Another Clio! A 172 this time as a Daily!
Discussion
Many thanks for the kind remarks 
.
When I drove other small engined cars when it came to sell the 306 they were not much better than the Clio TBH on fuel! OK if you drove like a nun they would be but then most hot hatches are not anyway! OK, you could argue that it defeats the point of having a hot hatch, but then I see it another way. You can be calm and save on fuel on the commutes and open the taps as desired as opposed to left wishing you had something faster and more fun.
However, your pic is not showing :/.
I do sometimes have the same thoughts as you but I'd be looking at a Phase 1 GTi-6 myself.
.Polarbert said:
Cracking looking car. Had many a good time in my 182 over the years I had it. Even managed 47mpg on a 70 mile stint on the motorway. Had to stick to around 55mph but I was bloody impressed.
I notice that owners either hate them or love them! Many thanks for the comms. The looks were part of the reason for why I bought the car TBH ; Speedline Turinis just look fab on them.When I drove other small engined cars when it came to sell the 306 they were not much better than the Clio TBH on fuel! OK if you drove like a nun they would be but then most hot hatches are not anyway! OK, you could argue that it defeats the point of having a hot hatch, but then I see it another way. You can be calm and save on fuel on the commutes and open the taps as desired as opposed to left wishing you had something faster and more fun.
However, your pic is not showing :/.
Synchromesh said:
Thanks for that. I'm after one of the two at some point but I don't know which - seems like swings and roundabouts. Prefer the looks of the 306 too, but 172s seem much easier to come by.
I am biased here but I would go for the Clio, but look very carefully for one that has been maintained well, and not by how 'mint' the buyer thinks the car is. Bar the cambelt they are cheaper to run than a GTi-6 IMO (rear beams on most 306s may now require attention as will the beam mounts ; these transform how old Pugs drive).I do sometimes have the same thoughts as you but I'd be looking at a Phase 1 GTi-6 myself.
benny.c said:
It's worthwhile swapping the bus steering wheel for an aftermarket one to improve the steering feel IMHO. I went for a 350mm one with a slight dish which also improved the driving position for me.
From two other cars it made a similar difference. I am debating on what steering wheel to go for. How do you get around the airbag light bar unplugging the bulb?
Just fit a 3.9 Ohm resistor in each of the airbag plugs (you'll need two). They are about 30p from Maplins.
http://www.cliosport.net/threads/please-read-after...
http://www.cliosport.net/threads/please-read-after...
benny.c said:
Just fit a 3.9 Ohm resistor in each of the airbag plugs (you'll need two). They are about 30p from Maplins.
http://www.cliosport.net/threads/please-read-after...
I shall bear that in mind in the future, as I do toy with fitting another steering wheel. It is surprising the difference it has have on the driving experience.http://www.cliosport.net/threads/please-read-after...
Since the last update it has been a case of business as usual. The car has been performing well, except for a water leak in the boot appearing the originate from the N/S/R. I shall have to start stripping things down but I suspect it's coming from the rear cluster. I am not sure if I left the cluster nut loose but I have simply refitted it for now and to see what happens.
In more exciting news it seemed like a good idea to do just what other Clio Sport drivers appear to do ; a trackday! I have meant to do this with all of my cars but it has only happened to a select few unfortunately! The day began with a damp start at Cadwell Park. With rain being forecasted, having 3mm on my front tyres in addition to the car appearing to slide about on the sighting lap I was not looking forward to the rest of the day, with a few thoughts of a waste of time going through my head. I had booked some instruction however
.This however did not matter. Rain or shine it was a joy to drive the car around Cadwell. The instruction from the tutor also helped quite a bit with considering a few things I had not done so previously. It is fair to say that I drove away a happy man that day, even if I did use almost a full tank around Cadwell!
What was quite surprising was how great the car was at speed through the corners and some of the machinery it showed up on track! OTOH maybe the wet weather came into my favour with a FWD hot hatch ; the Caterhams didn't seem massively quick around track surprisingly! However, there were a few surprisingly quick cars on the day including a Javelin stickered MX-5, an Orange MkII Golf and a very clean looking Scooby which was going around the track like a stabbed rat, albeit not quite as reliable as some cars.
There were better shots but it seems they are not on the website.
However, I do need to master the art of making the car cock its rear wheel up in the car [/facepalm]. I don't recall doing so at all I hate to say! I could argue that it was raining alot and that there was quite a bit of stuff in the boot but it seems I should have tried harder or taken a different approach to make it happen!
From the last post I decided for some silly reason that I needed some winter or track wheels!
This is what I have ended up with:
They are not as orange as the most orange wheels but pleasant they are not. The caps are also Black for these wheels.
I doubt they will go onto the car until the colour is changed. So far I have anthracite or White in mind :
This is what I have ended up with:
They are not as orange as the most orange wheels but pleasant they are not. The caps are also Black for these wheels.
