Caterham 7 Superlight and specifically the history of No.: 106
Tag: Set up
Car into Ratrace Motorsport to have the NITRON NTR1 suspension fitted and full geometry / flat flooring (117kg driver).
New lower wishbones fitted; due to bearing carriers being out of spec i.e. too loose after being powder coated.
42,317 miles. (Ratrace Motorsport) Invoice: 1678
Phonecall from Rob at Ratrace Motorsport to say that he was wrong when he though the spherical bearings in the lower wishbones needed replacing.
Upon closer examination, he had established that the bearings were moving in the wishbone bearing carrier. Unfortunately, it appears that when these were powder coated (July 2016) the inner faces of the carriers were cleaned up a little too efficiently resulting in the carrier becoming oversize and bearing moving around.
This will require two new lower wishbones:
£189.00 VAT incl.
Reference: 75553A 
and
£189.00 VAT incl.
Reference: 75554A
Product is not currently in stock ….. As per usual
Ratrace Motorsport Invoice 1658 refers. £393 with P&P
Remove original parts and retain for customer.
Fit supplied throttle body kit and plumb in. Adjustable trumpets set at 90mm.
Fit (Webcon) billet fuel pressure regulator and
4x 330cc Weber Pico fuel injectors.
Build and fit single cable throttle linkage kit.
Fit Emerald K6 ECU and set up and program.
Relocate relay box and inertia fuel cut off switch.
Tidy existing wiring.
Fit and plumb in remote thermostat kit.
Fit ITG (panel) air filter and back plate.
Parts:
1x Emerald K6 ECU.
1x Jenvey single cable throttle linkage kit.
1x Jenvey under slung throttle bracket.
4x Emerald adjustable length air horns (initially set at 90mm).
4x 330cc Weber Pico fuel injectors.
1x 0-5 bar Weber alloy adjustable fuel regulator.
1x Special cut ITG air filter back plate.
1x 140mm ITG air filter.
1x Alloy remote thermostat kit.
1x 85/80 degree radiator fan switch.
1x synthetic coolant.
Total cost: £2786.94
Uses lower mounting point on chassis rail, the advantage being over the top mounting anti-roll bar is that it avoids any likelihood of contact with the bodywork .
Sourced from Caterhamparts and professionally fitted by Ratrace Motorsport.
Old set-up:
Right spoke to Simon Rogers at Meteor Motorsport this morning, to discuss my options. Prior to doing so I read his excellent buyers guide which I attach below in italics.
With my budget I am realistically looking at Nitron NTR1’s with the Suplex springs or possibly Eibach or Quantum Zero One’s, again with Suplex springs or Eibach but with the Digressive shim pack for the front shock absorbers.
Both currently have a lead time of aboyt 5 weeks.
Will wait for Rob to come back to be and then have a conversation with my lovely and very understanding wife. Simon Rogers very helpfully reminded me that this is a safety issue… no sure that will wash!
“I will try to answer and highlight the more general information which can be applied to your car before making recommendations at the end. You may find me rambling a little and referring to specific cars half way through.
As I hope you are aware I sell a range of brands of dampers. I also sell a range of specifications – non adjustable all the way to 4 way adjustable.
In order to justify to the manufacturers and customers why I recommend one product in a price range and specification over another I have set out all similar products to make the same margin in actual £ not percentage.
So on a 1 way set of Nitron’s I make the same margin as a 1 way set of Quantum and so on through the various specifications. I hope this justifies our independence and impartial advice.
Here we go then – fixed rate, 1 way, 2 way,3 way or more:?
