RE: PH Carpool: Renaultsport Megane R26.R
Discussion
356Speedster said:
Chicane-UK said:
M@1975 said:
FWD.. meh..
And it'll show a clean pair of heels to plenty more supposedly exciting RWD stuff, on a track. So what's the problem? 
To the OP - Two thumbs up, great to see you using the car regularly and enjoying it. As a Focus RS MP350 owner, I respect the R26.R as a car of the same mould (although even more hardcore, clearly) showing the establishment just what can be done with a brilliant chassis.
Oh, and it's nice to see someone else going thru' the tyre pain, but loving every minute of it
I`ve got Yoko AD08s on mine at the moment which are a good compromise for tyre life / grip / standing water clearance for the Mway.
I do wish those who only enter threads like this to make some dumb comments about FWD would just F off.
Having witnessed a standard R26 destroy everything bar Norris Design's circa 400hp Evo 8 at Castle Combe only a few weeks ago these Meganes are incredibly capable machines and you really could see what a huge difference the FWD + LSD combination made in the damp/greasy conditions.
Having witnessed a standard R26 destroy everything bar Norris Design's circa 400hp Evo 8 at Castle Combe only a few weeks ago these Meganes are incredibly capable machines and you really could see what a huge difference the FWD + LSD combination made in the damp/greasy conditions.
Mark-C said:
fozluvscars said:
Arun_D said:
For the regular R26 (the non stripped out 4-seater that the .R is based on) yes, but R26.R prices are firmly around 15-20k still.
why not buy a low mileage r26 for £8k, with £7k+ spare for furry dice, go faster stripes and optional bee sting aerial?aka_kerrly said:
I do wish those who only enter threads like this to make some dumb comments about FWD would just F off.
Having witnessed a standard R26 destroy everything bar Norris Design's circa 400hp Evo 8 at Castle Combe only a few weeks ago these Meganes are incredibly capable machines and you really could see what a huge difference the FWD + LSD combination made in the damp/greasy conditions.
It's because they know f all about cars and actuallt driving them on track. I've driven the new cup 265 and that is even quicker and some would say has improved handling over the R26.R.Having witnessed a standard R26 destroy everything bar Norris Design's circa 400hp Evo 8 at Castle Combe only a few weeks ago these Meganes are incredibly capable machines and you really could see what a huge difference the FWD + LSD combination made in the damp/greasy conditions.
Amazing car,really my type of car,brought back my interest in RenaultSport after some years,well done to them for making this, a car that didn't disappoint no one in the slightest.
i can't be arsed to take a very capable car,strip it and transform it into a weapon,i think this is the final product being served to someone who wants an exiting/track car without putting any effort.
Would love to own one,no manufacturer and even R.S will ever make a car like this anymore.
i can't be arsed to take a very capable car,strip it and transform it into a weapon,i think this is the final product being served to someone who wants an exiting/track car without putting any effort.
Would love to own one,no manufacturer and even R.S will ever make a car like this anymore.
Contigo said:
aka_kerrly said:
I do wish those who only enter threads like this to make some dumb comments about FWD would just F off.
Having witnessed a standard R26 destroy everything bar Norris Design's circa 400hp Evo 8 at Castle Combe only a few weeks ago these Meganes are incredibly capable machines and you really could see what a huge difference the FWD + LSD combination made in the damp/greasy conditions.
It's because they know f all about cars and actuallt driving them on track. I've driven the new cup 265 and that is even quicker and some would say has improved handling over the R26.R.Having witnessed a standard R26 destroy everything bar Norris Design's circa 400hp Evo 8 at Castle Combe only a few weeks ago these Meganes are incredibly capable machines and you really could see what a huge difference the FWD + LSD combination made in the damp/greasy conditions.
Derek Chevalier said:
Gary C said:
Plenty of RWD cars would leave this car on a track too.
