182T or megane 225

[clio_ant]

when im ready for my new car in a few years i was considering either 182 with aa turbo conversion or a megane 225 what are the known faults and pros and cons with either choice

 

[fizzy_drink]

182T would be quicker in all respects (provided you can get the power down), but you would lose a serious amount of cash (modified car).

225 has a chip available but I seriously would not chip that engine. As a std car, it's nice, big, comfy and torquey.

225 will fall-apart quicker IMHO - based on my 20,000 miles in one.

They're different cars alltogether IMHO.

 

[Dan@SJM]

lol yours was a monday morning car!

 

[edde]

Omar's had a 225 and gone back to a 182 so he is probaly a good source of info (Pm him for information on them both).
Pros of the 225.
Bigger car
Safer
Great engine
6 speed gearbox
Cons
Expensive to buy
MPG isn't amazing
Massive tunning potential isn't realy there
Heavy

182
Pros
Light
Cheap
Good on fuel etc
Cons
Small
Not as safe as the Megan
fun on the track its chucable and playable.
Cons
Rattles
Niggly faults
No spare

A 182 turbo isn't a good idea IMO best swop the whole engine its not that much more for a 1.8T VAG engine or a turbo 2.0 from the Megan etc to be put in plus you'd get the better box (the 172/182 one isn't that good plus 5 speed so no long legged gearing) plus the engine is built for turbo the 172/182 engine isn't.
Depending how much you have/want to spend I'd go down this route
182 all suspension pack
Better brakes
Leda coilovers profeshionally setup
Light tunning ie remap/exhaust/IK/AWT cams
New engine 1.8T running stand alone ECU. Not cheap (£8k or so) but 280hp standard plus have a search for VAG 1.8T tunning you cna get 350hp without going internal on the stronger blocks with car. 450hp is possible.

 

[clio_ant]

tbh money wouldnt be a issue as i have a well paid job it just be down to the fact a 182t is some thing you cant just buy from renault but i do like the 225 and it would be good if i had some kids further down the line touch wood. i went in a blokes where i used to work he had a trophy though.but id love either tbh

 

[clio_ant]

Omar's had a 225 and gone back to a 182 so he is probaly a good source of info (Pm him for information on them both).
Pros of the 225.
Bigger car
Safer
Great engine
6 speed gearbox
Cons
Expensive to buy
MPG isn't amazing
Massive tunning potential isn't realy there
Heavy

182
Pros
Light
Cheap
Good on fuel etc
Cons
Small
Not as safe as the Megan
fun on the track its chucable and playable.
Cons
Rattles
Niggly faults
No spare

A 182 turbo isn't a good idea IMO best swop the whole engine its not that much more for a 1.8T VAG engine or a turbo 2.0 from the Megan etc to be put in plus you'd get the better box (the 172/182 one isn't that good plus 5 speed so no long legged gearing) plus the engine is built for turbo the 172/182 engine isn't.
Depending how much you have/want to spend I'd go down this route
182 all suspension pack
Better brakes
Leda coilovers profeshionally setup
Light tunning ie remap/exhaust/IK/AWT cams
New engine 1.8T running stand alone ECU. Not cheap (£8k or so) but 280hp standard plus have a search for VAG 1.8T tunning you cna get 350hp without going internal on the stronger blocks with car. 450hp is possible.

450bhp sounds good to me sure insurance would love it lol think 182 souns the safer option doesnt it and plus i can have more fun in 182

 

[White16valver]

You need to speak to j3ned about transplanting engines in!

 

[Big Iain]

money isnt a prob? why dontu just buy a car thats suppose to be like that in the first place.??? yeah sure everyone likes to mod there engine a little maybe even as far as throttle boddies but ffs a whole different engine? or bolting on a turbo? a little extreme. and a waste of cash, if you plan of having kids spend it on them and have a nice car at the same time

 

[Dan_mk1]

tbh money wouldnt be a issue as i have a well paid job it just be down to the fact a 182t is some thing you cant just buy from renault but i do like the 225 and it would be good if i had some kids further down the line touch wood. i went in a blokes where i used to work he had a trophy though.but id love either tbh

If money isnt an issue, why dont you buy a proper car like an m3 or summin!? :S

 

[Mondial172]

Totally agree with Dan. Why not just buy a better/faster car to start with if money if no issue. An Evo 6 as standard would pretty much murder a 182 or any renault engined Clio.

