Va-Va-Voom 182 Clio
Discussion
Many moons ago I used to have a bit of a thing for certain types of Renault 5. It started when I bought a TS that had been a race car in the Daily Star backed race series. It wasn't exactly fast but it looked good and weighed about the same as a wet Rizla paper and was a hoot to drive. A desire for more power saw me swap it for another R5, albeit a Gordini Turbo. Actually being a LHD car it was badged an R5 Alpine and on boost (what there was of it) it would torque steer for all it was worth. It would also spin on a sixpence when the rear tyres were cold and could easily catch you out. It was still great fun to drive though, or was until the clutch went. I took it to one of those Mr Clutch places in Maidstone and also had someone refresh the gearbox. Unfortunately it lasted about 50 yards before it started slipping. Mr Clutch blamed the gearbox until the engineer who'd done the work reached up to be back of the engine and pulled out the remains of the old pilot bush that Mr Clutch had failed to replace, hence all that fresh oil destroying the new clutch! They replaced it but the gear change was never the same and I kinda fell out of love with the Alpine after that. I also bought a BMW 1502 and have had BMW's ever since.
Anyway, recent poor health and financial woes have meant I no longer own a proper BMW and with values as they are, it's very unlikely I shall again. I simply don't earn enough and my health limits what I am able to do. As a result, I set my sights a little lower and whilst an R5 is now a classic and big money, it's newer cousin was just within reach. Just.
So yesterday, this arrived on a trailer...
It's a 182 that's pretty much stock, save for the Supersprint exhaust. Whilst not a minter, it's certainly none to shabby for an 18 year old Clio and first impressions behind the wheel have been great. It really does remind me of my last R5 Gordini Turbo, albeit without the bloody awful torque steer that plagued the earlier car. I love how light on its toes it feel and how strong 2 litres feel in such a nimble chassis. It's perfect for the lanes down here in Cornwall.
Any advice on geometry or tweeks that can be done to make the most of the handling / performance would be welcome. I plan on a smaller steering wheel and induction kit, but wondered about Cup spec suspension and possibly increasing negative camber on the rear? Front wheel drive hatchbacks are all new to me really. Especially when you consider my old R5 was 30 years ago!
Anyway, recent poor health and financial woes have meant I no longer own a proper BMW and with values as they are, it's very unlikely I shall again. I simply don't earn enough and my health limits what I am able to do. As a result, I set my sights a little lower and whilst an R5 is now a classic and big money, it's newer cousin was just within reach. Just.
So yesterday, this arrived on a trailer...
It's a 182 that's pretty much stock, save for the Supersprint exhaust. Whilst not a minter, it's certainly none to shabby for an 18 year old Clio and first impressions behind the wheel have been great. It really does remind me of my last R5 Gordini Turbo, albeit without the bloody awful torque steer that plagued the earlier car. I love how light on its toes it feel and how strong 2 litres feel in such a nimble chassis. It's perfect for the lanes down here in Cornwall.
Any advice on geometry or tweeks that can be done to make the most of the handling / performance would be welcome. I plan on a smaller steering wheel and induction kit, but wondered about Cup spec suspension and possibly increasing negative camber on the rear? Front wheel drive hatchbacks are all new to me really. Especially when you consider my old R5 was 30 years ago!
Always good to see another clio! I've had a 172 for a few years, and it's one of the most fun cars I've owned.
For handling, cup shocks and springs are a bit stiffer than standard, so have a good effect. However I've replaced my cup set up with bilstein B14s, which are a similar stiffness, they take the edge off rough surfaces, but still stiffen up nicely when pushing on.
As a general note, they do handle pretty well out of the box, but at this age some bits are a bit baggy. Suspension bushes, track rod/tie rod ends, engine mounts etc are all worth a good checkover. Most aren't particularly expensive or difficult to do (rack bushes, inner ARB bushes and rear beam bushes are ones that have caused the most swearing on mine).
For handling, cup shocks and springs are a bit stiffer than standard, so have a good effect. However I've replaced my cup set up with bilstein B14s, which are a similar stiffness, they take the edge off rough surfaces, but still stiffen up nicely when pushing on.
