Friday 20th April 2012

PH Blog: Clio Elbow

Hard suspension, hard interior - Chris is literally bearing the scars from the Renaultsport Clio

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It was taking me so long to get from Hethel (More on this in due course - Ed.) to Wales yesterday evening, that I aborted the journey on the west-side of the capital, enjoyed two tonic waters with a friend while the traffic died down, and then continued the journey. You wouldn't actively choose to use a RenaultSport Clio for this type of schlep, but I wanted to feel young again. I drove for five and a half hours. It was ace.

What, you'd have preferred a pic of his elbow?

This morning I have contracted a new ailment. I am calling it Clio Elbow. This a carefully crafted name because it is my elbow that hurts and the Clio that was the cause of the hurt.

On the motorway, at 11pm cruising speeds, the Cup chassis set up on the Clio makes for an interesting ride when you've been awake for 20 hours. Renault should sell the same Image Stabiliser for your eyeballs that Canon uses on its SLR lenses. The optional sports seats are cracking things, so you wriggle down in them and try to rest your right elbow on the door handle as your hand grips the non-adjustable wheel. I mastered this posture, then heard a rattling sound. No Clio jokes please. It was actually my elbow interfacing with the hard plastic door trim at precisely the frequency the solid suspension was launching itself over the vertiginous peaks of the M4.

Today I have a bruised elbow.

Now rested, I have to go somewhere this morning. Despite there being a few other more comfortable cars knocking around today, I will take the Clio. I was already of the opinion that it's one of the best performance cars around, but knowing that it can inflict authentic hot-hatch wounds on its driver makes me like it even more.

Please share with me your experiences of car-cabin-inflicted injuries. Someone must have damaged themselves on a cup-holder, surely?

Chris

[Ferosferio]

I may be one of the only people to come out with such blasphemy but... the E36 M3 'Vaders' gave me chronic lower-back ache. No likey.

[cris9964]

Coin tray in an A8 was open as I climbed in after the wife was driving it. The seat being so far forward meant I nearly nicked a femoral artery....

[buellboy]

Nothing like "Alfa Artherithis" or "cloverleaf knee" that you get from being 6ft2 and in a 145....

[Vilhelm]

Not really an injury, but whenever I have sunburn on the side of my neck, I always manage to scrape the edge of my seatbelt on it when I'm putting the seatbelt on. Hurts like a bh.

[Chris Harris]

Ferosferio said:

I may be one of the only people to come out with such blasphemy but... the E36 M3 'Vaders' gave me chronic lower-back ache. No likey.

Wasn't just me then.

[Butter Face]

Chris, you're getting old man

I drive mine every day and don't suffer from anything. The chassis isn't 'that' stiff

[willp1987]

A fornight ago I bought a S1 106 Rallye. I am 6'5" and have not driven anything without power steering for a good few years and had forgotten how difficult it is for me to fit in 80s and 90s hot hatches! I drove it from Swindon to West Wales (about 170 miles) and woke up the next morning feeling like I had been beaten up

[The Obeast]

when I forget to change out of my work boots I get calf strain in my left calf when using the clutch in my xsara vts, beacause my work shoes are so bloody big that i have to use the clutch at an awkward angle to stop getting my foot cuaght under the lower dash trim. sounds pathetic I know

[slikrs]

I modified the seat rails on my S2 to get me 2" further back. It helped stop my knees getting in the way of the steering wheel. Plenty of possible injuries from that car though, small Moto Lita + AO48's + no PAS + GrpN dampers + spring rates I have yet to settle on + poly bushes and mounts etc likely make this Clio feel like an S class in comparison to many Rallyes!

[E38Ross]

does getting a "truckers sun tan" count?

[rohrl]

Aching ankles from long journeys driving a FIAT Uno and my mother's Alfa 156.

The Italians still seem to build cars for people with short legs and long arms, or indeed chimpanzees.

[TonyHetherington]

I sneezed and head butted the steering wheel


(I'd gotten to work, noticed my shoe was untied so bent down to tie it up. During this time I sneezed. Ouch!!!)

[Eighteeteewhy]

Chris Harris said:

Ferosferio said:

I may be one of the only people to come out with such blasphemy but... the E36 M3 'Vaders' gave me chronic lower-back ache. No likey.

Wasn't just me then.

Much prefer the seats in E36 M3 cab, they don't look as cool but are much more comfortable..

[MagicalTrevor]

'karters-knee' is what I get in pretty much any kart that I've driven, basically the boney inside part of the knee bashing against the fuel tank.

[Dale Lomas]

When I used to work at RSR Nürburg I developed a scabby bit of skin on my elbow and just below my knee too. This was from bracing against the interior trim of the Clio 197s and 200s on hundreds (if not thousands) of laps of the ring.

[GTiFrank]

TonyHetherington said:

I sneezed and head butted the steering wheel


(I'd gotten to work, noticed my shoe was untied so bent down to tie it up. During this time I sneezed. Ouch!!!)

The Obeast said:

when I forget to change out of my work boots I get calf strain in my left calf when using the clutch in my xsara vts, beacause my work shoes are so bloody big that i have to use the clutch at an awkward angle to stop getting my foot cuaght under the lower dash trim. sounds pathetic I know

Had exactly the same problem trying to drive a 206GTi in steel toe capped boots a big pedals are far too close together for size 11's. You need pencils for feet.

Edited by GTiFrank on Friday 20th April 13:34

[Garlick]

The heat from a hot-engine in the Chimaera can cause very hot (and then dry and itchy) ankles if you get stuck in traffic for a while.

How attractive.

[JohnGoodridge]

cris9964 said:

Coin tray in an A8 was open as I climbed in after the wife was driving it. The seat being so far forward meant I nearly nicked a femoral artery....

e46 BMW's little cubby on drivers door side of steering wheel has nearly taken my knee cap off a couple of times getting in and out of the car.

[don logan]

EVERY passenger who has tried to jump into the passenger seat (a fixed back Recaro) of my EVO 6 in a hurry has screamed as if they have just broken there anus!

I do try to remember to warn them! :-)

[Rawwr]

340R Forehead. When stepping into it in the pouring rain, the foot on your supporting leg slips on the wet aluminium floor and you violently headbutt the exposed aluminium sill on the passenger side, leaving you unconscious, bleeding from the head in a car that's slowly filling up with water.