“It's just a daily” - Renaultsport Clio 182
Discussion
Cambs_Stuart said:
I've just fitted a powerflex poly upper engine mount. My Clio isn't a daily, more of the thrice weekly. At first I thought I'd made a mistake as it made the car a lot more buzzy. But after a few drives it's settled down and I'm enjoying the reduction in engine movement and more direct connection with the road.
It has made Every Single Loose piece of interior trim rattle though...
Oddly, ive just added a full set of Vibratechnics to mine and it doesnt buzz anymore than with OEM mounts. I do get alot more NVH at idle but once moving its no worse than stock. On previous vehicles ive had quite a bit of resonance from VT mounts, but on the Clio i think theyre pretty good. I do still have a small buzz from what i think is the sump guard, but i'll investigate and fix that. It has made Every Single Loose piece of interior trim rattle though...
So far the car drives as tight as a drum.
Winter wheels to go back on soon though... boo!
Not much to update on the little 182.
Popped to Caffeine & Machine the other week with friends inc @Dr Jekyll, @MrBlonde & @Ash J.
Great day with the company in tow but less said about the actual place the better. Hugely overrated imo and as expected typical Instagram style over substance. Left the Clio at home and took the R for a run. Probably alright if it’s on your doorstep but I’ve got better places local and not worth the 340mile round trip for me to rush back.
Got my Speedlines coated this week ready to go on for winter duty with the Michelin PS3s. KKD R-Evolve should keep them nice.
Finally succumbed to putting them on today, along with on the smaller 5mm spacers and wound the dampers back to 3/12 and 2/12 front & rear.
Always looks cool on Turinis. 🙂
Popped to Caffeine & Machine the other week with friends inc @Dr Jekyll, @MrBlonde & @Ash J.
Great day with the company in tow but less said about the actual place the better. Hugely overrated imo and as expected typical Instagram style over substance. Left the Clio at home and took the R for a run. Probably alright if it’s on your doorstep but I’ve got better places local and not worth the 340mile round trip for me to rush back.
Got my Speedlines coated this week ready to go on for winter duty with the Michelin PS3s. KKD R-Evolve should keep them nice.
Finally succumbed to putting them on today, along with on the smaller 5mm spacers and wound the dampers back to 3/12 and 2/12 front & rear.
Always looks cool on Turinis. 🙂
tumble dryer said:
Frayz, you have two amazingly tactile cars and very obviously enjoy driving them as they were intended to be driven.
How do they compare at the ring?
So similar in many ways yet obviously worlds apart. The Clio hasn’t been back to the Ring since all its latest mods but I would like to get it back out there when the world settles down again. How do they compare at the ring?
The Clio is now the far rawer driving experience due to dampers, ball joints and missing interior etc. However, both share amazing chassis balance and that feeling of “just enough of everything”. Obviously neither are fast by modern standards but can be driven very quickly and both can shame some far more formidable kit when driven well.
The Clio at the Ring is just amazing. You seem to pass almost everything that’s similarly powered or slightly faster on the way down to Breidscheid. Only to have them come back last you up Kesselchen. Simply the Clio is the ultimate car on track for fun yet just doesn’t have the power for the Ring. But imo if you gave it the power it needed to perform properly there, it just wouldn’t be as nice to drive everywhere else.
I love the fact you can drive it on the doorhandles almost everywhere and absolutely ring its neck and it just begs you for more.
The Cayman again, shares the most amazing chassis, probably one of, if not the best road going sports cars I’ve ever driven. It’s got just enough compliance and rides so well. Power is obviously significantly up on the Clio but the Cayman R isn’t a track car. It works on track and mine works better than most due to its mods but it’s no GT3. Having said that, on the road it’s (in my opinion) much better to drive than a GT3 (of the 996/997s that I’ve driven).
It feels like a proper bit of kit and at the Ring feels every bit as special. On Cup2s on a warm day it’s mega, with just enough power to smear but not properly unstick the rears unless significantly provoked. However I’m not a wealthy man so I’ve always got the price of the car in the back of my mind on track and for that reason am never at 10/10th in it. I care about it too much to drive it at the Ring like I would the Clio or I used to in the Impreza.
