Caterham 1.8 ohc Vauxhall
Discussion
I am thinking of buying a caterham with a 1.8 Vauxhall ohc engine and would welcome any positive replies From caterham owners with these engines.. There are bound to be a lot of people who don't like the Vauxhall engine and prefer a K series or a ford unit ..I am quite familiar with this engine but not to sure how it performs in a caterham super sprint... I am not someone that needs loads of BHP but would like some power and not be disappointed.
I had one as my first Seven for a number of years. It was a very good starter Seven and the engine is definitely very tough. They race these in the Caterham graduates I think (HustleRussell on here is a good man to talk to about these).
My car was a road car with occasional track use. I found the steering better than my current Superlight due to the heavier engine. The main issue is the live axle which was not that sophisticated and didn't absorb bumps as well as a DeDion. Also, they are relatively weak - a couple of trackdays and mine was suffering. Tyres when I got mine where CR322 Avons which were effectively van tyres and used a control tyre for racing. It was really too hard for the car to the point I had no confidence to drive it in the wet. A switch to Yoko A021s transformed the car.
If you are using it just on the road, the Vauxhall is a good car but for around £10k I would personally try to get a K series, even if it is an ex race car.
Be clear how long you want to keep the car and what you are going to use it for. I have been driving Sevens for most of my adult life and have settled on a K Series Superlight as my keeper. It does everything I want it to (95% Sunday blasts and the odd trackday) and for me is the perfect balance between cost/thrills and on road performance. With an aeroscreen it is a brilliant machine.
When I added up the upgrade cost for all the bits that come standard on a Superlight, it made no sense for me to buy a bottom of the price range K series and do the upgrades over time.
Happy to chat off line if that would be useful.
My car was a road car with occasional track use. I found the steering better than my current Superlight due to the heavier engine. The main issue is the live axle which was not that sophisticated and didn't absorb bumps as well as a DeDion. Also, they are relatively weak - a couple of trackdays and mine was suffering. Tyres when I got mine where CR322 Avons which were effectively van tyres and used a control tyre for racing. It was really too hard for the car to the point I had no confidence to drive it in the wet. A switch to Yoko A021s transformed the car.
If you are using it just on the road, the Vauxhall is a good car but for around £10k I would personally try to get a K series, even if it is an ex race car.
Be clear how long you want to keep the car and what you are going to use it for. I have been driving Sevens for most of my adult life and have settled on a K Series Superlight as my keeper. It does everything I want it to (95% Sunday blasts and the odd trackday) and for me is the perfect balance between cost/thrills and on road performance. With an aeroscreen it is a brilliant machine.
When I added up the upgrade cost for all the bits that come standard on a Superlight, it made no sense for me to buy a bottom of the price range K series and do the upgrades over time.
Happy to chat off line if that would be useful.
HAL2016 said:
I am thinking of buying a caterham with a 1.8 Vauxhall ohc engine and would welcome any positive replies From caterham owners with these engines.. There are bound to be a lot of people who don't like the Vauxhall engine and prefer a K series or a ford unit ..I am quite familiar with this engine but not to sure how it performs in a caterham super sprint... I am not someone that needs loads of BHP but would like some power and not be disappointed.
I've never actually driven a 1.8 Vauxhall Caterham but my car had the same engine only in 1.6 guise. I believe the 1.8L had different pistons and crankshaft giving a longer stroke.People get a bit snooty about the 8v Vauxhalls because historically the ford crossflow was the one, and of course the Vauxhalls were sold alongside the K-series which was, objectively at least, 'better'- and the cars to which it was fitted also came with de-dion rear suspension.
That said, compared to the rover and the Ford, the Vauxhall is very robust, low maintenance and very easy to work around. No tappets or distributor to adjust and an electric fuel pump. The engine does have a character all of it's own too, with more 'grunt' than the standard Ford and of course benefits from the musical twin webers of which the standard Rover is bereft. It has the same lovely type 9 gearbox.
I suppose you'd say the Achilles heel of the model is the live axle- unsprung weight at the back is quite high and the road holding is inferior to a de-dion car. This only really makes itself apparent in bumpy corners but it is noticeable. The Morris Ital live axle has it's weaknesses but in fairness so will the de-dion suspension you'll get on similarly priced K-series cars.
However despite all of the above they don't really lose out on handling in most circumstances- it's 'different' as opposed to 'worse'. Great fun of course.
I personally love the 185/70r13 Avon CR322s however I may be in a minority there.
I'd imagine the 1.8L Vauxhall is good for 0-62 in between 6 and 7 seconds and it'll pull to about 110mph. Of course being a Caterham, that will feel quite a bit quicker than the figures might look.
Thanks that's all I wanted to know .. I know the engine reasonably well as I was a garage mechanic many moons ago when these engines were fitted to Astras and The corsa.. Just had no idea how they performed in a caterham...If I do end up buying this caterham I might be tempted to give the motor a bit of a tweek ... It's claimed by the owner to be around 120 bhp at the moment .. What could I expect to gain in bhp without messing to much with the reliability for a top end tune up?.
HAL2016 said:
Thanks that's all I wanted to know .. I know the engine reasonably well as I was a garage mechanic many moons ago when these engines were fitted to Astras and The corsa.. Just had no idea how they performed in a caterham...If I do end up buying this caterham I might be tempted to give the motor a bit of a tweek ... It's claimed by the owner to be around 120 bhp at the moment .. What could I expect to gain in bhp without messing to much with the reliability for a top end tune up?.
