buyers guide

Tooling Up Guides Added

We have added some more guides and information about buying a 172 or 182 RenaultSport Clio here:

Advice On Buying A RenaultSport Clio

Thinking about what car to buy

It includes; Information about the RenaultSport Clio Range and information about clio 172 and 182′s

Always a Hooligan,

/y0z

Tags: buyers guide, buying a clio 172, buying a clio 182, clio 172, Clio 182, Clio RS

Thursday, January 15th, 2009 Tools & Equipment, Trackday Advice No Comments

Tooling Up #3 – Buying a 172 or 182 – Some Questions/Answers

Clio 172 and 182 Buyers Guide Questions

These are simply some questions that you might want answering when you look at a clio 172 or 182 as your next car. These views are simply my views on the best options for different people.

Our Guide On the clio range information can be found on our post: Clio 172 and 182 Range Information

Which, in my opinion, is the best all-round Clio 2? Phase 1 172? 172 Cup? Trophy?

182 Cup (N.B. Not a 182 With Cup Packs) – it has all the toys, the Xenon lights, the A/C / Climate and a later engine, but it is lighter than the Std. 182 with cup packs, but without the hardcore Trophy Suspension.

Which would I actually buy? Phase 1 172? 172 Cup? Trophy?

A 172 Cup every single time.

What do I recommend for anyone buying a Clio 172 or 182?

If you want something for the Road – buy a 182 with Air-Con and Leather
If you want something for the Track that you don’t want to modify – buy a 182 Trophy
If you want something for the track that you will modify or race – buy a 172 Cup or Ragnotti
If you are racing seriously buy a European (not UK) Clio Cup race car or a car that has been racing dutch touring cars or something similar – VLN etc…

What tyres do you recommend for road use? What about track?

Road Use

Goodyear GSD3 or Yokohoma A539. The Goodyears are a good bet whatever the weather, but are expensive, the Yokohomas are cheaper, but are very very grippy in the dry. I have heard plenty of people complain about them in the wet – but I have never had any complaints about them myself. One to avoid is the UniRoyal rainsport.

If you try a 172 or a 182 and feel that the handling is all over the place then start by looking at the tyres, if it has cheap tyres on it then they will ruin the handling. Tyres like Uniroyal rainsports just don’t suit the car and cause it the squirm all over the place, tramlining and pulling. The standard Michelin PE2′s on the 182 are ok, but go off very quickly on track.

Track Use

Michelin Pilot Sport Cups on a 205 50 15 or Toyo R888 or Kumho V70 the clio cups used to run Michelin Racer – no longer produced (15″ S9B Cup Racer Replacement) . We recommend the guys at ProTyre MotorSport – Jason and Shaun, they are very knowledgable about all things tyre related and do some very good deals… Mention YozzaSport put you in touch – 01782 411001

What oil do you recommend? (cost versus OE)

The Elf Excellium 5w-40 (Standard OEM Oil) costs about £35 for 5L – which is recommended by Renault, is more than adequate for most instances, if you are concerned about temperatures fit an oil coolers with a thermostatic plate. If you are working the car harder than road use then we would definately recommend an oil cooler, and would recommend oil like Millers 10w-60 at about £45 for 5L.

What brake pads? (cost versus OE)

OEM Pads cost £45 a set for the fronts, £45 for the rears.

Ferodo DS2500 £95 a set for the fronts, £65 for the rears.

Do you recommend 36K cambelt changes?

36k (or three years) we would definately recommend an accessory belt change.

60k (or five years) we recommend accessory belt kit (includes the tensioner and pulley, as well as a cambelt kit. If you are using the car as a trackcar and can afford the extra, we would suggest that you also change the water pump, and the clutch as well as recondition the gearbox at the same time. It costs more in the short term, however, it can save money in the medium to long term.

Is it worth doing braided lines/upgraded pads or should you go the whole hog and do a proper brake upgrade?

Braided brake hoses, with good discs and pads are more than adequate for most people who are not doing competetive racing, brake hoses on their own are probably not enough, but you should think about doing pads certainly, if not new discs as well.

Do panel filters and induction kits actually make any difference or are you better off leaving it at a replacement exhaust and be done with it?

Induction kits can give you an extra three or four BHP, ITG Maxogens produce about 7 or 8 I am told, but for the money you would expect it. I would suggest having the inlet manifolds matched to the head and to the plenum, and you will probably find the same power gain. If you do want an induction kit, the best out there is the ITG maxogen, but it is horrifically expensive. We alway recommend the best balance which is the PiperX viper, with a cold air feed.

What about chips/remaps for the 172 / 182 ?

Most of the off-the-shelf re-maps that are offered are mediocre maps. RenaultSport FR used to do a GroupN map for the 172′s intended for rallying which a few companies have copied and still offer as a Group N Map, but myt advice if you really want to remap the car is to look at something like FastChip.nl Henk has done a number of very good maps for us and we have been really pleased – and whilst it is something that you do yourself – it is something that you can have input on – explaining where on each map the car feels better and if there are any problems with idle etc. which isn’t something that you can do with many of the off the shelf solutions.

What’s the thinking behind using 15″ Wheels on track? Is this better than going for 17″ or even 18″s?

Lighterweight wheels and cheaper tyres is the answer that most people won’t give you – they will talk about the centre of gravity and technical gubbins. Cheaper tyres is the one that most people won’t divulge to save face. The old clio cup race cars ran on 15″ tyres so 2nd hand full slicks were easy to come by as well as A048R’s. These are no longer so easy to come by, but Toyo R888′s and Kumho V70-A’s are, so its easy enough to understand why people chose 15″. I would recommend a gravel rally wheel (which is heavier than most 15″) wheels, but it means that you won’t be bending wheels left right and centre. We recommend and deal with Speedline as we are very happy with the products that they offer and the range of fitments for the RenaultSport range.

Please contact us for more information.

With 17″ wheels, you can’t get as low as on the 15″ wheels without hacking the inner aches.

18″ Wheels just don’t fit – end of story – sorry.

Do strut braces make any difference or are they more cosmetic?

We weld in a rear strut brace to a lot of customers cars – it firms up the back end a lot, and also gives a perfect place to run harnesses from. If you wish to speak to us about having this done, call Aidan Watt in the workshop and he will disuss your requirements – 01785 851122

The ebay specials that a lot of people plum for are useless. I would suggest that if you are going to do it – invest in a rear one, and forget the front, as they are held in by self tappers – and it involves drilling your strut tops – If you are going to do it – do
it properly – strip the strut tops, make and design one to fit under the bonnet, but over the top of the engine – its a tight squeeze, but does firm the front end up.

What about upgrading the steering arm and suspension bushings? At what mileage/age would this be advisable anyway?

Powerflex polybushes are a good improvement. A kit costs about £125. Milage – any milage really. 60,000-80,000 seems to be the standard expectancy.

Powerflex Bushes

What do you need to fit Recaro seats from other makes of car? Is it easy? How much for parts?

If you are fitting Recaros from another Clio – not a problem – they should just drop in, however, from other makes – it depends on what subframe the seat is – whether it is side mounted or bottom mounted – it could be a can of worms. A custom seat (pair) fitting would be about £500.

Can you easily upgrade a 172 or 182 Cup to have OE xenon headlights? If yes, how much would it cost?

Yes, but it is very expensive, unless you can buy from a friendly breakers yard (try Matt at Specialist Renault Breakers in Accrington – 01254 386661 – tell him Yozza put you in touch). The lights are about £450 each new (if not more) and you need the electrical circuit as well which includes a special capacitor or resitor system, however, it has been done before, so don’t let that put you off..