Discussion
Yes, they are a 'proper' race car and as such need looking after as one.
Things like the gearbox and engine need keeping on top of with regular rebuilds and inspection.
If looked after they will perform well and you won't really find the same performance per £ anywhere else.
The biggest problems comes should you suffer any problems. A failed engine could cost £15k to rebuild.
If you get one find someone who is experienced in running one and knows the potential problems, that way they keep on top of them so helps with reliability.
Lastly the engines have changed a lot over the years, with some expensive upgrades, make sure you get a good spec 2.7.
Things like the gearbox and engine need keeping on top of with regular rebuilds and inspection.
If looked after they will perform well and you won't really find the same performance per £ anywhere else.
The biggest problems comes should you suffer any problems. A failed engine could cost £15k to rebuild.
If you get one find someone who is experienced in running one and knows the potential problems, that way they keep on top of them so helps with reliability.
Lastly the engines have changed a lot over the years, with some expensive upgrades, make sure you get a good spec 2.7.
RobT1 said:
I wouldnt say a SR8 needs any more or less tlc than a SR3.
I would! I've not run one, but talking to the people who have, there is a lot to do to keep them going. As Dan says, things like the gearbox and diff take a lot of refreshing and the drivetrain overall takes a much bigger pounding than the SR3.Bert
ive got one and race it. obviously they have more power than a sr3 but the clutch and box are properly strong rather than being designed for a motorbike. annual oil change and cwp inpection like any other race car. dogs show very little wear due to awesome paddle shift system. i preheat mine with electric oil heaters and use a cooler. behind the rhs rad.
Edited by RobT1 on Sunday 30th July 22:49
Edited by RobT1 on Sunday 30th July 22:51
RobT1 said:
ive got one and race it. obviously they have more power than a sr3 but the clutch and box are properly strong rather than being designed for a motorbike. annual oil change and cwp inpection like any other race car. dogs show very little wear due to awesome paddle shift system. i preheat mine with electric oil heaters and use a cooler. behind the rhs rad.
Interesting, do you race it?Yes, sprints mainly, but with a few trackdays thrown in also. Its a fabulous car, and capable of FTDs in the wet when the faster single seaters are held back by vision and grip.
But it is a race car. I would struggle to see how one could be used on the road as it would skake itself it bits. Clutch has very little slip and the gearbox needs full throttle shifting. I cannot imagine many people using an sr3 on the road either. They ae quite different animals to a fast caterham or an atom. Designed for track use primarily.
But nothing to be afraid of. Engines are now very well tested and mine is a 2.7 to basically stock suzuki bits. £5K for a full refresh, less than well tuned 4 pots. Clutch is a pukka 5.5" tilton twin plate so good for a couple years, £800. Gearbox oil is £120 a time (Neo) snd I do mine once a year. Paddle shift looks after gears which show little wear. Crownwheel inspected every year and probably needs changing every three. Its not cheap...but for the performance its very reasonsble. It will run rings round most supercars.
But it is a race car. I would struggle to see how one could be used on the road as it would skake itself it bits. Clutch has very little slip and the gearbox needs full throttle shifting. I cannot imagine many people using an sr3 on the road either. They ae quite different animals to a fast caterham or an atom. Designed for track use primarily.
But nothing to be afraid of. Engines are now very well tested and mine is a 2.7 to basically stock suzuki bits. £5K for a full refresh, less than well tuned 4 pots. Clutch is a pukka 5.5" tilton twin plate so good for a couple years, £800. Gearbox oil is £120 a time (Neo) snd I do mine once a year. Paddle shift looks after gears which show little wear. Crownwheel inspected every year and probably needs changing every three. Its not cheap...but for the performance its very reasonsble. It will run rings round most supercars.
petroleum bone-apart said:
I am told the SR8 needs lots of tlc, especially the gearbox which carries so much power. Anyone comfirm this?
Thanks.
OP this is the service guide: http://www.radicalsportscars.se/wp-content/uploads...Thanks.
Simon T said:
Annual oil change?!?!? An SR8 won't last long in a RACE environment with that sort of treatment. Take Dan's advice he knows of what he is talking about.
simon
Correct. A couple trackdays and about 8 sprints a year last 2 years. When drained the engine oil looks almost new and shows no wear metal levels. When stripped last year after 37 hrs of use there was essentially no visible wear on any engine bearings. Only evidence of wear was in the keyway that drives the front oil pump rotor. Of course the engine had been looked after and not operated beyond recommended limits. Over revs were under 100 and its only when you get 200 or more that need to think about rod bolts. Max engine rpm 11.1K so nothing to worry about rod-wise. simon
Of course you would expect more servicing if you were doing longer duration events. For what I use it for this level is fine.
I love you Rob-T, your online adventures with the SR8 given me so much valuable information. I f
king admire you.
Just bought a second hand 2011 SR8, and 1 trackday to Belgium heaven.. so far so good. Everything depends on the use of your machine, the harder you use, to more careful it should be looked after. But biggest bang for bucks, and the post-2008 model is a lot less error-prone than the pre-2008 model. I can't understand why people register it for road-use, guess it's fun for once, but damn it's a killer machine, one minor speedbump and you are stuck .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8BrJ5wZ9I&t=6...
king admire you. Just bought a second hand 2011 SR8, and 1 trackday to Belgium heaven.. so far so good. Everything depends on the use of your machine, the harder you use, to more careful it should be looked after. But biggest bang for bucks, and the post-2008 model is a lot less error-prone than the pre-2008 model. I can't understand why people register it for road-use, guess it's fun for once, but damn it's a killer machine, one minor speedbump and you are stuck .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8BrJ5wZ9I&t=6...
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