Justifying a set of the 4 way Ohlins TX40 or 3 way Penske for road use will be difficult, however if you want the best specification at a very reasonable cost and you really want the ultimate adjustment, quality of product and brand then they are worth every penny. Indeed I have sold a number of sets to road going owners who wanted just that ultimate performance. You will never ever need another set of dampers! In many respects I think you possibly feel the better quality of a damper on the road than you do on a track
where surfaces are far smoother and consistent. On track the clock and your confidence will always feel that performance gain. Fixed Rate Dampers
As it says really these are suspension dampers which have no adjustment for the valving of the damper. They do have ride height adjustment but nothing else. For this specification we only offer the Quantum Zero. It is available in regular linear piston and valve configuration, digressive/linear piston formats. Our specification will make sure the suspension will be set up exactly for your needs not to hard and certainly a great improvement on standard dampers. (For digressive valving and pistons please see the information below).
The Quantum Zero is fully upgradeable to either one or two way in the future if required as it would be to add digressive pistons at a later date.
Quantum Zero £1091.08 incl springs + vat
1 Way Adjustment – One adjuster that alters both Compression and Rebound settings
In the one way range we have AVO Twin Tube aluminum dampers (not gas pressurised) Nitron Street Series, Quantum One.Zero, Nitron NTR1, Nitron NTR1 Pro 46mm and Penske 7500. The most cost effective of the 1 way damper is the
Nitron Street Series @ £699.00 (Only available for certain car specifications).
AVO £684.20 + vat
Nitron NTR1 @ £1299.00 + vat
Nitron NTR1 @ £1587..50 + vat
QRS One.Zero @ £1399.00 + vat
Penske 7500 1 Way @ £1980.00+ vat (or £2320.00 + vat with clicker)
Nitron offer two great value, well specified products within this range, both recognizable by the smart hard anodised grey exterior coating. The Street Series may well be the damper for you if you are looking to upgrade your regular road use damper to something for more focused and spirited driving. These offer a wide range of adjustability, albeit having factory specified valving, which is the same both front and rear. Spring rates are also factory specified and are biased slightly towards retaining a reasonable degree of compliance on the road. The Street Series has at least 35 clicks of adjustment.
The NTR1 is probably the more familiar of the Nitron 1 way dampers which you will see on many Caterham’s. This is altogether a more focused product that benefits from being ‘made to order’ so allows input from Meteor to ensure our massive experience with Caterham suspension is fully utilised. The NTR1 has 24 clicks of adjustment.
The Nitron NTR1 Pro 46mm until recently has not been something I would have recommended for use with a lightweight car. It has not been able to flow enough oil at low speed damper movement (giving to firm a ride). Now though following work with our Autograss customers I am able to use a high flow 46mm piston in the build specification. This now means that the 46mm Pro damper performs exactly as required. With the benefits arising from greater oil capacity and strength it’s a great damper that should be considered.
The QRS is entirely manufactured and assembled in the UK save for perhaps the O rings or seals used. The quality of engineering design and indeed finish is second to none. Hard anodized just like the Nitron and available in an all black finish if required for a small additional cost.
The One.Zero has 27 “clicks” of adjustment. Very progressive and you really do feel the “clicks”. The Quantum has finer adjustment but the Nitron can be adjusted over a wider range.
Both manufacturers recommend bi annual service intervals. The main differentiator between the two dampers is the upgrade path and options. The most significant difference is the availability of the Digressive piston with Quantum. I think this makes a significant difference particularly to front end “turn in” and positive feedback through the wheel. Additionally the Quantum can be built into a 2 way damper with very little work perhaps at the time of service.
The Penske is as you would expect a fantastic product but I feel the Nitron and Quantum offer better value at there respective prices. If you want the ultimate performance it remains an valuable option.
I would have no difficulty recommending any of the above – it is dependent on the options and upgrades you may wish to make in the future.
2 Way Adjustment
We have 4 options here but only from 3 manufacturers .
QRS Two.Zero @ £2097.00 + vat
Penske 7500 @ £2337.60 + vat (sweep adjuster) and @ £2677.60 + vat. (clicker knob adjuster). Penske 8300 @ £3744.00 + vat – remote reservoir and upgradeable to 3 way 8700 specification.
Ohlins 2 way with remote reservoir @ £3390.00 + vat
Ohlins ILX 2 Way – no reservoir required @ £4010.00 + vat (Fantastic dampers with great performance and packaging. Very easily tuned or modified to adjust in more “ways”).