 

[haitch]

hes said it 'because you cant buy it from renault', ppl see an evo etc and they know its fast but looking at the RS...everybody loves a sleeper, if money isnt a prob hes prob got more than one car eh? go for a spin in BBT or K-TEC turbos and see what you think, if not try j3ned's method, its all about variety ;-)

 

[clio_ant]

hes said it 'because you cant buy it from renault', ppl see an evo etc and they know its fast but looking at the RS...everybody loves a sleeper, if money isnt a prob hes prob got more than one car eh? go for a spin in BBT or K-TEC turbos and see what you think, if not try j3ned's method, its all about variety ;-)

exactly my point later down the line i will be having more then one car. i'm only 20 now i will not be having kids with my missus along time down the line. thanks anyways lads

 

[lee_cup]

i say 182 over the megane.... but don't turbo it!!!

Fair enough i would love to turbo my cup, but IMO theres no point.
I would get throttle bodies instead. If you tune it up to much you will end up ruining the car altogether...
"Remember its only a front wheel drive!"
If you have the money then buy a 4wd car that has the power already there!

 

[leeds_182]

182 turbo will blow up.

Megane wont.

 

[theduck]

if u have that much money, drop a CTR lump in, would be an awesome car

 

[matt182]

Get an evo if money isnt a problem nice FQ400

 

[Bryan]

listen to edde, most sense being made so far

 

[Jamesewing]

Don't bother with a 225 unless its a Trophy, Cup or has the Cup suspension pack the standard one is a POS.

 

[hoperacing]

depends exactly what you want from it.
lots of fun but cant exactly put 5 of you in to go accrross europe or bit of both. would'nt really want to get more than 4 in my phase 1 172 that is a fact!

 

[jonnyboy]

Firstly (and sorry about this m8) but I have to urge you to avoid appointing Omar as some kind of official cliosport spokesperson on the megane 225! Theres this tale about him taking it back and getting a 182 due to the bad handling etc. This guy ran the same set of tyres for 16k! he has never really driven the car properly lol My car has 14k on it and it will shortly be getting its 3rd set of tyres and I only drive it weekends.

If you want proper advice on the 225 go to meganesport.net. about 50% of people on there are previous clio RS owners and they will give you some genuine advise.

I have the 225 chipped and why on earth Omar is advising against chipping it I simply dont know. All the chip does is just turn up the volume control on the tourque its fantastic! You can also get quality exhaust systems, filters and intercoolers so 300bhp megs will be appearing next year for sure.

The 225 is in a different class of build quality to the clio RS and every 225 owner (apart from Omar) will tell you that. Saying that a 225 will fall apart before a clio is simply ridiculous. They are very solid cars.

The only reason I would have a 182 over a 225 is the handling. This is IMO the only area that the 182 is better than a 225. The 225 is a big car and a lot heavier (1300kgs) theres no getting away from that. The new megane cup chassis pack (upreated springs and dampers) improves things a lot but its impossible to get the steering feel and chuckability of the 182.

If I had a choice between spending 6 grand on a turbo conversion for a 182 (which you'll never recoup on sale) and trading up to a megane I would go for the 225 every time. But thats my choice and as I say if you want a pure good handling car or track toy get the 182 as you will not get that level of handling from a 225. I also think the advise on getting throttle bodies instead of a turbo on a 182 is pretty sound too as your more likley to get the power down, by the time your turbos spooled up in a little 182 it will be spinning in 5th!

 

[Neil_C]

drove both the 182 and the 225, the handling on the 225 is baws, there is no point havin the fast car if you cant control it, and thats the reason i have the 182. plus the 182 is sooooooo much smarter than the 225.

 

[jonnyboy]

well I would disagree with that frankly. I can control my 225 even with 40 more bhp. The handling is not as good as a 182, that's plain physics. But all these overblown comments like "no point having 225 bhp if you cant control it" are just plain daft. The handling might not quite be up to a 182 but it still good FFS!