I doubt they will go onto the car until the colour is changed. So far I have anthracite or White in mind :
I guess the time would come when I fitted the joker's wheels pending my Turinis only having 2mm of tread up front! You could say that the car has become festive. Or maybe I am simply coming up with excuses:
In terms of handling I am unsure what to do! Although still having a firm ride it is more supple! It does also strangley seem to have more bite. Even though the weather has gone colder my MPG has gone up nicely albeit not by alot! It is also great to park in town without the fear of kerbing the wheels despite the them having laughable rim protection from the tyres and no longer taking time to park to the dismay of motorists behind me ; these Clios do not have a great turning circle. The Uniroyal RainSport 3s up front are superb in the wet and grip well in the dry but I am not all too keen on their characteristics in the dry! They were not my first choice of type up front however, but I did need tyres on that day with my choices being limted to the RS3s, Pirelli Cintrintos and Bridgestone Turanzas ; not an amazing choice by any stretch.
When some of you see this photo you will be aware of possibly what job I did on the Clio today!:
Yup, my washer jets had packed up completely the other month! I remember a friend telling me just how much of a pain it was to change, with him giving me some great advice on the way. I also saw a guide on here thanks to [USER=14479]@Mells[/USER] . It really did save me alot of time! Despite the above things did not go to plan due to a few things:
-The wiper arms being stuck on ; The driver's arm came off with a gear puller I had but I had to buy a wiper arm removal tool for the passenger side due to it being more stubborn and less access without bonnet removal
-A washer pump connundrum. Again, I was warned about this via another member/friend with a 172 - Most listings only sell the non headlamp washer pump, which doesn't fit. Although the item from GSF after going through getting the 'correct' one obtained and fitted it did not work right. It squirted onto the front fine, but the rear? It just did the front! After going back to GSF, seeing that they had nothing that fitted another factor (Leamoco) got me the right part, again with detective work - why the wrong pump is listed is beyond me! Thank God I tested everything before the car went back together!
What I would say is that if you are doing this job on a weekend and you need the car for work the next day get the Renault item ; Yes it is £50 but at least you won't be stranded without wipers etc. It is not like removing the pump is a 5 minute job either! I was lucky today in that one motor factor near me on my doorstep had the pump in stock and that I booked a weekday off work. A mail order item would have had me being annoyed for sure! It also would have saved me a good chunk of time too. OTOH I do wonder if a garage would have picked up on the rear washer not working and how much they would have charged, given that it is not as straightfoward to change as it is on other cars.
In terms of handling I am unsure what to do! Although still having a firm ride it is more supple! It does also strangley seem to have more bite. Even though the weather has gone colder my MPG has gone up nicely albeit not by alot! It is also great to park in town without the fear of kerbing the wheels despite the them having laughable rim protection from the tyres and no longer taking time to park to the dismay of motorists behind me ; these Clios do not have a great turning circle. The Uniroyal RainSport 3s up front are superb in the wet and grip well in the dry but I am not all too keen on their characteristics in the dry! They were not my first choice of type up front however, but I did need tyres on that day with my choices being limted to the RS3s, Pirelli Cintrintos and Bridgestone Turanzas ; not an amazing choice by any stretch.
When some of you see this photo you will be aware of possibly what job I did on the Clio today!:
Yup, my washer jets had packed up completely the other month! I remember a friend telling me just how much of a pain it was to change, with him giving me some great advice on the way. I also saw a guide on here thanks to [USER=14479]@Mells[/USER] . It really did save me alot of time! Despite the above things did not go to plan due to a few things:
-The wiper arms being stuck on ; The driver's arm came off with a gear puller I had but I had to buy a wiper arm removal tool for the passenger side due to it being more stubborn and less access without bonnet removal
-A washer pump connundrum. Again, I was warned about this via another member/friend with a 172 - Most listings only sell the non headlamp washer pump, which doesn't fit. Although the item from GSF after going through getting the 'correct' one obtained and fitted it did not work right. It squirted onto the front fine, but the rear? It just did the front! After going back to GSF, seeing that they had nothing that fitted another factor (Leamoco) got me the right part, again with detective work - why the wrong pump is listed is beyond me! Thank God I tested everything before the car went back together!
What I would say is that if you are doing this job on a weekend and you need the car for work the next day get the Renault item ; Yes it is £50 but at least you won't be stranded without wipers etc. It is not like removing the pump is a 5 minute job either! I was lucky today in that one motor factor near me on my doorstep had the pump in stock and that I booked a weekday off work. A mail order item would have had me being annoyed for sure! It also would have saved me a good chunk of time too. OTOH I do wonder if a garage would have picked up on the rear washer not working and how much they would have charged, given that it is not as straightfoward to change as it is on other cars.
Some of you may have noticed a minor detail on my car changing. As much as I love Turinis the car is a daily, and I hate kerbed wheels, not helped on a car with appaling steering lock. I am not a kerb hunter by a long shot but the lack of rim protection on my current tyres (Contis and Toyos) really does not help. I wanted a set of 15s for this reason as well as curiosity but also for practicality. Being a little tight (when did OZ F1s and Turbines become expensive?) the car looked as it did above.
After gathering enough cash the Turinis went back on, but not after the car saw a layer of Collinite along with the wheels. Turinis do look good eh?
An engine cover also went onto the engine:
But with two Continental slicks I would hardly be able to drive it anywhere. Off they went for a refurb. Because of the Clio I ended up taking the Escort down:
Like the Turinis, I also treated these to a dose of Collinite in the hope of them being easier to clean in the future:
Oh, I changed two of the tyres for Uniroyal RS3s. I am still undecided:
At the time I did not have the right nuts for the cap, and so I went capless. It is fair to say they look better in the new colour:
But like any Clio it can be a needy mistress. At MOT time the 2 year old track rod end decided it would have play in it after 18k. I did wonder why it felt wierd but I put it down to the tyres which are Uniroyal Rainsport 3s. They grip, but they are not most responsive of tyres from the cars I have driven with them on.
Hopefully the Lemforder item will last longer.
Likewise the 3 year old pattern exhaust hanger decided it would also let the exhaust hang low and knock against parts of the car. With a new item on all is well again:
Yup, that's goosed:
It may have been aided staying together with a zip tie!:
With this all done the car was spot on. Expect one more thing but this is down to me!
The car has a cracked ABS ring which at low speed causes pulsing in the brakes. Now and again the ABS/SERV combo come on, probably twice in a year. One day when I was low on fuel I had Connect 3 appear on the dashboard:
French cars, who'd have 'em? They are fun for sure however!
After gathering enough cash the Turinis went back on, but not after the car saw a layer of Collinite along with the wheels. Turinis do look good eh?
An engine cover also went onto the engine:
But with two Continental slicks I would hardly be able to drive it anywhere. Off they went for a refurb. Because of the Clio I ended up taking the Escort down:
Like the Turinis, I also treated these to a dose of Collinite in the hope of them being easier to clean in the future:
Oh, I changed two of the tyres for Uniroyal RS3s. I am still undecided:
At the time I did not have the right nuts for the cap, and so I went capless. It is fair to say they look better in the new colour:
But like any Clio it can be a needy mistress. At MOT time the 2 year old track rod end decided it would have play in it after 18k. I did wonder why it felt wierd but I put it down to the tyres which are Uniroyal Rainsport 3s. They grip, but they are not most responsive of tyres from the cars I have driven with them on.
Hopefully the Lemforder item will last longer.
Likewise the 3 year old pattern exhaust hanger decided it would also let the exhaust hang low and knock against parts of the car. With a new item on all is well again:
Yup, that's goosed:
It may have been aided staying together with a zip tie!:
With this all done the car was spot on. Expect one more thing but this is down to me!
The car has a cracked ABS ring which at low speed causes pulsing in the brakes. Now and again the ABS/SERV combo come on, probably twice in a year. One day when I was low on fuel I had Connect 3 appear on the dashboard:
French cars, who'd have 'em? They are fun for sure however!
Couchwarrior316 said:
Was right enjoying that until you sold it!
Tempted to start one of these for my 182 - as soon as I sort the horrible creaking out I will. Probably
It's hard to tell with a lack of comments sometimes :P.Tempted to start one of these for my 182 - as soon as I sort the horrible creaking out I will. Probably
Anyway @couchwarrier , joking aside I was on the fence with regards to what to do with it. It was a clean car and I did just fancy keeping it for a while, maybe even mothballing it for the future. It is rare to get a car that is clean but very usable. It was no minter but it was very very straight, so much that the specialist said it was one of the cleanest 172s he had seen. Then I thought I'll put it up for quite a high price and see what happens. It was about the priciest Phase 2 172 I saw for sale. Imagine my shock when it sold within a few days of going up! You never know, it may be a PHer
.I reckon I'll be back one day, but I do love trying out new things. So much that this photo shows you what I've tried:
Cliff J said:
I went looking to buy one of these a year ago, but on test driving I found I just couldn't get my seating right. I was either too close to the wheel or too far from my gearstick, no inbetween, in the end I went for a MK4 Golf, which felt right straight away.
I know what you mean about the driving position. It is a little high, and the gearstick a little far away. However, there are kits out there to bring the gearstick closer to you (the Megane Scenic shifter also does this) as well as tightening the shift.I almost considered a Golf like yourself after driving a mate's V6 4 Motion. Until I went on track with it. Even stock, the Clios are absolute belters around the track!
Speaking of trying different things, here are the new cars. The Mazda however will have to go soon potentially:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
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