Car Share - Half a Clio 197
Discussion
For a while now a mate and I have discussed sharing a car, mainly for track days. We both have other vehicles but none are really cut out for being smashed round a track regularly. Since we often do track days together it makes sense to us to share a car and split the costs, plus it's easier to sell half a car to the wife rather than a whole car. We almost started looking for a car last year, narrowed the options down to Clios and MX5s but other things got in the way so we never really got going with it.
Meanwhile, one of our other mates had bought a Clio 197, cheapest one he could find and since he owns a garage was in the perfect position to get it sorted. After spending a good few quid (and lots of hours on it) he realised he A, doesn't have the time to use it and B, has a proper race car to use. I'm sure you can all see where this is going, so half a Clio 197 we bought (with mate 1). It's cosmetically challenged but it has had new manifold, belts, cup suspension, fresh refurb on the wheels with decent tyres (albeit a bit mis matched), along with lots of other little bits.
I got to drive it home and wow, I can see why everyone raves about them! Feels like a little race car from the off, seemingly endless grip and a lovely revvy engine. Plans are to get a matching set of rear tyres and get it on a track, Bedford booked for a few weeks, take it for a hoon and see how it goes. Nurburgring booked for June but depending on how the Clio behaves depends on if it comes with us or not.
Long term we might tidy up the terrible paint work or perhaps even a wrap. We'll see! Couple of shots, I'll update as we go.
Meanwhile, one of our other mates had bought a Clio 197, cheapest one he could find and since he owns a garage was in the perfect position to get it sorted. After spending a good few quid (and lots of hours on it) he realised he A, doesn't have the time to use it and B, has a proper race car to use. I'm sure you can all see where this is going, so half a Clio 197 we bought (with mate 1). It's cosmetically challenged but it has had new manifold, belts, cup suspension, fresh refurb on the wheels with decent tyres (albeit a bit mis matched), along with lots of other little bits.
I got to drive it home and wow, I can see why everyone raves about them! Feels like a little race car from the off, seemingly endless grip and a lovely revvy engine. Plans are to get a matching set of rear tyres and get it on a track, Bedford booked for a few weeks, take it for a hoon and see how it goes. Nurburgring booked for June but depending on how the Clio behaves depends on if it comes with us or not.
Long term we might tidy up the terrible paint work or perhaps even a wrap. We'll see! Couple of shots, I'll update as we go.
Nice.
Loved my 200.
Forget about spending money on titivating the paint. There are more beneficial things to spend your money on.
However, a days spent claying, a polish and a wax can make most cars really quite attractive to look at, from 5 metres away.
You also won't worry about any more damage, should it happen.
Loved my 200.
Forget about spending money on titivating the paint. There are more beneficial things to spend your money on.
However, a days spent claying, a polish and a wax can make most cars really quite attractive to look at, from 5 metres away.
You also won't worry about any more damage, should it happen.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Great cars. I've got a 172 and it's huge fun to throw around at Bedford.
As we're all coming up with ways to spend your money,.id suggest bucket seats, a cage and some harnesses. The seats will make a massive difference, and save a few kg...
I wouldn’t suggest any of that.As we're all coming up with ways to spend your money,.id suggest bucket seats, a cage and some harnesses. The seats will make a massive difference, and save a few kg...
Decent front pads and disks, brake fluid change, and it’ll take the track work. I did 4500 miles on track in a Twingo in 18 months with only those mods.
The fun in trackdays is the driving, it blows my mind the amount of people modding their cars and then taking corners 20mph slower than everyone else.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
I wouldn’t suggest any of that.
Decent front pads and disks, brake fluid change, and it’ll take the track work. I did 4500 miles on track in a Twingo in 18 months with only those mods.
The fun in trackdays is the driving, it blows my mind the amount of people modding their cars and then taking corners 20mph slower than everyone else.
Exactly this. Decent front pads and disks, brake fluid change, and it’ll take the track work. I did 4500 miles on track in a Twingo in 18 months with only those mods.
