Renault Clio 197 Cup

[melvster]

Who makes the exhaust John ?

[melvster]

Well the Clio died on me last night attempted to start the car and nothing happened..... turns out the battery was knackered so £66 later and everything is all good again

[melvster]

Nearly 3000 miles completed and i am still loving the Clio; trip out to North Wales with a MK7 Golf R and TVR Chimaera and the car was fantastic, the cornering speed you can achieve is incredible; it feels so nimble and the front end goes exactly where you are expecting it to go. I was quite worried to begin with i wouldn't enjoy the steering, i am not really a fan of electric systems but the Clio's system has a nice "weight" to it and doesn't feel too light when pressing on.

Costs so far have been relatively low, alignment, battery and 2 new ContiSport 3's for the front to match the rears. Previously i was running Falken FK453's which were quite impressive.

I still need to have the wheels refurbished at some point and the brakes will require attention towards the end of summer as previously mentioned.

So glad i bought a 197 Cup

[melvster]

UPDATE - 6000 miles

So, 6000 miles into 197 ownership and its been an up and down experience so far. The car continues to excel when pressing on and never fails to impress at the amount of mid corner grip it has and the braking is excellent. Presently running the standard OEM set up however I am hoping to address this in the new year with new OEM Brembo discs, Ferodo DS2500/3000 pads, Braided lines and Motul RBF 660 fluid as I hope to possibly take the Clio on track; a new job proposition should allow me to spend more time and effort on the Clio than i presently do. A spare set of 197 wheels and some tasty rubber will also be purchased as i doubt the standard Conti 3's will last very long :P

Negatives; nothing except the car needed the dreaded flexi pipes replacing due to them splitting so I decided to opt for the Bosal 265-567 items as recommended by other 197/200 owners. It seems this is a common issue with these cars so i suppose it was bound to happen at some point. It's a messy job which involves removing the manifold, steering rack and subframe... total bill was £396 + the purchase of the Flexi's which i managed to steal at £45.





However the next job on the agenda is to give the car a service which will see the following......

-Engine Oil (Either Millers or Fuchs Titan Race)
-Gearbox Oil (most probably Elf as recommended by Renault
-Gearbox Oil seal
-Panel Filter (Most probably Pipercross)
-Cabin Filter
-Oil Filter

[melvster]

They're meant to be driven hard

Nothing at the min, still looking and applying etc... but hoping something can be sorted fairly soon. Don't worry I will let you know when i am ready for my first trackday. I think I will book a novice day to begin with.

[melvster]

Hi Mark, I am guessing you sold your 200 ? It was a minter

[melvster]

UPDATE

Nothing too exciting; service time for the Clio.

20150214_130741 by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Engine oil, gearbox oil, oil filter, sump washer, fresh coolant and a new oil cap.

20150214_154605 by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Service time by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Also decided to upgrade the upper torque mount bush to a Powerflex item, designed to reduce engine movement under acceleration. Having now had this fitted the difference is well worth the cost; the car feels tighter to drive. I may consider upgrading the other engine mount bushes to powerflex items.

Powerflex Bush by Adam Melville, on Flickr

New CUP badges for the b pillars, previously had the Cup badges from a Clio 182, much prefer the look of these.
20150214_153645 by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Since buying the car i have never been a big fan of the wheels so when a set of the Cup Speedline's appeared for sale, i jumped on them (not literally) These are only available from Renault in White or Satin Black, so they should look great on the car in a less popular colour.

20150201_181753 by Adam Melville, on Flickr

3 of them require a bit of TLC which are presently away receiving paint.

Car is booked in again for the 4th April. Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid, Goodridge braided hoses, MOT and to have the new Speedline's fitted. Car will be all sorted for my Nurburgring trip, 23-26th may.

Edited by melvster on Sunday 15th March 17:25

[melvster]

Tickle said:

The Clio is looking good!

Nice upgrades you are making too.

Are the wheels off the cup racer or road car? Either way they are the best looking wheel for the 197/200 IMHO.

Edited to add: How was the triangle, pics?

Edited by Tickle on Sunday 29th March 21:03

They're originally off an R27 197 but not sure where the previous owner got them from. I am going the Triangle on Sunday.

[melvster]

jbaddeley said:

Nice work Adam. Where are you getting your wheels refurbished?

The wheels are done; he's done a superb job. Going to be fitted this Saturday.

Speedlines by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Test Fit by Adam Melville, on Flickr

[melvster]

jbaddeley said:

Where did you go in the end? Lovely wheels they are!

Top Marques in Fenton as you recommended; £230.40 all in. Bargain.

[melvster]

I only dropped the wheels off; didn't leave the car with them. Having some work done this Sat on the Clio anyway so i am having the wheels swapped. I chose light anthracite.

[melvster]

Update....

Goodridge hoses, Motul RBF600 fluid and the Speedline Clio Cup wheels now fitted...

20150404_131522 by Adam Melville, on Flickr

In the air by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Wheels on....
RS vs RS by Adam Melville, on Flickr

Speedline & OZ by Adam Melville, on Flickr

In the reeds by Adam Melville, on Flickr

[melvster]

Update time for the Clio, long long overdue but better late than never i guess.

She's been a little temperamental of late but its nice to know the car is working as it should. As well as the usual annual Elf Oil and filter change as carried out at 65k miles (last one at 55k miles), car is now presently on 66k and still feels nice and tight to drive. Annoyingly towards the end of last year there was a strange "squeaking" noise when on full lock at low speeds; as i am sure Clio 3 RS owners will know, this is the dreaded ball joint tell tale signs of failure. Having read some horror stories on the potential cost and the amount Renault charge for this work which is quite frankly a piss take and eye watering, i managed to find a garage in Derby as recommended by the 197 forum who replace the lower swivel joint for £175 per side which includes a 10k mile / 12 month warranty (Renault have been known to charge £600 for this as they claim the whole hub needs to be replaced which is utter garbage). I thought for piece of mind i would have both sides done. £350 all in.

