Clio 197/Megane 225 conversion review

[RSRowe]

morning gents,

getting a little bored of the 197's power output, so was after a review from those of you who've gone to megane conversions.
my car is used on track mainly (with a little road use to get to and from events)

is it actually a decent conversion? i see alot of these getting built and then sold on almost straight after
am i likely to get any reliability issues with a 225 engine at around 250bhp?
will i need to fit a remote oil cooler because of the amount of track use?
have any of you stuck with the 197/200 gearbox? i'd probably stick with them for the gearing

i guess my biggest worry is that it'll make the car boring. I'm not after something blisteringly quick, just a little more pokey than standard.

 

[davo172]

Haven't owned one but from what I hear gearbox and cooling are the main issues.

 

[RSRowe]

cooling as in oil or water?

bit of a shame, as i'll generally do 3-4 laps on the bounce when i'm on a trackday at the ring

 

[imprezaworks]

Love the idea of one. Don't seem to be many 'decent' ones about really.

 

[Short Norman]

bit of a shame, as i'll generally do 3-4 laps on the bounce when i'm on a trackday at the ring

that would be an hours hard driving for a man of my abilities

 

[davo172]

cooling as in oil or water?

bit of a shame, as i'll generally do 3-4 laps on the bounce when i'm on a trackday at the ring

Both it's all quite compact in the bay and generates a lot of heat oversize alloy rad and oil cooler is a must I would say vent bonnet too.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

What spec is the Clio currently? There might be things you can do to add some excitement to it.

I must say, while Meglios are quite cool, I think I would probably just buy a Megane. The money saved could be spent on some choice upgrades. By the time you're done, you're probably into R26 money. One of those with coilovers and decent rubber sounds much easier

 

[imprezaworks]

Oy thing is the 197 in decent condition would probably be easier to find..

The meganes are either well used or overpriced.

Carl asked me if I got a 197 we would look into a turbo lol.

 

[RSRowe]

What spec is the Clio currently? There might be things you can do to add some excitement to it.

I must say, while Meglios are quite cool, I think I would probably just buy a Megane. The money saved could be spent on some choice upgrades. By the time you're done, you're probably into R26 money. One of those with coilovers and decent rubber sounds much easier

It's pretty basic really. I'm about to pull the plug on some proper coilovers. It's only on cup shocks and H&R springs..... They're still good fun, but i feel like i'm at the limit of their capabilities now.
It's depressing looking at all the 'performance' mods and seeing them have little to no affect on the output.

And completely understand your point of just buying a Megane. Unfortunately the Clio isn't really worth a great deal to anyone. People would much rather buy one which is hanging ?

the next step for mine would be a manifold and mapping - this in itself is 800 quid. I fitted a set of itb's and a standalone to my previous track car, and whilst that resultedin a glorious noise, it only ended up gaining about 20whp. It made it fully toss to drive on the roads, and the mpg was wallet cripplingly shocking to and from track.

 

[RSRowe]

if there's heat issues with the Meg set ups that's pretty much scrapped the idea off tbh

 

[davo172]

if there's heat issues with the Meg set ups that's pretty much scrapped the idea off tbh

Spoke to 2 people over the years who had them and they both said the same.

Not saying that they all have issues someone on here may well know different.

 

[Edd]

I've got a Meglio and I had some cooling issues as they had used the original 197 set up. Seems fine on the Meg radiator/fan and aftermarket temperature sensor.

It's got a 250 Turbo and was mapped to 286bhp on the standard injectors, it's since had 630's fitted and running 282bhp (I opted to drop the power slightly and keep things safe).

As with all conversions, I think you have to expect minor issues along the way.

 

[imprezaworks]

Selling it?

 

[davo172]

Selling it?

Why you ask are you looking for a new car???

 

[imprezaworks]

Just being nosey for a friend :/

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

It's pretty basic really. I'm about to pull the plug on some proper coilovers. It's only on cup shocks and H&R springs..... They're still good fun, but i feel like i'm at the limit of their capabilities now.
It's depressing looking at all the 'performance' mods and seeing them have little to no affect on the output.

And completely understand your point of just buying a Megane. Unfortunately the Clio isn't really worth a great deal to anyone. People would much rather buy one which is hanging ?

the next step for mine would be a manifold and mapping - this in itself is 800 quid. I fitted a set of itb's and a standalone to my previous track car, and whilst that resultedin a glorious noise, it only ended up gaining about 20whp. It made it fully toss to drive on the roads, and the mpg was wallet cripplingly shocking to and from track.

Yeah getting much from the 197 is a challenge, as they are pretty well tuned from the factory.

Personally, I think I would do the suspension, make sure it has good rubber and all the bushes are fresh (apologies if I'm preaching to the converted and you've already done it!) and see how you get on. You're probably going to do that anyway if you do the Meg swap, so probably better to see how you feel with that done before spending the next chunk.

