caterham service issues
Discussion
Hello guys,
I have recently bought a Caterham so am new to Caterham ownership. The car I have has had some "upgrades" e.g. 6 speed gearbox and I think a brake upgrade????. I have 2 questions if anyone can help;
1. my Caterham has a Caterham dry sump kit fitted. The oil is quite dark so I guess it needs changing. What is the oil change procedure please ? Its probably obvious but I dont want to get it wrong!
2. I need new brake pads all round on the rears. But the Caterham web site only lists front pads. How do I identify my brake system "type" (or are they all the same?)? And where do I get new pads from?
If it helps I got the car from bookatrack. Its a 1.8L K series.
Any help or pointers will be greatly appreciated !
Cheers,
Nick.
I have recently bought a Caterham so am new to Caterham ownership. The car I have has had some "upgrades" e.g. 6 speed gearbox and I think a brake upgrade????. I have 2 questions if anyone can help;
1. my Caterham has a Caterham dry sump kit fitted. The oil is quite dark so I guess it needs changing. What is the oil change procedure please ? Its probably obvious but I dont want to get it wrong!
2. I need new brake pads all round on the rears. But the Caterham web site only lists front pads. How do I identify my brake system "type" (or are they all the same?)? And where do I get new pads from?
If it helps I got the car from bookatrack. Its a 1.8L K series.
Any help or pointers will be greatly appreciated !
Cheers,
Nick.
Nick
1. If you don't kmow how long the oil has been in then it is worth changing it - if the car has been regularly tracked then it should be changed every 3k miles. There is a good set of instructions on how to change the oil here: www.alcester-racing-sevens.com/'big'_oil_change.htm
2. You can get the pads from Caterham - just ring parts and let them know what you need. Do you know whether the brakes have been upgraded? If so, the pads at the front will be different size, but it is normal for the rears to be standard sierra calipers. If the front brakes are standard and you want better braking then it may be worth upgrading to Mintex 1144 pads for better initial bite when cold. The site above also shows you how to change the pads.
Steve
1. If you don't kmow how long the oil has been in then it is worth changing it - if the car has been regularly tracked then it should be changed every 3k miles. There is a good set of instructions on how to change the oil here: www.alcester-racing-sevens.com/'big'_oil_change.htm
2. You can get the pads from Caterham - just ring parts and let them know what you need. Do you know whether the brakes have been upgraded? If so, the pads at the front will be different size, but it is normal for the rears to be standard sierra calipers. If the front brakes are standard and you want better braking then it may be worth upgrading to Mintex 1144 pads for better initial bite when cold. The site above also shows you how to change the pads.
Steve
Nick
Just noticed that it is the Bookatrack car, so it will have been tracked! Is this the one that was for sale on ebay? ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dl )
If so, it definitely has AP big brakes and there is some discussion on the best pads for these here: www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=96913
Steve
Just noticed that it is the Bookatrack car, so it will have been tracked! Is this the one that was for sale on ebay? ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dl )
If so, it definitely has AP big brakes and there is some discussion on the best pads for these here: www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=96913
Steve
Nick
Dry sump oil change is here:
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=117762&pn=2&ps=15&c=
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=113308
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=85492
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=50582
Steve
Dry sump oil change is here:
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=117762&pn=2&ps=15&c=
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=113308
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=85492
www.blatchat.com/T.asp?id=50582
Steve
thanks for the help and advice. Yes Steve, it is the one off Ebay from late last year!
We know its been tracked,thrashed and crashed(!) but got it for a good price.
One further question if thats OK - I assume the AP upgrade is front brakes only. So then the rears are "standard" ? If so I have read that they are Ford Scorpio 91 on. Is that right as I will go to Halfrauds tomorrow and buy some.
Cheers, Nick.
We know its been tracked,thrashed and crashed(!) but got it for a good price.
One further question if thats OK - I assume the AP upgrade is front brakes only. So then the rears are "standard" ? If so I have read that they are Ford Scorpio 91 on. Is that right as I will go to Halfrauds tomorrow and buy some.
Cheers, Nick.
rudel
Don't waste the money on the pagids, they aint worth the money. If you do want to go down the I've got pagids route then get the softest compounds, forget the race stuff as you wont be able to keep heat in them, The best combo I found was orange 44's with 421black on the rear I have driven loads of 7's where owners have gone overboard on the brakes and in most cases they arent as good as std. The info suggesting 14's in the front and 15's on the rear will create an unstable car IMO under braking. ISTR that 15's are a more aggresive pad thatn 14's. either way they are too aggresive for any caterham.
