Clio's handling - Nearly DIED!!

[Claire]

Ok, not so bad (though when the bf rolled the last car they nearly died)
Coming round a corner that I take at 40+ in the fiesta (on a 60mph, fairly lengthy corner with a bit of a dodgy camber) Did it today at about 30-35, and the car lifted off on the left. Only thing that I tihnk saved us was that I did advanced driver training and got taught to deal with this kind of thing. Plus no oncoming cars. If I didnt know how to correct that I think I'd be a gonner.
Pretty terifying considering I'm not a fast driver at all!

I take back everything I said about the fiesta and corners

 

[Ad]

strange cos i think the clio is particularly good.

 

[Djw John]

Having driven both quite a bit I reckon the Clio edges it but not by loads. Maybe something on the road?

 

[Claire]

hmm, well i always thought that too. nthing wrong with the road. took it the same as always, and slower. Though tbh I have a friend who has done a few small races in a few hatches and is adament the fiesta handling is second only to the golfs

 

[Da]

how old's the Clio? I've pushed my lil 1.2 and never been able to get anything to lift off, lol!

 

[Claire]

4 years old in april

 

[The Fatty]

if you watch the top gear video, it actully shows the clios go up on what they call a "tripod" (on 3 wheels) when you take a corner to hard, but they wont actually roll over until alot more force is applyed. theres a link on here to the video somehwhere....

 

[Ollie82.]

Ahh yes...."the yappy type dog lifting its hind leg" look.

A mate following me told this looked rather alarming....but then you really do have to be trying pretty darn hard to do it.

Otherwise i find mine pretty composed thru the twisty bits.....unless you find a sodding horse walking the other way and then its all anchors out and rear end wagging...eek.

 

[The Hoff]

Though tbh I have a friend who has done a few small races in a few hatches and is adament the fiesta handling is second only to the golfs

Has your friend ever driven a golf??? Boat springs to mind!

 

[AliasOmega]

I was coming down the A1 on sunday night to the A57 (lincoln) junction. In the outside lane when some asian guy pushes his way into my lane when no space is available for his cheap Rover 600 special. Ended up slamming on, so knocked it down and sat on his ass with main beam on..lol....nice xeons...

So then be pulled over and i hoofed it too the round about, hit the roundabout about 40mph then slung it left up the a57 junction. So were going left ish now into the slip road followed by a nice sharp right, as i put it round the corner the rear end kicked out and i just counter steered to bring it back with the traction control light flashing at me. Not advance training sorted this for me, but go karting....lots of back end kicking out on that..

This was in the Clio 182...weird eh..so a normal clio..id be in the field..

 

[Neil G]

Has your friend ever driven a golf??? Boat springs to mind!

Oh yes....know what you mean

I've driven a new Golf TDI and the floaty nature of the handling is unsettling!

 

[miketheman2k]

Maybe they mean a mk1/2 Golf?

Love the lift-off oversteer, best feature of the Clio - can't do that in the over-weight new breed of hot hatches (or not as easily at least). Can be fooking scary though.

 

[Turkish]

Of alot of the cars i've driven i've found the clio really good at letting you know when its losing traction, im forever provoking it into going sideways. The roads are s**t at the moment though and i'd say it's probably down to the geasy salt/moisture slick thats sat on the roads or maybe some diesel assuming all your tyres are in good nick the geometry fine and tyre pressures right.

 

[Ali]

Clio is one of the best current hot hatches in terms of handling. Providing the driver is 1/2 decent.

The Mk1/2 golf is a good handling car/R32 is heavy but you get alot of feel....Not nearly a match on the tight stuff tho.

I'm a little curious how ur BF flipped, was there diesel on the road/adverse conditions? Or simply his mistake?

 

[sh33n]

The clio is excellent at handaling, well I think mine is anyway.

This morning coming round a large round about I got a fair amount of understeer due to the road conditions; thing is I felt it going and was able to just feather the throttle with the steering to still happily keep a nice speed up around the roundabout until my exit, sliding a little of course

I hope your bf is ok though.

 

[Turkish]

Was it advanced driver training or pass plus you did ?

 

[Mack]

This is a 1.2 she has though, not a stiffly set up Sport. You must have done something pretty wrong to get it to "lift off", 1.2's are set up to understeer all day long without loosing it (apart from going straight on).

The biggest thing is probably the tyres, have you checked the tread recently. You want to improve the handling? buy some wider alloys with decent tyres and it should stick to the road.

 

[Phill1978]

check tyre pressure. also get your camber/geometery looked at as in my last 172 i was 2deg negative ?! turned in quick like

 

[Ali]

This is a 1.2 she has though, not a stiffly set up Sport. You must have done something pretty wrong to get it to "lift off", 1.2's are set up to understeer all day long without loosing it (apart from going straight on).

