Alternative gearboxes for RS200?

[crosseyedlion]

Hi all, after my first 2 weeks with my 200 im really enjoying the cornering, steering and brakes, its fun to chuck around.

However, for dual carriageways and motorways its doing my head in! The only thing that irritates me about the car is the stupid gear ratios. For me, although they result in a more 'sporty' drive the close ratio box isn't proving fun, and puts me off doing long journeys (along with the sub 30mpg).

1st is pointless, the other gears are too close its just annoying constantly changing when driving through town.

I've noticed other versions have the TL4 'box but much more normal, suitable for my daily life gear ratios. It also seems like it'll have significantly better fuel consumption doing 30mph/1000rpm rather than 21!

http://www.media.renault.com/download/media/specialfile/8868_1_5.aspx

Its worth bearing in mind that I didn't really buy the car as a screamer, an rs200 is not a fast car - I did want the superb handling, braking and standard kit. I'd like to think nothing of doing 300 miles to find good roads then enjoying them at the other end. I come from 8 years of large engined german machines and spend my days driving f-types- the clio is a practical, fun, runabout.

Questions
1. is fitting a dci box madness?
2. would it be a straight swap or would there be other parts than the gearbox required
3. has anyone done this, how is drivability affected. I've experimented skipping gears (not at full throttle, and not rushing it, don't want to kill the box) and it seems not too bad, considering a dci box would be closer than that.

Thanks in advance

 

[crosseyedlion]

How much of a job would it be to change the final drive?

 

[Martin_172]

not sure you would want the dci box, mine would do 130mph at 4000rpm in 6th lol!!!

 

[crosseyedlion]

Using this http://philch.free.fr/clio/clio3/MR392CLIO2.pdf it looks like the final drive from a TL4 002 would work out to 26mph/1000rpm, which is perfect. So the question is, how hard is the swap?

 

[crosseyedlion]

not sure you would want the dci box, mine would do 130mph at 4000rpm in 6th lol!!!

My last 2 cars would be doing about 3200-3500 at that speed. :/

 

[Martin_172]

but its a peaky n/a engine, you would drop off cam every gear change! it would destroy the car!

 

[crosseyedlion]

It'd still be good with a 26% drop in revs in 6th. For me it'd be a lot better in fact.

Yes most of the power is high up in the rev range, but low down it doesn't feel too bad - with normal gear ratios it'd cope perfectly well, its just such a massive shame 6th is so short, Ruins the car imo. Renders it only useful for driving around town or more than 8/10ths on a windy road.

 

[Knuckles]

I find going from 2nd to 6th painless, and that's how I drive most of the time when pootling along. Get it into 6th ASAP and sit back.

if you change the box, it'll ruin the power delivery. As you said, they're not fast anyway. So you'll end up enjoying the 300 miles to the nice roads, then hate driving them as you've ruined the gearbox.

Is it possible to go custom and get a longer 6th? Or do they not work like that?

 

[crosseyedlion]

I find going from 2nd to 6th painless, and that's how I drive most of the time when pootling along. Get it into 6th ASAP and sit back.

if you change the box, it'll ruin the power delivery. As you said, they're not fast anyway. So you'll end up enjoying the 300 miles to the nice roads, then hate driving them as you've ruined the gearbox.

Is it possible to go custom and get a longer 6th? Or do they not work like that?

Yep, my driving style is very similar with this car, get it into 6th asap.

Thing about the nice roads is, im not going to really go anywhere (unless I have to) if its screaming its tits off on the motorway doing some horrific mpg - so the nice roads wouldn't get driven. Already I've found myself going for 7th when on A and B roads :/

I just want my clio with the same suspension, same brakes, same looks, same equipment, same steering but nicer to cover distance in! Im sure im not alone.

 

[Knuckles]

You need a Megane r26, 250 or 265 lol. Or at least the engine

 

[crosseyedlion]

Urgh, but I love the way the clio looks. Its the only french car to have ever appealed to me, and apart from the gearing it seems a pretty great little car.

 

[Knuckles]

Urgh, but I love the way the clio looks. Its the only french car to have ever appealed to me, and apart from the gearing it seems a pretty great little car.

I don't mind it, but if you're used to big lazy German cars I can see it being tiresome.

hopefully you'll get used to it

 

[George Welsh]

and I hate my 172 cause it is long geared lol.
Sell it and get a megane.

 

[crosseyedlion]

Im not getting a megane just because of a gearbox...

 

[Matt W]

And I was just thinking how good my 200 is for cruising on motorways!

 

[Martin_172]

i cant believe someone would consider ruining the car this way the only way you would find me fitting a DCI box is if i was boosting it and running 300bhp/300lbft!

best thing you could do is buy a Clio GT DCI, that way you get a car with the same equipment, softer setup but still handles brilliant, infact on most pot hole filled uk roads it handles them better! and enough torque to have plenty fun, infact my private driveway has a long uphill straight before a sweeping left hander and in my gt dci doing 3500rpm changes I was doing 90mph before lifting off for the bend, in my 200 doing 6000rpm changes I was doing the same 90mph! as the 200 really needed that 7800rpm to shift its lardy ass!!

 

[crosseyedlion]

I dont really see it as ruining it, I didn't buy it for straight line speed- the clio isn't fast as it is - I want the handling, braking steering and looks in a sensible daily driver, which this could be. I also can't stand diesels.

The engine is the worst bit of the 200, the rest of it's superb.

People really shouldn't put the 200 on a pedestal, im just suggesting adapting it to my needs. Yeesh.