Sinclair C5
I think it's a bit rude of you coming over a car and you don't even know who's it is for starters.
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Darren S
ClioSport Club Member
LOL - too right! I take it that Fiat didn't make much effort with the standard Coupe unit either? The factory-fit item on my Punto GT had the same dimensions of a VHS cassette box - totally bloody useless!
Must admit, I've always like the 20v Turbo Coupes. Especially the Plus model (iirc) - that looked really smart in black. :approve:
D.
FN2 Type R +MK6 Golf
I love the idea of the turbo coupe. Exceptional value, practicle, fantastic engine, tunable even on a small budget, nice interior (when leather), rapid, infact I like everything about them except I'm just too shallow to see past the way they look; in my opinion they are irregularly proportioned, nose heavy and have that slash across the front and rear arches which is just wrong. which is a shame taking into account they have their merits.
also a vid of me at TOTB - http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v117/Cyclone04/TOTB V/?action=view¤t=NVECapture.flv
I agree with Tom on this. A lighter car with same power and I would assume a fair bit more torque would/should be quicker. Just because its a ferrari doesn't mean its invincible (cue the "I know what car I'd rather have" comments)
Me too. Does'nt seem too hard to believe if the Coupe is running a genuine 400bhp.
Think you answered your own question there mate. Its all in the context - 30 zones are generally residential; so breaking the limit poses more of a risk to others than on a DC / rural A road etc, and is therefore frowned upon more. (I assume this dice between the Coupe and Clio turbo did not occur on a high street!)
Don't want to be a hypocrite - TBH I quite often break 30 limits. In my view it depends on the situation whether this is dangerous, not what the posted limit is.
I would never do 50 in a 30 - I'm pretty choosy about where I travel fast. Been driving for nearly thrity years so I have a few miles under my belt.
As for the "I know which car I'd rather be driving" - damn right - Ferrari every time. There's not a day goes by when I don't look longingly at the poster on my office wall. NOTHING comes close to the sense of occasion of driving one. They're unreliable, ridiculously costly, noisy, uncomfortable, utterly ostentatious, but at the same time, just brilliant. I count myself lucky to have been fortunate enough to have one for a short time.
one of my favourite piccies of the beastie
As for the "I know which car I'd rather be driving" - damn right - Ferrari every time. There's not a day goes by when I don't look longingly at the poster on my office wall. NOTHING comes close to the sense of occasion of driving one. They're unreliable, ridiculously costly, noisy, uncomfortable, utterly ostentatious, but at the same time, just brilliant. I count myself lucky to have been fortunate enough to have one for a short time.
one of my favourite piccies of the beastie
My Coupe is still quicker though - AND it does 30,000 miles a year AND it can do over 30mpg (when I try) AND it only costs a couple of hundred quid to service AND I can park it up and not worry about it being damaged.
Anyway - the reason I showed my face on here - what's the spec on this Clio turbo? Its a genuinely fast car - must be well sorted. I'm fairly sure it won't just have been a case of bolting on a blower and hoping for the best - pistons, cams, fuelling - what turbo? etc etc etc
Anyway - the reason I showed my face on here - what's the spec on this Clio turbo? Its a genuinely fast car - must be well sorted. I'm fairly sure it won't just have been a case of bolting on a blower and hoping for the best - pistons, cams, fuelling - what turbo? etc etc etc
nice car mate, always been a fan of the Fiat turbo cars, sound lovely these coupe but never got one cos of the reiliabity problems iv been hearing. oh i worry about parking my clio on the road and i bet you do really lol.
Cookie - 20VT Coupes have Viscodrive as standard - a kind of LSD. I have no traction problems in the dry after 1st gear. The wet is a slightly different story though - will light up the fronts on demand in the first three gears, but still surprisingly capable after that.
Traction control helps though - its called the right foot and it works in both directions, so I just lift off a bit and it grips up again. Goood tyres help immensely on a Coupe, as does the front-heavy weight distribution.
Traction control helps though - its called the right foot and it works in both directions, so I just lift off a bit and it grips up again. Goood tyres help immensely on a Coupe, as does the front-heavy weight distribution.
thats a neat bit of photoshopping there
Not sure - it certainly looks different - you've increased the wheel size a bit and added some deep-dish effect on the rears
It looks a bit Supra-esque at the rear.
Not really to my liking - I love the slash effect - adds a bit of character to otherwise very smooth flanks.
Having said that, very few other drivers ever see anything other than the ar$e end
Not sure - it certainly looks different - you've increased the wheel size a bit and added some deep-dish effect on the rears
It looks a bit Supra-esque at the rear.
Not really to my liking - I love the slash effect - adds a bit of character to otherwise very smooth flanks.
Having said that, very few other drivers ever see anything other than the ar$e end
Fairplay, rapid car. Sounds like a lot of time, effort and cash has been spent.
My friend used to have a dark blue one who is most likely on that forum. Not sure if he still has it.
What kind of problems have you had with the level of tune your at?
As already said in a previous post, fiat's aren't exactly known for reliability so would be interesting to see if you have had to fork out some money to keep it on the road.
My friend used to have a dark blue one who is most likely on that forum. Not sure if he still has it.
What kind of problems have you had with the level of tune your at?
As already said in a previous post, fiat's aren't exactly known for reliability so would be interesting to see if you have had to fork out some money to keep it on the road.
Gaz_
ClioSport Club Member
Extreme mode
Fiats are good from my experience with them. I had a punto turbo running around 170bhp (130 standard) It never missed a beat very strong engine wise. Mine was in that state of tune for a good 2.5 yrs of hard driving. quicker than a CTR too, as many i came up against found out. I love the coupe too, it was the proggression from the punto turbo, as the 224 magane is from the Clio. Black LE for me..... mmmmmmm That 5 cylinder turbo lump sounds awesome too
Coupes are inherently reliable, as long as the maintenance is right (same as any performance car really). The vast majority of engine failures have been down to one of two things - lack of oil (they can use a litre per thousand miles) or too much boost.
Build quality is pretty good (for an Italian car). Don't forget they were built by Pininfarina, NOT Fiat.
300bhp is relatively easy - about £1500 on top of a £3k purchase price and you have a genuine 170mph car, with 0-100 in about 12 seconds. After 350 bhp, things start to get expensive.
My biggest problem was controlling the bigger injectors with a stock ECU. In the end I had it "live mapped" - the tuning shop actually controlled the ECU from a laptop, then wrote the map to a chip.
Coupes have a few known weak points (don't most cars?). Suspension wishbones wear. Brake discs don't last very well. Oil cooler pipes corrode. Exhaust manifolds crack. Thats really about it. Electrics are generally fine. Bodywork is very good. Interior is pretty solid. Maintenance is relatively easy, but its still best to use Coupe specialists. The infamous £1,200, engine-out cambelt change can be done for less than £400 by a non-franchise Coupe expert. By far the worst aspect of Coupe ownership is the insurance. group 18 or 19 for the 20VT is enough to stop most young people buying one. Having said that, it also means that the typical Coupe owner usualy has enough money to run it - much better than it falling into the hands of the local chav, who will stick a big spoiler on the back, a stripe over the top and then wind up the boost until it goes pop.
I've spent a lot of money on mine - most of it by choice as upgrades, rather than by necessity.
its really an urban myth about Coupe unreliabilty - probably perpetuated by a long history of less than perfect predecessors. My current car has 163,000 on the clock and my first Coupe had 123,000 and was still on its original clutch and turbo when I slid it into a ditch and wrote it off. I've heard far worse stories about BMW M3 reliability. If the Coupe had a German badge it would be hailed as a supercar classic. For now though, its a relatively unknown performance bargain. There were only about 7,000 brought into the UK, so its pretty exclusive too.