The biggest thing is probably the tyres, have you checked the tread recently. You want to improve the handling? buy some wider alloys with decent tyres and it should stick to the road.

Not at this time of yr! lol!!! You want as narrower profile are possible.

 

[Timmay]

ive found that my clio 1.6 16v can get a bit lairy in the conditions we have at the moment but suually its fine.

Ive been through a chicane on a road near mine at about 60mph (got clio 182 anthracite alloys and lowered suspension) and i managed a kinda small "tripod" with the back left wheel coming slighlt off the road- great fun!

 

[Martin_172]

how can you tell when you lift a back wheel?

mine can get a bit hairy in tight corners fast, back end twitches and bounces about when it hits bumps if your going to fast (as well as the tyres chewing the arch liners lol)

 

[Ali]

You can feel the car pivoting! Surprised you can get a wheel off the deck on the road tho...I struggle on track.

 

[Martin_172]

what you mean by pivoting? (its early in the morning! LOL)

 

[muffs]

any car can " tripod" i used to get my old renault 5 gts up on three wheels with cheap remoulds on. it depends on the camber and the surface of the road and of course how far you want to push it!

 

[muffs]

how can you tell when you lift a back wheel?

mine can get a bit hairy in tight corners fast, back end twitches and bounces about when it hits bumps if your going to fast (as well as the tyres chewing the arch liners lol)

get someone to follow you if they can then you ll know for sure if your getting some air

 

[Martin_172]

yeah thats what i would have done it was just when timmay said..

Ive been through a chicane on a road near mine at about 60mph (got clio 182 anthracite alloys and lowered suspension) and i managed a kinda small "tripod" with the back left wheel coming slighlt off the road- great fun!

was just wondering how he knew

 

[Ali]

I'd be surprised if you managed to lift a wheel on a chicace. 9/10 time you'll get it on long...loooongggg corners or on hairpins.

Pivot, tripod, it's 11:21 come on fella!

 

[Timmay]

well the only reason i know was cos my mate was chasing me in his saxo vtr - said it lifted slightly and clios are known to do it

 

[ducks butts]

hmmmmm women drivers.

 

[CrazyK]

hmmmmm women drivers.

I think that comments going to go down like a cup od cold sick!! lol

 

[2 live]

hmmmm


must admit its very rare mine c***s a rear wheel. altho i had a couple of 2 wheel moments the other week hehe.(i thort 3 but the guy in the willy behind me said it was def 2 lol)


like ali said...surprised u managed to get a wheel off goin so slow on what sounds to be a fairly gentle corner.

 

[jonnyboy]

the rear wheel lifting isnt like voodoo or anything its just the torsion beam twisting the grip onto the outer wheel. Sounds like the rut in the road might have just dipped the outer wheel and made the inner wheel lift? Looks good on magazine shoots and stuff but its not really hard to get a clio to do it, as long as your applying enough lateral force the inner wheel should come up

 

[Ali]

^ lol, I've done over 1000 laps @ knockhill and never managed it in a production car. That inc.

Clio
Cupra
MG TF
and a 355.

Jon are williams not easier to do it with than RS's?? Due to their suspension set up?

^Still up for taking me out @ FCS? Ya big girl.

 

[2 live]

lol..dunno mate tbh....try to keep mine on all 4 if i can..lol



u sure u wont b too scared in the pass seat of a quick clio??

 

[Lee]

I don't get it, I don't drive that hard yet I never had a problem getting the 182 to do it. The 172 wasn't so easy though. The Trophy does it fairly easily too.

That was at Spa.

My old Pug 306-GTi 6 used to do it easily.

 

[Ali]

Thats at pace and a long progressive bend...By the looks of things...

Jon....Lets not be silly now.

 

[2 live]

lol.it may be a fair bit quicker by then mate.........

 

[Frasers Cup]

if you watch the top gear video, it actully shows the clios go up on what they call a "tripod" (on 3 wheels) when you take a corner to hard, but they wont actually roll over until alot more force is applyed. theres a link on here to the video somehwhere....

thats on the renaultsport models, try that in a std clio and you might end up on the door handles j/k

 

[2 live]

altho i think these may be 3 wheel moments lol. oulton for ya tho....

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=3/6005332981.jpg&s=x402

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=3/6005364791.jpg&s=x402

 

[Nik]

It doesn't always have to be long fast corners, but mostly it is. This was on the slowest corner on the Bedford GT circuit, a 180 degree hairpin.

(original version is on order)

.... OK I know I'm missing the apex by a good mile or so, but it had the desired effect.