I would go for Mintex, loads of choice so you can build in a bias. As suggested 1144's would be good with std's on the rear orI run 1177on the front with 44's in the back but that is all race use nad you need to build heat up in the front first.
Ring Andy Macmillan, www.mcmm.co.uk, or questmead in Rochdale. Both are very experienced in Caterham brakes for road and track.
Don't waste the money on the pagids, they aint worth the money. If you do want to go down the I've got pagids route then get the softest compounds, forget the race stuff as you wont be able to keep heat in them, The best combo I found was orange 44's with 421black on the rear I have driven loads of 7's where owners have gone overboard on the brakes and in most cases they arent as good as std. The info suggesting 14's in the front and 15's on the rear will create an unstable car IMO under braking. ISTR that 15's are a more aggresive pad thatn 14's. either way they are too aggresive for any caterham.
I would go for Mintex, loads of choice so you can build in a bias. As suggested 1144's would be good with std's on the rear orI run 1177on the front with 44's in the back but that is all race use nad you need to build heat up in the front first.
Ring Andy Macmillan, www.mcmm.co.uk, or questmead in Rochdale. Both are very experienced in Caterham brakes for road and track.
Edited by James.S on Sunday 7th January 14:49
I took advice from John Firth at Performance braking, with ref to Pagids, and I've never had any issues with them not getting warm enough. My R300's brakes are bloody brilliant now, and on the track they stop soooo much better.
So if you have driven cars with RS14's and they arn't as good as Mintex, then there is something wrong.
You pays your money and takes your choices. Buy the pads for what you want to use the car for.
So if you have driven cars with RS14's and they arn't as good as Mintex, then there is something wrong.
You pays your money and takes your choices. Buy the pads for what you want to use the car for.
casbar said:
I took advice from John Firth at Performance braking, with ref to Pagids, and I've never had any issues with them not getting warm enough. My R300's brakes are bloody brilliant now, and on the track they stop soooo much better.
So if you have driven cars with RS14's and they arn't as good as Mintex, then there is something wrong.
You pays your money and takes your choices. Buy the pads for what you want to use the car for.
So if you have driven cars with RS14's and they arn't as good as Mintex, then there is something wrong.
You pays your money and takes your choices. Buy the pads for what you want to use the car for.
I didn't mean to offend all you Pagid boys, its just that I spent well over a grand at the end of last year tesing pads and compounds, Mintex, Carbon Metalics and PAgids. The info i gave was from experience testing a roadsport spec race car. I spoke to a lot of people "in the know" before I spent the money, no-one could actually hold a hand up to testing pads back to back that includes 3 of the large brake specialists.
If anyone is intrested I have a the following for sale, front Rs14's Front 4-4's, front 1166's, front 1144's, rear 66's and std rears all with around 100 track miles
Well someone's taking this racing a bit seriously 
Personally (isn't that always the trouble?) I think that 1144s and EBC Greenstuff feel like pressing a block of wood against the disc. I'm very happy with the pads we're using at the moment (which are not Pagids) but if I told you what they are I'd have to kill you
Helpful eh?
Personally (isn't that always the trouble?) I think that 1144s and EBC Greenstuff feel like pressing a block of wood against the disc. I'm very happy with the pads we're using at the moment (which are not Pagids) but if I told you what they are I'd have to kill you
Helpful eh?
what tyres ?
high cf pads wont suit wooden road tyres.
I've down mintex 1144 and various pagids and found 421 rear and RS14 fronts to be good. Reraly should try Performance friction at some point and DS11's . I've found the pagids to be head and shoulders above 1144 for feel and modulation , apart from when stone cold. But 1 corner and they are OK - even on sprints and hills.
high cf pads wont suit wooden road tyres.
I've down mintex 1144 and various pagids and found 421 rear and RS14 fronts to be good. Reraly should try Performance friction at some point and DS11's . I've found the pagids to be head and shoulders above 1144 for feel and modulation , apart from when stone cold. But 1 corner and they are OK - even on sprints and hills.
Edited by Dave J on Monday 8th January 10:08
Probably worth pointing out that all this talk of race pads etc will be on standard calipers not the upgraded ones. FWIW I use profriction pf77s, by all accounts not as good as RS14s but then at £80 a set only just over half the price
If you're not racing, buy the mintex ones and spend the change on a track day (cheapest place I found them is at the race shop at Castle Coombe (£38 IIRC))
If you're not racing, buy the mintex ones and spend the change on a track day (cheapest place I found them is at the race shop at Castle Coombe (£38 IIRC))
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