RE: Caterham's supercharged jubilee!
Monday 4th June 2007
X330 'does what it says on the tin'This is Caterham’s birthday present to itself – and we can’t wait to rip the wrapping off of it.
Extensive use of carbon fibreThe supercharger delivers up to 0.9 bar boost with zero transient lag according to Caterham. The firm also says that ‘the excellent thermodynamic efficiency of the compressor and intercooler minimise inlet charge temperature, while the direct belt drive from the crank nose provides a boost characteristic that rises linearly with engine speed.
X330 launched at DoningtonIf this is where the company is going, then things look very promising indeed.
Caterham's supercharged jubilee!
X330 concept points the way to Caterham's future
X330 'does what it says on the tin'
It’s the X330, a concept model for now with no production life ahead of it; rather a pointer to the future direction of the company.
The car was unveiled during the jubilee celebrations at Donington over the weekend.
As the name suggests, it packs a mighty 330bhp thanks to the fitment of a supercharger to the 2.3 litre Ford Duratec engine.
Extensive use of carbon fibre
These factors contribute to a knock-free combustion that allows a 10:1 compression ratio. The result is exceptional torque curve of over 221lb ft from 5500 to 7500 rpm, delivering power progressive and responsive performance with excellent low speed driveability’.
Sounds good, doesn’t it. The X330 capitalises on the power hike by shedding weight thanks to lighter gauge steel in the chassis and the extensive use of carbon fibre.
X330 launched at Donington
Discussion
dvs_dave said:
Will this be able to put its power down without some form of TC? With 650+ bhp/ton it's going to be absolutely bonkers.
Seemed to have no problems at Donington yesterday. Looked the part too in matt black paintwork, although had a few teething problems. Very neat supercharger installation though with remote oil reservoir.dvs_dave said:
Will this be able to put its power down without some form of TC? With 650+ bhp/ton it's going to be absolutely bonkers.
Sounds like it uses a centrifugal supercharger, which develops power as the engine revs rise, so not much low end torque, but lots of high end kick, the more you rev the more boost you get, bit like a turbocharger. It's ideal for a lightweight car like this, which doesn't need much low end torque and the linear power delivery should ensure the power gets put down smoothly without any major spikes sending you sideways through the nearest hedge/fence.Road_Terrorist said:
Sounds like it uses a centrifugal supercharger, which develops power as the engine revs rise, so not much low end torque, but lots of high end kick, the more you rev the more boost you get, bit like a turbocharger.
Basically a belt-driven turbocharger, aren't they? Compared to a positive displacement pump (Roots blower) they're more efficient and smaller. As you say, perfect for something like this, which sounds like an incredible car. I wonder how long it would hold off a Veyron in a straight line for...
)DrGP said:
Ummm. Whilst I love this, I am becoming a little intimidated by the power/weight ratio. Much respect to anyone out there who is actually capable of driving this without becoming spam-in-a-can on the first corner.
It's "only" the same power/weight ratio as a 900 Fireblade...What size were the tyres? And type/make?
Presumably it's an SV chassis?
I'm seriously doubtful that a 7 chassis with "normal-ish" sized rear tyres and nothing trick to it can handle that much power without spinning much of it away most of the time.
The second someone can conclusively disprove this (std chassis, no traction control, no (or minor) rear end mods) then I have a fund that needs spending (though a supercharged Duratec wouldn't do it for me).
Traction control defeats the object in most situations IMO (as you aren't using all the power you've paid for). And if the rear tyres end up too wide, I reckon it'd ruin the handling balance.
Lots of fun to be had power sliding and wheel spinning etc etc. But if that's the main aim, I'm sure a Cobra or high powered mkI/II Escort would be better suited.
Presumably it's an SV chassis?
I'm seriously doubtful that a 7 chassis with "normal-ish" sized rear tyres and nothing trick to it can handle that much power without spinning much of it away most of the time.
The second someone can conclusively disprove this (std chassis, no traction control, no (or minor) rear end mods) then I have a fund that needs spending (though a supercharged Duratec wouldn't do it for me).
Traction control defeats the object in most situations IMO (as you aren't using all the power you've paid for). And if the rear tyres end up too wide, I reckon it'd ruin the handling balance.
Lots of fun to be had power sliding and wheel spinning etc etc. But if that's the main aim, I'm sure a Cobra or high powered mkI/II Escort would be better suited.
It's the CSR chassis, the one with the independent rear suspension. I was told by someone who's been building engines for Caterhams for years that the 260bhp CSR is underpowered and the chassis could handle a lot more. no experience myself though having only driven the de dion S3 chassis.
What a fantastic looking machine, but these types of car (R500 included) are only designed to be haylo models for the rest of the range.
