2007 Renaultsport Megane 230 F1 Team R26
Discussion
BenLowden said:
After months of following you on Instagram I've only just seen this thread! Looking good though, is that a Renault R26R rear cargo net?
I ran DS2500s on my Clio and was really impressed with them, be interesting to see how you get on with them as I haven't tried them in anything heavier. Have you tried anything else? I've got CL RC5+ in my Megane now and seem to work pretty well and were a decent price at £130 for the fronts.
The net's a copy, found it on eBay although I haven't seen many since!I ran DS2500s on my Clio and was really impressed with them, be interesting to see how you get on with them as I haven't tried them in anything heavier. Have you tried anything else? I've got CL RC5+ in my Megane now and seem to work pretty well and were a decent price at £130 for the fronts.
Only thing I've had in the Megane were standard Brembo pads. Managed to get them to fade fairly quick in Brecon Beacons!
Pretty happy with the 2500's though, loads more bite. Will see how they get on at Llandow on Saturday!
Track day looming and the Megane has been up and down on the ramps more often than a bloody yoyo!
900 mile round trip last week while I was on holiday visiting family in the North... Planned some mountain biking in the lakes, so the hatch back came into its own. Although I guess having no rear seats helped a bit here!
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Drove through Wales to stop off at Demon Tweekes to pick up a helmet, I really love the roads through mid wales.
Went for a Sparco Club J1. Cheap and cheerful, open face as I'm not too keen on the clostrophobic closed face helmets just yet.
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Flawless 900 miles, took in some of the Trough of Bowland. Unfortunately didn't get any pics but found ourselves on this beauty between Cow Arc and Newton in Bowland. Very narrow, but open and didn't see a single car. Was like our own tarmac rally stage.
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Did drop off to do some shopping on the way back and parked up next to this 911.
A 997 would be a nice replacement for the Megane one day I think, maybe a 4S? Lovely cars though!
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Anyway, back home and realised that the exhaust had dropped. Those that have owned a Megane 225/R26 will know that the exhaust mounts are made of soft cheese. I've owned the car 2 and a half years now and been through at least 3 mounts already!
As I needed to order the exhaust mounts, I also bought new anti rotation links to replace the knackered ones we found were loose and tightend a few weeks ago.
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Just praying for good weather on Saturday so I can enjoy my 1st track day experience!
900 mile round trip last week while I was on holiday visiting family in the North... Planned some mountain biking in the lakes, so the hatch back came into its own. Although I guess having no rear seats helped a bit here!
Untitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrDrove through Wales to stop off at Demon Tweekes to pick up a helmet, I really love the roads through mid wales.
Went for a Sparco Club J1. Cheap and cheerful, open face as I'm not too keen on the clostrophobic closed face helmets just yet.
Untitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrFlawless 900 miles, took in some of the Trough of Bowland. Unfortunately didn't get any pics but found ourselves on this beauty between Cow Arc and Newton in Bowland. Very narrow, but open and didn't see a single car. Was like our own tarmac rally stage.
Untitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrDid drop off to do some shopping on the way back and parked up next to this 911.
A 997 would be a nice replacement for the Megane one day I think, maybe a 4S? Lovely cars though!
Untitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrAnyway, back home and realised that the exhaust had dropped. Those that have owned a Megane 225/R26 will know that the exhaust mounts are made of soft cheese. I've owned the car 2 and a half years now and been through at least 3 mounts already!
As I needed to order the exhaust mounts, I also bought new anti rotation links to replace the knackered ones we found were loose and tightend a few weeks ago.
Untitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrJust praying for good weather on Saturday so I can enjoy my 1st track day experience!
Frimley111R said:
Did a 650 mile hoon through Wales the other weekend. Amazingly quiet roads even on a lovely sunny day. Megane was great, the size and big windows being good for narrow little lanes. That 911 is nice but I'd not have wanted to hammer it through Wales the way I did in my R26!
R26 is definitely a country road weapon. Such nimble things!rockford22 said:
Really good read, keep the updates coming.
I just picked up an identical car (albeit Mercury silver) as a weekend car/occasional track use and found your thread really useful for ideas.