The Penske 8300, Ohlins and Quantum all have digressive piston options. We have just taken delivery of the first Nitron Digressive pistons for us to develop. These will be available later in the year. Penske and Ohlins included in cost and Quantum @ £250/set. I think the Quantum offers the better value for money at this level but you need to offset this with Penske and Ohlins reputation, performance and brand. The Penske 8300 however is a fantastic spec and damper now with the possibility to upgrade to 3 way. This would be my choice if funds were available. I must emphasize that the Quantum has nothing to worry about here either coming from F1 History. I guess I am saying its personal choice.
3 & 4 Way Adjustment
At this level we have the Nitron NTR3, Ohlins ILX, TTX40 and Penske. I have owned and used the Nitron NTR3 Pro for a competitive season and they were faultless. We now have new high flow pistons and valving available making this a great step into a multi way damper. Although a significant price differential my current damper of choice is the Penske 8700. There currently is a significant difference in the way the dampers perform and the way the car responds. If you are choosing a multi way damper it is likely you require the fine adjustment and performance of the Penske. It comes with a Digressive/Linear piston and is infinitely adjustable. Simply superb. I use this myself as it offers huge performance for a very very attractive cost. We have also just received the specifications for Ohlins ILX and TTX40. The ILX are an all in one damper with no remote canister and are of a very high specification. The TTX40 is a damper of a through rod design and just like the ILX have no external reservoir and are easy to install. These dampers require no remote canister and are available in 2, 3 and 4 way adjustment. The like for like cost is shown below. I would certainly recommend them if you have the budget. I have tested them on our dyno and the results and range of adjustment are at another level again. This is though reflected in the cost!
Nitron NTR 3 – £2712.50 + vat Nitron NTR 3 Pro – £3062.50.00 + vat
Penske 8700 – 3 Way – £4904.00 + vat Ohlins ILX – 3 Way – £5190.00 + vat
Springs
All of the above dampers (except the Street Series) can be supplied with linear springs or with our own twin spring progressive set up. The benefits of the progressive set up make for a far less harsh ride. I particularly like them on the rear of a 7. Do not underestimate the significant benefit that the new dampers and valving will bring to ride quality but the twin spring is a fantastic extra.
Pistons and Digressive Valving
Now just to confuse or add to the decision making process further I have developed with Quantum a valving and set up with what we call a “Digressive” piston. This affects the shape of the damper force curve/plot. It brings a further enhancement to ride and performance. Unfortunately as always there is a cost implication as the machining process for the digressive piston has to be completed on 2 different machines and has to be handled by a “man” a number of times. The linear piston is one machine – one time handling.
The digressive set up is available as an additional cost for both 1 way and 2 way QRS dampers @ £260.00 + vat For reference the 8300 and 8700 Penske’s comes with a digressive piston as standard.
General Information
Lets look at the standard dampers.
Bilstein. I have tested many and most of the various M1/M0 types etc (there are far more than the 2 specs). They perform well – the curve/plot is good except it’s all a little soft IMHO. Digressive in shape = good but just under damped. Works well on a road car with less power and momentum. Spring rates OK – front could be stiffened a little – rear is progressive and good.
My testing of these has found that although they seem not to fail to often they do not match each other very accurately. Indeed after testing one batch of 9 front dampers the range across all was in excess of 60% of the adjustment in a Quantum. Additionally it was the newest set that were the furthest apart. – hardest and softest. This not a criticism – they are simply different spec dampers intended for different work.
Any of the new dampers will make an improvement to ride and control, precision etc. So long as we get the spring rates correct they will not be harsh either.
So what to do? Well I do not yet know your budget. I will therefore make some assumptions.
You would like to see a good step up in performance – you probably drive it faster than when you first had the car so it’s not so much as the car falling away as you improving and feeling more comfortable. It’s a very very fast and stable car so you need to ensure it has the poise to make use of its power.
Option 1 – Ultimate spec.
Penske 8700 Series – 3 way adjustable – £4904.00+vat or Ohlins ILX 3 way – £5190.00+vat Nitron NTR3 Pro – £3062.50.00 + vat
Option 2 – High Spec/Performance 2 way
Penske 8300 £3744.00 + vat or
QRS 2 Way – Digressive piston £2357.00 + vat Ohlins ILX 2 way – £4010.00 + vat
Option 3 – 1 way adjustable
Difficult Choice – its up to you and your future plans. Nitron NTR1 – Linear £1299.00 + vat
QRS – 1 Way – Digressive/Linear Piston £1659.00 + vat
There are so many options without a budget it is difficult for me to make a selection. Let me have some figures and I will guide you more accurately.
The only thing I would add in the first instance is that I do offer a stiffer set up for the track guys – that’s the whole idea of speaking to me rather than a manufacturer who knows the dampers but not the car.
Lead Times
The approximate lead time for the manufacturers is stated below. Nitron 3 Weeks
Penske 3 Weeks
Ohlins 10 – 12 Weeks
Quantum 5 Weeks”
Rob from (the excellent) RatRace Motorsport phoned last night with an update.
The throttle bodies are fitted and that project is complete (just requires setting up on a rolling road, which will be down to me – when it is a little warmer!).
However, having stripped the rear suspension down to fit the new De Dion tube and then set the car up, he identifed that the car required new springs all round (something to do with being the old style progressive springs… I think), and that one of the adjustable spring platforms had seized (at the front I think he said). In his experience it is apparently very dificult to free a seized platform without damaging the unit. Closer examination had also identified damage to at least one of the rear shock absorber units. He notes that they had been hand painted; womtehing I was aware of when Seven and Classics overhauled the suspenion last summer (2017).
His ris o fthe opinion that the current suspension is original and is at the end of its servicebale life and recommends that it should be replaced.
Original Bilstein suspension are currently very expension through Caterham cars and therefore this makes upgrading the suspension to something like one of the Nitron or Quantum range, a sensible proposition.
He is going to make some enquiries and get back to me.
I mentioned Simon at Meteor Motosport and that I was aware that he offers Caterham specific valving for the Nitron NTR1 and Quantum Zero One ranges. I think Rob was going to speak with Simon. I may do so myself as having read Simon’s excellent buyers guide he likes to tailor spring rates etc to the specific car and how it will be used / power level / weight of the driver etc etc.
Watch this space…..
As an aside, what concerns me about this, is that my car has only ever been trusted to marque specialists with strong reputations for knowing 7’s inside and out and also excellence. What is now apparent, is that they all without exceptions have missed things or in the case of the suspension damaged it and either not noticed or not flagged it up to me. This isn’t about proportioning blame or naming and shaming but is has been a salient lesson to me and I am pleased that I appear to have found someone who is really very good.
Update from Rob at Ratrace Motorsport re. fitting the DTH throttle bodies, fuel pressure regulator, Emerald K6 ECU, and RADTEC upgraded radiator and 11″ fan:
Remote thermostat:
The upgraded (Radtec) radiator and 11″ spal fan are to be fitted next.
Speaking to Rob he has identified that a (less than Ideal), low temperature thermostat (74 degree) had been installed and a high temperature fan switch. He will fit a more suitable thermostat (82 degree) and fan switch.
(See entry about the update from Ro at Ratrace dated 04/12/2017 for more details):
Rear shocks are to have a new perch machined in them. Current set up (with original De Dion tube):
Phonecall from Rob to update me about the car, viz.
As a result of pts 4,5&6 car will need to be flat floored and geo checked. Will be flat floored for a 115 kg driver and 4.5 imp. gallons (20.5 litres) of fuel
I am very impressed with Rob’s diligence, SWMBO is less so!
via Superlight & Superlight R questions – Page 1 – Caterham – PistonHeads
Thursday 11th August 2011
Tried search, not so relaible these days frown any help much appreciated.