 

[Phill1978]

^^ agree the megane trophy was exactly the same speed as a p911 when tested on track !

the build is exellent compared with the clio, in fact its usually compared with the vw golf. if omar had a bad one then sure its a reno thing again, get a good one and your sailing for v.little outlay, get a bad one and you mite aswell turn it upside down and use it as a boat (although a bad one would prolly leak lol)

the speed above exactly 80mph was quicker than the 172 i had before, but it feels about cup level now (in honesty the megane does feel a very small percentage slower)

lots of gadgets etc.. and of course safety, and dont underestimate that with all the bad weather in this country, 25million vehicles on the road, 4x4`s,truck, wildlife strolling into your path, poor drainage and terrible posistioning of poles, lights, signs made of unbenable stuff you need to be in a safe car.. like ive mentioned in my post today 4 mates of mine have died since school in car accidents, 2 of them this year in cars and 1 on a bike, the megane will offer you well being which counts for a lot when you stop hooing around and want to grow up a bit.

 

[lee_cup]

if u have that much money, drop a CTR lump in, would be an awesome car

why not just buy a CTR???


If you have the money, buy something different altogether

 

[jonnyboy]

^^ lol good point whats the point sticking a honda engine and running gear into a clio? the CTR and 182 are so closely matched it would be a pointless change either way IMO

 

[fizzy_drink]

Well... my 225 was one of the first 10 in the UK.

So, quite possibly... the guys @ Dieppe hadn't got to grips with it yet.

But, why should it be a lottery when buying a renault?? :S

Anyways.... should a 225 be the decision, make sure it's got the cup packs.

 

[jonnyboy]

TBH m8 if you have done that amount of milage on 1 set of tyres you cannot have even begun to explore the cars performance potential. I dont know if you had other problems with your car but I dont feel its fair for your view to be taken as gospel if you havent even driven it properly! Whenever the 225 is mentioned on cliosport Omars car is always mentioned, in the intrest of balance its good to get opinions from people who really drive the car not pootling about eeking 16k out of a set of tyres

 

[paul g]

i had a cup 172 with and now have a 225 with cup pack and the cars can,t be compared tbh, the clio is light nippy and so much fun to drive. i miss its handling no doubt about that .
the 225 is more grown up fat, but has lots more power and it delivers its power well . it has all the toys and is a nicer place to be in than any clio full stop.

 

[leeds_182]

Just go and by the Meg Trophy.

Awesome car.

 

[theduck]

why not just buy a CTR???


If you have the money, buy something different altogether

because the ctr shassy is cack.
the clio, even with a ctr engine is lighter, therefore faster than a ctr.

the ctr engine is FAR more tuneable.

3 very good reasons to do it.

oh and its never been done, which is another good reason in my book

 

[jonnyboy]

downside is it would prolly cost 10 grand to do as well as been pointless!

 

[matty w]

because the ctr shassy is cack.
the clio, even with a ctr engine is lighter, therefore faster than a ctr.

the ctr engine is FAR more tuneable.

3 very good reasons to do it.

oh and its never been done, which is another good reason in my book

who's gonna go out and buy a newish 182 and pull the engine and replace it with a honda engine,a lot of the big powered ctr's is through running 100 shot of nos,you could put the money towards cams & throttle bodies which has proven to be reliable

 

[nonos]

TBH m8 if you have done that amount of milage on 1 set of tyres you cannot have even begun to explore the cars performance potential. I dont know if you had other problems with your car but I dont feel its fair for your view to be taken as gospel if you havent even driven it properly! Whenever the 225 is mentioned on cliosport Omars car is always mentioned, in the intrest of balance its good to get opinions from people who really drive the car not pootling about eeking 16k out of a set of tyres

No offense Jonnyboy, but you have obviously never met Omar in your life. I would refrain from making glorious comments on wasting 3 sets of front tyres in 14k. Maybe you should ask him how much he drives and the fact he won't want to change his tyres every other week!

