RenaultSport Megane R26 R.

RenaultSport Megane R26 R.

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Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Sunday 30th December 2018
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I recently had a change of heart..
I sold my much enjoyed Clio 182 Trophy!



I also sold my early MK1 Mini which I planned to Cooperise however on closer inspection was far too original and genuine to mess about with to the extent I would have been happy with it; so I enjoyed its British charm immensely over the summer but ultimately decided to move on to an older gentleman who was perfectly happy with the original little 850 blighter and all its patina as it was!
The idea of the sales were to put the money towards a house deposit which would have been a very amicable decision indeed I hear you say! However this is me; so I decided to push the boat out one last time! I borrowed the difference in hope that when I've paid it off I will move the car on with minimal loss; have more for my deposit and be richer for the experience as well.. Sound like man maths to you? Well.. it is, and while some of you may agree or disagree it works for me!
Which brings me onto the car! The Megane almost seems like natural progression from the Trophy. Both are last run out models and both highly rated by the motoring press at release and to the day. One was a sales success and one was a flop; for various reasons which I will not bore you with!
I had a 182 Cup at age 21 and decided to go all out with the Trophy at 22! It was my weekend toy throughout my ownership and really satisfied me for almost three years; ticked all my boxes but more recently I felt like I needed more; to keep throwing money at it would have seen me make a loss on the purchase price (which I didn't)! So I waved goodbye earlier this month!
The Megane is next level purposeful and while the design brief of the 182 Trophy was along the lines of 205 GTi fun in a more robust package, the Meagne is more track car for the road. The likes of which we may never see again from any manufacturer other than the likes of Porsche or Ferrari; which is what makes the Meg so damn special, it is quite literally a Scuderia or GT3 RS hot hatch (excuse the often used cliche). Which was ('was' being the quite upsetting term) the USP of RenaultSport products. Not concerned by power or electronic wizardry; more concerned by a very clever engineering package. RS engineers very cleverly take a dull mass produced lump and turn it into genius!
So, my particular car! To collect, I took the train from York to London, transferred via tube and continued onto Poole in Dorset where I was met and driven to my hand over! The drive back was brilliant, both me and the partner did not stop smiling (even with numb buttocks)! Safely tucked away in my garage, I now have chance to contemplate on the car..
A brilliant example I must say, with 30k from new (a huge improvement over the nearly 100k Clio), low ownership and impeccable history! Very, very tidy although I am OCD and will find things to improve! And best of all, it's Lunar Grey!
It has the optional Roll Cage which isn't strictly structural but still cool, a radio but no titanium exhaust. I'm not too disappointed by this fact as the price point would have been higher had it come with the TI exhaust! Modifications are just a K-Tec exhaust and Re-Map (A healthy 262BHP).
So my plans for this hardcore french hatch? Euro road trip for sure! Isle of Man definitely. I'm close enough to Cadwell Park and while I don't want this to be your typical track toy, it would be rude not exploit its talents! May do Nurbürg in the future (cliche but has to be done).
Modification wise, I'm tempted just to leave it alone. If I do, do anything it will have to be bolt on as I'd prefer the car to leave my hands as standard as it came!
I do have another update drafted up and if I have sufficient interest will keep updating you guys with any Megane related progress..
For now I'll leave you with this teaser shots!









Over and out, Danny.



M77MWW

172 posts

97 months

Sunday 30th December 2018
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Got to love a Megane rs! Love my rs250 but these r26r are a little special

daniel-5zjw7

598 posts

100 months

Sunday 30th December 2018
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Awesome car Danny and good to see one in readers cars! More pics required!!

Not an R26R but I dipped my toe in this shape of Renaultsport Megane, in the shape of a 5 door 225 lux with xtreme pack, I spent a fortune on it in fault fixing and uprating but unfortunately never got on with it, I hadn't had an RS product before but had held them in high regard, however for me it was a let down even on some basics like throttle response and gearchange (understand the latter is much improved on the R). I expect you coming from clios will be used to/happy to accept the quirks of French cars!

In terms of tours your plans sound great, have you been to the TT before? Trackdays wise it would be rude not to do it but given your effectively driving around in your house deposit I'd consider carefully the implications should it get damaged.

Heres a pic of my old 225



PorkRind

3,053 posts

204 months

Monday 31st December 2018
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Lovely cars. Beat any vw hot hatch from a similar era for me.

Ocsltd

952 posts

196 months

Monday 31st December 2018
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Nice purchase, I can see the man maths logic. We need more pics!! thumbup

Ph1listine

1,340 posts

99 months

Monday 31st December 2018
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Great logic, why not enjoy your house deposit before it goes, more pics indeed!

ilovequo

775 posts

180 months

Monday 31st December 2018
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Very cool
Didnt get these at the time, remember thinking i’d buy a focus rs everytime but now they look very ppealing
Will be keeping my trophy though


Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Monday 31st December 2018
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Thankyou guys for your comments!
Well day three of ownership and 320 miles down (260 of them for Dorest to Yorkshire)! Averaging 35 MPG which is bizarre as I haven't really been trying!
Enough about fuel economy.. The car is extremely capable as you'd imagine from an RS flagship and has really surprised my friends who previously regarded my Trophy very highly anyway! Fear not, I'm not running running it in winter; the car is now detailed up and snug in my garage. When I say snug I really do mean snug, she's a tight fit in a single garage!
I had the wheels off which while brand new painted had gained 300 + miles of brake dust and general winter badness. What an amazing job, in the original capsicum red they really do look the part and not at all silly as you'd imagine.





While cleaning I took some pictures of defects I'd like to rectify!







Decals looking a bit tired and faded although not so much so that they ruin the look of the car.





Quite a biggie for me, the lacquered finish on the bonnet has tarnished due to engine heat. Lack of an engine cover or any insulation on the underside of the bonnet added with the fact most of the bonnet is single skin; makes this car prone to this! Re-laquering will be required in the future!



Usual expected stone chips are present. These particular ones are on the bottom of corner where the rear quarter meets the (huge) drivers door. Chips also present in the usual Megane place, IE the front of the rear arches. Chip protectors are present however quite unsightly, I may take them off unless they are fitted from factory in which case I will leave. I will be investing in a touch up pen and sanding and blending these marks in rather than a respray which seems awfully fussy!

Todays valet included a snow foam wash, polished paintwork, glass and perspex with the relevant AG products. Bumper and trim gel used in all the girlies which took ages! Sealed with Bilt Hamber finis wax. The paintwork would benefit from a clay and machine polish without a doubt; as light swirls and tar residue is present but that can wait for now!
I removed each wheel and detailed the arches and waxed the wheels etc which was satisfying as can be seen from the above pictures!
Don't have anymore pictures from the valet as I was pressed for time but still got the job done properly!

Enough waffling anyway, here are some quick pictures we got of the wonderful Lunar Grey machine today!











All images taken pre clean!

Thats all for now, Danny.

Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Monday 31st December 2018
quotequote all
daniel-5zjw7 said:
Awesome car Danny and good to see one in readers cars! More pics required!!

Not an R26R but I dipped my toe in this shape of Renaultsport Megane, in the shape of a 5 door 225 lux with xtreme pack, I spent a fortune on it in fault fixing and uprating but unfortunately never got on with it, I hadn't had an RS product before but had held them in high regard, however for me it was a let down even on some basics like throttle response and gearchange (understand the latter is much improved on the R). I expect you coming from clios will be used to/happy to accept the quirks of French cars!

In terms of tours your plans sound great, have you been to the TT before? Trackdays wise it would be rude not to do it but given your effectively driving around in your house deposit I'd consider carefully the implications should it get damaged.

Heres a pic of my old 225

Pictures are up for your viewing pleasure!
In regards to your old one; great looking car and a five door well even rarer! Very sorry to hear you didn't get on with it but French metal is not for everyone and I do understand why! Me, well I'm certainly used to the quirks of French cars and as far as French cars go they don't get any better than this! I think an Italian motor will be next in line; those guys know a thing or two ha ha.
Absolutely, the Isle of Man is a place I've grown up with and will continue to love!
Point taken on the track days; I'm very careful and any decision will be gone through with a fine tooth comb! Technically Nurbürg is a public toll road so may get away with that one!!
Cheers, Danny.

Edited by Willo26 on Monday 31st December 22:32

daniel-5zjw7

598 posts

100 months

Monday 31st December 2018
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Looking very nice indeed! Imo the only colour to have one in. They have to be lairy I think as need to stand out from regular 225/R26 and its just right for the character of the car, much like porsche RS'.

Yes it was a shame with mine as I had high hopes for it and on paper it was the ideal all rounder, very suitable family car one minute, capable on a trackday the next, but unfornately dynamically it dissapointed me from a driving side and the constant issues meant the mrs lost trust in it. I'd like to try one of renaultsports more focused products as expect with different expectations I could appreciate them more.

Great stuff, it is an amazing place.. I'm a huge bike racing fan so its somewhere I hold in high regard! I was only going to say to get a car over there during the TT is not cheap but you'll know that already smile

Whilst the Nurburgring is technically a toll road at times, unfortunately this doesn't mean your insured as a visitor from the UK, I believe all UK insurance companies exclude it from their policies. I think you can get insurance cover but at a price and high excess.

So its a risk to weigh up and down to the individual ultimately. No different to a UK trackday in many ways.


LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Tuesday 1st January 2019
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Still miss mine, just wonderful, wonderful cars.

Couple of points-why have the facings on your alloy wheels been painted? Big no-no for me that.

Also the decals from Renault are ruinously expensive!

Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Tuesday 1st January 2019
quotequote all
daniel-5zjw7 said:
Looking very nice indeed! Imo the only colour to have one in. They have to be lairy I think as need to stand out from regular 225/R26 and its just right for the character of the car, much like porsche RS'.

Yes it was a shame with mine as I had high hopes for it and on paper it was the ideal all rounder, very suitable family car one minute, capable on a trackday the next, but unfornately dynamically it dissapointed me from a driving side and the constant issues meant the mrs lost trust in it. I'd like to try one of renaultsports more focused products as expect with different expectations I could appreciate them more.

Great stuff, it is an amazing place.. I'm a huge bike racing fan so its somewhere I hold in high regard! I was only going to say to get a car over there during the TT is not cheap but you'll know that already smile

Whilst the Nurburgring is technically a toll road at times, unfortunately this doesn't mean your insured as a visitor from the UK, I believe all UK insurance companies exclude it from their policies. I think you can get insurance cover but at a price and high excess.

So its a risk to weigh up and down to the individual ultimately. No different to a UK trackday in many ways.
Thank you, the colour is definitely the stand out choice!

Quite often things can seem a great idea on paper and in practice is often a different story! French cars don’t have a habit of being good all rounders and while your theory is very logical; French metal isn’t which often doesn’t sit well with family members etc when things do go wrong! A more focused RS product with more focused expectations is perhaps a future consideration! I’ve never dailyied an RS product and you definitely have a different relationship with a car you rely on as opposed to one that’s just for fun!

Very expensive indeed, and busy! I usually go out of season now; always stumble across some sort of motorsport event wether it be rallying or events at Jurby!

Track days are a huge risk in any form I suppose it’s nieve to think otherwise; I will not rule a couple out once I know the car better however would minimal even if so!

Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Tuesday 1st January 2019
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LaurasOtherHalf said:
Still miss mine, just wonderful, wonderful cars.

Couple of points-why have the facings on your alloy wheels been painted? Big no-no for me that.

Also the decals from Renault are ruinously expensive!
Not sure why people paint contact areas and as you say should probably know better than to do so! I did think exactly the same and if any problems do arise from doing so; I’ll be taking my orbital sander and facing them back up!

I haven’t priced any up as yet but have being given a rough idea as to how much it may cost for a set! Having previously had the Trophy there were specific parts which were incredibly expensive and difficult to source; so I am aware of the naff specific parts base and lued pricing attached to a specialist vehicle produced by a mainstream manufacturer!
Danny.

Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Sunday 3rd February 2019
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I thought I'd post a small update just to keep this thread current!
While I haven't driven the car since the day after taking it home (so basically I haven't driven it this year!) I have done some small bits!
I took all the wheels off and detailed the arches up, not that they needed much work! The beautifully re finished capsicum red wheels are very satisfying to clean indeed..!
I priced up some decals as I am very faddy and the front ones on this 30k miles car have faded slightly! With the price being around the £550 mark, it's fair to say they are not top of my priority list..
I removed the plates to clean behind them and was greeted by lots of number plate tape which is such a pain to get off! I used lots of AutoGlym tar and glue remover let it set in then got my rotary machine polisher on the job which smudged and eventually melted the numberplate tape off! Quite unorthodox I admit, but it got the job done with absolutely no paintwork damage (in fact its gleaming) with the aid of a compound and some detailing spray! Here's the results!



Using the same method I also removed the rear dealer badge without incident; from the paintwork (why, just why!)

Before.



After.



The car wasn't supplied with mats and this really annoyed me! Founds some genuine Renault mats which have really thick pile, great for stripe'ing' (if that's your thing!) Also bought a carpet boot mat which fits the regular size which the boot would be if it had rear seats! This fits perfectly and protects that bespoke full length carpet fitted in the rear of R26.R's.





First thoughts on the car is it feels like a much more grown up and complete package than that offered by the Trophy! The limited sip differential has to be felt to be believed; it alone transforms the Megane. The shed weight can really be felt, in a good way that is, the car feels very agile and light on its feet much more so than the standard R26. Also the ride is slightly more compliant than a standard R26 and much more so than the Trophy. I always felt the remote reservoir dampers on the T never really came into their own until you were 9/10's (much like the car it's self). The R26.R feels like an expensive all rounded product and with the remap it has ample torque to have a spirited drive without 'braying' it! The sixth gear also makes motorway journeys much more tolerable! Sub 6 seconds to 60 makes the Meg a genuinely quick car which feels very special!

I'm sure I've missed some points but I'll pick it up again next time, hopefully by then I will have used it some more!
For now though, thats me!
Danny.





Tickle

4,879 posts

203 months

Monday 4th February 2019
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Very nice clap

As a previous owner of a couple of RS cars (182 Trophy and 200 Cup) I love and totally 'get' these. Great car OP, and colour too.

Willo26

Original Poster:

84 posts

108 months

Monday 4th February 2019
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Tickle said:
Very nice clap

As a previous owner of a couple of RS cars (182 Trophy and 200 Cup) I love and totally 'get' these. Great car OP, and colour too.
Always nice to hear some mutual love for these type of cars!
Thanks, I believe the only colour to have one of these in!

Jonny_gti

285 posts

79 months

Tuesday 5th February 2019
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Love this mate looks so good in Lunar grey, my current toy is a LY R26 but ideally I would love the R26.R need a garage first. enjoy and keep the updates coming.

Love your Trophy too.

BrotherMouzone

3,169 posts

173 months

Tuesday 5th February 2019
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Beautiful car!

The only slight issue with owning such an icon, is that you might never want to sell it!

Enjoy!

RobE92M3

109 posts

154 months

Tuesday 5th February 2019
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Awesome car and colour. cool
I owned one for 4 years and massively regret selling it rolleyes

Gary29

4,131 posts

98 months

Wednesday 6th February 2019
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Awesome! I ran a 225 Trophy for a few years, absolutely loved that car, this is obviously next level though.

I wish I had the time and inclination to keep a car this clean like I used to when I was younger, looks amazing. My very first thought was 'get rid of that KTEC badge!'