RE: Renault Megane 265 Cup: PH Fleet
Discussion
Interesting read - i've got a 265 and I suffer none of the issues faced in the article.
Mine warms up in no time at all - maybe he should get the PH one looked at.
My seats (admittedly non-recaros) allow me to find get comfortable straight away and they're perfectly supportive when pressing on. I do think Renault make some good standard sports seats... and if someone else drove it I'd be back in my original position in no time as they're electric memory seats. They're also heated which helps with the warmth side of things.
Stop start does sound frustrating if it doesn't work properly, fortunately mine is a pre stop start model so it's not a function I have to worry about.
I guess I've been lucky.
I hope things get better and the niggles don't spoil what is an exceptional performance car.
Mine warms up in no time at all - maybe he should get the PH one looked at.
My seats (admittedly non-recaros) allow me to find get comfortable straight away and they're perfectly supportive when pressing on. I do think Renault make some good standard sports seats... and if someone else drove it I'd be back in my original position in no time as they're electric memory seats. They're also heated which helps with the warmth side of things.
Stop start does sound frustrating if it doesn't work properly, fortunately mine is a pre stop start model so it's not a function I have to worry about.
I guess I've been lucky.
I hope things get better and the niggles don't spoil what is an exceptional performance car.
Mines the pre 'stop start' also so no issues there, I'm sure they allowed for this but I would hate to shut the engine down without allowing the turbo to spin down, I'm old fashioned but that's the way I was brought up
I had a quick ride in an Exige last week which was familiar territory after a couple of Elise's in my past, I know it only had 190 BHP but it felt ever so slow compared to the Megane, over a poor road surface it was very noticeably softer also, my wife hates my car and suggested that the lotus might be more practical!
The 265 Cup is a complete love affair for me in a way the Elise never was, it was a weekend car but the Renault is used every day so that even the mundane commute is interesting
I had a quick ride in an Exige last week which was familiar territory after a couple of Elise's in my past, I know it only had 190 BHP but it felt ever so slow compared to the Megane, over a poor road surface it was very noticeably softer also, my wife hates my car and suggested that the lotus might be more practical!
The 265 Cup is a complete love affair for me in a way the Elise never was, it was a weekend car but the Renault is used every day so that even the mundane commute is interesting
Ali_T said:
Gorbyrev said:
Was that the right link. 1:38 never came up. Nice Alfa exhaust note though. As for hairs going up on the back of the neck, the opening feedback of Flying in a Blue Dream does it for me every time. What a player. And those tapping arpeggios in the Mystical Potato Groove Blues Thing are still beyond me at full speed after years of trying.
LOl, no. The joys of having two threads open! Here you go, my fave Satch song of all time:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdz4MTAo7j0
I gave up trying to tap like him. It's easier to do Vai because he uses more wah and that covers a few sins nicely. My proudest achievement is being able to play Headless Horseman...and it's not really that hard, Mystical's parts are actually entirely left hand legato with the right hand muffling at the nt, which is even harder than tapping! One note per string at that speed. Insane.
Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 12th March 23:25
Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 12th March 23:34
macky17 said:
Ironic it should be the engine which starts to win you over when, relatively, that's weakest part of the car. Try the engine in a 135i or a mk2 Focus RS if you want torque/performance and (in the latter case) character. When Renault fit a decent power plant to one of these, I'll buy one.
Is the Focus any quicker than the Renault?Msportman said:
Give me a MK7 Golf GTI anytime....
*Snore*Sorry, but the 2.0TFSI is one of the most dullest, least charismatic engines I've had the misfortune of experiencing and it put me off considering any turbo i4 until I sampled the Megane. Pulled well to the ton, but I'd rather have the 1.9/2.0 TDI units!
Msportman said:
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
Because people are easily influenced by things like the badge, the imagine, how the dashboard tastes etc.? After all the mk4 GTi was one of the best selling 
Derek Chevalier said:
macky17 said:
Ironic it should be the engine which starts to win you over when, relatively, that's weakest part of the car. Try the engine in a 135i or a mk2 Focus RS if you want torque/performance and (in the latter case) character. When Renault fit a decent power plant to one of these, I'll buy one.
