Shed money Clio 172
Discussion
On the negative side, I can't believe I've not read through this thread before. How did I miss it?
On the positive side, I've just enjoyed reading the entire journey from 'occasional track day maybe' to 'improved brakes, tyres, suspension and more track days please!'
Great write up of your adventures with it, and it looks a LOT of fun. It's never about the cost of keeping it going compared to the purchase price, it's just about how much fun and enjoyment you get from it. Especially when the outlay is minimal compared to the lease/repayment/purchase of something newer that turns out to be more expensive and less fun....
Please keep the updates coming!
On the positive side, I've just enjoyed reading the entire journey from 'occasional track day maybe' to 'improved brakes, tyres, suspension and more track days please!'
Great write up of your adventures with it, and it looks a LOT of fun. It's never about the cost of keeping it going compared to the purchase price, it's just about how much fun and enjoyment you get from it. Especially when the outlay is minimal compared to the lease/repayment/purchase of something newer that turns out to be more expensive and less fun....
Please keep the updates coming!
It was the PH track evening at brands hatch last night.
On the way down, I was regretting not getting the air con re-gassed as the M25 was not moving, and it was 28 degrees and very sunny.
But the time on track was great. No red flags, only two yellow (and those were lifted fairly soon). Brands was much more tightly marshaled than other tracks I've been to, lots of blue flags to tell people to move over and a few black/white ones for the race cars who were getting a bit aggressive.
The standard of driving was really good and the circuit just fantastic. Paddock hill is as close as I've been to a rollercoaster in the car. That bend alone is worth the trip.
And the clio ran as fantastically as ever.
But the wheels now really, really need a clean:
On the way down, I was regretting not getting the air con re-gassed as the M25 was not moving, and it was 28 degrees and very sunny.
But the time on track was great. No red flags, only two yellow (and those were lifted fairly soon). Brands was much more tightly marshaled than other tracks I've been to, lots of blue flags to tell people to move over and a few black/white ones for the race cars who were getting a bit aggressive.
The standard of driving was really good and the circuit just fantastic. Paddock hill is as close as I've been to a rollercoaster in the car. That bend alone is worth the trip.
And the clio ran as fantastically as ever.
But the wheels now really, really need a clean:
The clio uses a lot less fuel than my legacy so it's been in fairly regular use, so the lack of air conditioning in the really hot weather recently has been an issue. I dread to think how many liters of sweat the drivers seat has soaked up recently.
So, it's been re-gassed.
With UV dye added, so if there are any leaks it'll be easy to trace.
So, it's been re-gassed.
With UV dye added, so if there are any leaks it'll be easy to trace.
Minor update on the clio.
The rear N/S caliper was binding slightly. I stripped it down and while all the sliders and pistons move nicely, there is a small split in one boot.
I've stripped and covered all the moving parts with bigh temp ceramic grease and that seems to have fixed it.
Since the track day at brands there was an occasional knock from the back. I thought it was something loose in the boot, but i think I've melted the 3d printed exhaust mount. This has caused it to bow and brought the exhaust hanger into contact with the mount frame, which caused the knocking sound.
I tried to flip it around but it's too hard after the heat cycles, so the powerflex bush is back in for now.
And it's leaking oil, again, from the sump, again. Fortunately the garage gave me a year's warranty on the repair. This will be the third sump gasket it's had in my ownership...
And this is now the second longest I've ever owned a car, beating a mk1 focus 3 door 2.0 Zetec in red. I bought the focus back when i was utterly broke and it did a fantastic job. Needing only tyres, shocks and a thermostat housing in 40,000 miles. W554 LBD. RIP.
The rear N/S caliper was binding slightly. I stripped it down and while all the sliders and pistons move nicely, there is a small split in one boot.
I've stripped and covered all the moving parts with bigh temp ceramic grease and that seems to have fixed it.
Since the track day at brands there was an occasional knock from the back. I thought it was something loose in the boot, but i think I've melted the 3d printed exhaust mount. This has caused it to bow and brought the exhaust hanger into contact with the mount frame, which caused the knocking sound.
