Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy... Budget Track Day Project
Discussion
Having been away from track days for more than a decade, decided to scratch the itch again last year and get back into some circuit fun. a little research seemed to point at Megane 3 RS being relatively bug bang for buck track day cars so did a little hunting and ended up picking up a 2009 265 trophy for reasonable cash:
Aside from the excellent standard stuff for the car including CUP chassis, LSD, Brembos etc the previous owner had already made some great additions for it's future purpose, including:
Bilstein B16 coilovers
PMS nut+stud kit
CGR intercooler + downpipes
Miltek cat back exhaust
RAM air kit (not sure about this, quite noisy)
braided brake lines all round
Powerflex Bushes + engine mount
Vibratech torque mount
remap to 305hp
Having got it back over here to the Netherlands my son and I took it to the ring at the end of last summer for its first outing. It took one lap to discover that the front discs were warped when we got heat into them, so an emergency trip to Freddy at Special Brakes secured a set of genuine CUP discs and Endless pads which were installed at RSR before the end of the day (love their service, super helpful for last minute emergencies).
the nice people at RSR also balanced the front wheels and helpfully discovered that both of them were not officially round any more, and one had a worrying weld repair, not so safe for track driving, meaning the original Steev 19s had to go, but we managed a couple of wet and dry laps before heading home, my 14yr old son managing to find every single photographer on the track.....
Back home we sorted a nice set of nearly new OZ Superturismos and wrapped them in Sport Contact 7s
There was time for a last track day before proper winter so went to Zandvoort and enjoyed a few laps, unfortunately discovering that the clutch was on the way out in the process so added to the winter list of cash drains.
Black Friday saw an opportunity to grab a Coolerworx short shifter for a reasonable sum, much needed as there was a bit of soup stirring going on with the original stick...
Back to the ring this summer for a few days, perfectly round wheels and high quality tyres make such a difference for really fun lapping!
as always the ring shakes out the problems and a persistent squeak from the rear brakes proved to be a sticking rear caliber that resulted in totally consumed rear pads on one side so back to RSR for new pads, and caliber rebuild on the cards.
Decided after the ring to up the safety and make it more track ready so we sold the interior of the car in preparation for cage and buckets to come:
Bought a 2nd hand half cage and Corbeau seats from a Renault RS Instagram channel, unfortunately it turned out to be a scammer! reported to meta but the page is still live and scamming away...beware if you come across it looking for RenaultSport parts....
Ordered a cage now from AST cages and new seats from Corbeau...currently sitting on my hands waiting for their arrival!
Aside from the excellent standard stuff for the car including CUP chassis, LSD, Brembos etc the previous owner had already made some great additions for it's future purpose, including:
Bilstein B16 coilovers
PMS nut+stud kit
CGR intercooler + downpipes
Miltek cat back exhaust
RAM air kit (not sure about this, quite noisy)
braided brake lines all round
Powerflex Bushes + engine mount
Vibratech torque mount
remap to 305hp
Having got it back over here to the Netherlands my son and I took it to the ring at the end of last summer for its first outing. It took one lap to discover that the front discs were warped when we got heat into them, so an emergency trip to Freddy at Special Brakes secured a set of genuine CUP discs and Endless pads which were installed at RSR before the end of the day (love their service, super helpful for last minute emergencies).
the nice people at RSR also balanced the front wheels and helpfully discovered that both of them were not officially round any more, and one had a worrying weld repair, not so safe for track driving, meaning the original Steev 19s had to go, but we managed a couple of wet and dry laps before heading home, my 14yr old son managing to find every single photographer on the track.....
Back home we sorted a nice set of nearly new OZ Superturismos and wrapped them in Sport Contact 7s
There was time for a last track day before proper winter so went to Zandvoort and enjoyed a few laps, unfortunately discovering that the clutch was on the way out in the process so added to the winter list of cash drains.
Black Friday saw an opportunity to grab a Coolerworx short shifter for a reasonable sum, much needed as there was a bit of soup stirring going on with the original stick...
Back to the ring this summer for a few days, perfectly round wheels and high quality tyres make such a difference for really fun lapping!
as always the ring shakes out the problems and a persistent squeak from the rear brakes proved to be a sticking rear caliber that resulted in totally consumed rear pads on one side so back to RSR for new pads, and caliber rebuild on the cards.
Decided after the ring to up the safety and make it more track ready so we sold the interior of the car in preparation for cage and buckets to come:
Bought a 2nd hand half cage and Corbeau seats from a Renault RS Instagram channel, unfortunately it turned out to be a scammer! reported to meta but the page is still live and scamming away...beware if you come across it looking for RenaultSport parts....
Ordered a cage now from AST cages and new seats from Corbeau...currently sitting on my hands waiting for their arrival!
Dutchlife said:
Bought a 2nd hand half cage and Corbeau seats from a Renault RS Instagram channel, unfortunately it turned out to be a scammer! reported to meta but the page is still live and scamming away...beware if you come across it looking for RenaultSport parts....
I saw the pic before the end of the story and instantly thought "Uh oh.. Scam page" Interested in the build, I do like the Megane RS!
Rowe said:
They're great cars. Had some epic trackdays in mine over the years.
High coolant temps and brakes were my main gripe.
I would advise caution with the Brembo grooved discs with aggressive compound pads. Plain discs are far less susceptible to cracking I found.
Good advice thanks! Some nice air there too… high temps is something I’ve yet to experience, been rock steady so far…fingers crossed!High coolant temps and brakes were my main gripe.
I would advise caution with the Brembo grooved discs with aggressive compound pads. Plain discs are far less susceptible to cracking I found.
seems simple, put a bucket seat in...ok. Ordered the Corbeau seat which comes with side mounts. the side mounts don't have any adjustable holes so don't fit the Megane.
No problem, bought a specific Megane 3 base mount form K-Tec Racing..... the fourth hole doesn't line up with the car, needs drilling out and enlarging by 1cm to fit the bolt...ok.
Corbeau side mounts don't fit the K-tec universal base, ok, bought QSP universal side mounts, no problem.
The bolt size for the Corbeau seats too big for the QSP universal side mounts, so they need drilling out to larger size too...ok, no problem.
Finally get base, slider and three of the seat bolt to frame bolts in, fourth bolt requires the small hands of a midget monkey to get in....
So have to remove the goddam centre console again (just replaced after installing quick shift) to get my fat hands in to do the final bolt up...
No problem, bought a specific Megane 3 base mount form K-Tec Racing..... the fourth hole doesn't line up with the car, needs drilling out and enlarging by 1cm to fit the bolt...ok.
Corbeau side mounts don't fit the K-tec universal base, ok, bought QSP universal side mounts, no problem.
The bolt size for the Corbeau seats too big for the QSP universal side mounts, so they need drilling out to larger size too...ok, no problem.
Finally get base, slider and three of the seat bolt to frame bolts in, fourth bolt requires the small hands of a midget monkey to get in....
So have to remove the goddam centre console again (just replaced after installing quick shift) to get my fat hands in to do the final bolt up...
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