As a general note, they do handle pretty well out of the box, but at this age some bits are a bit baggy. Suspension bushes, track rod/tie rod ends, engine mounts etc are all worth a good checkover. Most aren't particularly expensive or difficult to do (rack bushes, inner ARB bushes and rear beam bushes are ones that have caused the most swearing on mine).
I enjoyed your E30 M3 thread a few years back if it's the same Mark?
With these they really don't need much spending on them as they are so good out the box.
You've got the steering wheel sorted, get some cup dampers which are cheap and cheerful and fire on some cooksport springs. Mine has spacers on the rear, not sure if it does actually help (or hinder) the handling because they were on it when I bought it. I've got brembo discs and Ferrodo DS2500 (I think) pads. Squeak a bit from time to time but make it stop on its nose.
Get the drivers seat lowered a tad if it hasn't been already. A powerflex dogbone tightens the shift quite nicely I found. The larger of the engine mounts powerflex inset increases vibes in the cabin but does make it more eager. Twice I've had it start to crunch going into second quickly at pace and both times it has sorted itself with a box oil change.
They are starting to thin out a bit now. Worth hanging on to I reckon.
Oh, also check inside the rear door cards for any rust. If there isn't any there get some decent protection sprayed in there. There are a few places to check but that appears to be the main one that crops up on a lot of cars for some reason.
With these they really don't need much spending on them as they are so good out the box.
You've got the steering wheel sorted, get some cup dampers which are cheap and cheerful and fire on some cooksport springs. Mine has spacers on the rear, not sure if it does actually help (or hinder) the handling because they were on it when I bought it. I've got brembo discs and Ferrodo DS2500 (I think) pads. Squeak a bit from time to time but make it stop on its nose.
Get the drivers seat lowered a tad if it hasn't been already. A powerflex dogbone tightens the shift quite nicely I found. The larger of the engine mounts powerflex inset increases vibes in the cabin but does make it more eager. Twice I've had it start to crunch going into second quickly at pace and both times it has sorted itself with a box oil change.
They are starting to thin out a bit now. Worth hanging on to I reckon.
Oh, also check inside the rear door cards for any rust. If there isn't any there get some decent protection sprayed in there. There are a few places to check but that appears to be the main one that crops up on a lot of cars for some reason.
Thanks for the comments guys and yes, it was my E30 M3 thread and that's a car I still really miss.
I gave the Clio a thorough check for rust yesterday and thankfully it seems pretty good. The usual rust traps all seem solid and the only corrosion underneath appears to be surface. I'm thinking of trying Lanoguard to treat it over the coming summer.
Yesterday I spent an hour or so polishing the headlights with T-Cut to get rid of the cloudiness. It's a bloody tedious job but the end result was well worth it. Hopefully, if I can find the ceramic coating I have squirrelled away somewhere, it will keep them clear for longer than a few days or weeks.
Unfortunately K-tec are on the south coast so about 3 hours plus away from me. I do need to find somewhere local to do the belts and dephaser though. I just called a place in Falmouth and they want £1 200 + VAT! ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY POUNDS!! His justification was that the dephaser is nigh on £200 and ''it's hard to do''.
I also need to take a proper look at the suspension and work out exactly what I have? It seems pretty firm and is certainly pretty capable as it is. Some spacers would be nice to help fill the arches a little more.
How easy is it to lower the OE seats? I'd like the Recaros but prices are ridiculous.
I'm hoping the weather is dry at the weekend, as I plan a run up to Barnstaple along the Atlantic Highway.
I gave the Clio a thorough check for rust yesterday and thankfully it seems pretty good. The usual rust traps all seem solid and the only corrosion underneath appears to be surface. I'm thinking of trying Lanoguard to treat it over the coming summer.
Yesterday I spent an hour or so polishing the headlights with T-Cut to get rid of the cloudiness. It's a bloody tedious job but the end result was well worth it. Hopefully, if I can find the ceramic coating I have squirrelled away somewhere, it will keep them clear for longer than a few days or weeks.