I tried to flip it around but it's too hard after the heat cycles, so the powerflex bush is back in for now.
And it's leaking oil, again, from the sump, again. Fortunately the garage gave me a year's warranty on the repair. This will be the third sump gasket it's had in my ownership...
And this is now the second longest I've ever owned a car, beating a mk1 focus 3 door 2.0 Zetec in red. I bought the focus back when i was utterly broke and it did a fantastic job. Needing only tyres, shocks and a thermostat housing in 40,000 miles. W554 LBD. RIP.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 11th September 14:20
PhillipM said:
Jesus you got that hot!
I think I have some spares I'll check when I'm home, away atm.
Thank you!I think I have some spares I'll check when I'm home, away atm.
It did get hot at brands. I was having so much fun I was out for long periods without much of a cool down. I just wanted to have as much time on track as possible.
I also slightly melted the brake reservoir cap...
So it's not all been trouble free in the clio world. It's got another oil weep, from somewhere above the sump. The rear brake continues to bind and using it around town has just been rattly, loud and generally uncomfortable.
But i had a great drive in the autumn sunshine his morning. All of the cabin rattles suddenly stopped and it reminded me of why i got it. It's just fun.
Anyway. I've stripped, greased and slightly filed the brake pads to let them move a bit better in the sliders.
I've also put some fresh oil in it. The first time I've not used the castrol from Renault parts direct. But this is RN710 rated so should work.
But i had a great drive in the autumn sunshine his morning. All of the cabin rattles suddenly stopped and it reminded me of why i got it. It's just fun.
Anyway. I've stripped, greased and slightly filed the brake pads to let them move a bit better in the sliders.
I've also put some fresh oil in it. The first time I've not used the castrol from Renault parts direct. But this is RN710 rated so should work.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Monday 7th November 18:57
Having recently put a new gear knob on my legacy i was keen to do the same to the clio.
The old one had withstood nearly two decades of sweaty palmed abuse and was just starting to look tatty. It also didn't feel that "special" compared to the new alacantra one in the legacy.
Changing these is not that simple as the knobs are bonded to a knurled section of the shaft. Googling "how to" guides suggested swearing, blood and tears would be involved.
My first idea was to use an oil filter wrench to get more grip. This didn't work, even with some padding i couldn't get it tight enough.
Then i tried some very large molegrips. These also didn't work, and tore the leather.
With a damaged knob i was past the point of no return, so i brought out a hacksaw.
I managed to cut down to the shaft, then use a screwdriver to pry the plastic away.
The new knob took a bit of careful positioning, to get it low enough to cover the lift up reverse, without stopping the lift up from working.
But it's in, and after a quick hoover, I'm really please with how this looks.
It's a richbrook "speed top"
The old one had withstood nearly two decades of sweaty palmed abuse and was just starting to look tatty. It also didn't feel that "special" compared to the new alacantra one in the legacy.
Changing these is not that simple as the knobs are bonded to a knurled section of the shaft. Googling "how to" guides suggested swearing, blood and tears would be involved.
My first idea was to use an oil filter wrench to get more grip. This didn't work, even with some padding i couldn't get it tight enough.
Then i tried some very large molegrips. These also didn't work, and tore the leather.
With a damaged knob i was past the point of no return, so i brought out a hacksaw.
I managed to cut down to the shaft, then use a screwdriver to pry the plastic away.
The new knob took a bit of careful positioning, to get it low enough to cover the lift up reverse, without stopping the lift up from working.
But it's in, and after a quick hoover, I'm really please with how this looks.
It's a richbrook "speed top"
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Sunday 23 October 17:23
Another Snetterton track day in the clio.
It was very, very wet. The sun almost came out just as everyone was packing up but it was extremely damp all day.
The forecast wasn't too bad, so i picked the AD08s tyres over the PS3s, which i regretted when i saw how damp and slippery the track was. Thankfully when i got them up to temperature and picked my line carefully they actually worked ok, even with plenty of standing water. Lots of wheelspin out of the corners, locked brakes on the way into the corners and a fair few worrying moments when i lost all traction mid corner.
