Caterham 170 experience

TL;DR : not the best afternoon Really happy with the MFD15 installed in October , it didn't take long to imagine a next step where the fuel gauge would also be replaced by a CAN one, and a final step that would see a custom base for my mobile phone holder take the space occupied by the coolant temperature dial. Since the last failure of the oxygen sensor, I came to like having the lambda value displayed at all times. That also helped justify getting a second MFD15. With all the discounts the end of year was likely to bring, I didn't rush the purchase. But as nothing came by mid-December, I placed an order from Sandtler24 before any hypothetical price increase in January. First things first, I prepared an image for the boot screen. This time with the House of Speed and Quaife logos. The new device was powered from its USB port, the boot image loaded, the firmware upgraded to the latest version, the TRI file (CAN messages definitions) uploaded as well as a backup of ...

TL;DR  stealth on a shelf My Ultralite wheels were actually configured with another car in mind. More precisely, they were supposed to be chef's kiss 👌 on a carbon fiber-clad Caterham 170R with a Nardo grey body. A real thing of beauty; a bit radical. The black perimeter bolts (20 per wheel) worked really well with that livery. On Firecracker yellow with black stripes, I did intent on having silver assembly hardware. It's a bit more subdued on a car that is already attracting a lot of attention. That to say those black bolts are bit much on my 170S. A good thing with split rims is that the fasteners can be replaced at will. A better thing yet is that the bolts aren't screwed in the wheels centers themselves, but rather on nuts behind the rim sections. Those allow for a visual inspection and can be re-torqued if needed. This is also way safer than threading straight in aluminium : failing threads can lead to wheels that split while driving or even explode when mo...

TL;DR a chunky boy  With my previous portable air compressor lost in action trying to get the Kia up to spec', I was is need of a decent replacement. For sure I tried the courtesy hose at the local gas station. It was either blocked by a car parked in that spot, or the compressor was turned off and I ended removing air from the car. After 18 months, the convenience of a battery-powered portable option would have been missed. My use ranged from regular re-inflation of our daily cars; dealing with the bicycles including fixing punctures; inflating a basketball or two... to dealing with an unexpected warning light on the road to Summer vacations. Related to the Caterham, I took the compressor along each time we ventured a bit further away than usual. For instance, I used it to lower the pressure once in the Vosges and Black Forest for maximum grip, then got the Seven back to prescribed pressure before the 500km trip back, for maximum efficiency on the motorway. In line w...