If you're still wanting more, I think I would probably then look at some weight saving as it's not a regular road car. You can still keep it ok on the road if you don't go too mad - GRP bonnet, remove rear seats and some sound deadening, even plastic windows so you can empty the doors - kind of like a Meg R26-R. If you keep some of the trim and the carpets, it won't be totally awful on the road. You could also add a diff, maybe even a shorter final drive, lighter flywheel, which would all make it feel more racy.

I admit that I am 100% biased though, as turbo Clios really aren't my bag

 

[Edd]

Selling it?

Everything has a price.....

But no, it won't be for sale. I think its a good set up for track use.

 

[imprezaworks]

Tease

 

[RSRowe]

weight wise the next thing would be plastic windows - only reason i've been staying away from them is because having working windows is a necessity when travelling over to the ring IMO.

i've been on the lookout for a gearbox with a better FD ratio, but i refuse to pay 200-250 quid cus i'm a cheap c**t ?

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

weight wise the next thing would be plastic windows - only reason i've been staying away from them is because having working windows is a necessity when travelling over to the ring IMO.

i've been on the lookout for a gearbox with a better FD ratio, but i refuse to pay 200-250 quid cus i'm a cheap c**t ?

It's cheaper than an engine swap though

 

[RSRowe]

this is true ?‍♀️

 

[Rojer]

If you went with the standard 197 setup then obviously going to be cooling issues, if you went with a big aftermarket intercooler and Megane rad then temps wont be an issue. People use the Meg gearbox with the diff which would be my first choice. I don't think there are that many issues providing you do it right, just people end up doing it on the cheap etc.

 

[youngarthur]

My 250 engine Meglio runs 320/340, no overheating on track, quick, reliable.I run the 225 box, because living in N/E Scotland,long distances give me longer gearing, betterMPG. I have bonnet vents, but they are never opened, even on track, are are NOT required. I do have holes, behind number plate, to use, when required. Overheating WAS a major problem when I got my car, cured by fan reversal. Hot air, was blown from engine bay through rad to outside, now draws air from outside through rad, as its supposed to!. You should fit a 225 rad, which is a bit larger than a 197 one and don't fit too large an intercooler, that block the rad too much. The only thing I might sell my car for, would be a Twingo, with a 225 engine.Back to back, Oulton/Anglesea in September.

 

[JB21]

Id just change the suspension. I went from OE dampers and lowering springs to AST's and the difference was unbelievable. I was quicker in the wet with AST's than I was in the dry with OE dampers and lowering springs. I quickly got to the limit of semi slicks then moved up to slicks, unfortunately my engine went pop before I could fit them at track but it would have been a totally different car.

 

[bloke]

Carl asked me if I got a 197 we would look into a turbo lol.

keep forgetting to ring you sorry...hate cars at the mo!!!

 

[imprezaworks]

Ok mate

 

[dann2707]

Mine was a bit different as it was a 225 into a 182 but all I can say is it ruined the whole fun factor of the clios handling.

I thi k it was the extra weight of everything just made the car really not fun once the problems were ironed out.

That coupled with the fact that when I was coming up to corners I was backing it off after booting it on the straights really made it sad and undriveable. Would make a great santa pod car as it was point and shoot but nowhere near as fun as standard na power which I think the clio suits much better.

Basically I'd keep it na and just do weight saving. Not only that but the megane engines are f**king shocking, and will fail unless forged.

 

[RSRowe]

thanks for all the replies lads ?

 

[bloke]

personally i wouldn't use a 225 engine, use the 197, swap cams and low boost it. you'd then end up with a boosted car that was still a bit of a screamer

 

[incy-spider]

How about the SC conversion? Keeps the characteristics of the car more!


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[RSRowe]

££££££££££ ?

 

[bloke]

How about the SC conversion? Keeps the characteristics of the car more!


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Not a fan of the rotrex, especially the bloody price!!!!!!! If I was doing one I'd go with a nice big eaton, weld the silencer holes and have something that sounds like a supercharger should do

 

[197.]

personally i wouldn't use a 225 engine, use the 197, swap cams and low boost it. you'd then end up with a boosted car that was still a bit of a screamer

This is what Engine Dynamics did. Made 250bhp IIRC and drove just like a N/A car. It was £4.5k fitted but I don't think they got that much interest. I'd rather go for that as opposed to a meg conversion.

 

[imprezaworks]

Carl needs to build me a car lol

 

[Ol’ Tarby]

Carl needs to build me a car lol

You'd probably not buy it after he finished it x

 

[bloke]

to do 250bhp must of only been running a couple of psi boost?

once i've caught up on everything we will be looking for a cheap 197 to have a play with, 7-8psi should see it to close on 300bhp but with them having s**t...sorry...low torque that should be pretty safe at not much over 210lb/ft

 

[bloke]

You'd probably not buy it after he finished it x

for how far behind i am at the mo probably wouldn't be ready for about 5 years!!!!!

 

[imprezaworks]

Suits me lol

 

[Ol’ Tarby]

for how far behind i am at the mo probably wouldn't be ready for about 5 years!!!!!

No point asking you do the belts on my phase 1 then? ?

 

[bloke]

No point asking you do the belts on my phase 1 then? ?

quick easy jobs are fine, even if they go tits up with my curse ?