The budget I have and the preference for use and model brings me to Superlight & Superlight R of K series generation.
Can anyone tell me what the official line on engine refresh was, frequency for example ?
Also an idea of costs, some suggestion of having an R engine refreshed being in the 10k region ?
Anyone tuned a std Superlight 1.6 above the 138bhp to say 160-170 and can comment on the results ?
Duratec is out of scope, so any experience on the more highly strung K series is appreciated. I understand should it go bang, then rather than rebuild I could consider a Duratec conversion, but that’s not what I’m after really. I just want to understand what i would face in owning a Superlight or Superlight R that now has some mileage on it and will get used primarimy for track work.
My ream preference is for the extra horses an R has as I’m a slim and slender 110kilos and need all the help I can get to drag my butt around any circuit smile
pat the plumber.
Thursday 11th August 2011
Thanks Pat, I have read Daves excellent info and understand the costs involved in upgrades, it’s the cost of refreshing a STD 1.8 and what the driving experience is like driving an upgraded 1.6 that I’m trying understand and hear people experiences of.
Thursday 11th August 2011
My car started life as a 1.6 K Series car with 138bhp and was upgraded by the previous owner to 1.8 and 170bhp. The work was done by Caterham and called a Supersport R conversion. It involves re-boring to 1.8, fitting an R300 ECU, roller barrel throttle bodies, Supersport cams and an R500 exhaust. The R300 map may not have been up to much though as the previous owner had it remapped at Northampton Motorsport. I can’t comment on how it drove as a 1.6 but I can say it drives fabulously well now. It is a very revvy engine – the power curve is completely linear right up to the 7400 cutoff, and with the roller barrels it is very noisy, but that’s what I wanted as it’s to die for biggrin
My understanding from Caterham is that 160-170bhp out of a K series is not stressing it, as I, like you, was a little concerned about the need for a refresh. I was told that anything over 200bhp is where you get into that sort of maintenance schedule and I do not ever expect to have to have my engine ‘refreshed’.
All in all I love the K Series engine and I think with 170bhp you will have a good balance between power and maintenance costs.
Thursday 11th August 2011
Hiya, I’ve got a 1600K now, and had a Superlight R as my first Caterham, which I did an 1800 Scholar Evo conversion to. I miss the noise terribly, the performance was pretty nifty too – the current 7 lacks the totally barmy top end. As for refreshes, I chose to do the Scholar conversion as the engine was out anyway (due to a garage fitting wrong gaskets etc, long story), I think refreshes are only for R500 and R500 Evo engines really. Ring Dave Andrews himself for more info though, he’s THE man to speak to, and I was sceptical beforehand, but he will put your mind at rest. As I’m sure you know – get a dry sumped car for track work.
I love the K Series personally, it sounds better than a Duratec, and likes being revved more IMVHO….
Everyone told me I was daft selling my old SLR for a 944 Turbo but did I listen.. did I fu
Friday 12th August 2011
Cheers gents .. . . Having chatted to a couple of R owners they’ve not had cause to worry on their engines and given the mileage and use it will likely have had it’s trying to consider the best options should it expire and most other parts are reasonable.
It’s also the consideration of power to weight, as it will be focussed on track days here in France and I’m a slender 110k dressed there’s the perennial debate of whether the 138 will be enough in the longer term, I’m sure in the short term I’ll be finding my feet again on track and it will keep me entertained, but after a while the hunger for the extra will co,e knocking and its the options available.
With availability of std Superlights being higher currently than R’s its therefore whether to buy a STD and then upgrade later or hang out for an R. Most of the reading I have done suggests the factory mapping was less than perfect and I already run my Griffith on Emerald, so given the tie up with the 2 Dave’s then it would be a logical upgrade route and one I’d quite enjoy doing.
Also intrigued in the conversion to 1900 as I have a mental thing about the capacity of engines v power outputs, but that’s coming from a love of my hugely inefficient 5ltr RVB producing now what TVR said it left the factory with, which it didn’t hehe of course until some fettling.