Which affordable RWD cars, driven by average drivers, did you have in mind?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGfKhQQlduw
Now if we look at the list of production cars ring times we can see that there are a bucketload of Porsche's (Boxters, 911's etc) and the odd GT-R but other than that there are not pelntiful RWD cars as you state that could even get round the ring anywhere close to the R26.R
8:17 Porsche Boxster S Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (12/2009?)[68]
8:18 Lexus IS-F fastestlaps.com (2007)
8:20 2010 Camaro SS NA Edmunds[69]
8:22 Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 Motoharu Kurosawa Best Motoring Video Special DVD
8:22 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG (W203) Sport Auto (7/2004)
8:22 BMW M3 E46 Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (12/2000)
8:22 BMW M Coupe E36/8 Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (10/1998)
8:22.85 Chevrolet Cobalt SS/TC (2007) Motor Trend (10/2007)
8:24 Cosworth Type 25 STI spec C (2010) Mark Chandler Sport Auto (2010), Sport tires
8:25 Lotus Exige S Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (06/2008)[70]
8:25 Jaguar XKR Horst von Saurma Sport Auto
8:25 Audi RS4 Sean Moore
8:25 Porsche Cayman S Horst von Saurma Sport Auto
8:24 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (11/1999), Sport tires[citation needed]
8:25 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (11/2002), Sport tires[citation needed]
8:26 Audi S5 Horst von Saurma Sport Auto (01/2008)[71]
Derek Chevalier said:
Gary C said:
Plenty of RWD cars would leave this car on a track too.
Which affordable RWD cars, driven by average drivers, did you have in mind?The thing about my R26.R is that it was supremely capable of going fast round a circuit with average driving talent. The car's ability is just there on tap for the taking. You could safely throw it around, chucking it at every apex and it behaves remarkably well. The Mountune'd Focus RS I had for a year afterwards was just scrappy in comparison, required real focus (pardon the pun) to keep things neat and tidy.
Running an Exige now, which I'm guessing those fwd naysayers would put in the category of a 'real' trackcar, I would seriously doubt I am much faster at the moment (if at all) than I was in the Megane. My driving abilty (granted it improves with every track outing) simply can't extract all the availably performance of the car, knowing how snappy the Lotus is at the limit, and how difficult it can be to gather things up when it does let go at the back. Still a lot of exploring to go before I know I'm getting the most out of the car.
For me, that's fine, it's a learning experience I wanted after a raft of FWD hatches, and in terms of pure feeling, the R26.R can't compare, but for a trackcar that's easy to get straight into and drive fast, the Megane definitely has it's place in the market.
Edited by Arun_D on Monday 14th May 13:08
Derek Chevalier said:
Gary C said:
Plenty of RWD cars would leave this car on a track too.
Which affordable RWD cars, driven by average drivers, did you have in mind?
900T-R said:
Sod the track, what impressed me most about all the R26R tales is Evo declaring it was too much for three out of six bona fide supercars in the ECOTY final on an Alpine(IIRC) mountain road, both in terms of raw capability and enjoyment.
QUITE, forget the nonsense `Ring because it doesn`t have enough "oomph" to make it SUPER quick there, try to get away from one on a B road or in the Alps!i think any driver of a porsche, M3 etc etc who knows and understands anything about track designed and prepped cars and fast driving on track or road would not make the mistake of writing off any of these cars be it a Clio trophy, Focus RS or the Megane.
Last year i watched a lovely 60's mini cooper chase down a Ford Falcon round Goodwood at the revival for 25 very entertaining minutes.
The grip and turning ability of these cars is incredible, crab like in most cases but the straights is where the RWD's take their revenge (unless you are looking at silly money for a RWD). The problem is finding a track with straights where you can take advantage of this! Once the FWD is locked on you are going to have to do very well to shake it.
And then we could talk about driver ability but that's a whole new element to the discussion!
Last year i watched a lovely 60's mini cooper chase down a Ford Falcon round Goodwood at the revival for 25 very entertaining minutes.
The grip and turning ability of these cars is incredible, crab like in most cases but the straights is where the RWD's take their revenge (unless you are looking at silly money for a RWD). The problem is finding a track with straights where you can take advantage of this! Once the FWD is locked on you are going to have to do very well to shake it.
And then we could talk about driver ability but that's a whole new element to the discussion!
Derek Chevalier said:
Which affordable RWD cars, driven by average drivers, did you have in mind?
Tricky set of self selecting criteria there. These days RWD is almost exclusively used on premium price platforms, so is unlikley to be 'affordable'. As for 'average' drivers, most drivers have grown up in FWD cars so find the RWD experience a bit alien. There's no reason why a well sorted FWD chassis will out-perform a well sorted RWD. I see that the very unsophisticated Vauxhall VXR8 Bathhurst went round Bedford Autodrome (EVO) quicker than a R26.R.That said, the R26.R is a great bit of kit, which is on my list of cars to own(one day). Thanks for the great write-up.
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