Renault Clio RS 200 - My first hot hatch
Discussion
So it happened, I got my first proper car! I've wanted one of these since I was 10 reading about a green 200 battle supercars in EVO magazine and jumping through the mountain roads of Wales.
Having graduated in July 2022 (mechanical engineering for those who are interested) and getting my first proper job in industry I thought it would be appropriate to blow all my savings and first pay cheque on 10 year old French hot hatch.
The car itself has done 60,000 miles and has a full service history (including all the big Clio jobs) from a main dealer and then Ktec racing over the past few years. It seems like a very straight and tidy example with the 60yr old previous owner going as far as getting the steering wheel retrimmed in the softest leather I've ever touched (pic below) and most importantly keeping the car completely standard. No boy racer exhaust, lowering springs or subwoofers in the boot, result!
I've had the car the car just over a week now and have completely fallen in love with it. Having spent the last 6 months driving a 1.6 auto Corolla (full OAP spec) the Clio feels like a mini touring car with its bonkers amounts of grip and its very encouraging short ratios that hurry the needle deep into the 7500rpm limit where a satisfying beep goes off indicating you've done a good job. Even though the car is a daily it so far has made every drive an occasion. I now find myself arriving at the office with a smile on my face having just spent the last 45 mins rattling down the A and B roads across Wiltshire that make up my commute. I'm now almost at a loss Wednesday and Friday when I work from home!
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/mMYGgmyy[/url]
Being a French car it couldn't all go smoothly. The passenger side headlight has decided that it wants to become a fish bowl and the RR tyre thought it would be cool to mess around with a large piece of glass (yes its not its fault but the tyre is only a month old so not ideal).
My aim is to use this thread as a blog so hope to keep you all updated over the upcoming year. Lots of places to go and things to do in my first hot hatch.
Also feel free to follow my automotive IG: four-curbed-wheels
Having graduated in July 2022 (mechanical engineering for those who are interested) and getting my first proper job in industry I thought it would be appropriate to blow all my savings and first pay cheque on 10 year old French hot hatch.
The car itself has done 60,000 miles and has a full service history (including all the big Clio jobs) from a main dealer and then Ktec racing over the past few years. It seems like a very straight and tidy example with the 60yr old previous owner going as far as getting the steering wheel retrimmed in the softest leather I've ever touched (pic below) and most importantly keeping the car completely standard. No boy racer exhaust, lowering springs or subwoofers in the boot, result!
I've had the car the car just over a week now and have completely fallen in love with it. Having spent the last 6 months driving a 1.6 auto Corolla (full OAP spec) the Clio feels like a mini touring car with its bonkers amounts of grip and its very encouraging short ratios that hurry the needle deep into the 7500rpm limit where a satisfying beep goes off indicating you've done a good job. Even though the car is a daily it so far has made every drive an occasion. I now find myself arriving at the office with a smile on my face having just spent the last 45 mins rattling down the A and B roads across Wiltshire that make up my commute. I'm now almost at a loss Wednesday and Friday when I work from home!
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/mMYGgmyy[/url]Being a French car it couldn't all go smoothly. The passenger side headlight has decided that it wants to become a fish bowl and the RR tyre thought it would be cool to mess around with a large piece of glass (yes its not its fault but the tyre is only a month old so not ideal).
My aim is to use this thread as a blog so hope to keep you all updated over the upcoming year. Lots of places to go and things to do in my first hot hatch.
Also feel free to follow my automotive IG: four-curbed-wheels
Congrats on the graduation and job first off. Secondly that's a great hot hatch and looks very tidy. Pain in the ar$e about the tyre, I had similar with a wheel old tyre and Stanley knife blade!
I've had two Clio 172s and both were an absolute blast, I'd imagine the 200 is just as fun.
I've had two Clio 172s and both were an absolute blast, I'd imagine the 200 is just as fun.
Excellent. My son who is graduating soon has been lucky enough to get his 200 last year as I helped him with half the money.
They are fantastic cars and yours sound brilliant. They need a little attention from time to time but for a car this age they're relatively good.
Are you doing the maintenance yourself or do you have a local specialist who knows the cars well?