Unfortunately K-tec are on the south coast so about 3 hours plus away from me. I do need to find somewhere local to do the belts and dephaser though. I just called a place in Falmouth and they want £1 200 + VAT! ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY POUNDS!! His justification was that the dephaser is nigh on £200 and ''it's hard to do''.
I also need to take a proper look at the suspension and work out exactly what I have? It seems pretty firm and is certainly pretty capable as it is. Some spacers would be nice to help fill the arches a little more.
How easy is it to lower the OE seats? I'd like the Recaros but prices are ridiculous.
I'm hoping the weather is dry at the weekend, as I plan a run up to Barnstaple along the Atlantic Highway.
£1200 is a huge amount. I'd have hunt around for another specialist. Ask on the Clio sport forum if anyone else knows of a good specialist near you.
I haven't done it myself, but I have hear of people unbolting the seats, taking out the plastic spacers under the runners then putting them back. Drops the seat by 10mm or so.
I haven't done it myself, but I have hear of people unbolting the seats, taking out the plastic spacers under the runners then putting them back. Drops the seat by 10mm or so.
If you've got old engine mounts I'd highly recommend powerflex engine mount insert and dog bone bush. The dog bone really improves the feel of the gear change, less slop more precise. Both mounts combined stop the engine from feeling like its about to come through the bulkhead when you give it some!
Edited by downhillmalins on Thursday 20th April 17:24
I'm up the road in Devon and bought a 182 with 52k on the clocks cheap 2yrs ago.... With a view to flipping it (man maths)
And your right - perfectly suited to the lanes of the westcountry!
I hadn't used it much until earlier this year when my mother in-law had a fall and my Mrs and kids moved over there to care for her..
I use it to go between houses most evenings, a trip of about 20 miles comprised of narrow B roads and a few miles of muddy Laney lanes....
It's been fantastic and as others have said, out of the box they're very good.... Changing tyres to Michelin ps3s made a huge difference to the overall feel of the car.... Recommended!
Pic of some NSL Devon Laney lanes.... The Clio is fast enough for these roads!
Enjoy the A39... Leave early on Sunday and catch the bikers on the corners!
And your right - perfectly suited to the lanes of the westcountry!
I hadn't used it much until earlier this year when my mother in-law had a fall and my Mrs and kids moved over there to care for her..
I use it to go between houses most evenings, a trip of about 20 miles comprised of narrow B roads and a few miles of muddy Laney lanes....
It's been fantastic and as others have said, out of the box they're very good.... Changing tyres to Michelin ps3s made a huge difference to the overall feel of the car.... Recommended!
Pic of some NSL Devon Laney lanes.... The Clio is fast enough for these roads!
Enjoy the A39... Leave early on Sunday and catch the bikers on the corners!
Nice buy there mark!
For the cambelt, call C.A.R in Redruth, they’re all ex Renault Techs who used to work with me, great chaps, they’ll give you a decent price I’m sure.
I wouldn’t personally bother with the Cup suspension, it doesn’t really make that much difference on these IMO.
Get some decent brakes, induction kit, change the steering wheel and enjoy it as is!
Supposedly you can remove the seats and take a rubber bung out and they’ll sit 12mm lower, I’ve never seen it but worth a look?
For the cambelt, call C.A.R in Redruth, they’re all ex Renault Techs who used to work with me, great chaps, they’ll give you a decent price I’m sure.
I wouldn’t personally bother with the Cup suspension, it doesn’t really make that much difference on these IMO.
Get some decent brakes, induction kit, change the steering wheel and enjoy it as is!
Supposedly you can remove the seats and take a rubber bung out and they’ll sit 12mm lower, I’ve never seen it but worth a look?
The Rotrex Kid said:
Nice buy there mark!
Supposedly you can remove the seats and take a rubber bung out and they’ll sit 12mm lower, I’ve never seen it but worth a look?
The seat mod is easy and makes a surprising difference. Supposedly you can remove the seats and take a rubber bung out and they’ll sit 12mm lower, I’ve never seen it but worth a look?