 

[fizzy_drink]

TBH m8 if you have done that amount of milage on 1 set of tyres you cannot have even begun to explore the cars performance potential. I dont know if you had other problems with your car but I dont feel its fair for your view to be taken as gospel if you havent even driven it properly! Whenever the 225 is mentioned on cliosport Omars car is always mentioned, in the intrest of balance its good to get opinions from people who really drive the car not pootling about eeking 16k out of a set of tyres

It's about knowing how to drive....

I got 12,000 miles on one pair of Toyo T1s on my 182. And that's the fronts only. I sold the rears to MarkCup (nearly new).

They lasted: two airfield meets, 13 laps round the ring, and lots of tear-a$$ing on country lanes... All in the summer months.

If you know what you're doing, you don't need to wear your tyres out every 6k.

Anyways, to make it simple:

Handed-in my 182 (non cupped)... Picked-up my 225.

First roundabout sh@ myself.

Never got used to it.

Understeer/Oversteer/Understeer/Oversteer seemed to be the theme.

Totally inconsistent... (but generally more understeer than oversteer).

The trophy I drove @ Brands was far more predictable.

But hey... I could be wrong...

 

[EVOgone]

TBH m8 if you have done that amount of milage on 1 set of tyres you cannot have even begun to explore the cars performance potential. I dont know if you had other problems with your car but I dont feel its fair for your view to be taken as gospel if you havent even driven it properly! Whenever the 225 is mentioned on cliosport Omars car is always mentioned, in the intrest of balance its good to get opinions from people who really drive the car not pootling about eeking 16k out of a set of tyres

Do you know Omar, have you driven with him ? NO NO

Does he do load of motorway milage, hence high tyre life?? YES

Hence "Stop taling bollox, about things you know nothing about" Speculation.

So using your rational "I got 2k from my tyres so im a real driver" Most of its on B&Q carpark, look in Fastcar mag. Im the man.

Oms comment are very relavent and credible.

On the Renault trackdays where you can drive all the cars the the Cup/Trophy were the fastest round the track. But thats not the important think it whats best for you, not one is better than the other.

Regards to the seperate comments made at the begining of the thread that the Megan was as fast as the P911. Again what a load of bollox.

Frightening.......

 

[JBarber]

couple of reviews of the 225 - not as well received as the 172/182:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14136-1113687,00.html
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12529-1121401,00.htmlhttp://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14136-1113687_2,00.html

 

[g18llo]

when im ready for my new car in a few years i was considering either 182 with aa turbo conversion or a megane 225 what are the known faults and pros and cons with either choice

One of the best modifications you can buy is tuition, i.e. modifying your driving style, and in most cases it's the biggest factor in becoming quicker that you can buy. It's not unusual for people to 'find' 2-3 seconds a lap at Donington after tuition, you'd probably need at least 40-50bhp more to find that time in performance alone.

On your original question, and as per some previous answers, the 225 has benefits of comfort, size and practicality, but personally (having driven both) I far prefer the smaller Clio which does have a better chassis/set-up 'out of the box'. In some respects you should forget magazine articles, it's all about real world performance, not what happens on a track.

Regards

 

[EVOgone]

One of the best modifications you can buy is tuition, i.e. modifying your driving style, and in most cases it's the biggest factor in becoming quicker that you can buy. It's not unusual for people to 'find' 2-3 seconds a lap at Donington after tuition, you'd probably need at least 40-50bhp more to find that time in performance alone.

On your original question, and as per some previous answers, the 225 has benefits of comfort, size and practicality, but personally (having driven both) I far prefer the smaller Clio which does have a better chassis/set-up 'out of the box'. In some respects you should forget magazine articles, it's all about real world performance, not what happens on a track.

Regards

So true...

 

[u33db]

I'd have to side with the 225 TBH...its a more powerful better built car at the end of the day and (IMO) you can't laugh in the face of development simply because your on a clio forum...thats just daft.

However, i'm force to agree with Big Iain - just by a faster car. Christ, you can pick up a late 80s/early 90s porsche for similar money as what we're talking about here...designed to go quickly as well as having some respectability. I can't understand why anyone would choose the clio over that except for budget issues...

 

[g18llo]

I'd have to side with the 225 TBH...you can't laugh in the face of development simply because your on a clio forum...thats just daft.

Are you saying that some people are blinkered? Surely not........