“It's just a daily” - Renaultsport Clio 182
Discussion
So I’ve been struggling to find time to get these in the car but finally pleased to say, as of last weekend, they’re in.
I spent time removing the burrs from the side mounts so as to not scratch the shells, painting washers and capping bolts to make it looks as close to an OEM finish as possible.
The car finally has a seating position that it should of left the factory with, although I’ve had to shim the steering column down a few extra mm. It was already down 5mm but I’m now at 8mm which is perfect.
Not much else to say about them, I’ll get some nice pics when the cars clean.
I spent time removing the burrs from the side mounts so as to not scratch the shells, painting washers and capping bolts to make it looks as close to an OEM finish as possible.
The car finally has a seating position that it should of left the factory with, although I’ve had to shim the steering column down a few extra mm. It was already down 5mm but I’m now at 8mm which is perfect.
Not much else to say about them, I’ll get some nice pics when the cars clean.
Had a few other odds and ends arrive for WZD this week, some planned, some less so. Lol.
Won a brand new old stock front grille emblem for less than £8 which was a right result considering mines looking a little gravel rashed these days and they’re about £30 new from Renault.
2 sets of Motamec coilover covers arrived in preparation for the dampers to be fitted.
New set of studs & nuts in preparation for wheel spacers and 2118s when they eventually go on.
Spot the obvious seller mistake.
Yet again superb service from Nick @ Pure Motorsport (PMS) for the swift delivery of some 10mm axle spacers. Again to help get those wheels sitting correct once the ride height is dropped.
Got the opportunity to purchase an almost new set of NorthloopCup designed Roll Centre Hubs. These have however been left somewhat neglected in terms of corrosion, and mechanically sound, aesthetically they look horrific. However I’m sure with a bit of love they can be made sweet again and means I won’t be overly precious about them being on my car as a daily driver in all weathers.
First job was to burn out the old dead ABS sensors and check them over. These will be a bit of a project to make tidy again, but will be a sweet addition to the car when they go on. I have full spherical bearings on the front of the Cayman R and they tighten the front end a treat. But the big obvious bonus here is getting that geometry back after the ride height is dropped on the ASTs and curing any bump steer that may otherwise result.
They also have new lower arms with new Poweflex black bushes fitted. Again, this should tighten the front end nicely.
In addition to spherical bearings down the bottom of the strut. I had the opportunity to pick up an “as new” set of PMS topmounts and strut brace. I was going to run the ASTs on new OEM mounts, but these came up at a sensible price and couldn’t be ignored.
Lastly, my car still wears a genuine OEM Cup splitter which are now in the region of £300 to replace from Renault. Mines mint and undamaged. But again, with the impending drop in ride height, that splitter becomes even more vulnerable. So I’ve chosen to remove it and replace with a new Skoda Fabia item which is not only more durable, but a far more sensible £17.
So the pursuit of my perfect road spec Clio 182 continues.
Won a brand new old stock front grille emblem for less than £8 which was a right result considering mines looking a little gravel rashed these days and they’re about £30 new from Renault.
2 sets of Motamec coilover covers arrived in preparation for the dampers to be fitted.
New set of studs & nuts in preparation for wheel spacers and 2118s when they eventually go on.
Spot the obvious seller mistake.
Yet again superb service from Nick @ Pure Motorsport (PMS) for the swift delivery of some 10mm axle spacers. Again to help get those wheels sitting correct once the ride height is dropped.
Got the opportunity to purchase an almost new set of NorthloopCup designed Roll Centre Hubs. These have however been left somewhat neglected in terms of corrosion, and mechanically sound, aesthetically they look horrific. However I’m sure with a bit of love they can be made sweet again and means I won’t be overly precious about them being on my car as a daily driver in all weathers.
First job was to burn out the old dead ABS sensors and check them over. These will be a bit of a project to make tidy again, but will be a sweet addition to the car when they go on. I have full spherical bearings on the front of the Cayman R and they tighten the front end a treat. But the big obvious bonus here is getting that geometry back after the ride height is dropped on the ASTs and curing any bump steer that may otherwise result.
They also have new lower arms with new Poweflex black bushes fitted. Again, this should tighten the front end nicely.
In addition to spherical bearings down the bottom of the strut. I had the opportunity to pick up an “as new” set of PMS topmounts and strut brace. I was going to run the ASTs on new OEM mounts, but these came up at a sensible price and couldn’t be ignored.
Lastly, my car still wears a genuine OEM Cup splitter which are now in the region of £300 to replace from Renault. Mines mint and undamaged. But again, with the impending drop in ride height, that splitter becomes even more vulnerable. So I’ve chosen to remove it and replace with a new Skoda Fabia item which is not only more durable, but a far more sensible £17.
So the pursuit of my perfect road spec Clio 182 continues.
