182 Handling characteristic

[rwaterman]

I have owned my 182 for a year now, and within this time it has been back to the garage for numerous problems which have all been fixed but i still am left feeling paranoid about the steering/handling.

To do with the steering I have had the universal joint replaced coz i had serious play in the steering, the tracking was way out also which i had done after they replaced the UJ also a rotar switch replaced which im not really sure what that is or what it does.......

I feel when driving the 182 it is very twitchy over most road surfaces even now ive had the above warranty work carried out the car when it hits the slightist bump/uneven surface the steering wheel will snap either to the left or right even if only slightly...... It almost feels as if my tyres are at different tyre pressures or something, which they are not.

Is this common behaviour of a 182, am i just being paranoid????????

I drove my mates saxo and his car just holds itself over road surfaces with no twitching............................

Cheers

Rob.

 

[Ian_182]

The clio is one of the best cars ive ever driven for handling on a twisty road.The speed you gather without realising is scary sometimes

My 182 has been exellent and better than my 172 on twisty roads.

ian

 

[Phill1978]

the 172 is twitchy. try it on super firm konis if your brave over rough roads and hang on to the steering wheel tight. its all part of the fun, but if you tire of it then maybe its time for a new car with more cushond suspension.

 

[rwaterman]

When the car is driven at speed or driven that little bit mental you dont really notice it what i forgot to say was driving normally around town that sort of thing i find it very twitchy ??!....... Almost a little uneven if that makes sense?!?

As well if you boot it down the road then brake relatively hard the steering wheel will be all over the place loads of movement left and right seems like a right batte to keep it under control...........

Meggerman its a non cupped 182 i like the firm ride in fact could do with it being a little more firmer!!! Its when i go in a straight line the steering wheel is all over the place.


[Edited by rwaterman on 06 April 2005 at 4:39pm]

 

[ChrisO182]

I noticed a difference between my clio and my old 106 gti that the clio would try pulling you from side to side over uneven surfaces or slight cambers in the road, i put it down to the width of tyre and torque steer.

 

[geoff_clio182]

Quote: Originally posted by ChrisO182 on 06 April 2005

I noticed a difference between my clio and my old 106 gti that the clio would try pulling you from side to side over uneven surfaces or slight cambers in the road, i put it down to the width of tyre and torque steer.

Thats called tramlining:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/tramlining.jsphttp://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/tramlining.jsp

 

[ranter]

After reading your initial post it sounds like something is still seriously wrong with your car. If your steering is snapping direction after hitting the smallest bump then it sounds fecked TBH.

Ive only had my 182 for a fortnight and TBH Ive only played on good A roads once but I found the handling and general behaviour of the steering to be extremly good.

Hope you get whatever is wrong fixed.

 

[rwaterman]

When i had the laser tracking done at elite they fully adjusted the front end but as you probably no the back is non adjustable but they did find it to be ever so slightly out...

Maybe this could be a cause?? My 182 generally feels unstable at slow speeds and im always left wondering whether something is wrong.......

Maybe i need to drive another one to confirm whether something is actually wrong or not i just feel coz ive had to have the above work done on such a new car at such an early point in its life that maybe something eise could be fooked aswell.......dunno

Rob.

 

[rmccardal]

Ill give yours (car) a good thrashing if you like .

 

[rwaterman]

Quote: Originally posted by rmccardal on 06 April 2005

Ill give yours (car) a good thrashing if you like .

Hmmmm, ill have a think about that one let you no

 

[rwaterman]

What is the rotar switch and what does it do? All i know is i had a loud clicking when i turned the steering full lock left to right and they told me that is what they replaced???

 

[Big G]

Of all the other cars ive driven, the 182 (with cup chassis) has the most twitchy steering/ride over bumpy roads with tramlining on uneven cambers.

However, its also the best ride, the most communicative ride with precise feel that I know exactly whats going on under the car. I can feel if the back end is too happy, if the front end isnt happy enough, if im pushing a corner too hard - it goes exactly where I point it.

In a nutshell, the 182 handling is brilliant for me; but if you want a relaxing boat like drive with zero effort and no communication between you, the car and the road; time for a Rover 75.

When i took my girlfriend out in the 182 the first time, she said 1) its sooo bumpy and 2) why doesnt it lean on roundabouts?

Nuff said.

 

[White16valver]

My old RS Turbo used to pull left and right under power, follow the cambers, and have the steering wheel pull everytime a ridge or slight pothole or drain came under the wheels, and that was running Spax and full polybush kit - the lack of play in the steering is due to very little padding between moving parts, which contributes to the amount/quality of the information that you get back through the steering wheel.

I would say your best bet is to find someone else with a 182 with the same spec as yours and swap for a run down roads you both know, then you will be able to tell any differences, as will the other person.

 

[soepy]

The alarming trait ive found is that under braking, the back end gets very very light. The car starts to twitch - it feels like its doing the same thing superbikes do when they brake hard; twitchy tail and virtually standing on its nose.



On another point, Ive just experienced the brake fade scenario. Approaching a roundabout at around fifty, push the middle pedal and get maybe 20% bite, let go and reapply and nothing. It was down to the gods that the traffic provided a gap and i could get round. Even so, its not the type of roundabout youd normally attack at 30mph in rush hour.



Moments later i tried them again and they were fine.



Not an enjoyable experience.

 

[dk]

the reason you are getting action at the back when braking and they look like superbikes is because the brakes are that damn good! They have very good stopping power.