Is the Focus any quicker than the Renault?As I said, the Megane's engine is very impressive for a i4 turbo. The numerous online videos don't seem to do it justice, and it probably doesn't sound great from the outside either, it needs to be tried from the drivers seat
The M135i does sound amazing though from the outside though, worthy of cars costing double IMO
Msportman said:
Give me a MK7 Golf GTI anytime.....does what it says on the tin....great all round package that oozes quality and is very capable.
Add a rempa and it will be well on it's way to 250+bhp with a new diff.
Renaults for me mean electrical gremelins, reliabity and very average interiors.
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
Because they have a fraction of the number of dealers for a start. But this is not about vanilla Meganes, it's about Renaultsports finest and to quote Jethro Bovingdon in EVO a couple of months ago, having driven a Golf immediately after the Megane, he was seriously checking to make sure nothing in the suspension/steering had broken it was so loose by comparison.Add a rempa and it will be well on it's way to 250+bhp with a new diff.
Renaults for me mean electrical gremelins, reliabity and very average interiors.
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
VWs JD Power stats are nothing to boast about either.
If you value nice plastics, heavy doors and a perfectly acceptable if luke warm hatch then that's fine. But the Megane drives rings around the GTI and the R for that matter.
I've had my Trophy since new and it's covered 26000 miles without a single fault of any sort in 15 months. That is a Fact. The GTI is also way above £30k with even a modest amount of options and the R a faintly ridiculous £35k +
There's a definite case to be made for the 135i i admit, but even that car can't make you grin or cover the ground as fast as the Megane RS
framerateuk said:
Derek Chevalier said:
Is the Focus any quicker than the Renault?
In a straight line from a standing start, probably.In the real world and around a track? No.
http://fastestlaps.com/cars/ford_focus_rs_mk_ii.ht...
http://fastestlaps.com/cars/renault_megane_rs_265_...
MarkRSi said:
Very true, there's not even a Renault garage in Aberdeen now, which I'd be trying to rectify very quickly if I was in charge of Renault UK.
However I've had an excellent response from Ness Motors in Inverness (I believe there's one in Perth?) and Memsie Garage north of Aberdeenshire.
Ness Motors are advertising a 'roadshow' event this weekend in Westhill, Aberdeen, so maybe they're fancying expanding to fill the gap...However I've had an excellent response from Ness Motors in Inverness (I believe there's one in Perth?) and Memsie Garage north of Aberdeenshire.
Dblue said:
Msportman said:
Give me a MK7 Golf GTI anytime.....does what it says on the tin....great all round package that oozes quality and is very capable.
Add a rempa and it will be well on it's way to 250+bhp with a new diff.
Renaults for me mean electrical gremelins, reliabity and very average interiors.
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
Because they have a fraction of the number of dealers for a start. But this is not about vanilla Meganes, it's about Renaultsports finest and to quote Jethro Bovingdon in EVO a couple of months ago, having driven a Golf immediately after the Megane, he was seriously checking to make sure nothing in the suspension/steering had broken it was so loose by comparison.Add a rempa and it will be well on it's way to 250+bhp with a new diff.
Renaults for me mean electrical gremelins, reliabity and very average interiors.
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
VWs JD Power stats are nothing to boast about either.
If you value nice plastics, heavy doors and a perfectly acceptable if luke warm hatch then that's fine. But the Megane drives rings around the GTI and the R for that matter.
I've had my Trophy since new and it's covered 26000 miles without a single fault of any sort in 15 months. That is a Fact. The GTI is also way above £30k with even a modest amount of options and the R a faintly ridiculous £35k +
There's a definite case to be made for the 135i i admit, but even that car can't make you grin or cover the ground as fast as the Megane RS
Renaults are notorious in the motor trade for electrical gremlins and build quality issues.
The RS Megane maybe very good on track but it has certain qualities that the Golf doesn't which I have to admit is annoying in the VW....a proper diff, big brakes for track and perhaps a more complex/better resolved suspension on the front end. But as an everyday tool the Golf excels and is pretty good in between as Jethro and others who tested the MK5 agreed in Evo.