I don't think you need TC at all. A Caterham is so responsive that you can feel absolutley everything that is happening and modulate the throttle exactly with your foot. Also, it is important to remember (as my old bike instructor sued to say) that the throttle goes both ways. There is no reason why this should be any more intimidating than a 150bhp Caterham.
It looks like a fantastic machine, but it is not really going to be where all future Caterhams are going. There are too few people willing to pay (at a guess) £50 - 60k for a car like this to make any significant shift in product strategy, but still an interesting engineering exercise none the less.
I don't think you need TC at all. A Caterham is so responsive that you can feel absolutley everything that is happening and modulate the throttle exactly with your foot. Also, it is important to remember (as my old bike instructor sued to say) that the throttle goes both ways. There is no reason why this should be any more intimidating than a 150bhp Caterham.
It looks like a fantastic machine, but it is not really going to be where all future Caterhams are going. There are too few people willing to pay (at a guess) £50 - 60k for a car like this to make any significant shift in product strategy, but still an interesting engineering exercise none the less.
Alex Gurr said:
What a fantastic looking machine, but these types of car (R500 included) are only designed to be haylo models for the rest of the range.
I don't think you need TC at all. A Caterham is so responsive that you can feel absolutley everything that is happening and modulate the throttle exactly with your foot. Also, it is important to remember (as my old bike instructor sued to say) that the throttle goes both ways. There is no reason why this should be any more intimidating than a 150bhp Caterham.
It looks like a fantastic machine, but it is not really going to be where all future Caterhams are going. There are too few people willing to pay (at a guess) £50 - 60k for a car like this to make any significant shift in product strategy, but still an interesting engineering exercise none the less.
IMO £50 - 60k would be laughable for anything resembling a current type Caterham, even with 300plus bhp. With regards TC - I don't think prev. posters were suggesting that they would be intimidated by the power - there's nothing intimidating about shredding rear tyres - but more making the point that the extra power would probably be unnecessary. Current MotoGP bikes are actually winding BACK the power - and going faster. I don't care how good the chassis is there comes a point where lack of rubber/weight/downforce will mean that you won't be able to hook up that power in which case it ends up being expensive tyre smoke.I don't think you need TC at all. A Caterham is so responsive that you can feel absolutley everything that is happening and modulate the throttle exactly with your foot. Also, it is important to remember (as my old bike instructor sued to say) that the throttle goes both ways. There is no reason why this should be any more intimidating than a 150bhp Caterham.
It looks like a fantastic machine, but it is not really going to be where all future Caterhams are going. There are too few people willing to pay (at a guess) £50 - 60k for a car like this to make any significant shift in product strategy, but still an interesting engineering exercise none the less.
Edited to say - oops, sorry, someone did say they'd be intimidated. Whimp.
Edited by Pugsey on Monday 4th June 15:29
Andy, they were CR500s - standard CSR size. Wheels were nice - 2 piece - not MB clones as someone else suggested though.
Pugsey - you might be surprised just how many people have blown that sort of money on their Caterhams. For instance, you get no change out of that for an RST-V8 engined car.
Pugsey - you might be surprised just how many people have blown that sort of money on their Caterhams. For instance, you get no change out of that for an RST-V8 engined car.
Interested to know what gearbox theyre using....anyone know?
GOt a 275hp Vx lump in my Westfield and struggled to get something light and small that would handle the engine...revs being the biggest killer. Went with an Elite 6spd seq box rather than Quaife and been delighted....save quite a few kgs as well. Is this the Caterham route too, or a bespoke Quaife unit?
GOt a 275hp Vx lump in my Westfield and struggled to get something light and small that would handle the engine...revs being the biggest killer. Went with an Elite 6spd seq box rather than Quaife and been delighted....save quite a few kgs as well. Is this the Caterham route too, or a bespoke Quaife unit?
spenny_b said:
Interested to know what gearbox theyre using....anyone know?
GOt a 275hp Vx lump in my Westfield and struggled to get something light and small that would handle the engine...revs being the biggest killer. Went with an Elite 6spd seq box rather than Quaife and been delighted....save quite a few kgs as well. Is this the Caterham route too, or a bespoke Quaife unit?
It was certainly a 5 speed - the etchings on the knob gave that away GOt a 275hp Vx lump in my Westfield and struggled to get something light and small that would handle the engine...revs being the biggest killer. Went with an Elite 6spd seq box rather than Quaife and been delighted....save quite a few kgs as well. Is this the Caterham route too, or a bespoke Quaife unit?
. Re earlier posts here, it could well be a Quaife - I'd imagine that the Caterham 6 speed 'box wouldn't last long with 200 lb ft torque rubystone said:
Pugsey - you might be surprised just how many people have blown that sort of money on their Caterhams. For instance, you get no change out of that for an RST-V8 engined car.
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