Friday 12th August 2011
The SLR is pretty much a standard engine – no special crank,pistons or rods IIRC. My only recommendation is to buy one with a dry sump. Mine didn’t have one and I was always paranoid when tracking it. Excellent car with an addictive shove in the backat 4250 RPM and gorgeous induction and exhaust noise too. Enough torque too -I’d imagine you sacrifice some driveability with some of the other conversions?
Friday 12th August 2011
SLR had forged pistons and a specially treated crank I seem to remember.
Friday 12th August 2011 Dave Andrews:
SLR had forged pistons and a specially treated crank I seem to remember.
Ealry SLRs had tufftrided cranks, selected rods and Omega forged pistons together with a lightweight flywheel, later SLRs did away with the tufftrided crank.
The cylinder heads were the MS (AKA VHPD) casting with larger ports and valves together with 872 profile cams, solid followers. They had olod style KV6 throttle bodies and a 4-2-1 manifold.
SLR drivability was notoriously poor since the method used for assessing engine load (MAP) was innappropriate for the level of tune.
The supersport ‘R’ and R300 have stock bottom ends.
Saturday 13th August 2011
DVandrews said:
SLR drivability was notoriously poor since the method used for assessing engine load (MAP) was innappropriate for the level of tune.
Dave
Maybe I was lucky then with the car I owned, which had a standard map and engine…that SLR map was way better than the stock R500 map…
kenny.R400
Sunday 14th August 2011
Interesting thread, bringing back some memories too.
I ordered one of the last SLR’s in 2002 new from the factory, think it was number 122, delivery was for the April of that year. After putting my order in and only days away from delivery I found out the R400 had been unveiled……..pee’d me off a bit but such is life, no problem.
Anyhow the car was delivered and all was relatively well. After initial running in I discovered an almighty flat spot at circa 4000 under brisk-ish throttle input, under hard throttle it would throw you over the handle bars………..not good for a toy that’d cost 29k.
Obviously the response was TADTS. Hmmm, I persevered but the 4000rpm gremlin was becoming a pain, I tried many times to find the reason why only to be told the same…ie “It’s normal”……..I just couldn’t accept it was. Car was fitted with PTP TB’s by the way.
So in desperation I called minister and spoke to a chap on the shop floor incognito. I was told the ecu/TB arrangement could never work perfectly as it was a compromise. He referenced the race cars which ran the roller bodies and said that was the only solution available to get rid of this issue. He said the ecu on the car just did not have the mapping range to sort the PTPs.
I put this to Caterham without a proper reply and eventually sent the car back, after driving it they reported it was normal.
Now I’d chopped in a Vauxhall HPC in to buy the SLR, I had fitted to that a DTA 2d ecu with throttle pot controlling the Weber 45’s and had the 420H cams fitted. The car was set up on a 100 quid laptop by a friend and when taken to WGT in Northwich and strapped to the rollers needed minimum adjustments……the car pulled sweetly from 1-7500rpm without an issue so why couldn’t the SLR?
Out of desperation I called the late and great Graham Nearn who had always been a gentleman with me in the past. I told him the car languished in the workshops and he said he’d investigate………which he did.
He eventually called me to say car was now being fitted with Roller Barrels, updated ecu and new loom to sort things once and for all.
Car was brought back to me a few weeks later and it was simply a different car……….fabulous, and sweet as nut throughout……it bugged me how I’d had 6 months of grief in the first place.
I often wonder how many others had this issue, or how many didn’t, or how many just never realised it as an issue.
Sunday 14th August 2011quotequote all
I have upgraded many SLR/early VHPD engines to an Emerald ECU which uses Alpha-N for load sensing rather than MAP and the transformation is jaw dropping. The R400 and R500 variants use an MBE ECU ( which was fitted to your engine) this also uses Alpha-N. There is nothing intrinsicly wrong with the PTP TBs other than the fact they are very heavy, I suspect your engine went to RTBs because the MBE ECU calibration was made with them fitted.