The TFSI unit in the Edition 30 is a great tuneable package.....well worth seeking out and mapping and adding some track hardware if you plan on that.
I run a MK2 16V which is tuned to 200+bhp with a slipper in the box with 4.25fd together with sticky rubber decent brakes and Eibach coilovers.....it only weighs 1000 kilo's. Cheap on consumables and a real sheep as it looks very OE.....but will lap Combe in 1.20-1.12 or 55secs around Mallory!!
Who needs to spend 20k on a new Golf or Megane?
Golfs maybe boring out of the factory but they are still capable and are still a lovely family / all round package that can easily be adapted for more hardcore track action with the huge amount of VAG tuners around.
175gt said:
MarkRSi said:
Very true, there's not even a Renault garage in Aberdeen now, which I'd be trying to rectify very quickly if I was in charge of Renault UK.
However I've had an excellent response from Ness Motors in Inverness (I believe there's one in Perth?) and Memsie Garage north of Aberdeenshire.
Ness Motors are advertising a 'roadshow' event this weekend in Westhill, Aberdeen, so maybe they're fancying expanding to fill the gap...However I've had an excellent response from Ness Motors in Inverness (I believe there's one in Perth?) and Memsie Garage north of Aberdeenshire.
Ness Motors @NessMotors
Test drive Megane Renaultsport 265 cup & Twingo Renaultsport 133 at Aberdeen Roadshow @HolidayInn West, 10am-5pm Fri & Sat @renaultsportcom
Msportman said:
Stuff
Good post, much more reasonable, I take my first reply back 
That Mk2 sounds like quite a weapon, although I'd imagine it's a bit more hardcore than even a 265!Msportman said:
Dblue said:
Msportman said:
Give me a MK7 Golf GTI anytime.....does what it says on the tin....great all round package that oozes quality and is very capable.
Add a rempa and it will be well on it's way to 250+bhp with a new diff.
Renaults for me mean electrical gremelins, reliabity and very average interiors.
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
Because they have a fraction of the number of dealers for a start. But this is not about vanilla Meganes, it's about Renaultsports finest and to quote Jethro Bovingdon in EVO a couple of months ago, having driven a Golf immediately after the Megane, he was seriously checking to make sure nothing in the suspension/steering had broken it was so loose by comparison.Add a rempa and it will be well on it's way to 250+bhp with a new diff.
Renaults for me mean electrical gremelins, reliabity and very average interiors.
Never see many of the Megane's on the road....wonder why??
VWs JD Power stats are nothing to boast about either.
If you value nice plastics, heavy doors and a perfectly acceptable if luke warm hatch then that's fine. But the Megane drives rings around the GTI and the R for that matter.
I've had my Trophy since new and it's covered 26000 miles without a single fault of any sort in 15 months. That is a Fact. The GTI is also way above £30k with even a modest amount of options and the R a faintly ridiculous £35k +
There's a definite case to be made for the 135i i admit, but even that car can't make you grin or cover the ground as fast as the Megane RS
Renaults are notorious in the motor trade for electrical gremlins and build quality issues.
The RS Megane maybe very good on track but it has certain qualities that the Golf doesn't which I have to admit is annoying in the VW....a proper diff, big brakes for track and perhaps a more complex/better resolved suspension on the front end. But as an everyday tool the Golf excels and is pretty good in between as Jethro and others who tested the MK5 agreed in Evo.
The TFSI unit in the Edition 30 is a great tuneable package.....well worth seeking out and mapping and adding some track hardware if you plan on that.
I run a MK2 16V which is tuned to 200+bhp with a slipper in the box with 4.25fd together with sticky rubber decent brakes and Eibach coilovers.....it only weighs 1000 kilo's. Cheap on consumables and a real sheep as it looks very OE.....but will lap Combe in 1.20-1.12 or 55secs around Mallory!!
Who needs to spend 20k on a new Golf or Megane?
Golfs maybe boring out of the factory but they are still capable and are still a lovely family / all round package that can easily be adapted for more hardcore track action with the huge amount of VAG tuners around.