- Itsjustadaily. Lol
Edited by frayz on Wednesday 5th February 08:58
howardhughes said:
Hideous Replacement - MINI GP1? 
Why?
Lol, I’ve never hidden my thoughts of a GP1 here on PH. Why?But in short:
The good bits-
Punchy motor
Diff works well
Looks cool
Sounds good
Rarity
The bad bits -
Awful build quality
Awful reliability - I replaced most of a 26k mile car in the first 3 months.
Crap chassis
Poor steering feel
Awful damping, crashy and harsh on the road but still crap on track.
Poor ride quality - see above.
Feels cumbersome even though it’s actually quite light.
Nowhere near as fun to drive as an RS Clio.
TCS was actually dangerous and would cut in at the slightest hint of wheel slip and would leave you stranded on roundabouts and junctions.
All in nowhere near as special as it’s made out to be, I attempted to make it better with Bilstein PSS10 dampers, AP Racing brakes, 17” OZ Racing wheels, a whole host of other high quality, well chosen goodies and it just never felt enjoyable to drive.
Every single bit of me wanted to love it, but to me it was crap and a downgrade from my cheap little French tin box of fun.
Great read.
Gorgeous car. Best looking hot hatch ever imo.
Arguable the best colour too (bit of bias here ad i did own an Inferno FF 182 with Recaros for several years.
Best car i ever had. Took it to Wales. Scotland. France. Belgium. Germany. Switzerland. Never let me down once.
Edit. Those seats. Stunning.
Gorgeous car. Best looking hot hatch ever imo.
Arguable the best colour too (bit of bias here ad i did own an Inferno FF 182 with Recaros for several years.
Best car i ever had. Took it to Wales. Scotland. France. Belgium. Germany. Switzerland. Never let me down once.
Edit. Those seats. Stunning.
Edited by domtheone on Saturday 8th February 20:51
frayz said:
Lol, I’ve never hidden my thoughts of a GP1 here on PH.
But in short:
The good bits-
Punchy motor
Diff works well
Looks cool
Sounds good
Rarity
The bad bits -
Awful build quality
Awful reliability - I replaced most of a 26k mile car in the first 3 months.
Crap chassis
Poor steering feel
Awful damping, crashy and harsh on the road but still crap on track.
Poor ride quality - see above.
Feels cumbersome even though it’s actually quite light.
Nowhere near as fun to drive as an RS Clio.
TCS was actually dangerous and would cut in at the slightest hint of wheel slip and would leave you stranded on roundabouts and junctions.
All in nowhere near as special as it’s made out to be, I attempted to make it better with Bilstein PSS10 dampers, AP Racing brakes, 17” OZ Racing wheels, a whole host of other high quality, well chosen goodies and it just never felt enjoyable to drive.
Every single bit of me wanted to love it, but to me it was crap and a downgrade from my cheap little French tin box of fun.
I'm lost for words but respect your view. I'm an owner of a R53 JCW Not the GP and have been told by very few that the GP1 was the to go for over the GP2 if I ever wanted to change. I haven't driven one so cannot comment. But in short:
The good bits-
Punchy motor
Diff works well
Looks cool
Sounds good
Rarity
The bad bits -
Awful build quality
Awful reliability - I replaced most of a 26k mile car in the first 3 months.
Crap chassis
Poor steering feel
Awful damping, crashy and harsh on the road but still crap on track.
Poor ride quality - see above.
Feels cumbersome even though it’s actually quite light.
Nowhere near as fun to drive as an RS Clio.
TCS was actually dangerous and would cut in at the slightest hint of wheel slip and would leave you stranded on roundabouts and junctions.
All in nowhere near as special as it’s made out to be, I attempted to make it better with Bilstein PSS10 dampers, AP Racing brakes, 17” OZ Racing wheels, a whole host of other high quality, well chosen goodies and it just never felt enjoyable to drive.
Every single bit of me wanted to love it, but to me it was crap and a downgrade from my cheap little French tin box of fun.
As for your Clio. I have a huge soft spot for these. I think they've aged well and still look the part. Have you seen Harry's Garage on YouTube? I think he's still got it. Great review.
Yes Harry still has his Trophy which was their EVO press car and he purchased it after gapping Dickie Meaden in a Lamborghini Gallardo.
I believe Harry has since passed the car to his son but it’s still in the family.
As for the GP, I can only speak as I find.
Massively overrated car imo. Wasn’t anywhere near as good to drive or as well set up as the Clio and fell apart almost daily. I think the GP2 would be probably the one to go for but I’ve not driven one of those either, so cannot comment.
My Cayman R is arguably one of the finest road going chassis I’ve ever driven and I still think the little Clio puts just as larger smile on my face.
I believe Harry has since passed the car to his son but it’s still in the family.