Plans for car:
Backbox delete with new pipework and tips (booked in for 2 weeks at local exhaust fabricator)
K-tec remap (booked in for mid September)
Obligatory Piston Heads sticker (going on at the weekend!)
Cooksport springs
R26.R rear spoiler
Rear seat delete
Can I say that your rear seat delete and carpeting looks brilliant. Could you re-host the photos by any chance? They have either expired on the image host or my server is blocking it...would love to see the carpeting in more detail as I absolutely plan to do this. Acoustic carpet from eBay you said?
Another question, what owners forum do you use? I have registered for both but the traffic seems really low compared to Clio Sport or Baby BMW for e.g.
Cheers, appreciated!I just picked up an identical car (albeit Mercury silver) as a weekend car/occasional track use and found your thread really useful for ideas.
Plans for car:
Backbox delete with new pipework and tips (booked in for 2 weeks at local exhaust fabricator)
K-tec remap (booked in for mid September)
Obligatory Piston Heads sticker (going on at the weekend!)
Cooksport springs
R26.R rear spoiler
Rear seat delete
Can I say that your rear seat delete and carpeting looks brilliant. Could you re-host the photos by any chance? They have either expired on the image host or my server is blocking it...would love to see the carpeting in more detail as I absolutely plan to do this. Acoustic carpet from eBay you said?
Another question, what owners forum do you use? I have registered for both but the traffic seems really low compared to Clio Sport or Baby BMW for e.g.
All photo's re-uploaded, Photobucket is a nightmare.
I don't have a PH sticker at the mo... bought one but buggered up fitting it haha.
Yeah the carpet is acoustic carpet from eBay. cost me about a tenner I think!
Held down in places with a bit of sticky velcro and tucked in under panels etc. Difficult to get it perfectly flat as the seat well has bolts and other mounts across it, but it looks better than bare metal.
I'm on https://www.renaultsportclub.co.uk/ mainly (same user name), but generally on facebook groups - megansport.net or megane sport owners club. Not sure why the Megane forums are so quiet!
Well track day done.
The day was brilliant overall. Staff and marshals at Llandow were very friendly, there were quite a few track noobs (including myself) but the briefing and guidance was re-assuring and informative.
I wasn't really too sure what to expect, I thought it was all going to be very serious but the relaxed feeling I got was great.
Great bunch of people there too, again everyone was very friendly. Big mix of cars too.. from a £1,000 MX5 bought a few months ago and just chucked on the track to a brand new Focus RS and everything in between.
Sessions were split into beginner, intermediate and advanced. We all had 2x 20 min sessions in the morning - 1st session started with 2 laps under yellow flags which really helped me get to know the track and settle the nerves - followed by open pit after lunch with a max of 10 cars on track.
Megane was superb though, completely exceeded expectations.
Incredibly predicable even when I went in a bit too enthusiastically on completely the wrong lines. The Quaife LSD offered loads of grip, but I think the 2 year old MPS2's let go well before the chassis was near the limit.
Overall, the Meg was brilliant fun to drive and just bloody awesome. Near the end started to play with a bit of lift off over-steer and it all just felt very balanced and solid.
I should really say thanks to Jay here, he's put in some long nights getting the Megane ready and it's been well worth it.
Want to get back on track asap, I've definitely caught the bug. Possible upgrades and improvements buzzing through my head already!
Tyres will definitely be replaced soon, fancying either 595-RSR's or AD08R's... depending on my wallet at the time.
Also want a smaller steering wheel with a bit of dish. I'm quite tall and found the standard wheel big and "in the way" in the tight bus stop corner. Bit wary about getting a non-airbag wheel without harnesses and a cage though, so maybe that's 1st.
Either way, at this point the Meg is staying for the long term for sure.
Anyway, of course, I managed to get a few vids and pics:
https://youtu.be/kRRRHc-lsig
Lap 14, my fastest lap of the day. Trying to chase down my mate in his S2000. My laps in the morning were around the 1.05min mark, so following someone that has driven the track a few times before was great.
https://youtu.be/AHUlf-7HROA
My mates S2000... catching me after my out lap (honest, haha!).