The seat fixings are easy to get to. If you look under the car there are two plastic/rubber grommets a couple if inches inboard from the sill. Remove those and you'll see a couple of (I think) 13mm nuts. Remove those. The inner fixings are partially hidden under the exhaust heatshield but are easy to find and access. Remove another couple of nuts there. That'll have the seat loose - no need to remove it completely, just lean it backwards and forwards to remove the rubber spacers which are sandwiched between the seat and the floor around the mounting studs. Refit the nuts and the grommets and job done.
I have a 172 Cup. It's a fabulous little car. I've never felt the need to modify it (apart from the seat spacers)... they're brilliant out of the box.
Thanks for the tip guys. I'll take the seat spacers out this weekend hopefully, although I really would like a reclining bucket seat like the Recaro in Evo's etc. Being of a 'fuller figure' and regular bucket seat just isn't wide enough sadly. It's just the price of the reclining Recaro that puts me off as values have gone crazy.
Another consideration is that I need to get the cam belt and dephaser done ASAP. The previous owner said that the belts were done in 2020, so in theory I still have a couple of years. Unfortunately though, it seems that wasn't true and the belts weren't done by him or the 2 before him. Thankfully though, thanks to you guys I called C.A.R in Redruth and it's booked in there for June 1st.
I really enjoyed the run up to North Devon last weekend and how easy the Clio is to hussle along. I still prefer rear wheel drive but having grown up and learning to drive in Escorts and Cortinas it's hardly surprising. That said, after 40 miles or so I was starting to trust that the back end wouldn't step out at every opportunity and leave me trying to remember to accelerate and not back off. I must say the handling is pretty incredible for a stock car and it's easy to see why the Clio are so popular. I'd like to drop the ride height but that's purely for the aesthetic really and the same goes for spacers. I'm going with staggered 15mm and 20mm spacers and most likely a stud conversion to replace the bolts.
The only negative is the interior plastics really. I think having the dash flocked would improve things. I'm just going to change the steering wheel and gear knob for now though.
Top of the list is a long overdue service for the engine though. Oil, filer and plugs I opted for Millers race 5w40 which is what I used in my old E30 M3. I figured it best to give the mechanicals a clean bill of health and start putting some service history together for peace of mind.
As an aside I watched a few videos with turbo converted 182's. They must be bloody quick with 230-260+bhp!
Another consideration is that I need to get the cam belt and dephaser done ASAP. The previous owner said that the belts were done in 2020, so in theory I still have a couple of years. Unfortunately though, it seems that wasn't true and the belts weren't done by him or the 2 before him. Thankfully though, thanks to you guys I called C.A.R in Redruth and it's booked in there for June 1st.
I really enjoyed the run up to North Devon last weekend and how easy the Clio is to hussle along. I still prefer rear wheel drive but having grown up and learning to drive in Escorts and Cortinas it's hardly surprising. That said, after 40 miles or so I was starting to trust that the back end wouldn't step out at every opportunity and leave me trying to remember to accelerate and not back off. I must say the handling is pretty incredible for a stock car and it's easy to see why the Clio are so popular. I'd like to drop the ride height but that's purely for the aesthetic really and the same goes for spacers. I'm going with staggered 15mm and 20mm spacers and most likely a stud conversion to replace the bolts.
The only negative is the interior plastics really. I think having the dash flocked would improve things. I'm just going to change the steering wheel and gear knob for now though.
Top of the list is a long overdue service for the engine though. Oil, filer and plugs I opted for Millers race 5w40 which is what I used in my old E30 M3. I figured it best to give the mechanicals a clean bill of health and start putting some service history together for peace of mind.
As an aside I watched a few videos with turbo converted 182's. They must be bloody quick with 230-260+bhp!
Took the Clio for a bit of a run this morning with a selection of other Renault Sport cars. I won't pretend to know all the models that were there but there were some very nice cars all the same. I had to head off a bit early (due to other plans) but had a bit of a play with a Honda Civic Type R just before joining the A30. The Clio held its own though and the Honda got very out of shape trying to stay ahead. I backed off and left him to it at this point as there were other cars coming up. Lots of fun anyway.
Hopefully we have some nice weather in the coming week and I can get those few jobs done.
Hopefully we have some nice weather in the coming week and I can get those few jobs done.
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