Ask Phil #11 – Hi Phil! I’m curious as to the background of the SR5. The car seems like a great idea to me. A lower stressed engine that would be great for track days where the owner isn’t as concerned about getting every last bit out of power to weight. However, it seems it never really took off. I’d like to know what were the thoughts behind the SR5 and why you think it never caught on? The car was also available as a roller and able to accommodate a Sadev which I found to be something Radical doesn’t typically do and was wondering if they were trying to tap a new market with this approach? My interest comes from owning SR8 Chassis 42 as a roller and looking to swap in a Honda K24 and a Sadev transaxle. Thanks! Joe (@JoeP)
Hi Joe, SR5 design and build was initially driven from the European market racing series. We were looking to increase sales by expanding into other categories. Several things were moving in European sales. The VdV endurance series, run by the Eric Van der Vyver organization, was a very successful series in early 2000’s. It was a […]
Ask Phil #10 – Hi Phil, I have the 2013 Radical SR8 VIN 207. Using a new PC Laptop, the Radical ECU cable, and downloaded Life ECU 2.15.40, but when I connect to the SR8 (Life PTMon), it does not find the device. Any suggestions and assistance is appreciated. Vafa Fouroohi
Hi Vafa, Always best to try to avoid the technological route and ask what was the last thing the human did, or did not do. That thought has helped me for over 50 years ! A quick check is the socket where the life cable plugs in. It can get damaged by debris or rough […]
Ask Phil Question # 9 – Hi Phil, I have bought a Prosport 1300 rms 215(one of the last ones?). I believe it was one of several cars sold to Mantorp park driving school in Sweden. I will drive it for the first time this year. Would it be advisable to test it with neutral wing and the front canards off to learn the cars balance with less downforce? I have never driven anything this fast, or mid engined on track before. Regards, Jonas Maurstad (@maurstad) from Norway
Dear Jonas, Thanks for your question. If you have never driven slicks and wings before, it’s best to start with at least medium downforce. The dive planes and rear wing work together as a package and should be used together. Start with the wing set in a mid point position and once you get used […]
Question 8: Hi Phil! Whatever happened to that SR3 turbo project you guys had going on in early 2000’s? I know one of these cars was used the first time a Radical broke the Nürburgring track record, but there is very little information currently available about these cars. Thanks, Robert L. (@lunatic)
Wow! Those were crazy days, we did not know enough, but, we made up with commitment, determination, focus and sheer obstinacy. There is a lovely paragraph in one of the Bruce McLaren books, pure basic reality and honesty – when Bruce was asked by a journalist, what changed, from early days of their Can-Am journey […]
Question 7: Hi Phil, I own the prototype SR3 SL ‘Daisy’ as it was known. It is now black rather than the white with the multi coloured stripes. There must be a few tales about this car….one pic I have noticed, is the registration plate looks to have been swapped for a photo shoot / test. The first white SL has the reg AE60 BFA in some shots, which is the reg of my car. Cheers Gareth (@gareth747474)
I think firstly we should address why a group of (relatively) intelligent adults would start calling race cars specific, mostly ladies names!? Where did ‘daisy’ come from? It did happen in other places too. Famously McLaren’s two drivetrain test mules for the original road F1 ,two Ultima kit cars with V12 powered and I think […]
Question 6: Hi Phil, recently one of the Registry members purchase an RXC body off of Racecars direct and I was wondering if you remember anything about this car? According to the chassis number it appears to be the third RXC built. Also, there are two unique rectangular inlets on the front of the car. Do you remember this car?
Yes, I know this car very well, or what’s left of it. It looks in remarkably good condition for its journey! During 2012-13-14 (the best-selling years for numbers of Radical cars) we built 162, 168 and 172 total cars of all model types in those respective years which contained some months where 17, 18 and even […]
Question 5: Hi Phil! Thanks for creating such amazing and affordable race cars! I have an early 2004 SR3 Chassis 165. It has the 1500 long stroke with the Keihin Carburetors and MBE ignition. I’ve wondered why Radical chose Carburetion for the early cars since the original Hayabusa engine came fuel injected. I did see an option for fuel injection on the Radical promo brochure for SR3’s of that era but I believe that it was a Jenvey system and not a modified Suzuki F.I. System. Most of the Gen 1 SR3’s I see have the carbs and not the Jenvey system. Crit
Hi Crit (@Crit), Thanks for being a customer and nice comments. Early Sr3 were mostly carbs, as we bought base production line motors only directly from Suzuki Japan, we could not buy with Suzuki injection systems, that was handled by another dept. The keihin flat slides gave a very easy tunable performance increase, and simple […]
Question 4 – “I’m interested in how the SR8 was developed. I’ve got a couple of them (#42 and #87) and they came with such different equipment! #42 came with an AiM dash and a Quaife QBE58G gearbox, and the #87 came with a Stack dash and a Hewland JFR200 gearbox. Later came the QBE72G gearbox. Can you share any stories or history about how you worked with those different suppliers as the SR8 evolved from 2005 to 2012 (when it all seemed to come together to a single supplier set). Thanks! John (@parsonsj)
Hi John Thanks for your interest and owning two Sr8s! hope you enjoy them. There was a definite order of ‘spec‘ as produced as new , except! 2-5 only ‘special orders‘. I would guess your chassis #87 is one of those special orders. Early cars were built with Hewland JFR as you see , […]
Question 3: “I’m interested in the relationship with Quaife, such as, how did the decision (and design/development) to make the GDR (Gear Driven) differential come about? It’s a neat piece.” (from Russ M)
Answer 3: Russ (@russmcb), Thinking back , the chain drive on early Clubsport cars seemed to work well , it took sometime to find a correct quality chain that would wear at an acceptable rate, but also these cars had relatively lower grip tyres and relatively little downforce, the cars would slide very controllable in […]
Question 2: Prosport Suspension tuning (from Neil C) – “I have a 2001 Prosport. I made some adjustable pushrods for the front suspension to give me the ability to better corner weight the car. I proceeded to corner weight the car with both the NIK and rear sway bars detached and found when it was dialed in, I had no travel to the suspension left. Seems the front suspension has a very narrow field of motion. I ended up replacing the adjustable push rods with the stock pushrods. Am I missing the concept of the car/suspension? Is it best just to leave the car alone?”
Answer 2: Hi Neil (@neilca), Many thanks for investing in the Radical 00137, a car known to me, and thanks for your question , apologies to come back to basic questions but I have to understand more detail to help us get to the issue , I’m sure we can make your adjustable pushrods work […]