Front by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Arse by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Close Up 1 by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Corner 2 by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Bus Stop by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Side by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Corner by the northern monkey, on Flickr
The day was brilliant overall. Staff and marshals at Llandow were very friendly, there were quite a few track noobs (including myself) but the briefing and guidance was re-assuring and informative.
I wasn't really too sure what to expect, I thought it was all going to be very serious but the relaxed feeling I got was great.
Great bunch of people there too, again everyone was very friendly. Big mix of cars too.. from a £1,000 MX5 bought a few months ago and just chucked on the track to a brand new Focus RS and everything in between.
Sessions were split into beginner, intermediate and advanced. We all had 2x 20 min sessions in the morning - 1st session started with 2 laps under yellow flags which really helped me get to know the track and settle the nerves - followed by open pit after lunch with a max of 10 cars on track.
Megane was superb though, completely exceeded expectations.
Incredibly predicable even when I went in a bit too enthusiastically on completely the wrong lines. The Quaife LSD offered loads of grip, but I think the 2 year old MPS2's let go well before the chassis was near the limit.
Overall, the Meg was brilliant fun to drive and just bloody awesome. Near the end started to play with a bit of lift off over-steer and it all just felt very balanced and solid.
I should really say thanks to Jay here, he's put in some long nights getting the Megane ready and it's been well worth it.
Want to get back on track asap, I've definitely caught the bug. Possible upgrades and improvements buzzing through my head already!
Tyres will definitely be replaced soon, fancying either 595-RSR's or AD08R's... depending on my wallet at the time.
Also want a smaller steering wheel with a bit of dish. I'm quite tall and found the standard wheel big and "in the way" in the tight bus stop corner. Bit wary about getting a non-airbag wheel without harnesses and a cage though, so maybe that's 1st.
Either way, at this point the Meg is staying for the long term for sure.
Anyway, of course, I managed to get a few vids and pics:
https://youtu.be/kRRRHc-lsig
Lap 14, my fastest lap of the day. Trying to chase down my mate in his S2000. My laps in the morning were around the 1.05min mark, so following someone that has driven the track a few times before was great.
https://youtu.be/AHUlf-7HROA
My mates S2000... catching me after my out lap (honest, haha!).
Front by the northern monkey, on FlickrArse by the northern monkey, on FlickrClose Up 1 by the northern monkey, on FlickrCorner 2 by the northern monkey, on FlickrBus Stop by the northern monkey, on FlickrSide by the northern monkey, on FlickrCorner by the northern monkey, on FlickrWell.. with the number of Megane's being broken at the mo, I've taken advantage rather than buying the track day just yet.
Cat back Milltek (not the Ktec one) came up on FB, 2 hour round trip in the 206 and it's now sat in my spare room, much to the Mrs annoyance haha.
Bit of autosol and it's come up lovely, welds are perfect and there's no dings anywhere.
It's less than 6 months old and has barely been run as the car it was on blew its head gasket not long after fitting.
Then spotted a Milltek downpipe and Ktec minicat on ebay for peanuts. So just had to snap it up.
Need some gaskets and new clamps and it's good to go. Will have to wait till payday though!
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Untitled by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Cat back Milltek (not the Ktec one) came up on FB, 2 hour round trip in the 206 and it's now sat in my spare room, much to the Mrs annoyance haha.
Bit of autosol and it's come up lovely, welds are perfect and there's no dings anywhere.
It's less than 6 months old and has barely been run as the car it was on blew its head gasket not long after fitting.
Then spotted a Milltek downpipe and Ktec minicat on ebay for peanuts. So just had to snap it up.
Need some gaskets and new clamps and it's good to go. Will have to wait till payday though!
Untitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrUntitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrUntitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrUntitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrUntitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrUntitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrUntitled by the northern monkey, on FlickrEdited by North3rn Monk3y on Sunday 20th August 18:38
Edited by North3rn Monk3y on Sunday 20th August 18:38
Was it really August the last time I updated this?!
Exhaust is fitted... it pops, it bangs. Love it!