We are lucky to be near the Clioman (Gary).
They are fantastic cars and yours sound brilliant. They need a little attention from time to time but for a car this age they're relatively good.
Are you doing the maintenance yourself or do you have a local specialist who knows the cars well?
We are lucky to be near the Clioman (Gary).
Cambs_Stuart said:
Good buy! I've got a scruffy 172 that currently needs some attention, but the 200s look fantastic. The steering wheel looks great. What seats does it have?
It has the standards RS seats. I had a sit in one with the Recaros and didn't really fit in them well. I'm 6'4 and found they were too tight around the kidneys. The standard seats have a lot of adjustment, you can get them very low and make the back deep so they defiantly hold you in place on roundabouts. nickfrog said:
Excellent. My son who is graduating soon has been lucky enough to get his 200 last year as I helped him with half the money.
They are fantastic cars and yours sound brilliant. They need a little attention from time to time but for a car this age they're relatively good.
Are you doing the maintenance yourself or do you have a local specialist who knows the cars well?
We are lucky to be near the Clioman (Gary).
Haha yeah as a grad I bet he's as skint as me! My dad was nice enough to loan be a few £k against the Corolla.They are fantastic cars and yours sound brilliant. They need a little attention from time to time but for a car this age they're relatively good.
Are you doing the maintenance yourself or do you have a local specialist who knows the cars well?
We are lucky to be near the Clioman (Gary).
Since the car has this great history I want to keep it that way. Not that I'm looking to keep its resale high but just because I want to do things right by the car, so I'll just stick to minor jobs.
I live about 45 mins from Ktec but also on the industrial unit opposite my office is a race garage that have a Clio 197 so I've been assured they know their way round the cars. As well as about 15 mins from me is a performance car garage that local "Renaultsport Wiltshire" members have recommended. So now there's no excuse excuse to not get it done properly!
Alex_225 said:
Congrats on the graduation and job first off. Secondly that's a great hot hatch and looks very tidy. Pain in the ar$e about the tyre, I had similar with a wheel old tyre and Stanley knife blade!
I've had two Clio 172s and both were an absolute blast, I'd imagine the 200 is just as fun.
Thank you! Now seems like all the hard work is paying off.I've had two Clio 172s and both were an absolute blast, I'd imagine the 200 is just as fun.
Yeah I'm over the moon with it as a Pistonheads, Evo, cars and coffee friendly car. It's good to get instructed to park with the cool stuff and not the general visitor parking!
ToTheBrapMobile said:
Haha yeah as a grad I bet he's as skint as me! My dad was nice enough to loan be a few £k against the Corolla.
Since the car has this great history I want to keep it that way. Not that I'm looking to keep its resale high but just because I want to do things right by the car, so I'll just stick to minor jobs.
Same here. We wanted to stick to OE parts too but that's sometimes easier said than done.Since the car has this great history I want to keep it that way. Not that I'm looking to keep its resale high but just because I want to do things right by the car, so I'll just stick to minor jobs.
Your car is a bit younger than ours (ours is a 09) but we had to renew the exhaust and the manifold.
OE exhaust parts are very expensive and not particularly long lasting whereas the full Scorpion stainless line worked out at under £800 fitted, and it fits into the original trim pipes of the diffuser. It is louder even resonated but with a lifetime warranty it's difficult to spend twice as much for an inferior product...
ToTheBrapMobile said:
It has the standards RS seats. I had a sit in one with the Recaros and didn't really fit in them well. I'm 6'4 and found they were too tight around the kidneys. The standard seats have a lot of adjustment, you can get them very low and make the back deep so they defiantly hold you in place on roundabouts.
I'm 5' 11" and I found the mk3 standard seats really good as well. Far better than the 1*2. Any plans for a trackday?
nickfrog said:
Same here. We wanted to stick to OE parts too but that's sometimes easier said than done.
Your car is a bit younger than ours (ours is a 09) but we had to renew the exhaust and the manifold.
