Quote:
Originally Posted by simonsaunders
Plan is to keep it all in one piece for now, just for the simplicity of moving it on if I don't like it. Obviously if it sticks around, it will be striped and caged.
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Welcome Simon, can't go wrong for some track fun for the money.
Granted you're no stranger to performance coming from a Caterham 7, but these little cars are pretty good fun on a track.
Being brutally honest, standard they're pretty terrible, and "budget lowered" doesn't go a long way to making them much better, however...
4 Polybushes or Nylon bushes in the rear beam
2 Polybushes in the front sections of the bottom arms
2 Vibra Technics solid bottom arm mounts
and it really does make a colossal difference to how it drives. Standard I think they're incredibly "vague".
There's also masses you can do, and fairly cheaply. Weight is the key, it's free to remove and really helps, there's tar to remove from the floorpan, a huge foam pad that runs up behind the dash, foam inside the rear quarters, bumper areas etc, rear seats, carpet, airbags, airbag loom, interior trims, etc.
The gearchange is pretty sloppy usually, there's a rubber ball mount that usually wears down, and a great guide here (
http://www.saxperience.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=397517) on how to tighten up the play. I think generally, the best option is something like an OBP Quickshift lever that sits in the standard housing, and Constella linkage bars. If you want to spend some money, Satchell Engineering produce a kit which entire replaces the stock system, it's pricey but fantastic.
A manifold and decat system produces some decent enough gains, and I think helps the pull through the rev range over standard. Filter wise, you can do an awful lot worse than the standard VTS airbox with a good panel filter and a cold air feed.
Other mods that can save weight over the front and are relatively simple are moving the battery and washer bottle to the back of the car, you can do a PAS delete by draining the system, removing the pump, lines, and PAS loom, and draining the rack. You can then use the PAS rack without fluid if you remove the hydraulic damper. This saves roughly 10kg over the front of the car.
Brakes are easy to upgrade, most Pug / Citroen stuff bolts up to 106 struts, you can do a lot worse than a set of 266mm calipers from the likes of a berlingo with decent discs and pads. There are a range of master cylinders that can be fitted to suit as well.
There's obviously masses of other far more expensive ways to tune them up and make them more of a laugh on a track day, but if you threw 6 or 700 quid at it in the form of bushes, brakes, sticky tyres and maybe an exhaust, it'll feel an entirely different car to what it will currently.
Got any pics of your old Caterham? What was the spec?