Both cars give so much confidence to press on and push them harder and both feel like they’re always on your side. It’s hard to explain but I feel like I’ve chosen these two pretty well.
Probably two of the most enjoyable drivers cars ever made in my opinion, both worlds apart in design and performance but both offer so much feedback and enjoyment.
Like your children, you can’t love one more, even if they’re like chalk and cheese. I genuinely love them the same.
frayz said:
tumble dryer said:
Frayz, you have two amazingly tactile cars and very obviously enjoy driving them as they were intended to be driven.
How do they compare at the ring?
So similar in many ways yet obviously worlds apart. The Clio hasn’t been back to the Ring since all its latest mods but I would like to get it back out there when the world settles down again. How do they compare at the ring?
The Clio is now the far rawer driving experience due to dampers, ball joints and missing interior etc. However, both share amazing chassis balance and that feeling of “just enough of everything”. Obviously neither are fast by modern standards but can be driven very quickly and both can shame some far more formidable kit when driven well.
The Clio at the Ring is just amazing. You seem to pass almost everything that’s similarly powered or slightly faster on the way down to Breidscheid. Only to have them come back last you up Kesselchen. Simply the Clio is the ultimate car on track for fun yet just doesn’t have the power for the Ring. But imo if you gave it the power it needed to perform properly there, it just wouldn’t be as nice to drive everywhere else.
I love the fact you can drive it on the doorhandles almost everywhere and absolutely ring its neck and it just begs you for more.
The Cayman again, shares the most amazing chassis, probably one of, if not the best road going sports cars I’ve ever driven. It’s got just enough compliance and rides so well. Power is obviously significantly up on the Clio but the Cayman R isn’t a track car. It works on track and mine works better than most due to its mods but it’s no GT3. Having said that, on the road it’s (in my opinion) much better to drive than a GT3 (of the 996/997s that I’ve driven).
It feels like a proper bit of kit and at the Ring feels every bit as special. On Cup2s on a warm day it’s mega, with just enough power to smear but not properly unstick the rears unless significantly provoked. However I’m not a wealthy man so I’ve always got the price of the car in the back of my mind on track and for that reason am never at 10/10th in it. I care about it too much to drive it at the Ring like I would the Clio or I used to in the Impreza.
Both cars give so much confidence to press on and push them harder and both feel like they’re always on your side. It’s hard to explain but I feel like I’ve chosen these two pretty well.
Probably two of the most enjoyable drivers cars ever made in my opinion, both worlds apart in design and performance but both offer so much feedback and enjoyment.
Like your children, you can’t love one more, even if they’re like chalk and cheese. I genuinely love them the same.
There's a thread running in CS regarding the current age of Clio 1*2 drivers (you'll know.
). It would appear that the oldies (I'm 65) are latching on to the return of the rawness of yoofdom. I've owned and driven loads of fast stuff and exotica, but these wee baguettes - you're just SO in touch when wringing out the last few horses on the twisties. We'll never see the likes of them again.
Mine will be meticulously maintained, driven hard, track, ring and weekend hoons, and then left to my son. (Who totally gets them.)
Not much happening on WZD lately.
However something I’ve had for a while has been a freshly powdercoated front ARB I’ve been meaning to fit. The ARB bushes are literally the very last bush on the car to replace. I had been putting them off as they have a reputation for being a royal pain in the arse to fit.
Well after today’s experience I can say with 100% certainty, this isn’t exactly accurate.
I dropped the old bar and refitted the new bar and then proceeded to spend a solid 2 hours fighting with getting one clamp bolt in. Now I’m no stranger to working on cars but even I thought this was excessive. I was so deluded that I was bound to have a fight on my hands, that I made a schoolboy error. I was totally focussed on getting the clamp done up that once done up I knew it still wasn’t right. I text a friend (Alex @ AW Motorworks) with my troubles to which he promptly called me back to tell me what a t**t I was.
I had the bush fitted 90 degrees out and the radius part pointing up. I literally wanted to kick myself at such a stupid error.
I removed the clamp and had both sides fitted up in about 6 minutes. They really are simple when you fit them correctly. Needless to say it was all boxed up with new clamps and stainless fasteners and back in the deck in no time.
So the great ARB bushes debate, they’re easy when you’re not a total berk doing it. Thanks to Alex.
So now these have been changed, that’s every single bush, bearing, mount, joint and linkage renewed and upgraded within the last 12 months. It drives as tight as a drum and feels better than new.
However something I’ve had for a while has been a freshly powdercoated front ARB I’ve been meaning to fit. The ARB bushes are literally the very last bush on the car to replace. I had been putting them off as they have a reputation for being a royal pain in the arse to fit.
Well after today’s experience I can say with 100% certainty, this isn’t exactly accurate.
I dropped the old bar and refitted the new bar and then proceeded to spend a solid 2 hours fighting with getting one clamp bolt in. Now I’m no stranger to working on cars but even I thought this was excessive. I was so deluded that I was bound to have a fight on my hands, that I made a schoolboy error. I was totally focussed on getting the clamp done up that once done up I knew it still wasn’t right. I text a friend (Alex @ AW Motorworks) with my troubles to which he promptly called me back to tell me what a t**t I was.
I had the bush fitted 90 degrees out and the radius part pointing up. I literally wanted to kick myself at such a stupid error.
I removed the clamp and had both sides fitted up in about 6 minutes. They really are simple when you fit them correctly. Needless to say it was all boxed up with new clamps and stainless fasteners and back in the deck in no time.
So the great ARB bushes debate, they’re easy when you’re not a total berk doing it. Thanks to Alex.
So now these have been changed, that’s every single bush, bearing, mount, joint and linkage renewed and upgraded within the last 12 months. It drives as tight as a drum and feels better than new.
Galveston said:
frayz said:
You’ll have to join the queue and need at least £25k to even have a chance of prising these keys off me
That's how I feel about my 172 Cup - it's a very special little car.There’s nothing else I really want to drive every day.
I love it more now than ever.
pincher said:
Galveston said:
That's how I feel about my 172 Cup - it's a very special little car.
Yep, me too.I quite often give the M2C to the missus and take the Cup for a few days at at time - it’s a lot of fun.
Leicester Loyal said:
Happy birthday bud.
Also I am disappointed that you've taken a day off meddling with the Clio to enjoy yourself.
Ha!, thank you sir. Also I am disappointed that you've taken a day off meddling with the Clio to enjoy yourself.
Not much left i can really tinker with on it. Although I'm eying up a "Christmas job" in that i have started to get a feint waft of coolant smell in the cabin and losing the slightest amount from the header tank. I'm suspecting a weep on the heater matrix, although the carpets and trim are dry.
This involves the entire crash pad to be removed, so that'll probably be the next thing to do on my list.
Failing that its just odd bits of trim and clips i want to replace to make it better. It drives so well now, I'm really pleased with just how tight and responsive it feels. I've backed the dampers right off for winter and this added compliance has really added to the way it rides the rougher roads. Feels brilliant
Couple of little “tinker” jobs on WZD today.
First up was a nice new bonnet release latch. I had planned to buy one and luckily found a new genuine Renault part on eBay for £10.50 delivered so couldn’t pass that up... no real reason, just because... new bits.
Second was replacing all the trim clips on the tailgate trim. I hate rattles and I’ve tried various tactics to shut the boot trim up, inc foam strips, velcro etc. However, i've never replaced the clips completely. The old ones were obviously 15 years old and quite hard and brittle. The new ones are lovely fresh soft plastic, and it certainly feels more solid already.
Fingers crossed this helps.
Also ordered some general service items ready for the Christmas break and as I’ve got a feint smell of coolant inside, I’m expecting a heater matrix change on the cards soon too.
Other than that, she’s clicked over 131k miles and doing the daily grind better than ever.
Out with the old
On with the new.
New clips, yay. Nice snug fitting trim once more.
First up was a nice new bonnet release latch. I had planned to buy one and luckily found a new genuine Renault part on eBay for £10.50 delivered so couldn’t pass that up... no real reason, just because... new bits.