Personally i don't think any front driver benefits from being above 300bhp, it asks to much of the chassis.
It's all about compromise in any car and the balance between performance/handling/ride/refinement is what we're talking about here. I think the Renault is a perfectly refined and comfortable every day car with the "balance" set a little more towards the driving experience.
Absolutely agree about your comments about 300bhp in a FWD car. The chassis is at it's very limit of adhesion even with a diff. At this level and above for maximum progress the diff in combination with sticky rubber for trackwork is essential.
It is a real compromise in the wet especially with high torque levels. The Edition 30 without a diff when mapped was reasonably good but needed careful management in the wet....it could be great in the dry and a real weapon.Most Edition 30's are over 230bhp out of the box and stage 1 APR mapping gave mine just over 300bhp and 340lbs. Stage 2 which was fuel pump ,exhaust etc gave 340 and now the latest from APR gives 350-360 ish out of the S3 lump. At these levels I was faced with the decision of sinking a further 5-6k into clutch, Quaiffe, 2 Piece Big brake kit etc. Great to do now if you get one cheap enough but the Megane is pretty well done and dusted out of the factory.
I went and tried a Stage 3 Golf R at Combe in October running APR's bigger stage 3 Garrett turbo boosted up to 460bhp running DSG and Haldex controller...great package and super car performance at 3.2 0-60. Ok to do on an S3 at the right price but add it all up with brakes it's 12k+!!
I think what alot of Golf modders like is the range of good German tuners and the overall quality ingredients you get in the manufacture of the car which gives it that all round appeal.I'm in the old skool trackday modders of the late 80's when GTI Engineering and BR Motorsport, Tim Stiles Racing were in their peak tuning MK1's then MK2's. A great package in their day and still are if a bit raw!! My mates are all from the same era and my little Golf is featured in the GTI Tuning Bible built by TSR so it has got some history....it's very similar to the car featured on 5th Gear a while back...a three door but in Alpine white.
The MK2 is great and is one of those cars that really surprises alot of people such is the great chassis you get with the MK2 and that ability to use every ounce of power nearly 100% of the time especially on track.....200bhp is a great amount of power in a sorted light weight package....cheap on consumables too!!
It is a real compromise in the wet especially with high torque levels. The Edition 30 without a diff when mapped was reasonably good but needed careful management in the wet....it could be great in the dry and a real weapon.Most Edition 30's are over 230bhp out of the box and stage 1 APR mapping gave mine just over 300bhp and 340lbs. Stage 2 which was fuel pump ,exhaust etc gave 340 and now the latest from APR gives 350-360 ish out of the S3 lump. At these levels I was faced with the decision of sinking a further 5-6k into clutch, Quaiffe, 2 Piece Big brake kit etc. Great to do now if you get one cheap enough but the Megane is pretty well done and dusted out of the factory.
I went and tried a Stage 3 Golf R at Combe in October running APR's bigger stage 3 Garrett turbo boosted up to 460bhp running DSG and Haldex controller...great package and super car performance at 3.2 0-60. Ok to do on an S3 at the right price but add it all up with brakes it's 12k+!!
I think what alot of Golf modders like is the range of good German tuners and the overall quality ingredients you get in the manufacture of the car which gives it that all round appeal.I'm in the old skool trackday modders of the late 80's when GTI Engineering and BR Motorsport, Tim Stiles Racing were in their peak tuning MK1's then MK2's. A great package in their day and still are if a bit raw!! My mates are all from the same era and my little Golf is featured in the GTI Tuning Bible built by TSR so it has got some history....it's very similar to the car featured on 5th Gear a while back...a three door but in Alpine white.
The MK2 is great and is one of those cars that really surprises alot of people such is the great chassis you get with the MK2 and that ability to use every ounce of power nearly 100% of the time especially on track.....200bhp is a great amount of power in a sorted light weight package....cheap on consumables too!!
Edited by Msportman on Friday 15th March 19:40
Edited by Msportman on Friday 15th March 19:46
Msportman said:
Absolutely agree about your comments about 300bhp in a FWD car. The chassis is at it's very limit of adhesion even with a diff. At this level and above for maximum progress the diff in combination with sticky rubber for trackwork is essential.