As for the GP, I can only speak as I find.
Massively overrated car imo. Wasn’t anywhere near as good to drive or as well set up as the Clio and fell apart almost daily. I think the GP2 would be probably the one to go for but I’ve not driven one of those either, so cannot comment.
My Cayman R is arguably one of the finest road going chassis I’ve ever driven and I still think the little Clio puts just as larger smile on my face.
domtheone said:
Great read.
Gorgeous car. Best looking hot hatch ever imo.
Arguable the best colour too (bit of bias here ad i did own an Inferno FF 182 with Recaros for several years.
Best car i ever had. Took it to Wales. Scotland. France. Belgium. Germany. Switzerland. Never let me down once.
Edit. Those seats. Stunning.
Thank you sir. I 100% agree. Gorgeous car. Best looking hot hatch ever imo.
Arguable the best colour too (bit of bias here ad i did own an Inferno FF 182 with Recaros for several years.
Best car i ever had. Took it to Wales. Scotland. France. Belgium. Germany. Switzerland. Never let me down once.
Edit. Those seats. Stunning.
Edited by domtheone on Saturday 8th February 20:51
Sounds like you had a blast in yours too. Likewise mine is getting on now, hence all the freshen up of parts. But in my first 84k mile tenure, the only failures I ever had were a coil pack and a lambda sensor. This was despite dozens of trackdays, ring trips and being daily driven in all weathers.
frayz said:
Yes Harry still has his Trophy which was their EVO press car and he purchased it after gapping Dickie Meaden in a Lamborghini Gallardo.
I believe Harry has since passed the car to his son but it’s still in the family.
As for the GP, I can only speak as I find.
Massively overrated car imo. Wasn’t anywhere near as good to drive or as well set up as the Clio and fell apart almost daily. I think the GP2 would be probably the one to go for but I’ve not driven one of those either, so cannot comment.
My Cayman R is arguably one of the finest road going chassis I’ve ever driven and I still think the little Clio puts just as larger smile on my face.
I think Harry’s son has driven the Trophy for a long time; he learned to drive in it before he was 17 if I recall. I believe Harry has since passed the car to his son but it’s still in the family.
As for the GP, I can only speak as I find.
Massively overrated car imo. Wasn’t anywhere near as good to drive or as well set up as the Clio and fell apart almost daily. I think the GP2 would be probably the one to go for but I’ve not driven one of those either, so cannot comment.
My Cayman R is arguably one of the finest road going chassis I’ve ever driven and I still think the little Clio puts just as larger smile on my face.
I had an R53 Cooper S which at the time I loved; it was my first quickish car. Whilst I loved it at the time despite its issues (new clutch, steering rack, track rod ends and immobiliser in six months....thank god for the warranty). I drove one a few years later and was a bit meh about the whole thing. It sounded cool with then supercharger and the noise of the hydraulic steering but it didn’t feel very fast. I’d been driving a 325 before so hardly a rocket ship. I decided not to go back and just remember the car fondly.
I've got a ff 182. Definitely needs some tlc. You've inspired me! Your car is spectacular. Well done mate.
I've got a used ac compressor to fit (hope it's not shagged, god I miss ac in the summer) and general clean up and rust check to do. Thanks for all the tips and ideas, greatly appreciated.
Only real mechanical thing I was considering was some bush upgrades. Lots of original bushes (110k miles now) I get terrible front wheel hop when I accidentally spin wheels in the wet. I replaced top mounts with revised oem ones, (was a large gap between top rubber of top mounts and car body) still about 4mm gap there with new ones though, made no difference.
Man at ktec said it was axle tramp and not top mount related, Clio's just do it apparently. Doesn't seem right to me. Is this correct?
Have owned car for 5 years now and always said I'd take on track (still have not I'm sad to say). Needs a thorough going over before I invest in any track time me thinks. Needs some new front tyres too.
Anyway thanks again. Really enjoyed reading this thread.
I've got a used ac compressor to fit (hope it's not shagged, god I miss ac in the summer) and general clean up and rust check to do. Thanks for all the tips and ideas, greatly appreciated.
Only real mechanical thing I was considering was some bush upgrades. Lots of original bushes (110k miles now) I get terrible front wheel hop when I accidentally spin wheels in the wet. I replaced top mounts with revised oem ones, (was a large gap between top rubber of top mounts and car body) still about 4mm gap there with new ones though, made no difference.
Man at ktec said it was axle tramp and not top mount related, Clio's just do it apparently. Doesn't seem right to me. Is this correct?
Have owned car for 5 years now and always said I'd take on track (still have not I'm sad to say). Needs a thorough going over before I invest in any track time me thinks. Needs some new front tyres too.
Anyway thanks again. Really enjoyed reading this thread.
Edited by Simple Jack on Thursday 13th February 23:56
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