Build quality is pretty good (for an Italian car). Don't forget they were built by Pininfarina, NOT Fiat.
300bhp is relatively easy - about £1500 on top of a £3k purchase price and you have a genuine 170mph car, with 0-100 in about 12 seconds. After 350 bhp, things start to get expensive.
My biggest problem was controlling the bigger injectors with a stock ECU. In the end I had it "live mapped" - the tuning shop actually controlled the ECU from a laptop, then wrote the map to a chip.
Coupes have a few known weak points (don't most cars?). Suspension wishbones wear. Brake discs don't last very well. Oil cooler pipes corrode. Exhaust manifolds crack. Thats really about it. Electrics are generally fine. Bodywork is very good. Interior is pretty solid. Maintenance is relatively easy, but its still best to use Coupe specialists. The infamous £1,200, engine-out cambelt change can be done for less than £400 by a non-franchise Coupe expert. By far the worst aspect of Coupe ownership is the insurance. group 18 or 19 for the 20VT is enough to stop most young people buying one. Having said that, it also means that the typical Coupe owner usualy has enough money to run it - much better than it falling into the hands of the local chav, who will stick a big spoiler on the back, a stripe over the top and then wind up the boost until it goes pop.
I've spent a lot of money on mine - most of it by choice as upgrades, rather than by necessity.
its really an urban myth about Coupe unreliabilty - probably perpetuated by a long history of less than perfect predecessors. My current car has 163,000 on the clock and my first Coupe had 123,000 and was still on its original clutch and turbo when I slid it into a ditch and wrote it off. I've heard far worse stories about BMW M3 reliability. If the Coupe had a German badge it would be hailed as a supercar classic. For now though, its a relatively unknown performance bargain. There were only about 7,000 brought into the UK, so its pretty exclusive too.
Mini Cooper S sport
Yours is definitely the nicest colour (spoken like a true girly), looks similar to racing blue in the pics. I'm not a fan of the looks, but love the performance! Wasting more expensive machinery must be fun.
Not that I'm condoning racing, but what car (that you're likely to see on the roads) would actually give yours a run for its money?
Not that I'm condoning racing, but what car (that you're likely to see on the roads) would actually give yours a run for its money?
I was sleeping 1 night when i got woke up by someones horn blasting, "WHO THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT!" it was me I had to disconnect the battery to make it stop, then i realised thats probly why the battery went dead after leaving the car at my gfs house, im suprised the neighbours didnt smash it up!
often i would be driving along and the boot would open of its own accord:S
electric mirrors never worked, the dashboard warning lights worked intermitantly, it was a few years ago i had it but im sure there was other niggly things up with it.
Basically it was a lemon, albeit reliable.
Bought a poxster S afterwards and was bitterly dissapointed with its perfomance compared to the fiat.
I had to disconnect the battery to make it stop, then i realised thats probly why the battery went dead after leaving the car at my gfs house, im suprised the neighbours didnt smash it up!often i would be driving along and the boot would open of its own accord:S
electric mirrors never worked, the dashboard warning lights worked intermitantly, it was a few years ago i had it but im sure there was other niggly things up with it.
Basically it was a lemon, albeit reliable.
Bought a poxster S afterwards and was bitterly dissapointed with its perfomance compared to the fiat.
haven't really found anything that's willing to have a go
If I check out my proven stats against the published performance of today's supercars, you would need to be spending nearly £100k to beat my Coupe.
Currently, I'm running a very slightly better power to weight ratio than a new 911 turbo. Something like a 911 Carrera is simply not powerful enough. The top end Lambos, F430 are probably faster, but when was the last time you saw one on the road? BMW M3s are easy meat, M5s are closer, but even in 500bhp mode, I can still edge them. Monaros are entertaining - the new 500bhp VXR model sounds like it could give me a run for my money.