Christmas was fairly uneventful, managed a long trip from Cardiff to the North West without fault - apart from being pulled over for a brake light.
Had some fueling issues in January, only for my fuel line to split under the bonnet.
As you can see below, there was a steady stream of fuel shooting about 4ft out of the car so this must have been getting progressively worst.
Luckily, it was under a the engine trim so couldn't get near any of the hot engine parts.
Replaced with a piece of rubber fuel line, the line that split is fairly notorious for going brittle, so was just a matter of time.
I'd alo been having issues with injector cough, so I got a set of 2nd hand injectors. Have plans to go to larger injectors, so didn't want to fork out for brand new OEM injectors, so found some with the assurances that they'd been recently cleaned and flow tested by Chris at EFI parts.
Had the injectors fitted along with an engine oil/filter change and the car has felt much healthier since.
Last weekend drown to and from Wrexham through mid Wales - well under 3 hours on the way there, roads were beautifully quiet at 7 am!
Looking forward to some better weather though, car was stinking when I got there!
Tyres next. Likely to go 595RSR as I want to give them a go before going straight to AD08R's.
Exhaust is fitted... it pops, it bangs. Love it!
Christmas was fairly uneventful, managed a long trip from Cardiff to the North West without fault - apart from being pulled over for a brake light.
Had some fueling issues in January, only for my fuel line to split under the bonnet.
As you can see below, there was a steady stream of fuel shooting about 4ft out of the car so this must have been getting progressively worst.
Luckily, it was under a the engine trim so couldn't get near any of the hot engine parts.
Replaced with a piece of rubber fuel line, the line that split is fairly notorious for going brittle, so was just a matter of time.
I'd alo been having issues with injector cough, so I got a set of 2nd hand injectors. Have plans to go to larger injectors, so didn't want to fork out for brand new OEM injectors, so found some with the assurances that they'd been recently cleaned and flow tested by Chris at EFI parts.
Had the injectors fitted along with an engine oil/filter change and the car has felt much healthier since.
Last weekend drown to and from Wrexham through mid Wales - well under 3 hours on the way there, roads were beautifully quiet at 7 am!
Looking forward to some better weather though, car was stinking when I got there!
Tyres next. Likely to go 595RSR as I want to give them a go before going straight to AD08R's.
Edited by North3rn Monk3y on Thursday 22 February 22:57
Can't remember whats been done on the Megane since last post, but 4 years into ownership and still love driving it.
Is now more of a weekend toy / track toy now, but comes up great with a clean!
Megane by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Megane by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Megane by the northern monkey, on Flickr
Also ticked off a bucket list track day, Anglesey... what a circuit!
EN9I7345 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
EN9I6983 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
EN9I5928 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Is now more of a weekend toy / track toy now, but comes up great with a clean!
Megane by the northern monkey, on FlickrMegane by the northern monkey, on FlickrMegane by the northern monkey, on FlickrAlso ticked off a bucket list track day, Anglesey... what a circuit!
EN9I7345 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrEN9I6983 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrEN9I5928 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrCourt_S said:
Good read and glad to hear it’s still treating you well. I really like this shape Megane. None of the cars that followed it have ever really appealed.
Cheers! Is getting a bit rough round the edges with the track days (front bumper has taken a bit of pebble dashing), so I'll likely be going full track spec over the winter.Just pricing up some changes / priorities now, although the suspension bushes seem to be 1st point of call as they're pretty knackered now, so PF black are on their way asap.
Although, has been made easier with a recent addition to my RenaulSport addiction:
Frimley111R said:
Have you done Cadwell in it? I think it was the most fun i'd ever had at a TD in my Megane
Thats one for next year I think, it's a bit of a trek from Cardiff - 5 hour drive I think!Needs to be done though.
Had some fun chasing/being chased by a number of fast cars/hot hatches this weekend, Megan surprised a few thats for sure!
Poseidon said:
How are you finding the Clio? They're really appealing to me at the moment, however the reviews put me off slightly.
Eating a bit of humble pie - 2nd to last comment: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...I love it. It's a stiff ride, but I'm used to that form the Megane.
The drive is great though, electronic steering feels a bit disconnected in normal mode, but really tightens up in sport/race modes. It's point and shoot for sure, but really shifts
The EDC box has been great, and was the one thing I was worried about. However after driving it for a bit, you get to predict what it's going to do. Normal mode still has the punch you'd expect from a hot hatch, but it's quite reserved and means it's enjoyable to drive day to day.
When you want to open it up, sport/race really transforms it into a B road weapon.
Frimley111R said:
I drove one at Bedford. It felt very ordinary, not like a hot hatch at all. Quite soft too but then I have a firm set up on my Megane so maybe it's normal. i just didn't feel any excitement. I want them to be good as they are well priced and I like paddleshift too but...
It does feel like 2 cars rolled into one - normal mode it could be any other Clio, but with a nice exhaust and sporty styling. However chuck it into sport/race and it will cover the miles pretty quickly.It's no replacement for my Megane that's for sure, but as a daily hot hatch it ticks the boxes!
Can't remember if I mentioned, but I had project silver adjustable top mounts fitted just before Anglesey so I can run a bit of camber up front.
Had it set to about -2.3 which has made a huge difference to turn in and power out of a corner (as you can see in the above vid at Llandow, chasing the M3).
So just received a full array of powerflex black bushes for front suspension arms, front ARB and rear beam to go in (engine and gearbox are already pf black).
Also got new ball joints to do as pretty much the whole front end needs to come off and noticed some play in one of the steering arms, so that's getting done too.
Have something fairly special too.. watch this space!
Had it set to about -2.3 which has made a huge difference to turn in and power out of a corner (as you can see in the above vid at Llandow, chasing the M3).
- Not adjusted in these pics.
So just received a full array of powerflex black bushes for front suspension arms, front ARB and rear beam to go in (engine and gearbox are already pf black).
Also got new ball joints to do as pretty much the whole front end needs to come off and noticed some play in one of the steering arms, so that's getting done too.
Have something fairly special too.. watch this space!
Hol said:
Are the cook springs worth the expense?
I've had my identical black one for just over 2 years now and although nothing has broken (other than a cracked windscreen), I have replaced the Exhaust with a Milltek cat back and the steering wheel with a retrimmed Clio200 one, as I was bored.
Mine is otherwise standard, bar a boost increase by a previous owner and handles fine as I had the geo done at the same time as my track car, but I was wondering about fitting new springs and dampers as they now both over 10 years old.
Ill be honest and say I would like the car to remain road-car friendly as I already have a track car with more power and AWD.
Yeah the cooksports have been really good. My rear springs were snapped, if you're on 10 years old, I'd imagine they aren't in great condition!I've had my identical black one for just over 2 years now and although nothing has broken (other than a cracked windscreen), I have replaced the Exhaust with a Milltek cat back and the steering wheel with a retrimmed Clio200 one, as I was bored.
Mine is otherwise standard, bar a boost increase by a previous owner and handles fine as I had the geo done at the same time as my track car, but I was wondering about fitting new springs and dampers as they now both over 10 years old.
Ill be honest and say I would like the car to remain road-car friendly as I already have a track car with more power and AWD.
I went for new cup dampers and cooksports, which are a bit firmer and lower than OEM.
Alternatively, you could go for cup dampers and grams springs from Kam Racing, which are supposed to be a bit more comfortable than the cooksports, but still a bit lower.
Honestly, the 2 biggest improvements were the new shocks/springs and the engine/gearbox inserts - getting on 10 years old so stuff is starting to wear out!
Butter Face said:
That’s not a small amount of water is it!?
Could safely say it was a bit on the damp side!Using Federal 595-rs, which dont have the best reputation as wet weather tyres, but I found them alright once they got warm.
Learnt so much about how the car behaves when it gets a bit loose...I did manage a full 360 out of druids mind, ha!
Interesting year in the R26, lots of changes last winter - cage, buckets, harnesses, BC coilovers!
Done a fair few track days this year, Cadwell, Llandow, Combe x2, Blyton and seems to be going well... brake upgrade this winter hopefully, ran out of brakes a few times at Blyton!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSTytYyI7LE&ab...
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