The fun in trackdays is the driving, it blows my mind the amount of people modding their cars and then taking corners 20mph slower than everyone else.
I adore my 200 - it’s absurdly capable out of the box and doesn’t need mods to go on track.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Cambs_Stuart said:
Great cars. I've got a 172 and it's huge fun to throw around at Bedford.
As we're all coming up with ways to spend your money,.id suggest bucket seats, a cage and some harnesses. The seats will make a massive difference, and save a few kg...
I wouldn’t suggest any of that.As we're all coming up with ways to spend your money,.id suggest bucket seats, a cage and some harnesses. The seats will make a massive difference, and save a few kg...
Decent front pads and disks, brake fluid change, and it’ll take the track work. I did 4500 miles on track in a Twingo in 18 months with only those mods.
The fun in trackdays is the driving, it blows my mind the amount of people modding their cars and then taking corners 20mph slower than everyone else.
installing buckets and harness has always transformed a trackday car for me. Not having to brace my whole body whilst braking or cornering makes it so much more enjoyable. Cheers guys!
I'm not massively worried about making it look nice but the passenger side is very poor, it's had a crap repair in the past and the paint looks like crazy paving close up. To be honest I'm happy to leave it for this year and next year perhaps consider tidying it up. My mate is a bit more bothered by it but we'll at least get Bedford done first.
I should have mentioned, the guy who we bought it from races in the MX5 series, he was going to use this for a bit of fun so it's got fresh fluid, decent brakes (I cant remember which but it took a couple of stops for them to come in and bite well). After driving it, with fresh brakes and suspension it feels like it should be a very fun car as it is. That said, neither of us can leave a car standard so we'll certainly be tweaking it as we go but to start with the aim is to just have fun in it.
I'm not massively worried about making it look nice but the passenger side is very poor, it's had a crap repair in the past and the paint looks like crazy paving close up. To be honest I'm happy to leave it for this year and next year perhaps consider tidying it up. My mate is a bit more bothered by it but we'll at least get Bedford done first.
I should have mentioned, the guy who we bought it from races in the MX5 series, he was going to use this for a bit of fun so it's got fresh fluid, decent brakes (I cant remember which but it took a couple of stops for them to come in and bite well). After driving it, with fresh brakes and suspension it feels like it should be a very fun car as it is. That said, neither of us can leave a car standard so we'll certainly be tweaking it as we go but to start with the aim is to just have fun in it.
Galveston said:
Exactly this.
I adore my 200 - it’s absurdly capable out of the box and doesn’t need mods to go on track.
They are such fantastic cars. I bought an M2 18 months ago and meant to sell my Clio, but I can't do it. I would sell the M2 tomorrow if the values hadn't tanked so much and the Clio wouldn't go anywhereI adore my 200 - it’s absurdly capable out of the box and doesn’t need mods to go on track.
We had our first TD Monday at Bedford Autodrome and it was fantastic. We gave the car a quick spruce up Sunday and arrived bright and early for sign on. While we waited for the briefing we had a natter with some of the other drivers, all kinds of cars were there as you'd expect from big german barges to Caterhams etc.
I've done Bedford before (a long time ago) so I was good with the track layout and after the 3 laps behind the instructor I was ready to go. I went out first on my own and felt really comfortable with the car from the off. I can see why everyone raves about them for track driving, even in relatively stock form it works so well, its nimble, loads of grip, easy to drive etc etc. I steadily built up speed and by lunchtime I was really starting to push on at least by my standards anyway Closer to the limit it was still easy to hustle about, I could really feel what it was doing underneath me which gave me confidence to keep pushing it.
By the end of the day I was grinning from ear to ear, we both had lots of fun and the car was solid. It did throw up an ABS light towards the end but aside from that it was faultless. Plenty of life left in the tyres and brakes, used a little oil but nothing major and I think we used about a tank and a half of fuel, including driving to and from the track.