It is a real compromise in the wet especially with high torque levels. The Edition 30 without a diff when mapped was reasonably good but needed careful management in the wet....it could be great in the dry and a real weapon.Most Edition 30's are over 230bhp out of the box and stage 1 APR mapping gave mine just over 300bhp and 340lbs. Stage 2 which was fuel pump ,exhaust etc gave 340 and now the latest from APR gives 350-360 ish out of the S3 lump. At these levels I was faced with the decision of sinking a further 5-6k into clutch, Quaiffe, 2 Piece Big brake kit etc. Great to do now if you get one cheap enough but the Megane is pretty well done and dusted out of the factory.
I went and tried a Stage 3 Golf R at Combe in October running APR's bigger stage 3 Garrett turbo boosted up to 460bhp running DSG and Haldex controller...great package and super car performance at 3.2 0-60. Ok to do on an S3 at the right price but add it all up with brakes it's 12k+!!
I think what alot of Golf modders like is the range of good German tuners and the overall quality ingredients you get in the manufacture of the car which gives it that all round appeal.I'm in the old skool trackday modders of the late 80's when GTI Engineering and BR Motorsport, Tim Stiles Racing were in their peak tuning MK1's then MK2's. A great package in their day and still are if a bit raw!! My mates are all from the same era and my little Golf is featured in the GTI Tuning Bible built by TSR so it has got some history....it's very similar to the car featured on 5th Gear a while back...a three door but in Alpine white.
The MK2 is great and is one of those cars that really surprises alot of people such is the great chassis you get with the MK2 and that ability to use every ounce of power nearly 100% of the time especially on track.....200bhp is a great amount of power in a sorted light weight package....cheap on consumables too!!
I am quite with you on the fun and interest you can take from modding, I fettle my GT3 endlessly in many ways (Not engine though) and I loved that aspect of GTR ownership but I've not touched the Renault for a couple of reasons. The aforementioned difficulties in handling 300bhp+ through the front wheels alone and the sheer rightness of the chassis out of the box.It is a real compromise in the wet especially with high torque levels. The Edition 30 without a diff when mapped was reasonably good but needed careful management in the wet....it could be great in the dry and a real weapon.Most Edition 30's are over 230bhp out of the box and stage 1 APR mapping gave mine just over 300bhp and 340lbs. Stage 2 which was fuel pump ,exhaust etc gave 340 and now the latest from APR gives 350-360 ish out of the S3 lump. At these levels I was faced with the decision of sinking a further 5-6k into clutch, Quaiffe, 2 Piece Big brake kit etc. Great to do now if you get one cheap enough but the Megane is pretty well done and dusted out of the factory.
I went and tried a Stage 3 Golf R at Combe in October running APR's bigger stage 3 Garrett turbo boosted up to 460bhp running DSG and Haldex controller...great package and super car performance at 3.2 0-60. Ok to do on an S3 at the right price but add it all up with brakes it's 12k+!!
I think what alot of Golf modders like is the range of good German tuners and the overall quality ingredients you get in the manufacture of the car which gives it that all round appeal.I'm in the old skool trackday modders of the late 80's when GTI Engineering and BR Motorsport, Tim Stiles Racing were in their peak tuning MK1's then MK2's. A great package in their day and still are if a bit raw!! My mates are all from the same era and my little Golf is featured in the GTI Tuning Bible built by TSR so it has got some history....it's very similar to the car featured on 5th Gear a while back...a three door but in Alpine white.
The MK2 is great and is one of those cars that really surprises alot of people such is the great chassis you get with the MK2 and that ability to use every ounce of power nearly 100% of the time especially on track.....200bhp is a great amount of power in a sorted light weight package....cheap on consumables too!!
Edited by Msportman on Friday 15th March 19:40
Edited by Msportman on Friday 15th March 19:46
Most RS Meganes dyno at well over quoted figures anyway and don't lack for pace but even with the trickest diff and geo in the market they still squirm a bit, especially in the wet.
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