Jumping ship into a Seven - what do you think?
Discussion
Hi everyone
For a while I've been pondering jumping ship and getting behind a Seven. I've been in various Sevens and Elises and (I think!) know what I'm getting into in terms of raw driving experience. The rawer the better I've concluded!
I've set the following absolute prerequisites:
- Dry sumped (there will be a fair degree of track use)
- LSD
- 6 speed
Preferred prerequisites:
- Tillets
- 4 pots
- Full cage
- 13s
I'm not being too definitive in terms of bhp. That said, I'm conscious if I went more than say 160bhp, I think things may move more quickly than my current driving skills! Probably K series but flexible.
The car will be used as a second car on road and track.
It seems as though out of the box an early noughties K series superlight would fit the bill with LSD and dry sump having been added but I'm more than happy to consider e.g. Roadsport that's had some upgrades. I'm also not adverse to an ex race car, but nothing has caught my eye recently.
I've been following ads for a fair few months and have noticed this one has been around a while now (which makes me slightly nervous):
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...
It seems to tick my prerequisite boxes with the exception of lacking a full cage.
Any thoughts on this car?
I'm conscious there have been similar specced cars sold for less - I assume this ones at c£18K for two reasons - dealer not private and condition, although I'm surmising on the latter.
Cheers
For a while I've been pondering jumping ship and getting behind a Seven. I've been in various Sevens and Elises and (I think!) know what I'm getting into in terms of raw driving experience. The rawer the better I've concluded!
I've set the following absolute prerequisites:
- Dry sumped (there will be a fair degree of track use)
- LSD
- 6 speed
Preferred prerequisites:
- Tillets
- 4 pots
- Full cage
- 13s
I'm not being too definitive in terms of bhp. That said, I'm conscious if I went more than say 160bhp, I think things may move more quickly than my current driving skills! Probably K series but flexible.
The car will be used as a second car on road and track.
It seems as though out of the box an early noughties K series superlight would fit the bill with LSD and dry sump having been added but I'm more than happy to consider e.g. Roadsport that's had some upgrades. I'm also not adverse to an ex race car, but nothing has caught my eye recently.
I've been following ads for a fair few months and have noticed this one has been around a while now (which makes me slightly nervous):
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...
It seems to tick my prerequisite boxes with the exception of lacking a full cage.
Any thoughts on this car?
I'm conscious there have been similar specced cars sold for less - I assume this ones at c£18K for two reasons - dealer not private and condition, although I'm surmising on the latter.
Cheers
Edited by DC2 Mark on Tuesday 7th October 20:49
Cheers for all very helpful thoughts.
Ideally prefer road registered but wouldn't completely rule out alternative as guess could always tweak to road register.
R400 NOT- interesting, I'd seen and it does look tempting. Only lack of dry dump made me pause.
Full cage v not- good point.
Massively excited whatever!
Ideally prefer road registered but wouldn't completely rule out alternative as guess could always tweak to road register.
R400 NOT- interesting, I'd seen and it does look tempting. Only lack of dry dump made me pause.
Full cage v not- good point.
Massively excited whatever!
Cheers for all very helpful thoughts.
Ideally prefer road registered but wouldn't completely rule out alternative as guess could always tweak to road register.
R400 NOT- interesting, I'd seen and it does look tempting. Only lack of dry dump made me pause.
Full cage v not- good point.
Massively excited whatever!
Ideally prefer road registered but wouldn't completely rule out alternative as guess could always tweak to road register.
R400 NOT- interesting, I'd seen and it does look tempting. Only lack of dry dump made me pause.
Full cage v not- good point.
Massively excited whatever!
Might be worth discussing the anti-cav tank with Millwood, or Neil, to give you an idea of if you would be happy on track with NOT. Blatchat may have some useful info too, but the site is in flux just now. Not sure if this means you might grab a bargain, or if the for sale posting will drop off!
BaT car could be a very interesting thought, depending on what you get and what has been replaced recently... That said, I can't imagine the word sympathy being applied to the driving style...
BaT car could be a very interesting thought, depending on what you get and what has been replaced recently... That said, I can't imagine the word sympathy being applied to the driving style...
mickrick said:
So if you don't have a cage, and the car goes over, what will your head hit?
A roll-over accident without a helmet is likely to be very serious with, or without, a cage. IMHO, the roll cage should be thought as a package to be used with a helmet and six point harness. Otherwise, you will increase, and not reduce, your chances of head injury.
The answer is "it depends" and the best way to determine that is to sit in the drivers seat with a helmet on. A line from top of the FIA bar to the top of the nosecone should be 2-3CM above your head. If it is not, then either lowered floor or a cage should be considered.
The FIA isn't completely clear on this, but when we were in Oz they were and even though I was 2 mm from 3CM, they made me lower my floor before passing scruuitineering for sprints.
Safety is cheap compared to a new head
The FIA isn't completely clear on this, but when we were in Oz they were and even though I was 2 mm from 3CM, they made me lower my floor before passing scruuitineering for sprints.
Safety is cheap compared to a new head
mickrick said:
So if you don't have a cage, and the car goes over, what will your head hit?
The cage vs rollbar debate is always important and the acceptable limits, like where the helmet sits in reference to the line from cage to nose is important, though that does assume you roll onto a surface that doesn't, for want of a better phrase, allow you to do a Hammond, and dig in. These are of course the "God Forbid" scenarios.
Personally, I'm more comfortable on the road in a cage and driver's bar from a side impact point of view as the structure is tied together better, but again, I'm under no illusions as to how serious any car on car shunt will be. The upside for six points is you're held solidly in place, but the downside is a much greater force transfer.
For reference, I currently drive caged, with a windscreen and without a helmet if on the road, but then I don't push on on the road, as tracks exist for that. My plan is to go aero, and then I'll drive with a helmet, but currently I'm particularly careful in the knowledge that my head is much softer than the rollbar padding, never mind the bar itself.
It's also worth noting there are several different rollbars, from the basic two vertical supports, the old FIA bar with a diagonal bar added and the latest which has two crossing diagonal bars. I think the accepted wisdom is that the minimum acceptable for the track is the old FIA bar
Personally, I'm more comfortable on the road in a cage and driver's bar from a side impact point of view as the structure is tied together better, but again, I'm under no illusions as to how serious any car on car shunt will be. The upside for six points is you're held solidly in place, but the downside is a much greater force transfer.
For reference, I currently drive caged, with a windscreen and without a helmet if on the road, but then I don't push on on the road, as tracks exist for that. My plan is to go aero, and then I'll drive with a helmet, but currently I'm particularly careful in the knowledge that my head is much softer than the rollbar padding, never mind the bar itself.
It's also worth noting there are several different rollbars, from the basic two vertical supports, the old FIA bar with a diagonal bar added and the latest which has two crossing diagonal bars. I think the accepted wisdom is that the minimum acceptable for the track is the old FIA bar
My view on full cages is that a full cage is safer but only if the occupants are strapped in tight, they are wearing helmets and there is sufficient clearance and padding.
While roll over incidents can happen, they are fairly unusual on the road.
Having an unpadded full cage can turn a minor shunt into a serious injury.
I was following a Ginetta recently with bright red individual roll hoops behind driver and passenger. Not only were they far too low, but in any sort of whiplash style accident their unhelmeted heads would have hit unpadded steel bar
While roll over incidents can happen, they are fairly unusual on the road.
Having an unpadded full cage can turn a minor shunt into a serious injury.
I was following a Ginetta recently with bright red individual roll hoops behind driver and passenger. Not only were they far too low, but in any sort of whiplash style accident their unhelmeted heads would have hit unpadded steel bar
mickrick said:
I see where your coming from, and I agree with what your saying. But I think if you flip a Caterham, or any open top car, your head is likely to hit something hard.
I also ride a motorcycle, and I accept the risks just the same.
We all assess risk differently, and make decisions accordingly.I also ride a motorcycle, and I accept the risks just the same.
I have to admit to not riding a motorbike due to the danger, but I ride a bicycle and drive a Seven with only the most feeble roll bar
The thing that worries me is that there is a tendency for people to assume that they are safer surrounded by a full cage when the opposite might be true.
Gassing Station | Caterham | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff