182 as a Track Car

[driver_hr]

Hello guys im after a car mainly for track days, i have a few different cars im looking at but at the top of the list is the clio 182.
I know they are pretty good in standard form but is there any work which needs to be done to get it ready for track days? any handling/suspension or brake mods which are highly recommended? Ofcourse i will have some good tyres, decent disks an pads, good service etc.
The other car im looking at is a civic type r, but ive had 2 of them in the past an fancy a change an power an handling wise these both are pretty similar. One thing which i loved about with the type r was the reliablity, i used to drive them very harsh and they were both trouble free for me. How does the 182 fair in terms of reliabilty, i know its down to the owner of how well he takes care of the car but are there any common faults with them or things which normally tend to go wrong mechanically speaking, just want to know how strong the engine an gearboxes are really.
Thanks

 

[JB21]

Owned an Ep3 for 5 years and currently own a 182. The Renault is a better track car, handles better, is just as quick if not fractionally quicker and mods/parts are cheaper. The gearbox is a let down compared to the Honda as is the interior but if a track car who cares on the latter. Like you I had zero issues with the Honda whereas I've had a few with the Renault mainly ABS related. The engine and box should be OK if maintained properly but if they do go they are peanuts to replace, complete engines go for between £300-500 that's with belts done, gearboxes are even cheaper.

My advice would be get a sorted 172 cup as they have no ABS are lighter and make a great track car out the box. IMO all that you need is some decent rubber, track orientated front pads and everything else like suspension, brakes and steering components nice and fresh and you'll be onto a winner.

 

[imprezaworks]

Pretty much summed it up ^.

 

[driver_hr]

Thank you JB21 for that good advice, im nor suprised the gearbox is not as good as the type r as the type r had one of the best gearboxes in a car ive ever driven. An im not too fussed about the build quality as it will be stripped out an used mainly on track.

How is the engine an gearbox like for reliability like on these cars? Not bothered about all the other parts just want a car with a strong engine an gearbox.

 

[JB21]

Not as reliable as the vtec that's for sure, you get stories of engines dropping valves, cam belts snapping, or aux belts snapping and taking the cam belt with it. Also the gear boxes suffer crunching which is quite common and will require a rebuild eventually once bad enough.

As above regular maintenance will help lots and if they are looked after properly then they should be fine, most of the issues above are from poor maintenance or unsympathetic users driving the nuts of them cold or not letting them cool properly. The gearboxs do not like to be rushed even when rebuilt, that's just how they are and people just force gear changes which inevitably ruins them.

Don't let the above put you off though as they're a cracking little car.

Video below of mine on a hot lap of Oulton on pretty much just tyres and brakes.

 

[driver_hr]

Thank you for the info mate, i know nearly all cars have there problems but as a whole i think its the right car for me. Main thing is it requires very little spending on it to get it ready for the track, i just sold my 200sx s14a which i had over a year, i was getting that ready but the amount i was spending on it ended up heart broken with the car, so now i want something ready to go. Another car i looked into was a R53 Mini Cooper S but that has a little too many common faults regarding the engine an gearbox so i think it will be a 182 for me.
Just watched your hot lap video on my 65" tv mate, very impressive. Car sounds awesome too :smile:

 

[imprezaworks]

Worst ive got a large tv post evers.

Clio is a great choice for a cheap fun track car.

 

[driver_hr]

i have come across a 182 which has a problem, i have have posted a thread in the technical section, have a read an if you can help then please reply. here is the link.
http://www.cliosport.net/threads/has-anyone-come-across-this-fault-before.803049/