Well here's 0-62 in around 6 seconds (depending on how well you trust the speedo) from a 100bhp 1.6 Vauxhall on 185/60r13 road tyres... My car used to weigh in at about 515kg with a quarter tank of fuel so even the 1.6 has good power : weighthttps://vimeo.com/21938949
The Webers are on the generous side so you won't gain power changing those... Bill Blydenstein used to be the guy for tuning these engines however he's no longer with us... His work generally involved big valves, Kent cam and vernier pulley. I'd imagine that lot might be good for ~15bhp.
It must be said the Crossflow is much better supported in the aftermarket when it comes to tuning.
I've an 1800 8v in my Classic 7.
0-60, according to "Magnificent 7" is 5.8 seconds.
A rolling road test in 2005 showed the engine produced 124.4bhp (Torque 117.3lbft).
A couple of years ago someone I trust did some work on the car and felt the timing was out.
It was put on a rolling road when I think results were pretty much the same as before. Sadly the MBE ignition system was deemed too old for the rolling road person to sort out the timing.
I would say the engine is a bit of a plodder but it propels the (LA) car quite well and, in the right conditions, it'll keep up with most other 7s.
0-60, according to "Magnificent 7" is 5.8 seconds.
A rolling road test in 2005 showed the engine produced 124.4bhp (Torque 117.3lbft).
A couple of years ago someone I trust did some work on the car and felt the timing was out.
It was put on a rolling road when I think results were pretty much the same as before. Sadly the MBE ignition system was deemed too old for the rolling road person to sort out the timing.
I would say the engine is a bit of a plodder but it propels the (LA) car quite well and, in the right conditions, it'll keep up with most other 7s.
Have you ever thought of the 2.0 16v Vauxhall engine HPC? Most are de dion and are around 170bhp but can easily go up to 200bhp with cams and exhaust. Saw a few advertised for 13-14k a while ago, so not too much more expensive than a 10k 8v considering the performance benefits. Here's the performance on offer https://youtu.be/MUfKLSc42fc
Hi Hal2016, Generally I like the VX engine in Sevens. The 1.8 certainly provides the extra torque over the standard 1.6 making it a very capable road car. The torque in itself creates actually creates a bit of a "smoke screen", if you like, for the cars real performance. The power will typically drop away over about 4.5-5000RPM so what feels like a very fast car on a test drive will soon be gotten used too only to find it might not have the legs you want as you start to press on. The 2.0L Vauxhall HPC which someone else suggested higher up in the thread may also be worth considering as you are less likely to want to upgrade this in the near future. Alternatively if you wanted to compare this to 1700 cross flow engine which packs a little more punch we have one of those in stock at the moment, you are welcome to come and see what your think.
Hope this helps and best of luck in your search.
Kind regards
Callum
S&C
Hope this helps and best of luck in your search.
Kind regards
Callum
S&C
My 1800 8v surprised me with its top speed. That might be due to a 3.77:1 ratio and initially it only had one Brooklands aeroscreen.
As for fuel consumption, I cant quote a precise figure but on our 2000 mile round trip to Italy, my other half thought it quite economical. I would guess about 30mpg.
As for fuel consumption, I cant quote a precise figure but on our 2000 mile round trip to Italy, my other half thought it quite economical. I would guess about 30mpg.
Thanks for all the info on the caterham .. One more thing that I would like to know is about the indicator toggle switch.. I can emagin that takes a lot of getting used to to avoid not cancelling after a turn.. This may be something I will need to change .. I've got two choices ..one is to fit a indicator lamp in the dash but don't really want to drill the dash if possible and the other if available? is to fit a switch with a lamp fitted..anybody know where I can get one with a lamp? There are plenty one way on and off switches I have seen with lamps built in but not a two way indicator type.
I'd be surprised if you don't have a flashing light on the dash (between the main dials and green) but that may be model related.
I was worried about forgetting but actually it becomes almost second nature, a little tap of the switch with a flick of a finger.
I feel it's better than the auto ones on my normal car, constantly have to reset if I turn wheel before the turn, if you see what I mean.
It's a lovely 'quirk'.
On my dash I modded it to the retro red dash, and put a light above the green turn signal to tell me when my fan comes on, (I have a fan override switch too). This also reminds me if I have left the battery cut off switch on when parking up.
You'll see I put a few label on the switches, these are again fir a retro feel, but also to help the Mot tester and any friends who may drive it sometime.
I was worried about forgetting but actually it becomes almost second nature, a little tap of the switch with a flick of a finger.
I feel it's better than the auto ones on my normal car, constantly have to reset if I turn wheel before the turn, if you see what I mean.
It's a lovely 'quirk'.
On my dash I modded it to the retro red dash, and put a light above the green turn signal to tell me when my fan comes on, (I have a fan override switch too). This also reminds me if I have left the battery cut off switch on when parking up.
You'll see I put a few label on the switches, these are again fir a retro feel, but also to help the Mot tester and any friends who may drive it sometime.
Edited by Stridey on Saturday 12th March 11:39
I heard a rumour that the 1.6 VX engine as used on Caterhams (and still raced in Caterham Graduates 'Classic' class) was originally intended for use on propane powered forklifts and that Caterham got them for next to nothing when an order was cancelled. The heads needed flowing to even get to the 100 or so BHP they're rated at.
Don't know if that is true or not, but a 1.8 VX head from a Chavalier or Astra is very different to the Caterham 1.6 head. It's much more open and has bigger valves than the 1.6 and therefore, I would presume, much better suited to revving out and making more power.
Spares will be easier and cheaper to get for a 1.8 than the 1.6.
Don't know if that is true or not, but a 1.8 VX head from a Chavalier or Astra is very different to the Caterham 1.6 head. It's much more open and has bigger valves than the 1.6 and therefore, I would presume, much better suited to revving out and making more power.
Spares will be easier and cheaper to get for a 1.8 than the 1.6.
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