Sunday 14th August 2011
DVandrews said:
I suspect your engine went to RTBs because the MBE ECU calibration was made with them fitted.
Dave
Dave, you know your history and I feel you “suspect” right. That very reason was muted in my chat with Minister. You are the first person to mention it since. I found it very hard to believe at the time on a car of that price to sacrifice smooth running to save a few bob (that had to be the reason for it, didn’t it?)………….but you have now confimed it.
Sunday 14th August 2011
kenny.R400 said:
Dave, you know your history and I feel you “suspect” right. That very reason was muted in my chat with Minister. You are the first person to mention it since. I found it very hard to believe at the time on a car of that price to sacrifice smooth running to save a few bob (that had to be the reason for it, didn’t it?)………….but you have now confimed it.
CC still aren’t getting the maps right. Current advice is take it to the two Steves and pay several hundred pounds to get it mapped properly. I may well have to do that with mine. Why should that be necessary with a new car though?
kenny.R400
Sunday 14th August 2011quotequote all
Dave, more memories are coming back now. I bought the sister car to Julian Thompson who I’m certain took his SLR to you to fettle before he knew I’d taken mine back to the factory.
We met up pre. mine being done at 3 sisters and we drove each others………..his was superb.
Monday 15th August 2011
It is weird that some of the SLR engines are fine with standard management (mine was) and others are so bad.
rubystone
Thursday 18th August 2011
kenny.R400 said:
That very reason was muted in my chat with Minister.
kenny.R400 said:
I found it very hard to believe at the time on a car of that price to sacrifice smooth running to save a few bob
This is the reason why I had my R500 rebuilt at Minister with all the later mods incorporated. 6 years of hard driving on and it is as sound as a bell (tempting fate I know…)…
On the subject of “saving a few bob”….the K Series enjoyed a poor reputation for reliability…but all it took was for the shortcuts that were made for cost-sake to be re-engineered and fundamentally the engine became a paragon of virtue…
But IMHO that still doesn’t explain why the maps for the R500 and R400 on rollerbarrels, was (and is) so poor in standard form…..
BertBert
10,968 posts
132 months
[report][news]Thursday 18th August 2011quotequote all
My SLR which was the original orange ‘ring record car so very early indeed was absolutely excellent for drivability.
My R500 was pretty kangaroo-ey and I had a spare ECU from Minister fitted (I can’t remember why, but something to do with the flywheel falling off fiasco) and it was much better. I organised to keep that and it was fine from then on (until the cement incident) biggrin
via Quantum One Zero’s or Nitron NTR1’s? | Lotus Seven Club
Simon Rogers:
So this applies to all the Nitron, Quantum, Penske and Ohlins dampers (excl. the high speed on a Penske) – only the number of clicks is different.
Always set the dampers to full Hard in the first instance. This is referred to as Zero “0” and will be toward the “+” signs. Righty Tighty – Lefty Loosey
Think of it as closing a tap – to the right is shut off and no oil can pass.
On a Quantum there are around the 27-29 clicks.
Set to zero and count back -1,-2, -3 etc. For road I would expect around -22 and for track -10 -12 ish depending on how hard you drive, spring weights and car weight.
CycleSi:
The rear de dion suspension on my car is a bit lighter than standard so I went with the double digressive damping as Simon recommended. If Simon says Digressive/Linear I would go with what he recommends.
In terms of set up I found the best way to dial them in was to set the ride height and get 10 to 15mm of rake.
Firstly adjusted the front damping. I set the front to full soft and the front end became really wallowey, full hard and the steering became hyper pointy. I dialled the front until I found a nice setting between the two, not too pointy but still with a good turn in.
Once I had the front set I then I dialled the rear. I found that setting the rear damping slightly softer than the front got a good balance and a benign handling 7.
When you set the balance front to back you have to set it by feel and driving. Setting the front clickers to say 6 and the rear to say 7 is not what I am suggesting.
Caterham 7 Superlight No: 106 