Renaultsport Megane 275 Sport Mode-can it be set as default?
Discussion
Hi Folks,
I've very recently purchased a RS 275 Cup-S, which is a lovely car and very deserving of its rave reviews.
However, a minor annoyance (aside from the weak headlights) is that Sport mode has to be selected at each start.
Flame me for being a lazy git but is it possible for the dealer to set Sport as the default setting? I have no particular desire to drive it in Normal mode, so would much prefer it to be Sport as default and Normal as option.
Many thanks for any advice on this.
I've very recently purchased a RS 275 Cup-S, which is a lovely car and very deserving of its rave reviews.
However, a minor annoyance (aside from the weak headlights) is that Sport mode has to be selected at each start.
Flame me for being a lazy git but is it possible for the dealer to set Sport as the default setting? I have no particular desire to drive it in Normal mode, so would much prefer it to be Sport as default and Normal as option.
Many thanks for any advice on this.
Ah ButterFace - I've seen you on pretty much every thread about 275 
I don't post much but I lurk a fair bit, especially when I'm researching a new car! You work for a Renault dealership don't you?
The car is secondhand, was registered Sept 15 and I bought it from Evans Halshaw in Darlington (which is a long way from home for me).
It's a bit of an odd spec in my view, no Akrapovic/Ohlins/Recaros but has the dual zone climate and Nav. It's on 18" Tibors and is Titanium Grey.
The reality is that this spec will probably work well for me; this is a family and opt-out company car that will do 20k miles a year, so the Nav will be a bit of boon and the kids can get in the back a bit easier with the standard seats. I do nearly 40K a year, split 20k on my main car, 10-12k on my wife's (currently a Mountune Fiesta ST) and 10k on a Mk1 MX5. I'll be glad to have a fun car again as my main vehicle as I've had 3 years in a Golf GTD (Generally Turgid Diseasal) after a run of more interesting stuff....
I don't post much but I lurk a fair bit, especially when I'm researching a new car! You work for a Renault dealership don't you?The car is secondhand, was registered Sept 15 and I bought it from Evans Halshaw in Darlington (which is a long way from home for me).
It's a bit of an odd spec in my view, no Akrapovic/Ohlins/Recaros but has the dual zone climate and Nav. It's on 18" Tibors and is Titanium Grey.
The reality is that this spec will probably work well for me; this is a family and opt-out company car that will do 20k miles a year, so the Nav will be a bit of boon and the kids can get in the back a bit easier with the standard seats. I do nearly 40K a year, split 20k on my main car, 10-12k on my wife's (currently a Mountune Fiesta ST) and 10k on a Mk1 MX5. I'll be glad to have a fun car again as my main vehicle as I've had 3 years in a Golf GTD (Generally Turgid Diseasal) after a run of more interesting stuff....
Edited by GibsonSG on Tuesday 27th December 11:02
Thanks T0M, I'll bear that in mind. I don't want to invalidate my warranty so will probably wait for any remapping work.
It's funny but I don't have an issue with the throttle response in RS mode, however we used to have Subaru's as daily cars - one had a three mode throttle map and I much preferred the Sports Sharp mode in that, which feels like a similar map to RS Mode.
It's a very interesting compare and contrast vs the Fiesta Mountune. I was only talking to my wife about it last night as she's a massive petrolhead and the Fiesta was meant to be her car, but I drive it a LOT!
The Megane feels more "serious" than the Fiesta, in that I find driving quickly is quite relaxed - the car very much feels like it's working for you and is quite flattering to the driver. The Fiesta needs 100% attention at all times as it's very happy to wag its tail at every opportunity. It's far more tail happy than my MX5, for sure. That does make it feel very exciting and engaging all the time though, even at low speeds, whereas the Megane in my view is very benign when just tootling around. I don't consider that a negative, it's quite desirable in a car that has to shift my family and do the role of a business car as well.
We've driven them together back to back and swapped drivers and neither of us can shake the bloody Fiesta when we're in the Megane, but you can see the Fiesta driver working harder by the angle of attitude of the car! The Megane has got a much stronger top end but the Fiesta is gutsier in the mid range, so they're evenly matched on typical A and B roads, but I'd expect the Megane to outrun it in a proper straight line drag to high speeds. They're both on the same tyre brand and model at the moment so that variable can be taken out - they're on Sottozeros as we always see snow where I am and I do a lot of work in North Scotland so consider winter tyres essential at this time of year. Perhaps in summer when the Megane is on PS2 and the Fiesta on Conti Sport 5's I might find the Megane can get away from it on the lanes.
It's funny but I don't have an issue with the throttle response in RS mode, however we used to have Subaru's as daily cars - one had a three mode throttle map and I much preferred the Sports Sharp mode in that, which feels like a similar map to RS Mode.
It's a very interesting compare and contrast vs the Fiesta Mountune. I was only talking to my wife about it last night as she's a massive petrolhead and the Fiesta was meant to be her car, but I drive it a LOT!
The Megane feels more "serious" than the Fiesta, in that I find driving quickly is quite relaxed - the car very much feels like it's working for you and is quite flattering to the driver. The Fiesta needs 100% attention at all times as it's very happy to wag its tail at every opportunity. It's far more tail happy than my MX5, for sure. That does make it feel very exciting and engaging all the time though, even at low speeds, whereas the Megane in my view is very benign when just tootling around. I don't consider that a negative, it's quite desirable in a car that has to shift my family and do the role of a business car as well.