There was a fair few other Clios there, including a Clio Cup which was cool. That and in particular a older gentlemen in a fully sorted 182 made us realise while our car is well sorted now, a few mods will make it even more capable. I think some suspension upgrades will be on the cards towards the end of the year but for now we are going to knock out some more track days. Nurburgring is booked for next month though so thats the next trip with it, thankfully it's got cruise control!
I've done Bedford before (a long time ago) so I was good with the track layout and after the 3 laps behind the instructor I was ready to go. I went out first on my own and felt really comfortable with the car from the off. I can see why everyone raves about them for track driving, even in relatively stock form it works so well, its nimble, loads of grip, easy to drive etc etc. I steadily built up speed and by lunchtime I was really starting to push on at least by my standards anyway
Closer to the limit it was still easy to hustle about, I could really feel what it was doing underneath me which gave me confidence to keep pushing it. By the end of the day I was grinning from ear to ear, we both had lots of fun and the car was solid. It did throw up an ABS light towards the end but aside from that it was faultless. Plenty of life left in the tyres and brakes, used a little oil but nothing major and I think we used about a tank and a half of fuel, including driving to and from the track.
There was a fair few other Clios there, including a Clio Cup which was cool. That and in particular a older gentlemen in a fully sorted 182 made us realise while our car is well sorted now, a few mods will make it even more capable. I think some suspension upgrades will be on the cards towards the end of the year but for now we are going to knock out some more track days. Nurburgring is booked for next month though so thats the next trip with it, thankfully it's got cruise control!
I'm one of those people with an irrational hatred of French cars (with a few outliers) since working for a Peugeot dealer.
But, I utterly love the 197. It looks the absolute business. How many other companies fitted a true wide body kit to their hot hatches? Imagine a golf GTi with massive arch flares, or a Fiesta ST! Now they all just have bigger wheels and a lip kit but I wish more manufacturers made the kind of transformation that Renault have done here. The 197 looks so aggressive compared to a standard 1.2, it's truly it's own distinct model.
Are you going to do any cheap mods like removing the back seats for a bit of weight saving? Kaveney's threads on his old Fiesta ST and current Civic Type R are a brilliant read
But, I utterly love the 197. It looks the absolute business. How many other companies fitted a true wide body kit to their hot hatches? Imagine a golf GTi with massive arch flares, or a Fiesta ST! Now they all just have bigger wheels and a lip kit but I wish more manufacturers made the kind of transformation that Renault have done here. The 197 looks so aggressive compared to a standard 1.2, it's truly it's own distinct model.
Are you going to do any cheap mods like removing the back seats for a bit of weight saving? Kaveney's threads on his old Fiesta ST and current Civic Type R are a brilliant read
The Bearded Tit said:
I'm one of those people with an irrational hatred of French cars (with a few outliers) since working for a Peugeot dealer.
But, I utterly love the 197. It looks the absolute business. How many other companies fitted a true wide body kit to their hot hatches? Imagine a golf GTi with massive arch flares, or a Fiesta ST! Now they all just have bigger wheels and a lip kit but I wish more manufacturers made the kind of transformation that Renault have done here. The 197 looks so aggressive compared to a standard 1.2, it's truly it's own distinct model.
Are you going to do any cheap mods like removing the back seats for a bit of weight saving? Kaveney's threads on his old Fiesta ST and current Civic Type R are a brilliant read
We had the exact same conversation about the car while sat looking at it on the day. It looks fast, even when its sat still, it really stands out compared to everything else on the road these days. But, I utterly love the 197. It looks the absolute business. How many other companies fitted a true wide body kit to their hot hatches? Imagine a golf GTi with massive arch flares, or a Fiesta ST! Now they all just have bigger wheels and a lip kit but I wish more manufacturers made the kind of transformation that Renault have done here. The 197 looks so aggressive compared to a standard 1.2, it's truly it's own distinct model.
