182 unsteady at speed

[Al182]

I've had my 182 clio with cup packs for about 2 months now and i'm noticing that it feels a bit unsteady at speed. I'm talking maybe 70-80mph. It just does'nt inspire much confidence in me. I've also found that breaking from speed can also feel a bit unsteady.

Just wanted to know if anyone else feels the same. If not what do you thinks wrong with mine?

 

[mullen]

nope mines fine, i've had a bit more than that and had no problems

 

[Russ.]

Braking hard at speed can cause the car to feel unstable at the back end but that's due to the back end being light, front end being heavier and the weight transfer that takes place during hard braking.

Might be worth getting your tracking and wheel balancing checked?

 

[MillerLight]

i didnt like going over 100 in the clio. felt all over the place compared to my astra H i had before

 

[Russ.]

i didnt like going over 100 in the clio. felt all over the place compared to my astra H i had before

Know what you mean to an extent, my ST170 was much more stable at speed. The Clio grips better but the ST170 handled alot better (if you pushed a little too hard it was much more controllable than the Clio which goes all over the show)

 

[realnumber 1]

Must admit the rear can feel very light/twitchy under heavy high speed breaking. Other than that mine is fine at speed.

 

[Chili Red]

Mine really squirmed under hard braking, it was ok at speed though.

 

[rocko_n82]

I certainly agree about the back end going light under hard braking at speed! Since I changed to pro line springs I think the car feels more stable.

 

[Da]

Check dampers for leaks if the car feels unsteady.
Personally I have found no issues with mine well in excess of 80mph.

 

[Dave H]

Going over slight bumps in the road whilst going round corners can unsettle the back a little also.

By a fat 197 for added weight

 

[Al182]

Thanks for all the replies......

I have a feeling that i've got a problem with the rear shocks so i might get them changed over and see if that makes a difference. Its not overly unstable, I just did'nt expect it from a car that was designed to drive fast.

Was also thinking of upgrading the brake pads (just the pads as I hav'nt got the money to do the discs at the mo). Any suggestions on which ones might make a difference.

 

[Craig]

mine feels unsteady sometimes but my rear shocks look fine argh well im getting coilovers soon so that will sort the problem

 

[Munson]

At high speed it's not a very stable car at all. Sure, you get familiar with it, but most modern (& sporty) cars these days feel so much more planted. The 197 is far more stable for example.

As for braking, I think they all weave about a bit, especially on rutted/cambered road surfaces. Low tyre tread makes this far more pronounced too.

 

[seb]

even the 197 at full chat giving it beans at serious speed has it's moments too tbh.

 

[Munson]

even the 197 at full chat giving it beans at serious speed has it's moments too tbh.

I know, I got the back out on my test drive, with the salesman sat next to me :clown:

They're still way more planted than a 182 though

 

[realnumber 1]

Does the cup spoiler actually give them better down force on the 1*2 or is that just for looks?

 

[Martin_172]

check the rear dampers for leaking oil as said above, when mine went it was VERY unstable at speed and under braking it was actually that i noticed more than the handling due to mine going in winter when i wasnt pushing it.

i know mine goes over 140mph most days i take it out for a blast and feels 100% planted to be honest!

 

[bmh.01]

Lowering helps a lot with the high speed stability I always found, even just a set of prolines which hardly drop anything made it much better. Can really appreciate what people mean now i've got the meggy though, will pull 130 buttons no bother an feels much more planted doing it.

 

[djdrastic]

I used to have the same problem and had my tyres re-aligned and that sorted out my problem.

 

[Neil G]

At high speed it's not a very stable car at all. Sure, you get familiar with it, but most modern (& sporty) cars these days feel so much more planted. The 197 is far more stable for example.

As for braking, I think they all weave about a bit, especially on rutted/cambered road surfaces. Low tyre tread makes this far more pronounced too.