Moving on to January, the Continental Sport 3's had clearly seen better days so decided to plump for 4 new tyres. Spent a while researching which to choose and was tempted to plump for the Michelin Pilot Sports. The conti's as a road tyre are ok but they're a little "soft" and wear easily on the outer edge. I'd upgraded my wheels from the standard 197 wheels to the "Cup" Speedline items, which are an 8J width. The OE size is 215 but looked a little "stretched", so by upgrading to a 225 i thought i'd choose the RE070 from Bridgestone which is the standard tyre for the NSX R, JDM spec STI Impreza's and the Nissan GTR. £64 a corner, bargain. AD08R's were also another option but didn't think i could ignore the Bridgestones for that price.



Lastly, the front brakes were in a bit of a sorry state. I'd not touched the brakes since purchasing the car on 46k miles and the front discs were lipped slightly. New genuine Brembo High Carbon discs and Brembo pads ordered with new Pins and Clips, Calipers were also thoroughly cleaned to remove any unwanted gunk. The lines and fluid were upgraded in March last year so didn't need to swap the fluid just yet. Brakes feel superb, for road use i don't think there is a need to upgrade over the OE spec Brembo discs and pads, initial pedal bite is great and the brakes give you loads of confidence to really banzai late brake into some bends when you wish.

So that's it for now, i am thinking of a bumper re spray to tidy up the stone chips and there's a couple of minor marks from when i bought the car which bug me a little; and i'd like to have the steering wheel re trimmed eventually.

MOT is due in a few weeks, should hopefully pass. Few select pics below of a couple of wales runs from the end of last year and today.

[melvster]

GTIAlex said:

Looks like a tidy example and your making all the right little changes as well.

Yeah, not really looking to modify the car just refresh and replace the necessary parts and improve where possible. It doesn't look bad for the mileage covered.

[melvster]

The RE070's are very hard, the sidewalls are much much stiffer compared to a regular road tyre. They've done about 800 miles now but no noticeable wear on them at all. They should last longer than the Conti's.

[melvster]

I am enjoying the car at the moment, the steering wheel is definitely going to be sorted as it's peeling which is irritating and looks terrible.

R27's are very nice, probably the best of the 197 variant IMO. I think if I am in a position to have a French hatch as a 3rd car in years to come I'd like to buy an R27 and refresh it etc.... Just like some people are doing today with hot hatches from the late 80's and 90's. Renault only built 500 R27's in total so they're quite rare too.

[melvster]

Long overdue update.

Unfortunately, the little Frenchie failed it's MOT due to knackered rear discs and a seized caliper. Many £'s later on a new OE caliper, discs and pads. Problem solved and a new 12 month ticket was issued.



I mentioned in one of my previous posts that the front bumper was in a bit of state with stone chips and a light scuff, so a new upper grill kit was ordered to complete the "refreshed" look, managed to get a decent deal on the respray as i work in the motor trade. Car looks great now. The colour match is very good its just very difficult to photograph.



One thing i've always wanted to upgrade was the exhaust, the standard system is far too tame and it had also seen better days. Purchased a Non resonated system made by Scorpion from Demon Tweeks and excellent service from those guys as well.





In progress



In addition to the exhaust, i thought it was worthwhile to upgrade the upper engine mount with the Powerflex Insert bush. I was already using the stabiliser bush insert and noticed the difference straight away although i'm not sure this insert bush on the upper mount makes a great difference, ah well, it's installed now anyway.



Exhaust fitted




Last touch, more OCD related; official RenaultSport sticker in the rear window.


And lastly, after a quick wash and wax today.



Really happy with it now, the exhaust has added a lot more drama to the driving experience. Looking forward to a few more drives out this year or what's left of summer.

[melvster]

Cheers Mark, yes just trying to improve on the little bits and pieces as i think these are perfect as a road car out the box; don't really need to add major modifications to them.

Definitely need a run out to Wales, i'm going tomorrow if you fancied it providing you're not working ?

[melvster]

Neith said:

Just picked up a non-Cup version of one of these in black and it's hard to believe how eager it feels to rev. Not had chance to really open it up yet (rear tyres need replacing badly first!) but it seems like a fun little car so far. Coming from a turbo 90's coupe the driving position felt like driving a bus at first but I'm slowly getting used to it.

Love the Cup cars but I wanted a standard (full fat?) for all the extra toys on it. The Scorpion exhaust looks great on yours! Really like the colour too, unfortunately no Nimbus cars were anywhere near me when I was looking.

Quick question; does yours suffer at all from kangarooing while cold? Seems to be a general concensus that they all do it until they've warmed up...

The engine is a peach, once it's beyond 4.5k rpm it really does pull to the red line and just begs to be revved. Yes it can do, there's actually a really cheap fix to cure the kangarooing when cold. See this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flbk_LESruc

CallorFold said:

How are you finding the Powerflex upper insert you installed? I ran mine for about 7-8 months but got fed up with the vibration. Now just running upper torque, lower torque and gearbox mount.

I personally don't think there's a lot of vibration from the upper insert, i'd say most of the vibration is from the upper torque mount. I am happy with both and will continue to keep the same set up. I've had the car for 2.5 years now and part of me really doesn't want to sell it but there's a Megane calling or a Mini GP2 but i will miss the 197 massively.

[melvster]

That was the dealer i sold it to, i don't see it as a £5k car and they've had it in a while now. Don't miss the Clio one bit, the GP is head and shoulders above it as you would expect. Took it to North Wales today and it was epic.