Hi Guys - couple of things?!

[jaycee72]

Hi guys

Always lurking around here, but not posted for a while. Bought a SL coming on a year ago and still well and truely hooked. Wonder of you could share some knowledge on a couple of things? (please)

* Just had a service, standard stuff - £430 seemed steep to me?

* Switched a month ago from 21r to 48r - loads of grip but seem a little less forgiving on the limit? is it me or do I need to run them in a little more?

* Getting a bad rattle form the gearbox when warm. Didn't do it when I bought it, but the dealer tells me they all do this? (thought it was the thrust bearing?)

Finaly and most importantly.....

Have the urge for more power, interesting reading all the SLR posts. Is it worth the upgrade or am I asking for trouble reliability wise etc?, not mechanicly minded at all and not very patient with reliability issues! (SL has been faultless)

Sorry to throw all these in at once...

Thanks in advance

Jon

ps. Put the aero screen on last summer and am still refusing to go back to weather gear. Great fun, but me it gets cold!

[dannylt]

There are plenty of engine upgrade possibilities - probably a good idea to search on blatchat instead though.

[rubystone]

jaycee72 said:

* Just had a service, standard stuff - £430 seemed steep to me? - Going rate more or less for a Csterham approved specialist * Switched a month ago from 21r to 48r - loads of grip but seem a little less forgiving on the limit? is it me or do I need to run them in a little more? Maybe - they do have a releasing agent on them that can take some time to wear off. They'll also take longer to warm up than the 21s. Your 21s may have had a higher profile and IIRC their sidewalls are softer which may be giving the symptoms you are describing. In the wet the 48s will not be as good as the 21s either * Getting a bad rattle form the gearbox when warm. Didn't do it when I bought it, but the dealer tells me they all do this? (thought it was the thrust bearing?) SOunds like the Clutch Release Bearing - does the noise disappear when you put your foot on the clutch? Standard problem Finaly and most importantly..... Have the urge for more power, interesting reading all the SLR posts. Is it worth the upgrade or am I asking for trouble reliability wise etc?, not mechanicly minded at all and not very patient with reliability issues! (SL has been faultless). Dave Andrews can get the power upto 160 bhp without too much work - people such as Paul Marriott have undertaken this work themselves and as such brought it in with a small budget. Check out www.blatchat.com and join the L7 Club GB to gain access to a lot of like minded and knowledgeable people who'll be glad to help.

[Shaun_E]

Sounds about right for service cost.

A048R are stiffer than A021R and tend to tramline a lot more. They are also quite sensitive to pressure - suggest you try between 16 and 18 psi when cold. Too high and they will make the ride quite unforgiving.

If the rattle is when stationary and goes away when the clutch is depressed then it is just the lay shaft in the gearbox and yes they all do that.

For more power you can go the Caterham upgrade route to 160 bhp (Supersport R) or as suggested above, take a look at DVA Power for a more cost effective range of upgrades. Last year he took my SL (1.6SS) to 227bhp and 167lbft .

[jaycee72]

Thanks all.
Been a little aprehensive with the tuning route rather than upgrade, mainly 'cos of re-sale. Although reading the SLR posts seems they need a little work to get the best from them anyway?

Cheers
Jon

[dino ferrana]

Supersport R is a Caterham upgrade so they will still sell the car for you and it increases the value.

DVA power has a great reputation amongst those in the know but trust me, it will limit your resale market because not everyone is happy with aftermarket tuned cars. This also means you will probably have to accept a lower price. I have seen cars that have an awesome spec sit in for sale sections on websites for ages because althought they have SLR or R3/4/500 equivalent power, they weren't built as one.

The Supersport R upgrade is feels like more power than it is especially with a lightweight flywheel an exhaust upgrade. It might be worth looking at just getting an R300 or similar though because it is often more cost effective, especially if there are other bits you feel you should have got when you purchased it.

Someone who has bothered to do a cost per mile analysis on blatchat says that Avon CR500s are cheaper per mile than AO48Rs. Certainly the CR500 is considerbaly lighter and performs better if you get caught in a shower (have them on my Superlight).

[dino ferrana]

Is the rattle with the clutch in or out? If it is a rattle rather than a graunching/grinding noise then it is probably just layshaft rattle which you do hear a lot of in a Caterham. Graunching/grinding could be a clutch release bearing.

[Mikeww]

The 48's are pretty good close to the limit and stay predictable. Run with about 2.5 to 3 deg camber and also aim for hot pressures of 23 psi. The 500's are better in the wet but there is no doubt that 48's last longer and are better value overall than the 500's

[dino ferrana]

Early CR500s may not have lasted as long as AO48Rs but the new ones certainly last longer! Plus they are made in the UK, which you can't say for a lot of goods these days.

[rubystone]

dino ferrana said:

Early CR500s may not have lasted as long as AO48Rs but the new ones certainly last longer! Plus they are made in the UK, which you can't say for a lot of goods these days.

Yep - I noticed the difference - no drop-off in grip at all but they do last a lot longer. IIRC the new ones are "green band"...although I may have noticed a posting on another forum suggesting there's yet another new compound out for this year?...

[Mikeww]

Must admit I haven't tried the new 500's so you may be right. We ran the 'old ' 500's for a number of years in the Caterham Graduates- don't think we got any support despite consuming upwards of 600 tyres a year. started using Yokos last year backed up by sponsorship from them and support from George Polley at most races