If you have experienced brake fade with the standard pads, then something is wrong, especially is you are driving on the public highway.

a. You are driving like an absolute loon and need to sedate yourself as it would be VERY difficult to get brake fade from a 182 in normal road driving.

b. there is something wrong with your brakes and you should get it into Renault ASAP

The 182 brakes are one of its best points, you should rarely experience brake fade unless you have just done 15-20 laps of Brands Hatch and I know this form the pounding I have been giving them on my track days.

 

[Ian_182]

The 182 outbreaks a ferrari 360.from 100-0

Autocar last year sometime

ian

 

[Rob669]

If it helps my RSi 1.8 clio was twitchy, it seemed to follow any slight groove in the road surface. But then I found that this only happened when the tyres were about 50% worn. When the tyres were newer it never happened.

 

[RichW]

Quote: Originally posted by Rob669 on 07 April 2005

But then I found that this only happened when the tyres were about 50% worn. When the tyres were newer it never happened.

I find that with my 172. I think tread depth and pressure make a huge difference to the front end.

Rich

 

[soepy]

Quote: Originally posted by dave182 on 07 April 2005


If you have experienced brake fade with the standard pads, then something is wrong, especially is you are driving on the public highway.

a. You are driving like an absolute loon and need to sedate yourself as it would be VERY difficult to get brake fade from a 182 in normal road driving.

b. there is something wrong with your brakes and you should get it into Renault ASAP

The 182 brakes are one of its best points, you should rarely experience brake fade unless you have just done 15-20 laps of Brands Hatch and I know this form the pounding I have been giving them on my track days.





No i wasnt driving like a loon when the brakes went. This wasnt brake fade for a couple of reasons:

a) id only been in the car 5-6 minutes and it was only the third or fourth time the brakes had been used on that trip



b) my speed never went above 40mph due to traffic volumes.



I believe im not the first to experience this. A brief search will verify that. As for a twitchy rear end, again this is not due to wreckless driving on my part but those of others who, seeing just a clio coming down the road, pull out without a second glance. This has happened on a number of occassions on local country lanes that have a 60mph speed limit.



Faced with a clueless numpty pulling out at that speed, its an unnerving experience to feel the back end move like it does, especially in the situation where avoiding action may have to be taken. If the brakes are that good, maybe they are too good for the chasis?

 

[RobFenn]

Quote: Originally posted by ian 182 on 07 April 2005


The 182 outbreaks a ferrari 360.from 100-0

Autocar last year sometime

ian

That doesnt say much really... the Porsche Cayenne out breaks most things but then after a few applications theyd be shot.

Driven a 172 at Brands (i presume are the same as a 182) and they needed a break after every 5 laps.

Rob, why dont you take your car to a meet and get another 182 owner to drive your car?

-Rob

 

[dk]

Quote: Originally posted by RobFenn on 07 April 2005

Quote: Originally posted by ian 182 on 07 April 2005


The 182 outbreaks a ferrari 360.from 100-0

Autocar last year sometime

ian

That doesnt say much really... the Porsche Cayenne out breaks most things but then after a few applications theyd be shot.

Driven a 172 at Brands (i presume are the same as a 182) and they needed a break after every 5 laps.

Rob, why dont you take your car to a meet and get another 182 owner to drive your car?

-Rob

182 brakes are better than 172 brakes in that 172s did suffer from brake fade whereas the 182 doesnt, I did around 15-20 laps around brands with no fade. I think they are the same brakes though so better cooling maybe?

 

[dk]

Quote: Originally posted by soepy on 07 April 2005

Quote: Originally posted by dave182 on 07 April 2005


If you have experienced brake fade with the standard pads, then something is wrong, especially is you are driving on the public highway.

a. You are driving like an absolute loon and need to sedate yourself as it would be VERY difficult to get brake fade from a 182 in normal road driving.

b. there is something wrong with your brakes and you should get it into Renault ASAP

The 182 brakes are one of its best points, you should rarely experience brake fade unless you have just done 15-20 laps of Brands Hatch and I know this form the pounding I have been giving them on my track days.






No i wasnt driving like a loon when the brakes went. This wasnt brake fade for a couple of reasons:

a) id only been in the car 5-6 minutes and it was only the third or fourth time the brakes had been used on that trip



b) my speed never went above 40mph due to traffic volumes.



I believe im not the first to experience this. A brief search will verify that. As for a twitchy rear end, again this is not due to wreckless driving on my part but those of others who, seeing just a clio coming down the road, pull out without a second glance. This has happened on a number of occassions on local country lanes that have a 60mph speed limit.



Faced with a clueless numpty pulling out at that speed, its an unnerving experience to feel the back end move like it does, especially in the situation where avoiding action may have to be taken. If the brakes are that good, maybe they are too good for the chasis?

mate, they were options, i.e. if you arent driving like a loon it maybe there is a problem, I wasnt suggesting you were doing that. And if this was after 5 minutes in the car, maybe they werent warm?

 

[Ian_182]

Yes rob fenn it doesnt say much really,

Exept a 12k hot hatch outbrakes a 110k supercar

nothing really

ian

 

[Mondial172]

I found my Cup is very twitchy compared to my Saxo VTR.

Got used to it now.

 

[Mondial172]

Are the brake any different of the 182 from 172?

I didnt think they were

 

[Chad]

Quote: Originally posted by Adamf on 07 April 2005


Are the brake any different of the 182 from 172?

I didnt think they were

neither did I. Have to admit they have faded slightly on a few weekend runs but nowhere near as bad as my old XR2i.