely decided on yet (and will run a full hood for a while and see how that works out) but I've seen a few places that sell them. Soft Bits and Thundersport (aka European Trimming Co) seem to be the main two. Soft Bits seem to be the most talked about, but does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about either? I'm not looking to resurrect the full hood/half hood/no hood/aeros debate, but for opinions on whether one brand is better (i.e. better fit/quality/value/easier access) than the other, or if there's somewhere I've not found yet.

Any experience shared will be gratefully received! Thanks!

[JeffC]

I have a full hood (used once) and a half hood which I have used a couple of times on track in torrential conditions and it does the job well and very easy to fit .

I bought this one and it fits spot on not sure how it compares to SBFS 1/2 hood but im more than happy.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caterham-7-Series-3-Half...

Luke at Playskool sells the Qr boss and it is spot on for quality, my car has one already but If i was buying one it would be the one I would go for.

http://www.plays-kool.co.uk/acatalog/WorksBell.htm...

[mickrick]

Nothing wrong with the standard hood, easy and quick to put up.
I found the QR wheel on my R300 a waste of time.
I could get in and out with ease with it on, but I had to take it off for fear of someone nicking it, and consequently felt a proper cock walking around with a steering wheel in my hand like a wannabe F1 driver.
Save your pennies for power upgrades once you get used to the car.
Another thing I wasted money on when I bought my car was the cat bypass pipe. It made no noticeable difference to the performance or sound of the car.

Anyway, congratulations, enjoy your new toy

[lawtoma]

Cheers gents. I hadn't thought about someone nicking the wheel, mickrick. Good point! Has that happened?

[downsman]

I decided to save money on the wheel when I bought my S3 Roadsport 125 (great car by the way ) and I can get in with the full hood up and a passenger on board and I'm 6ft and 14 stone. Like Mickrick says I didnt fancy carrying it around. Apparently, those with removable wheels use a bike cable lock to secure the wheel in the boot.

[JeffC]

Im 6ft and don't need to remove the wheel to get in and out however if I have the half hood on it does make it much easier ! I also remove the wheel if I'm parked up and leave it in the boot.

[BritishRacinGrin]

Unless you literally can't get into the car without removing the wheel I wouldn't bother. It's far more trouble than it's worth. People say it's a security advantage but if you really wanted to nick a caterham you can just stick a pair of molegrips or stilsons on the column and that'll get you around the corner onto a low loader.

Before I sold mine in December I was competing in a race club with about 100 other competitors, many of whom had quick release wheels. Very rarely do you see a driver actually removing it.

Regarding half hood, many people swear by them, personally I never found the standard hood difficult to use and the unzippable rear window helped cool the interior and keep the screen free from fog.

Basically, don't rush to buy either of these items- use the car and decide whether you need them.

Edited by BritishRacinGrin on Friday 9th May 07:25

[PurpleMeanie]

QR wheel is quite useful if you need to mess around behind the dash, and feels quite cool to have one.

Not massively convinced it is all that much use in reality. When I had the choice I specced one, but doubt it would be a "must replace" if was to have another 7 with a fixed wheel.

Half hoods seem very popular with the touring types.

As others have said, there are more than enough things you will find to upgrade, so save your money for those when you need them.

[framerateuk]

I like the security of the removable wheel - I take it with me when I park the car up. Any extra security is a plus!

The half hood is all personal taste, but I much prefer mine over the full hood. It's far quicker to fit, takes less storage space and lets air in to stop the windscreen misting up.

I have the Oxted/Thundersport version since it's made of the same vinyl as the old hood/boot cover. I also prefer the way it's attached compared to the SBFS hood (the middle straps attach to the hood sticks bolt instead of a popper, which feels stronger to me). It's all personal preference though and they both do their job.

[Agent Orange]

lawtoma said:

The half hood I'm not completely decided on yet (and will run a full hood for a while and see how that works out) but I've seen a few places that sell them. Soft Bits and Thundersport (aka European Trimming Co) seem to be the main two. Soft Bits seem to be the most talked about, but does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about either?

I bought a half hood last year and tried to buy from Soft Bits - but they didn't respond to my emails or calls. Apparently the product is good but whilst waiting for a response I rang Thundersport.

The phone was immediately answered and we discussed my options. A few emails were exchanged, all turned around within a couple of hours, and I called back to order one plus some doors.

I'm very pleased with the mohair hood from Thundersport and from what I hear the Soft Bits one is equally as good.

[CaterBram]

The removeable steering wheel does make it easier to get in and out if your not skinny.

I got the rapfix from Meteor Motorsport complete with the upper column, so no welding it all just slots straight in. All in all excellant service.

but.

before you start changing things, get out and drive her and work out what you do actually want / need.

[lawtoma]

Thanks all!
I'm going to see how it goes once the car arrives (insurance papers arrived today, but still no V5!) but good to have your views, so thank you!
Drove up to the North Norfolk coast today, wished I had the Caterham!

[Mostro]

CaterBram said:

but.

before you start changing things, get out and drive her and work out what you do actually want / need.

This. It's very easy to play at speccing on paper, but real experience will give you a whole new perspective. Be patient and enjoy!

[K800 RUM]

I don't know how Duncan at 6ft 4 gets easily into his S3 with a fixed wheel. I would find it a bit of a pain but perhaps I have longer legs!
A bike lock in the boot passed through the roll bar is a good idea & it's what I do.
On longer trips in Europe I carry both the full hood & HH. The HH is much quicker to fit, I can fit mine in 30 seconds & is fine for all but torrential rain. Parking overnight or monsoon weather I fit the full hood.
The car is safer to drive with the HH on compared with the full hood as you have better visibility & you don't steam up.
You will love the 125 sigma, my home built will soon be 7 years old & hasn't missed a beat. Enjoy the pops & bangs on the throttle overrun, all part of the 125 experience.

Edited by K800 RUM on Monday 12th May 07:33

[K800 RUM]

lawtoma said:

Thanks all!
I'm going to see how it goes once the car arrives (insurance papers arrived today, but still no V5!) but good to have your views, so thank you!
Drove up to the North Norfolk coast today, wished I had the Caterham!

I to would like to take the caterham up to North Norfolk. We holiday every year near Sherringham, lovely part of the world.

[DickieH]

I have the full hood too for the winter months when I use the car and that's better than I thought it would TBH, but once its on, it stays on for a bit. I have a half hood too which came with the car and that's a great bit of kit. very quick to put on if needs be, looks great and offers so much more flexibility and therefore makes the car more useable IMO. Mine came with the QR wheel too but both of these items would have been on my shopping list if they did nt. The first thing I bought was a shower cap which I did buy from SBFS and they were fine to deal with and the product is of a very high standard as is the half hood. Some people lock the QR wheel in the boot with a cable lock around the rollbar. I tend to carry a v light weight sport shoulder bag in the car and carry that if I need too. Might get a cable lock though. That would work for me too. Out of the two I would put the HH at the top of the list If I were you.
Hope that helps.