OE exhaust parts are very expensive and not particularly long lasting whereas the full Scorpion stainless line worked out at under £800 fitted, and it fits into the original trim pipes of the diffuser. It is louder even resonated but with a lifetime warranty it's difficult to spend twice as much for an inferior product...
I have heard that. and as of last year Renault have stopped producing parts for them (over the 10 year grace period) which doesn't help. Your car is a bit younger than ours (ours is a 09) but we had to renew the exhaust and the manifold.
OE exhaust parts are very expensive and not particularly long lasting whereas the full Scorpion stainless line worked out at under £800 fitted, and it fits into the original trim pipes of the diffuser. It is louder even resonated but with a lifetime warranty it's difficult to spend twice as much for an inferior product...
I'm unsure what to do exhaust wise. As its a daily I like the fact it only makes any commotion when you take it up the top of the rev range and then around 3000rpm it makes a good note. Problem is that when I really have a blast it does feel a bit muted.
I've looked at the Scorpion resonated cat-back exhaust. I think that should provide a good middle ground but have to hear in person.
I made the mistake of putting a non res catback on my R50 cooper and it was brilliant going for a blat but hell day to day
Cambs_Stuart said:
I'm 5' 11" and I found the mk3 standard seats really good as well. Far better than the 1*2.
Any plans for a trackday?
Not in this car no. I'm in a fortunate position where I'm very good friends with a race team as well as drivers who are kind enough to let me have a drive every now and then. And a full track spec car is always going to be a better tool for the job.Any plans for a trackday?
I am near Gurston Down Hillclimb where they have various events where you can take your car up. That seems very tempting for when Im a long time between track time.
ChevronB19 said:
Good for you, I loved mine. Just keep an eye out for the gearbox and the exhaust manifold and you’ll be fine.
Will do! From what I've been told the car had a full inspection when it was sourced by Ktec for the previous owner and it all checked out. They did the synchro test which is essentially putting the car in gear and compressing the clutch. Then holding it at 5000rpm and see if it creeps forward. I've also had a go at this and still seems to be in good shape.MDL111 said:
Congrats - one of the best cars I own / have ever owned
I adore mine
Looking at what you have on the drive that’s quite an impressive statement. Multiple things sold the idea of a 200 to me. But it’s the “Evo-ness” that I heard on the collecting car podcast. 2 guys can look at each others cars at a petrol station and think “I’d love of those” and the example they used was a 911 and a clio 200. I adore mine
I think people in the know, proper petrol head losers love them. And to everyone else it’s a Clio.
Congrats on your purchase! Is it a non cup pack? I presume the brakes are still more than up to the job!
On the exhaust mine came with a full ktec system including the manifold. It was ridiculously loud and boomy, so I changed it over time and eventually went with the same thing but with a standard back box. Getting hold of one was tricky but for me it's the right balance. It used to burble etc on the overrun and on gear change but now that is gone. Its a shame but now it is just the right volume and is fine even on quiet track days. I still have that ktec back box if you were interested as it may be tolerable with the standard front system.
I almost wish I went with the standard seats, that is a good choice for you vs the recaro high chairs.
Cool you have the sat nav screen on it too.
I'd recommend changing the engine mounts, I had all mine done apart from one of them. I can't remember which one it was but it's easy to find out the one people avoid. It kind of wakes it up a bit and makes it feel more alive plus its a cheap job.
On the exhaust mine came with a full ktec system including the manifold. It was ridiculously loud and boomy, so I changed it over time and eventually went with the same thing but with a standard back box. Getting hold of one was tricky but for me it's the right balance. It used to burble etc on the overrun and on gear change but now that is gone. Its a shame but now it is just the right volume and is fine even on quiet track days. I still have that ktec back box if you were interested as it may be tolerable with the standard front system.
I almost wish I went with the standard seats, that is a good choice for you vs the recaro high chairs.
Cool you have the sat nav screen on it too.
I'd recommend changing the engine mounts, I had all mine done apart from one of them. I can't remember which one it was but it's easy to find out the one people avoid. It kind of wakes it up a bit and makes it feel more alive plus its a cheap job.
White-Noise said:
Congrats on your purchase! Is it a non cup pack? I presume the brakes are still more than up to the job!