Second was replacing all the trim clips on the tailgate trim. I hate rattles and I’ve tried various tactics to shut the boot trim up, inc foam strips, velcro etc. However, i've never replaced the clips completely. The old ones were obviously 15 years old and quite hard and brittle. The new ones are lovely fresh soft plastic, and it certainly feels more solid already.
Fingers crossed this helps.
Also ordered some general service items ready for the Christmas break and as I’ve got a feint smell of coolant inside, I’m expecting a heater matrix change on the cards soon too.
Other than that, she’s clicked over 131k miles and doing the daily grind better than ever.
Out with the old
On with the new.
New clips, yay. Nice snug fitting trim once more.
So, the Christmas works in lovely Tier 4 Essex.
First up was just a straight forward oil service, no issues and the oil removed was still pretty clean.
Secondly was a job I had been putting off, investigating a very very slight coolant leak (approx 1cm drop in the expansion tank in approx 3 months) and the occasional slight smell of coolant in the cabin. I have so far been unable to find a leak in the engine bay so put it done to a weep on the matrix.
So I set about removing the dash and heater box. Not such a difficult job, but quite time consuming if you take care not to break anything. Unfortunately my efforts were somewhat wasted when I removed a prefect condition matrix. I confirmed this with a pressure test and it was holding a solid 18PSI with zero leaks. Somewhat frustrated I decided to at least give all the wiring a tidy up with some fresh fabric loom tape and added some foam in areas to cut down on squeaks & rattles. I also cleaned and renewed the foam seals on the heater box with some new high density foam strips. Since fitting my Recaros the rear HVAC tubes were removed so the heater box was venting into the centre console. As this is less than ideal I blanked off these apertures with some foil backed kevlar heat sheet. The foil sheet was also useful for sealing the ducting better to hopefully make the whole system more efficient.
It was nice to be able to clean all the dash pieces properly before refitting, I even polished the scratches from the ignition barrel.
Refitted and filled with fresh Type D coolant I bled the system, however I have since found one small issue. The stepper motor for the temperature control is not recieving either power or signal from the climate control unit. The stepper motor I have tested and functions perfectly so this could well be a broken or damaged wire I will have to investigate.
So frustratingly it was a lot of work with an unexpected outcome and now a new fault to find and fix. However a small road test has proven my work on refitting the dash is now resulting in zero squeaks or rattles, so that’s an improvement at least.
To be continued...
First up was just a straight forward oil service, no issues and the oil removed was still pretty clean.
Secondly was a job I had been putting off, investigating a very very slight coolant leak (approx 1cm drop in the expansion tank in approx 3 months) and the occasional slight smell of coolant in the cabin. I have so far been unable to find a leak in the engine bay so put it done to a weep on the matrix.
So I set about removing the dash and heater box. Not such a difficult job, but quite time consuming if you take care not to break anything. Unfortunately my efforts were somewhat wasted when I removed a prefect condition matrix. I confirmed this with a pressure test and it was holding a solid 18PSI with zero leaks. Somewhat frustrated I decided to at least give all the wiring a tidy up with some fresh fabric loom tape and added some foam in areas to cut down on squeaks & rattles. I also cleaned and renewed the foam seals on the heater box with some new high density foam strips. Since fitting my Recaros the rear HVAC tubes were removed so the heater box was venting into the centre console. As this is less than ideal I blanked off these apertures with some foil backed kevlar heat sheet. The foil sheet was also useful for sealing the ducting better to hopefully make the whole system more efficient.
It was nice to be able to clean all the dash pieces properly before refitting, I even polished the scratches from the ignition barrel.
Refitted and filled with fresh Type D coolant I bled the system, however I have since found one small issue. The stepper motor for the temperature control is not recieving either power or signal from the climate control unit. The stepper motor I have tested and functions perfectly so this could well be a broken or damaged wire I will have to investigate.
So frustratingly it was a lot of work with an unexpected outcome and now a new fault to find and fix. However a small road test has proven my work on refitting the dash is now resulting in zero squeaks or rattles, so that’s an improvement at least.
To be continued...
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