172 Phase 1 OEM+

[Yeti_runner]

So it's been a bit since my last update. RSTuner still has not arrived but it may by tomorrow. We will see.

As for the Borla ProXS muffler, it arrived and before having it fitted I put it near where I wanted to place it and I didn't particularly like how it looked. I ended up returning it and buying a Vibrant StreetPower muffler (P/N 12320) with integral dual exhaust tips which will be mounted similarly to the Milltek exhaust. Hopefully it will look the way that I like and sound good. I have not heard these mufflers on any Clios but have heard them on other performance oriented I4's and they sound good. Hopefully that will be the case with mine. Either way I will be sure to post a video on that once it has been fitted.

Not much has been going on recently other than a few weekend drives just enjoying the 172. Today I had an itch to see some snow and took a drive up into the mountains to scratch that itch.

Yes, this is Crete. I was quite surprised to learn that there are villages that are in the snowy mountains here. This was just outside of the nice village of Omalos here on Crete. It was raining and about 3 degrees Celsius so I didn't get the chance to take many pictures but I will for sure be back.

 

[Yeti_runner]

Well the RSTuner interface came in today. I did the preliminary steps to get it unlocked and the map from Henk sent my way. Just waiting for an email reply back! I have screen recorded everything I have done so far and once I get the new map I will finish the rest. There were a couple steps not mentioned in the quick start guide but I figured them out pretty quickly. I will make an in depth video soon on the process!

 

[Yeti_runner]

Hello everyone, things have been a bit weird around here. A few things have happened both good and bad so let me get to it.

I ended up getting my Vibrant StreetPower muffler installed and it sounds pretty nice! It's pretty deep but does produce some nice subtle pops on decell. I have been quoted to get a full TIG welded stainless 2.5" exhaust from the manifold back with V bands and a resonator which I was planning for next month but it's now on the backburner. I'll hopefully be able to get a video of it up on the Youtube channel and posted here in the next few weeks or so.

While getting my muffler installed, I made a friend who worked at the exhaust shop who invited me out to the local Go Kart track to do a few runs. On Wednesday nights, the track hosts drift practice events but since my new friend was friends with the owner of the track, he got me in as well. When the drift guys were cooling their cars down in the paddock between laps, I was allowed to go out and have free rein of the track for 6-7 laps. When I went in to cooldown, they went out and we were able to do this back and forth for a few hours. It was a ton of fun. It is a very tight track so I was in 1st and 2nd the entire time. I have some video from this as well that I'll be posting soon.

And this is where it gets quite bad. I was leaving work yesterday evening like normal. I got on the main road and went to pass another driver and they sped up to not let me pass. I wasn't going to let them get the best of me so I put my foot down and passed them at the top of 4th gear. Well when I shifted into 5th as I was getting back into my lane, I heard a massive bang and didn't have any power to speak of. I cut the engine and let it idle to a stop and tried cranking the engine. It started right up but there was some serious rod knock. I immediately cut the engine again. I checked the dipstick and it was full with no signs of metal shavings or anything. Also there was no oil dripping on the ground so it's unlikely that I windowed the block. I ended up calling my mechanic who arranged a tow to his shop and I'm waiting to hear back from him. Looking forward, I will likely have them install the K-tec uprated engine and gearbox mounts with Powerflex bushes as well as the Powerflex upper engine mount insert. I will also have them install the Larger Oil Pump Kit from Pure Motorsport because I suspect this issue was likely caused from low oil pressure. If the issue is just the bearings and the rods are still okay to be reused, I will have them install a set of ACL Race bearings that can keep up with my driving. If the rods are bent though, I've already decided I'll go ahead and have them install the Wossner forged A beam conrods. Either way, when the mechanic gets back to me, I'll be sure to send an update here.

Outside of that though, I finally got around to finishing up my RSTuner Install and Mac Workaround video so I'll go ahead and link that below!

 

[PerthRS]

Ah thats a shame mate
It'll be interesting to find out what happened with the engine.

 

[Yeti_runner]

Ah thats a shame mate
It'll be interesting to find out what happened with the engine.

It is. My guess is low oil pressure but we’ll see what my mechanic says. Hopefully it won’t be too expensive and won’t take too long to repair! I have a Kia Picanto as a rental car for the time being and I feel like I will lose my mind driving it!😂

 

[Poopensharten]

Nothing on this earth is faster than a rental car. Absolutely nothing. Maybe rented vans. Nearly rolled a Peugeot 208 years ago proving this theory😂

 

[Louis]

Nothing on this earth is faster than a rental car. Absolutely nothing. Maybe rented vans. Nearly rolled a Peugeot 208 years ago proving this theory😂

I loved driving out work rented luton. Kicked it's head in everyday 😂 Overtaking cars in the outside lane felt so weird

 

[Yeti_runner]

Yeah I think y’all have a point. I do tend to rip the rental cars pretty hard🤣🤣 My main concern at this point is how long it will take the mechanic to fix this. Back when I had my oil leak issue, it took nearly 2 months because he was having trouble sourcing parts. Hopefully if I source them for him it won’t take near as long. This worries me mainly because I am set to leave Greece in August and I need to get the Clio prepped to import to the US at least a month or two before that. This also kind of throws a wrench in the plan to road trip across Europe in the Clio. I guess we’ll see what happens.

The mechanic messaged me yesterday and confirmed the sound is from the inside of the engine. He said in a few days he will let me know what the inside looks like once they have torn the engine apart. I also already let him know not to order any parts until he talks to me first so I can ensure I’m getting exactly what I want done. I’ll be sure to post update (hopefully with pictures) once I hear back from the mechanic. Wish me luck with this because I’ll need all that I can get if I am to actually get this car imported to the US.

 

[PerthRS]

Keep us posted!
Hope for your sake it's somewhat manageable 🤞