RE: Renaultsport Clio 197: PH Carpool

[s m]

Andy20vt said:

Sorry to disappoint but unless fairly heavily modified, absolutely no chance a 197 is getting to 150, not even downhill with a tailwind. Mine would start to struggle to pull at anything over 120. I know what you said you saw but I'm calling BS on this.

Indicated ... Not actual

[Roma101]

R8Steve said:

Roma101 said:

I had no problem with my 200 gearbox. Yes, people did have problems, but it was a minority.

I think it's a bigger issue that a minority to be fair.

I have known 8 people that have had a 197, 7 of them have had gearbox issues.

I've driven countless cars for countless miles and the only car i've had gearbox issues was a 197...twice.

They are absolutely terrible on fuel as well for the power they have.

The earlier 182 is a much better car imo, faster, lighter and much better on fuel. They don't have the overall comfort of the 197 but more than make up for it in other areas.

Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge it was a common weakness, but I am not sure it was more than 50% of owners who had a problem. Despite what has been said above, I think the problems did subside as the 197 aged and then morphed into the 200. I was aware of far fewer 200s having this problem than 197s.

[EC123]

R8Steve said:

R66STU said:

JMF894 said:

He was going downhill....................

I know what i saw on the speedo, and have no reason whatsoever to lie. I have no idea if the car was modified as i bought it second hand, all i know is that it had a nice stainless exhaust. I have no idea if the cup was any faster or if the speedo's are just wildly out ..

watch this.. and this is a 172 model..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brn5zqkCUkA

The 172/182's are faster.




Are they really faster? Whenever I see 172/182's on the road they don't appeal in the slightest, I'm sorry the mk3 just moved the game on.

[davidc1]

I had from new , and owned both for 4 years , a 197cup and 200 with cup suspension.
Gearbox on both fine.the newer gearbox was introduced late 07.halfway through the f1 edition build. Newer gearbox sits 400rpm lower at 70.
Great looking car , cup suspension on the 200 was too hard .a step too far over the nicely judged 197 cup. 200cup had quicker steering v 197 cup , but a terrible turning circle as well!
Dont really miss them though , as I went to 2 cars , a station car which does this better than the Clio , and a weekend car which is a better drive than the Clio (should be , as it was alot dearer)

Edited by davidc1 on Monday 23 January 21:36

Edited by davidc1 on Monday 23 January 21:37

[magic354]

chrisga said:

Article says " It also had a much more subtle spoiler fitted from the 'warm' Clio GT/Sport and the door stickers removed from factory"

Looks nice. Recently considered one of these.

Indeed, this is correct. When the previous owned ordered the car he wanted a more subtle look and as such deselected all of the stickers apart from the front and rear set. I recently saw a Nimbus Silver F1 with ALL the stickers and it did look epic I have to say.

[magic354]

PoisonJam said:

So much talk about the Recaros but not a single pic? Did PH drop the ball on that one?

Googled them and they do look pretty hardcore!

Not PH fault! My fault for not sending on it! Just forwarded one on to hopefully it will get added to the article

[magic354]

neil-935ql said:

Renaultsport certainly make decent cars I had a182 and loved it , but due to kids I needed a 5 door so I bought Megane 225 again another great car , do you really need a 182 and a 197 ? Must be very similar cars , I would recommend the Megane it's a tad quicker and it handles as well as the Clio , or start saving for that 996.

I actually think the 182 and 197 are very different cars. Chassis feels worlds apart to me. When I bought my 182 I replaced all the shocks for new Renault units and it did make a big difference, but I just felt that the 197 was some way more grown up almost. As if it has more composure, feels more stable at higher speeds, irons out the bumps in the road better. It may just be the extra weight doing this but I definitely prefer the way my 197 rides over the 182.

I actually recently test drove a lovely Megane R26 230 and was very impressed. I would want the R26 spec for the LSD. Chassis felt much more similar to the 197 only with a bit more torque to play around with at the bottom end. From my research with some induction and a remap they become very capable and I am certainly tempted. The only thing holding me back is, as you say, the 996. Tempted to sit on what I have for a while and accumulate a 'Porsche Fund'.

[D7Cup]

ah yeah, the gearbox issue again.

Mine is at 70k, 6 abusing Alpine trips and numerous track days in my ownership. Gearbox is as good as new. If it goes there are specialists around fixing it for £350, doesn't really break the bank does it?

Ball joints do come separately, don't need to change the hubs as a member suggested. Again, not an expensive job done at a specialist.


General wear and tear for the fun is minimal, absolutely love mine.

[steve1386]

R66STU said:

If yours wouldn't pull past 120 (on the speedo)I would say it's fu**ked mate, or something wrong with it..
I think as proven by other videos and comments it is possible to see that on the speedo.

Anyway I can't be arsed to argue.

Great cars and good read.

Mine wouldn't get past 135 ish, with the shift light flashing in 6th...just wouldn't go any more.

I rushed into buying my 197, and while it has its merits it just wasn't the car I thought it would be. I only kept mine for 3 months and traded it in for ex-demo EP3 type-R - in my opinion a better car in almost every way. A few breathing mods saw it at 221 bhp, and would hit 155 without issue.

That said, I do think the 197 is a great looking car, subtle but purposeful...something Renault ruined with the gopping 200 facelift.

My two penneth anyway.

[RSteve]

D7Cup said:

Ball joints do come separately, don't need to change the hubs as a member suggested. Again, not an expensive job done at a specialist.

Have mine in at a specialist next week to investigate the issue, hopefully it's not going to be too costly!

[Rob197]

I've had just over 130 out of mine. Many times! No hope of one going 150. Ever.

[BaronVonVaderham]

I got my 200 up to 140 on the speedo (142 on gps) on a trip from the Nurburgring to Amsterdam. 150 is not going to happen in a standard car, but then nor is a 221bhp civic going to hit 155.

The synchro rings on 3rd and 4th are the weak point on the gearbox, and they can be replaced - the whole box doesn't need replacing. Mines on 55k and no issues. The failures are not as widespread as some on here would claim.

Interesting article but I don't understand having a 197 as part of a collection? A 200 I would understand alongside a 182 etc as it's the best version of the mk3 Clio and the 182 (trophy aside) is the best mk2.

No mention of tracking the cars in the article, you really should as it's where they shine and if well driven can embarrass many a more expensive/powerful car.

[magic354]

Wow - I cannot believe it's been 6 years since this was posted - madness!

Can confirm that now I can afford to insure a 996, I can no longer afford to buy one

Still have the Clio and still love it every time I get to drive it. Still garaged stored and not driven anywhere near as much as I would like. Still has third gear too Had its second cambelt service last year, the belt had only covered 5,000 miles and looked brand new but I didn't want to take any chances.

I know they have their flaws, but puts such a smile on my face every time I take it for a spin. Hoping to get the chance to take it on another North Coast 500 soon, otherwise, plan to enjoying it as much as I can during the summer months when scheduling allows!