+1

IMO the 172 is pretty skittish/crashy on UK roads (potholed to f**k)

 

[Cookie]

I had a similar problem on my 172.. osr damper was completely fucked

 

[martandem]

Braking hard at speed can cause the car to feel unstable at the back end but that's due to the back end being light, front end being heavier and the weight transfer that takes place during hard braking.

Might be worth getting your tracking and wheel balancing checked?

+1...

 

[weebaws]

I had a similar problem and got an eibach pro-kit fitted. Transformed the car completely - now feels much more planted at speed.

Get your tracking etc done too. Also make sure your tyres are ok - tread depth/wear even, pressures ok - make sure there's no nankang ditchfinders on the car either.

 

[nickl360]

Check wheel nuts too, but I reckon it'll be the tracking

Does it pull to one direction when you go slowly down the road without holding the steering wheel?

 

[SirSimon]

Mine was certainly fine at 132mph

 

[mattjk]

The cars nose heavy, needs more weight transferred to the back which would make it much more sturdy as yes the back end feels a bit twitchy when braking at high speeds

 

[pvsmark]

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I have just brought an 02 172 and it feels very odd when breaking and driving at speed and i'm not sure if its normal as i haven't driven a 172 before this (last car was a 106 rallye which felt very different lol).

Basically when the steering fells light at around 65+ and when breaking from this speed the other day it seemed as if the car didn't want to turn in fully.

The tyres all need replacing and the tracking needs to be done as the steering wheel is not straight when the wheels are. Does anyone think that will sort the problem or could it be power steering/shock related?

 

[DanS]

Definately the problems you mention will help, also check for leaky shocks, the rears have a tendancy to need replacing after a while and can cause them to skip round corners if they are shot!

 

[Lewb]

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I have just brought an 02 172 and it feels very odd when breaking and driving at speed and i'm not sure if its normal as i haven't driven a 172 before this (last car was a 106 rallye which felt very different lol).

Basically when the steering fells light at around 65+ and when breaking from this speed the other day it seemed as if the car didn't want to turn in fully.

The tyres all need replacing and the tracking needs to be done as the steering wheel is not straight when the wheels are. Does anyone think that will sort the problem or could it be power steering/shock related?

When I first got my car the tyres were only just still legal and it felt very unstable and would be hard to keep in a straight line under hard braking from speed. Once I got new (premium) tyres and new suspension the car feels so much better.

 

[Aluco]

I know, I got the back out on my test drive, with the salesman sat next to me :clown:

They're still way more planted than a 182 though

Hah ! that's ace.

My 182 felt like the steering was "Loose" when booting it after about 70mph like it was drifting left & right ever so slightly so you had to keep making micro adjustments.

 

[pvsmark]

Cheers i'll get the tyres done and see what the difference is like, compared to my old Rallye the Clio is a totally different kettle of fish

 

[leeroybrown]

Mines the same

Rather switchy if you hit a bump in the road

And my shockers are not leaking

 

[DrR]

Like i've always said, i've had 2 kanckered dampers/shockers and neither where leaking, pretty sure my 182 ones are shot to, and not leaking, car feels awful at the moe.

 

[leeroybrown]

How much are the rear cup suspension

And whats the besy way to tell the are knackered?

 

[DrR]

Shocks are £50 each, take them both off and press the damper down and pull it up, you'll soon tell which is knackered (no/little resistance)

 

[leeroybrown]

Even though when pressing on the rear of the car its still rock solid?

 

[DrR]

Yeah cos that would be the spring pushing up not the damper, all the damper does is offer resistance basically.

 

[leeroybrown]

Will give it a bash

 

[JayR]

At 70 she cruises niceley although still a little bumpy.....At silly speeds shes abit shakey/acts like she doesnt want to be doing them!

 

[S&K]

Our 182 Cup feels fine, even braking down from 120+ MPH on uneven surfaces, even braking into turns it feels great. only annoying thing is the bloody ESP, how do you turn it off ? What tyres have you got and what pressures are you running if the suspension is otherwise fine ?