Some of the driving was shocking. Really aggressive overtakes, people not letting anyone past, drifting, and a lot of red flags. Genuinely suprised there wasn't any serious accidents.
But the clio was faultless, again. Only 170 miles on track due to the appalling weather and number of red flags.
It was very, very wet. The sun almost came out just as everyone was packing up but it was extremely damp all day.
The forecast wasn't too bad, so i picked the AD08s tyres over the PS3s, which i regretted when i saw how damp and slippery the track was. Thankfully when i got them up to temperature and picked my line carefully they actually worked ok, even with plenty of standing water. Lots of wheelspin out of the corners, locked brakes on the way into the corners and a fair few worrying moments when i lost all traction mid corner.
Some of the driving was shocking. Really aggressive overtakes, people not letting anyone past, drifting, and a lot of red flags. Genuinely suprised there wasn't any serious accidents.
But the clio was faultless, again. Only 170 miles on track due to the appalling weather and number of red flags.
Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Tuesday 8th November 07:03
Ha! yes the brake has quieted down. It may have just needed a longer run, or I've just ground the pad to nothing. The rears do tend to get noisy if the car sits around for a while.
And I agree with the comment about Snetterton. It's a long, fast circuit, with plenty of run off so does attract cars that are very fast in a straight line. Like Bedford there's not a lot of sequences of corners, It's very much a straight, corner, straight circuit.
But when there is some plank who won't get over I normally just come in for a couple of minutes and let them go. The main downside of the Clio on track is that it's got no power to go round anyone on the straights, so I'm relying on other users to back off and let me past, as I'm not going to risk going past on the brakes.
Nothing else booked for a while, but I've got some credit that's burning a hole in my pocket. Need to check brakes, find some better weather and deal with some of the more annoying interior rattles before booking anything.
And I agree with the comment about Snetterton. It's a long, fast circuit, with plenty of run off so does attract cars that are very fast in a straight line. Like Bedford there's not a lot of sequences of corners, It's very much a straight, corner, straight circuit.
But when there is some plank who won't get over I normally just come in for a couple of minutes and let them go. The main downside of the Clio on track is that it's got no power to go round anyone on the straights, so I'm relying on other users to back off and let me past, as I'm not going to risk going past on the brakes.
Nothing else booked for a while, but I've got some credit that's burning a hole in my pocket. Need to check brakes, find some better weather and deal with some of the more annoying interior rattles before booking anything.
gweaver said:
If you've used that much to do two cars, you must be really over applying it. There's probably enough in the tin to do 30 cars!
Application demo video here: https://youtu.be/tS927xnHekg?t=85
The key part is "extremely sparingly" - the damp applicator helps with this.
If you're referring to Finishkare Hi Temp Paste Wax, that's one of the easiest waxes I've ever used, so I expect you were over applying that too..
You're 100% right. I gave the clio a quick wash to get rid of the brake dust and using a damp applicator made it a lot easier to use sparingly...Application demo video here: https://youtu.be/tS927xnHekg?t=85
The key part is "extremely sparingly" - the damp applicator helps with this.
If you're referring to Finishkare Hi Temp Paste Wax, that's one of the easiest waxes I've ever used, so I expect you were over applying that too..
Cambs_Stuart said:
I gave the clio a quick wash to get rid of the brake dust and using a damp applicator made it a lot easier to use sparingly...
Good stuff. Did you manage to get the wheels clean? I imagine they'd need a wheels off clean with some strong chemicals and a polish to get rid of all of that brake dust. If you did that you might as well go the whole hog and ceramic coat them with something like Gtechniq C5 - ceramic makes cleaning wheels so much easier.gweaver said:
Good stuff. Did you manage to get the wheels clean? I imagine they'd need a wheels off clean with some strong chemicals and a polish to get rid of all of that brake dust. If you did that you might as well go the whole hog and ceramic coat them with something like Gtechniq C5 - ceramic makes cleaning wheels so much easier.
Not quite.
I've tried with redline and simoniz stuff that got a good autoexpress review, but neither is touching the really deep parts. I think i may have to bite the bullet and get them re-coated. They're fairly chipped and flaky anyway.
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