We've driven them together back to back and swapped drivers and neither of us can shake the bloody Fiesta when we're in the Megane, but you can see the Fiesta driver working harder by the angle of attitude of the car! The Megane has got a much stronger top end but the Fiesta is gutsier in the mid range, so they're evenly matched on typical A and B roads, but I'd expect the Megane to outrun it in a proper straight line drag to high speeds. They're both on the same tyre brand and model at the moment so that variable can be taken out - they're on Sottozeros as we always see snow where I am and I do a lot of work in North Scotland so consider winter tyres essential at this time of year. Perhaps in summer when the Megane is on PS2 and the Fiesta on Conti Sport 5's I might find the Megane can get away from it on the lanes.
T0M said:
Thanks for the comparison, high praise indeed for the ickle Fiesta. Keep us updated how you get on with the Meg.
I decided to hold off an update until I had some time with the Meg on its PS2 summer tyres. Inevitably I will compare it to my other two current cars, a lightly modified Mk1 MX5 (1.6 import with LSD) and the Fiesta ST Mountune 215.It's definitely been an interesting few months with the Meg, others have commented that it has a dual character - very benign below 8/10ths but thrilling above that. I can certain vouch for this, but it's a double edged sword compared to the rest of my line up. The Meg is my main daily, and so that last 2/10ths is rarely accessible but when I do get to dig into it, the car is really quite exceptional. In those last 2/10ths it feels better engineered and has a depth of competence that the MX and Fiesta can't match. However, those two fight back by being more fun and more entertaining up to 8/10ths.
The MX is a joy, light, RWD and plain old fashioned fun, but too aged to be daily usable, so it's a fun weekend car that can take my wife and I off on occasional longer jaunts. The Fiesta is the fly in the ointment, serious fun from the first rotation of the wheels - actually rotation is a good term as the little critter wants to hang its tail out everywhere. Plus it's well equipped (fully loaded ST3), has fantastic seats and returns 36 mpg on standard unleaded (the Meg's averaged 26.8 mpg over 6000 miles and seems to only like super unleaded).
I prefer the boostier delivery of the Meg, which is really quite thrilling above 5000 rpm, and sounds even better with the back seats down. The Nav is excellent and Tom Tom live is a great help for my daily work runs around the country. On the downside, I think the headlights are extraordinarily poor for a car with this performance level (I have fitted Osram Nightbreakers for a marginal improvement) and I have a bizarre creaking noise from both doors which I can't tell whether its the door itself or the window. Lubrication of the window guides, window seals or door rubbers doesn't seem to sort it so any advice would be very very welcome. Otherwise the Meg has behaved itself very well, using no oil and having no unpleasant traits aside from the creaking doors/windows.
I'll be interested to see how the relationship develops, so far I'm enjoying the car but feel that the little Fiesta is more fun, more of the time at a lower cost. Unfortunately for me I need a "full sized" hatch in the family for a another 3 - 4 years until my kids have both learned to drive and don't need carting around anymore. The misery they have to ensure in the back of both the Meg and the ST is encouraging them to move along a bit....
Who did your mapping GrumpyTwig and to what output? I do tend to lightly tune most of my cars but I know Renault are a bit aggressive on their warranty regarding mods so originally thought that I'd wait until it was out of warranty.
Also, either of you had the creaking window issue mentioned above? I've got used to hitting the RS button now so that's no real issue anymore but those windows are driving me bonkers!!
Also, either of you had the creaking window issue mentioned above? I've got used to hitting the RS button now so that's no real issue anymore but those windows are driving me bonkers!!
Sounds good - RStuning have a good reputation from what I've read. Might hold off for another 18 months and then get that done.
I tend to run mine with the seats down unless I have to cart the kids about (pretty rare nowadays) - it sounds like a totally different car than with the seats up!
I've got a couple of ideas to try with the window seals at the weekend, I've sussed that it's the fit against the top one that's causing the issue. Shame as I find those kind of odd noises really bloody annoying. It's the OCD in me....
I tend to run mine with the seats down unless I have to cart the kids about (pretty rare nowadays) - it sounds like a totally different car than with the seats up!
I've got a couple of ideas to try with the window seals at the weekend, I've sussed that it's the fit against the top one that's causing the issue. Shame as I find those kind of odd noises really bloody annoying. It's the OCD in me....
Ha ha, good point! The problem is that in standard mode it feels quite a bit slower than my Mountune ST, so I tend to run it in Sport mode all the time as it then feels a bit sharper than my little tearaway.
The RS Meg is indeed a great car, I've found that I needed a fair amount of time to really appreciate it as you do need to get the best out of them, especially compared to the ST, but yes they are pretty special
The RS Meg is indeed a great car, I've found that I needed a fair amount of time to really appreciate it as you do need to get the best out of them, especially compared to the ST, but yes they are pretty special
Edited by GibsonSG on Saturday 30th September 16:34
Yes I did! Although what I've found is that I have a temporary solution that lasts for about 6 - 8 weeks.
The squeak is from the top door seal - the one with the felt finish - that runs along the top edge to where the mirror is.
My solution is to lubricate this - I've tried various lubricants but the longest lasting for me is Halfords spray on silicone lubricant (ooh err missus). It can make a right mess if you're not careful, so I tend to spray it into a container and then apply with a small paintbrush.
Try it and let me know how you get on!
The squeak is from the top door seal - the one with the felt finish - that runs along the top edge to where the mirror is.
My solution is to lubricate this - I've tried various lubricants but the longest lasting for me is Halfords spray on silicone lubricant (ooh err missus). It can make a right mess if you're not careful, so I tend to spray it into a container and then apply with a small paintbrush.
Try it and let me know how you get on!
Gassing Station | French Bred | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff