RenaultSport Clio 182 FF
Discussion
Picked this little beauty up last Friday. Regretably my 850R made way for this, I loved the 850R and was sad to see it go, but thankfully it went to an enthusiast (he scaled the UK to get it). I wanted a change and something a bit cheaper to run for a few years, whilst still being fun. Finally decided on a 1*2.
Namely a 2004 Black Gold 182 with both Cup packs.
Finished replacing the auxiliary belt & tensioner/idler Wednesday (2 hours of daylight a day is nice!) as they had not been replaced at the interval (only the belt was replaced). Just about had enough time to giver her a quick clean! Wanted to machine polish (paint is pretty good but does have a few minor swirls), but ran out of time.
Should have taken some pics yesterday when it was sunny, but oh no, I chose today which was damp & misty!! Oh well! At least it's still fairly clean!!

RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr

RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr

'RenaultSport' by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
So far I'm loving in it!! I agree with Clarkson, depsite the few french issues it has, it's a car that puts a smile on your face!! It's quick, comfy, great handling & turn in, well specced and looks good (imo). Sure in places the build quality is a bit tinny, closing the tailgate makes me wince, and the central locking motors sound like bombs going off in the lightweight doors - but to be fair the interior is pretty good for a french car and the mechnicals appear to be pretty good.
Just nice to have a car that performs well without having to go crazy with mods, although this one has the Cup chassis which feels worth it over the non-Cup 172 I tried.
Comparable to my Eunos really, not quite as settled in the bends, but nowhere near as uncomfortable or skittish on rough roads - obviously has a lot more grunt though.
First mod - new boots!! The Michelin Pilot Exaltos are getting low and someone has fitted a (wrong) 195/45 P-Zero on the back. The PE2's were supposedly designed for the 182 with Cup chassis, but have now been superseded by the PS3. I've gone for a set of Hankook V12 Evo's, meant to be pretty good and around £200 cheaper than a set of PS3's.
Namely a 2004 Black Gold 182 with both Cup packs.
Finished replacing the auxiliary belt & tensioner/idler Wednesday (2 hours of daylight a day is nice!) as they had not been replaced at the interval (only the belt was replaced). Just about had enough time to giver her a quick clean! Wanted to machine polish (paint is pretty good but does have a few minor swirls), but ran out of time.
Should have taken some pics yesterday when it was sunny, but oh no, I chose today which was damp & misty!! Oh well! At least it's still fairly clean!!

RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr

RenaultSport Clio 182 interior by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr

'RenaultSport' by Hallsy01, on Flickr

2004 RenaultSport Clio 182 by Hallsy01, on Flickr
So far I'm loving in it!! I agree with Clarkson, depsite the few french issues it has, it's a car that puts a smile on your face!! It's quick, comfy, great handling & turn in, well specced and looks good (imo). Sure in places the build quality is a bit tinny, closing the tailgate makes me wince, and the central locking motors sound like bombs going off in the lightweight doors - but to be fair the interior is pretty good for a french car and the mechnicals appear to be pretty good.
Just nice to have a car that performs well without having to go crazy with mods, although this one has the Cup chassis which feels worth it over the non-Cup 172 I tried.
Comparable to my Eunos really, not quite as settled in the bends, but nowhere near as uncomfortable or skittish on rough roads - obviously has a lot more grunt though.
First mod - new boots!! The Michelin Pilot Exaltos are getting low and someone has fitted a (wrong) 195/45 P-Zero on the back. The PE2's were supposedly designed for the 182 with Cup chassis, but have now been superseded by the PS3. I've gone for a set of Hankook V12 Evo's, meant to be pretty good and around £200 cheaper than a set of PS3's.
Cheers for the comments 
Paintwork is pretty good really, will be better once I've machined it. Most of the time it looks solid black, but in the sun there is a subtle gold pearl. Shame it's not sunny at the mo!!

Martin_Hx said:
Looks like a great little clean and tidy car !
Let me know how you get on with the Hankooks, just had some fitted to my motor, Civic Type-R EP3 !
Will do, they seem to get good reviews, and at around £80 a corner fitted they should be good value.Let me know how you get on with the Hankooks, just had some fitted to my motor, Civic Type-R EP3 !
P_K_Wright said:
That 5th picture is brilliant! What camera and lens have you got?
Thanks, they were taken with a Canon 20D, 50mm f/1.8 lens with a CPL (Circular polariser). CPL makes a big difference with car shots, cuts out the reflections and tends to deepen the colours. That and a bit of a contrast boost in Lightroom helps
Paintwork is pretty good really, will be better once I've machined it. Most of the time it looks solid black, but in the sun there is a subtle gold pearl. Shame it's not sunny at the mo!!Thanks 
There were two option packs, but I think most of them would have had both if they have them.
The 'Cup chassis pack' which has the revised suspension (different springs & dampers, different geometry, possibly wider track - althought the 182 had wider track & longer wheelbase than 172 anyway iirc) and anthracite wheels, the other is the 'Cup spoiler pack' which adds the Cup rear spoiler (a little bigger/higher) and Cup front splitter.

There were two option packs, but I think most of them would have had both if they have them.
The 'Cup chassis pack' which has the revised suspension (different springs & dampers, different geometry, possibly wider track - althought the 182 had wider track & longer wheelbase than 172 anyway iirc) and anthracite wheels, the other is the 'Cup spoiler pack' which adds the Cup rear spoiler (a little bigger/higher) and Cup front splitter.
Was your 850 on ebay? I was watching it for a while and was going to contact you for a viewing, but talked myself out of it, and went the sensible option with a cheap V70 2.4 daily driver, because my main funds also go on a Clio, my 172 Cup (see profile pic).
These Renaultsports are great cars, so much fun. That's a lovely looking car.
These Renaultsports are great cars, so much fun. That's a lovely looking car.
StoatInACoat said:
Looks brand new!
Couple of questions: Does that head unit work with the display thing on the dash and the remote stalk? What type is it?
Sorry to hijack the thread/question, if it's anything like my Twingo RS, after-market head unit's will work with the remote stalk, but you need a separate remote control cable to be able to do it. Motor factors/car audio places should have them.Couple of questions: Does that head unit work with the display thing on the dash and the remote stalk? What type is it?
Yep - as above, the stalk works but I believe an adaptor has been wired in. The display that used to show radio details from OE headunit is now blank other than the clock & temperature.
My headunit is an Alpine IDA-X100 I think. It has a USB and ipod cable wired into glovebox, pretty decent when used with iPod, and that's coming from someone who is anti Apple, and only bought a 2nd hand ipod to use with this car!!
WackoJacko - I think you contacted me about my 850R but I had the buyer already lined up? Did you get one in the end?
Yeah, it was on ebay, a guy from Inverness bought it. He used to have an 850 Tdi, bought a V70 D5 which he said was pretty bland in comparison so wanted to go back to an 850, and fell in love with mine!! *cry*
My headunit is an Alpine IDA-X100 I think. It has a USB and ipod cable wired into glovebox, pretty decent when used with iPod, and that's coming from someone who is anti Apple, and only bought a 2nd hand ipod to use with this car!!
WackoJacko - I think you contacted me about my 850R but I had the buyer already lined up? Did you get one in the end?
Yeah, it was on ebay, a guy from Inverness bought it. He used to have an 850 Tdi, bought a V70 D5 which he said was pretty bland in comparison so wanted to go back to an 850, and fell in love with mine!! *cry*
Yeah, it's still a bit glitzy for me as I much prefer the OEM look really, but it's functionality is great. Shame the lighting is blue/red rather than orange.
Apparently for some of the Alpine HU's you can get cables that allow the original radio/track displays to work with the new HU.
For a proper OEM look I much prefer Becker, but I'm not really in a hurry to swap it out. Would want to see what the interface is like on one for the iPod control anyway.
Had the V12 Evo's fitted today so looking forward to scrubbing those in a bit!!
Apparently for some of the Alpine HU's you can get cables that allow the original radio/track displays to work with the new HU.
For a proper OEM look I much prefer Becker, but I'm not really in a hurry to swap it out. Would want to see what the interface is like on one for the iPod control anyway.
Had the V12 Evo's fitted today so looking forward to scrubbing those in a bit!!
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