I guess the most common car that would match me would be an EVO FQ320. Low spoolup and THAT traction would mean on anything other than straight roads, I would have to work pretty hard to stay with it. However, on a straight, I would romp away after 120 as the 4WD tranny losses bite.
To be honest, the only car that's REALLY surprised me (other than the black Clio
) was a VERY well driven BMW 335D - the way it pulled out of corners was astounding. Probably chipped, as it pulled pretty well at the top end too. I had to work hard to stay with it. Annoying thing was, he was probably still doing 40mpg while he was at it
Punto/Clio GTT
rapid car, fair play, but i really really really hate those fiats, looks like a stevie wonder design
MERCEDES CLS AMG
There is another Black clio knocking about Coventry that may surprise you and the Ferrari driver - keep your eyes peeled
M4 LCI, X1, ZX10R
Russ - yes, the 355 was mine for a couple of years. Sold it to buy the business I now own.
Floodie - Coupe owners tend to be realists - we know that its an unusual car that tends to polarise opinion. I have no problem defending my choice - I've done it many times. I'm old enough to take negativity in the way it was intended - quotes of "Coupes are gash" don't help, but I can read between the lines.
Personally, I don't much like French cars. I don't think they have the same passion built into them. However, even French cars have more than German stuff - I know that a Porsche 911 is a MILES better car than my 355 ever was, but the fact that the 355 might not make it to the end of the journey was part of the charm (until it broke down, which then became a PITA)
However, depite my preferences, I know when I've come across a special car, and the black Clio turbo is definitely special. I have no problem admitting that this Clio would whup the a$$ of a standard Coupe 20VT and as such, is a car worth talking about.
Great forum - if I'd posed a similar thread about a certain fugly Japanese 4WD rally **** on their own forum, I'd have been flamed to death by now. Its always great to come across a bunch of owners that actuay realise there are other cars on the road worth talking about. Cheers chaps
Floodie - Coupe owners tend to be realists - we know that its an unusual car that tends to polarise opinion. I have no problem defending my choice - I've done it many times. I'm old enough to take negativity in the way it was intended - quotes of "Coupes are gash" don't help, but I can read between the lines.
Personally, I don't much like French cars. I don't think they have the same passion built into them. However, even French cars have more than German stuff - I know that a Porsche 911 is a MILES better car than my 355 ever was, but the fact that the 355 might not make it to the end of the journey was part of the charm (until it broke down, which then became a PITA)
However, depite my preferences, I know when I've come across a special car, and the black Clio turbo is definitely special. I have no problem admitting that this Clio would whup the a$$ of a standard Coupe 20VT and as such, is a car worth talking about.
Great forum - if I'd posed a similar thread about a certain fugly Japanese 4WD rally **** on their own forum, I'd have been flamed to death by now. Its always great to come across a bunch of owners that actuay realise there are other cars on the road worth talking about. Cheers chaps
Hi Nigel, many thanks for posting, their is a yellow coupe sat just up the road from me day in day out and im now fighting the urge to rob it.. , i currently have a 172cup with usal mods, remap,inlets,ik +caf and looking at the costs to bring my car up any more simply cannot be justified, therefor, this post has really got me thinking about moving over to coupe...
Yourself and any one else, what sort of perfromance difference between, say my cup and a std coupe would be very much appreciated?
cheers for help all.
PS. in most photos the coupe seems to ride very hide, or should i say seems a lot of space under the wheel arches, can this be easily corrected by lowering etc?
, i currently have a 172cup with usal mods, remap,inlets,ik +caf and looking at the costs to bring my car up any more simply cannot be justified, therefor, this post has really got me thinking about moving over to coupe...Yourself and any one else, what sort of perfromance difference between, say my cup and a std coupe would be very much appreciated?
cheers for help all.
PS. in most photos the coupe seems to ride very hide, or should i say seems a lot of space under the wheel arches, can this be easily corrected by lowering etc?