Are you going to do any cheap mods like removing the back seats for a bit of weight saving? Kaveney's threads on his old Fiesta ST and current Civic Type R are a brilliant read
Yes to the cheap mods, we decided to just run it this time and get a feel for it but I think when we get back from the ring we'll look at dumping weight and whatever else we can do on the cheap. Eventually we want some buckets/harnesses/rear cage so might as well bin them off sooner rather than later. I'll take a look at those threads
Kaveney said:
The day at Bedford looks like it was lots of fun and the little Clio looks ace .
What is the next track day you have got lined up .
We're suppose to be doing Nurburgring next month but dates are becoming tricky! Might just book something local if we can't get things arranged, Donny or something. What is the next track day you have got lined up .
good times! car looks niceWhere has the year gone already! We managed a couple more track days, both at Snetterton which were really good. Claude has been solid, no real issues so when a few goodies popped up for sale on FB we snapped them up!
We picked up a half cage and a pair of Corbeau buckets, decent saving on buying new and they'll do the job for us. We just need to get a set of harnesses but I've already dropped them off at the garage. Considering Coilovers too but the current cup setup being new is quite capable at the moment so I'm not in a hurry yet.
We picked up a half cage and a pair of Corbeau buckets, decent saving on buying new and they'll do the job for us. We just need to get a set of harnesses but I've already dropped them off at the garage. Considering Coilovers too but the current cup setup being new is quite capable at the moment so I'm not in a hurry yet.
Claude went in for the seats and cage to be fitted, we forgot to order the harnesses so it came back without seat belts for a short while. In the meantime we decided to put him on a bit of a diet. While in Germany we had a Mini rental which was stripped out with a little cage but retained the dash etc so we decided to go down the same route. Unfortunately I was a bit heavy handed removing the A pillar cover and smashed the windscreen in the process, whoops!
Screen replaced it went back for harnesses and a fresh MOT and we got it back this week. I took it for a quick blast yesterday early doors, what fun! I've never had a car with buckets before but they really make a big difference, strapped into the car like you're on a rollercoaster. They're snug but still surprisingly comfortable, I expected them to be a bit compromised in that sense but they're actually pretty decent. Twinned with the firm ride of cup suspension you bounce down the road you feel every bit of the tarmac, plus the lack of interior in the rear, no headlining etc and it's starting to feel like a proper little race car now.
It needs a good clean now and we've decided to give it a bash painting the rear quarter over winter. We've got a dry, warm garage to do it in and there's no need to try and blend it into other paint as we'd paint the whole panel. It's not going to be amazing but it'll tidy it up for a year. We was planning a TD over winter but my mate that I share the car with fancies an early 'ring TD so we'll look at that over xmas and work out a plan. I think we'd drive it over but take another person/car and tag in and out of it to split the discomfort/loss of hearing. As much as it's fun to drive, for 7 hours it'd get a bit tiresome.
Screen replaced it went back for harnesses and a fresh MOT and we got it back this week. I took it for a quick blast yesterday early doors, what fun! I've never had a car with buckets before but they really make a big difference, strapped into the car like you're on a rollercoaster. They're snug but still surprisingly comfortable, I expected them to be a bit compromised in that sense but they're actually pretty decent. Twinned with the firm ride of cup suspension you bounce down the road you feel every bit of the tarmac, plus the lack of interior in the rear, no headlining etc and it's starting to feel like a proper little race car now.
It needs a good clean now and we've decided to give it a bash painting the rear quarter over winter. We've got a dry, warm garage to do it in and there's no need to try and blend it into other paint as we'd paint the whole panel. It's not going to be amazing but it'll tidy it up for a year. We was planning a TD over winter but my mate that I share the car with fancies an early 'ring TD so we'll look at that over xmas and work out a plan. I think we'd drive it over but take another person/car and tag in and out of it to split the discomfort/loss of hearing. As much as it's fun to drive, for 7 hours it'd get a bit tiresome.
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