172 Cup

[172 Cup_Dude]

Hi I am a new user so hello everyone.

I recently sold my VTS for a 172 Cup and is it me or does anyone else feel the same about the following -

Brakes are great for normal speed but when I am pushing mine hard I notice that when braking a bit harder at roundabouts the back feels like it is going to spin out. It feels like my back wheels have hit ice. In my VTS I did not have this problem, the ABS did not even kick in (I did have uprated brakes). So why the difference? More power?

I also notice it is f*cking hard to keep the thing in a straight line as the steering seems really sensitive.

It may be me just getting used to the power but it is a great performance car.

Has anyone on here been on the Renault trackdays? If so how much are they and are they any good? I hear they let you do a lap in the V6 mkii!!!

 

[Martin]

Welcome to Cliosport fella

 

[SideShowBob]

Its very light, so can feel a little twitchy when driving, plus is very direct with steering inputs. May be worth getting your alignment checked though, perhaps at next service if you can live with it, as that can make the car dart a lot more if its not spot on (remember to check tyre pressures too, as an easy start).

I also found the car was unstable with hard braking from speed, but soon got confidence in it, as it never actually lost it. It feels like its losing composure, but if you ride it out it seems to remain pretty planted. Are your tyres the same all round? and in good condition?

Just take it very easy in the wet always, no matter who tries it on, let them go by, as without ABS, and with the lack of stability when braking from high speed, you can land in trouble.

 

[lincswhite]

hello and enjoy the car

 

[jon_r]

Welcome to Cliosport!

Yes the Renault trackdays are certainly good fun and well worth the money - and yes you do get to drive a V6 which is nice.

People have varying opinions on the brakes in the cup, personally i think they are adequate, nothing more. Standard set up is ok, but tends to be a bit weak. Under hard hard braking you will find the back might want to twitch. The lack of abs is not a problem, more of a problem is how much people rely on abs these days! - but im rambling...

Jon

 

[172 Cup_Dude]

Cheers dudes.

I only brought the car a month ago so I assume the alignment is ok. Tyres are the ones that came with the car new so they are fine, its done 5,400 miles. I checked tyre pressures they other day and pumped up the tyres.

You must have some balls to keep driving when it is twitching! I am now ending up braking well early just incase. How long did it take you to get proper used to it?

 

[Cup-pa]

Welcome fella, nice choice of motor...

Regards the braking, i have found as long as you are progressive on the pedal rather than slamming them on you shouldnt have any problems... think its one of those things that definatly gets better as you get more confidence in the cars limits.

 

[Wezzie]

was used to the power in about 2 weeks but i went from a 1.4 upto a cup. To get a proper feel for the car it was just over a month. Brakes do feel like they wanna send the back end round but i dont even notice it anymore.

Im used to how fast it takes corners and wot it will and wont do. I know when its gonna go sideways and can correct it but im still unsure how far it goes before it spins as i havent spun it (dont want to either).

Proper god little tool but dont get too cocky with it as there is a point where it decides its fell out with you and fancys killing you. This is mainly if you break hard while going round a corner (which you shouldnt do anyway) and its retreivable if you catch it early enough.


Welcome to Cliosport!

 

[Chris1.4RT]

Welcome dude. Nice choice. I like you will be moving from VTS to 172/Cup early next year.

 

[SideShowBob]

Quote: Originally posted by 172 Cup_Dude on 14 October 2004


Cheers dudes.

I only brought the car a month ago so I assume the alignment is ok. Tyres are the ones that came with the car new so they are fine, its done 5,400 miles. I checked tyre pressures they other day and pumped up the tyres.

You must have some balls to keep driving when it is twitching! I am now ending up braking well early just incase. How long did it take you to get proper used to it?

Be progressive as you possibly can, itll get twitchy, but hold its line. Youre doing the best thing possible braking early and avoiding it completely, but when you get into a bit of a race or something, thats not really an option, so you sort of let the car twitch and keep it going straight as far as possible. Had a few scares, especially when you have to brake hard due to someone pulling out or something, car can get quite out of shape. At least youre aware of it, so you should be able to drive around it, youll find the more you drive the car, the happier you are to push it and let it get a little out of shape without losing it completely. I also found that if I almost let the car get lose, it corrected itself. I stopped fighting it, kept it straight as possible without going against it too hard, and it settled without any major dramas following, track day would be excellent for you to get a feel for it thou, preferably airflied with the luxury of a decent run off.

As everything sounds fine with your Cup, im sure its just youre not used to such a sharp car. Cup is superb, very pointy and grippy, but if you have any real doubts, get a mate to take you over to a Renault dealer and test drive another to compare.

 

[biglunn]

When I got my 172, I was quite shocked about the twitchyness and nervousness of the car!

I picked it up from Portsmouth and drove it back to mine (about 80 miles) and I have to say that it was one scary drive! Car was nervous and twitchy, and tramlining very badly... and that was on a motorway! There was a particular road on my daily commute where the car just followed its own route... requiring strange correction at the steering wheel!

Well... my front tyres (Toyos) were close to being replaced.. I thought sod it and got all four tyres replaced with Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2s and had the tracking done. And guess what... the car has totally transformed! Tramlining gone. Twitchiness gone. Like as it should have been!

Get tracking done. And if the tyres are close to needing replacing.. get them replaced wiv good uns.

 

[philip]

I suggest you book yourself on a cheap airfield trackday (£90-100) with no Armco barriers, only soft orange cones, and have a go at taking the car to the limit and beyond that to get a feel for its understeering, braking etc. Once you have spun it a couple of times, you will know what the cars limits are - and they are more than suitable for the road. Theres a company called Motorsport-events or something like that and you can also book 30 mins with a race instructor for an extra £25 or so which is excellent value for money.

Dont spend/waste any money upgrading bits before youve done that.

When you get comfortable with pushing the std car to its limits, then you can envisage upgrading things, at which point I would suggest looking at the suspension first, not the brakes

 

[BossCup]

I guess the cars do vary from one to another as mine has never felt overly twitchy. Yes the steering is very direct and you dont have ABS to fall back on but as long as you allow for these things and as said above take things a little easier in the wet then the Cup is a cracking affordable performance car with few (if any) peers.

 

[MIKE-CUP]

Welcome mate. I think if you are progressive on the brakes like Mondial said then you should be fine. The CUP will reward the smooth driver, but will punish if you decide to become hamfisted with it.

Im sure youll really enjoy it.

 

[CHRIS172CUP]

Try a set of Eagle F1s and then brake, youll see your rear number plate lol.Theyre super light at the back but thats good, so adjustable its great and easy to get sideways if you lift off...have fun.