On the exhaust mine came with a full ktec system including the manifold. It was ridiculously loud and boomy, so I changed it over time and eventually went with the same thing but with a standard back box. Getting hold of one was tricky but for me it's the right balance. It used to burble etc on the overrun and on gear change but now that is gone. Its a shame but now it is just the right volume and is fine even on quiet track days. I still have that ktec back box if you were interested as it may be tolerable with the standard front system.
I almost wish I went with the standard seats, that is a good choice for you vs the recaro high chairs.
Cool you have the sat nav screen on it too.
I'd recommend changing the engine mounts, I had all mine done apart from one of them. I can't remember which one it was but it's easy to find out the one people avoid. It kind of wakes it up a bit and makes it feel more alive plus its a cheap job.
yes it's a non-cup pack. From all the reviews at the time and even now its the general opinion that the non-cup is a better road/ B-road car. A bit more forgiving and with a load of creature comforts. So I went for that. I'm sure a full Cup is brilliant around a track but that isn't really this cars primary use.On the exhaust mine came with a full ktec system including the manifold. It was ridiculously loud and boomy, so I changed it over time and eventually went with the same thing but with a standard back box. Getting hold of one was tricky but for me it's the right balance. It used to burble etc on the overrun and on gear change but now that is gone. Its a shame but now it is just the right volume and is fine even on quiet track days. I still have that ktec back box if you were interested as it may be tolerable with the standard front system.
I almost wish I went with the standard seats, that is a good choice for you vs the recaro high chairs.
Cool you have the sat nav screen on it too.
I'd recommend changing the engine mounts, I had all mine done apart from one of them. I can't remember which one it was but it's easy to find out the one people avoid. It kind of wakes it up a bit and makes it feel more alive plus its a cheap job.
Ktec back box might just do the trick. I just want some more noise when I'm going for it. I've been looking at resonated cat-back systems but just changing the back box is basically the same thing. Going to a RS Wiltshire meet and will hopefully an idea on what to do noise level wise.
Yeah, as awesome as the Recaros look they just didn't work for me. A highchair is exactly what they felt like for me.
The nav still works and was updated a couple years back so relatively up to date. I'm looking at carplay options for it but I've only found one and it was wildly expensive and looks a bit slapped together. Also I think the nav is cool and really puts a time stamp on the car which I quite like.
That’s a nice late 200 that was specced quite subtly by the original owner. Your commute in it must be a great start to the day! In this age of increased traffic, lower speed limits and increasingly large and heavier fast hatches I think NA small hot hatches like these are so much more useable and exploitable than more modern stuff and can be revved out without doing crazy speeds. I also suspect they will increasingly firm up in value as we head towards 2030 and beyond.
I’m on my second one - the first was blue, cup-packed and also with the built in TomTom system, which I updated to latest maps and loved for its retro-ness. It had also been lowered on Grams springs which were too hard and didn’t have enough travel to actually drive the thing properly on anything other than a totally flat surface. I changed them for Eibachs which certainly improved driveability, and along with its Miltek resonated exhaust it was a lot of fun.
However, a low mileage unmodified 200 in Liquid Yellow and with a good spec came up so I sold the blue one back to the dealer and bought that instead! Again, great to drive and the standard cup pack suspension is better than the Eibach springs in my opinion. I also find the standard exhaust to be loud enough when pressing on, but nice and quiet at low speed. The colour attracts enough attention!
I’m on my second one - the first was blue, cup-packed and also with the built in TomTom system, which I updated to latest maps and loved for its retro-ness. It had also been lowered on Grams springs which were too hard and didn’t have enough travel to actually drive the thing properly on anything other than a totally flat surface. I changed them for Eibachs which certainly improved driveability, and along with its Miltek resonated exhaust it was a lot of fun.
However, a low mileage unmodified 200 in Liquid Yellow and with a good spec came up so I sold the blue one back to the dealer and bought that instead! Again, great to drive and the standard cup pack suspension is better than the Eibach springs in my opinion. I also find the standard exhaust to be loud enough when pressing on, but nice and quiet at low speed. The colour attracts enough attention!
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