Cup upgrades!!

[BenS]

Had a conversation today from Reno about the upgrades to the Cup. Basically I was told that there is almost no chance that seats or roll cage will be available. I asked about fitting aftermarket seats and was informed that this would screw up the pretensioners in the seat and would therefore make the seat mechanism half as effective in a crash.

R-Sport are still working on engine mods and new exhaust but said they are conducting experiements on power to cost ratio because they received the clio cup so late in the day. These mods may come out but havent been 100% confirmed and could be several months off. The mods are apparently not available to any other 172 owners, except the Cups, which is stupid. Im sure some 172 owners would like the upgrades.

The exhaust may be a full system from the manifold but could cost more than most people would want to pay because they want to produce something that gives better power gains.

Pissed of about the competition seats, I cant believe Reno could f*ck that up - then again, I can.

Any thoughts or views on this?

 

[CooperS-Boy]

T-cut the top layer of paint to get the weight down a bit more to make up for it.

 

[Sangy]

Only money my friend and you certainly cant take it with you so ill spend what needs to be spent I guess?

In the end suppose it all comes down to what they offer....

 

[BenS]

I think Reno have already used t-cut as the paint layer does seem thin - especially when you get chips on the bonnet.

I would quite happily pay £500-600 for a top quality exhaust if it had good enough power gains, like 20bhp+. Anyway time to go home.

 

[Nick Read]

Well I heard theyre doing a few upgrades to the Cup that are gonna be available soon...

Leather/alcantara sports interior £1000

Spare wheel £100

Thicker paint £500

Choice of colours £500

Air conditioning £850



hehe you know Im only joking with you Cup owners... Seems odd that the Cup engine mods will not be allowed on the 172. The engines are the same. Still it wont be long before someone gets the Renault mods done on the Cup then starts knocking out identical mods, after all whatever engine mods they are, theyre not likely to be reinventing the wheel are they?

I did like the look of all those Cups at Brands yesterday, the colour is wicked I reckon and its nice to see a bit of room in the engine bay and you can actually see the engine in there as well.

 

[Craggy]

you can also upgrade the rear seats so that they finish making them

 

[Craggy]

so does that mean that reno have to fit them to prove its a cup there fitting it too, or do all cup owners have an "i own a cup badge"? or so to speak

 

[RSTDL]

I posted ages ago that these mods would only be for cup owners - but noone believed me - do you really think that R-Sport would produce the cup for every tom dick and harry to order the limited parts. Cant have your cake and eat it...........lol

Oh, and just noticed that the cup already has the mounting points for the rollcage fitted in its construction - its quite cool actually - little flaps in the trim and panels which open to reveal the mounting points!!! - kinda hints at the fact that a rollcage etc is in the pipeline ! This car was built with all these mods in mind - wasnt just a case of lets make a cheapo 172 by ditching (yawn yawn) aircon and xenon haedlamps!!! But rather lets loose as much weight as we can by ditching unnecessary components (personally I could have done without all the plastic trim as well if Renault had been kind in ditching it and save another £1000 in the process) and add proper racing modifications that actually improve perfromance and handling etc rather than provide nancy aircon and blue tinted bulbs.........................LOL



Flame suit removed and aircon engaged - damn theres no button? Wheres the switch............

 

[telford_mike]

So cant you just go and buy a roll-cage from wherever the Clio Cup Racer guys get theirs from? (And how much does such a thing weigh BTW?).

 

[Stu_H]

"Oh, and just noticed that the cup already has the mounting points for the rollcage fitted in its construction - its quite cool actually - little flaps in the trim and panels which open to reveal the mounting points!!! "

So do 172s.



Stu.

 

[Tom]

so do 1.2s lol

 

[BenS]

I should find out by end of the week which mods have been given the go ahead. Can anyone check this with their dealers?

Im not interested in the roll cage as I have no plans on driving the car that hard that it would warrant that safety feature (as said before it must weigh quite a bit).

The Reno guy told me that they use a different ecu (???) so thats why there not offering the mods to everyone. Also the gearbox on the cup cost £600 more than on the std 172.

Has anyone successfully fitted aftermarket seats and got round the wiring system problem on the std seats? Do the seats sit lower than the lowest setting on std seats?

 

[Tom]

ok fitting aftermarket seats on a 172/cup would:


Void warranty
Void Insurance
Be dangerous
the seats contain side airbags and a sensor for the driver/passenger airbags

the fact that aftermaket seats dont contain side airbags or the sensor would void both warranty and some insurance policys

this is prob why renault dont offer the seats

 

[geordiepaul]

I cant belive the cup has a different gearbox to the 172. The one in the cup I drove was just as rubbish as the one in my car!!!!

 

[RSTDL]

Thats why the R-Sport upgrades are offered under warranty Tom! And Renault ARE providing them - again read the brochure guys. It shouldnt really concern anyone else except cup owners as were the only ones wholl actually be able to get them.............lol http://forum.cliosport.net/smileys/smiley2

 

[Tom]

Where are they then?

"Race ready package which could include:"

 

[BenS]

The Cup seats dont have side airbags, only the wiring for the pretensioners and two stage airbag for driver and passenger. I asked about the warranty and non reno engine mods would void it. Aftermarket Seats, exhaust, brakes etc are fine.

The problem with all this info is that Im repeating what Reno MK told me, so it could be bullsh*t. Ask the dealers yourself - only time will tell.

 

[Tom]

but the airbags (driver / pasenger) airbags wont work with aftermarket seats? or will they?

 

[BenS]

The airbags will inflate but I think the two stage system wont work because it relies on the sensors under the seat. I think someone on the inside needs to comment on this as Reno could say anything to stop you buying aftermarket seats. Obviously I dont want to put my life at risk, but hey, who wants to live for ever?(joke)

 

[Tom]

but if you disconnect the sensors (i have- once) the airbag + SERV light comes up on the dash

(this also happens on a few clios due to a loose connection)

 

[BenS]

Thats the problem. If i get seats i want someone that can fit them including sorting out all the wiring so its safe and no warning lights are on.

Didnt someone here fit new seats to their Cup and overcame the problem, the guy that also owns an Impreza STI/Elise or something.

 

[Tom]

you could take the sensors out of the seats you have and put them into the new ones- problem solved

dont know how to do it though

 

[172Cup]

Guys,

If you have the right tools and a proper workshop with ramps (need this to get the seat bolted in etc) then it can be done. This also includes de-wiring and taking off the seat-belt pretensioners and fitting them onto the new seats.

Now I have done it once, It would take me about 30 - 45 mins max (depending on the new seat) to swap them over.

This does not cause any airbag warning sensors to kick off or seat belt light to go on. Just like having the original seat in,,,, but better!!!!!

You have to cut up the Cup seat a bit,,, but it was a pleasure!!!!

172CUP.

 

[RSTDL]

You can turn the airbags of by using your igntion key in the slot next to the passenger electric window switch - who needs them anyway - I dont want first degree burns!

 

[KDF]

doesnt that just switch off the passenger one, as they have to provide this by law, incase you have a reverse facing child seat in the front ?

 

[172Cup]

Correct. Front driver ones will still work.

Changing over the wiring is easy anyway!

 

[Flying Scotsman]

Correct _KDF. The drivers front & side airbags are always active. Not sure if the passenger switch controls the passenger side airbag also?

 

[aledw]

or...

disconnect / remove all wiring to the seats, remove pre-tensioning devices, remove passenger airbag, fit race seats, 4 point harnesses and race steering wheel (removable, of course, for extra theft security).

Then maybe fit a cage, but that probably means doing away with the rear seat and loosing the hidden boot space :-(

 

[BenR]

i bet nothing ever comes out and if it does, its gonna be crap!

 

[RSTDL]

How is full race seats, 6 or 10 point cage, carbon metallic brake pads and discs, safety harness, fire extinguisher, carbon fibre trim, Grp N exhaust etx crap???? Would it be crap if it was available as a package for the 172 ConAir.... Hhhmmmmm

 

[Tom]

reading the brochure again i see

 

[BenS]

I know it says it in the brochure, but thats Marketing. If technical or R&D departments werent involved before brochure was released, then who knows what Reno may produce or R-Sport. Now if they dont provide half of what they say in the brochure, are they liable. Because Im sure a percentage of people bought the Cup for the tasty upgrades. I know this helped my final decision on a Cup instead of some other car.

 

[Stu_H]

"How is full race seats, 6 or 10 point cage, carbon metallic brake pads and discs, safety harness, fire extinguisher, carbon fibre trim, Grp N exhaust etx crap???? Would it be crap if it was available as a package for the 172 ConAir.... Hhhmmmmm"

How is full race seats - Like you cant get those from anywhere else,

6 or 10 point cage - Have you ever tried to insure a car with a roll cage? And youd need to do loads of track work to warrent it one anyway.

carbon metallic brake pads and discs - And how well will those work on the road?

safety harness - Same comment as seats.

fire extinguisher - What like 172s come with? WOW!

carbon fibre trim - LOL, in a Clio!

Grp N exhaust - The one worthy item, but is it any better than Hayward and Scott, Ktec etc??

Its such a shame us lardy 172 owners cant get those upgrades, I could really do with a carbon fibre glove box.

Stu.

 

[RSTDL]

Ignoring the last post (attmept at being sarcastic.........!) Thats a good point BenS - Are they indeed liable - me and the mrs discussed this before the deposit went down and that was indeed a valuable selling point in buyng the Cup!

And No I wont buy aftermarket seats or anything else for the Cup because I want all warranty friendly Mods guaranteed by R-Sport and not sub standard crap from Demon Tweeks or the like!!!

 

[specialK]

Quote: Originally posted by CUPSIZE? on 26 November 2002

Thats why the R-Sport upgrades are offered under warranty Tom! And Renault ARE providing them - again read the brochure guys. It shouldnt really concern anyone else except cup owners as were the only ones wholl actually be able to get them.............lol http://forum.cliosport

So are you saying that if I go to Renault and say can I buy xxx please? they are going to say to me - no you cant cos you dont own a Cup?????? On what do you base this statement please???

 

[wallisj]

Nick Hill was talking to R-sport and they say that things like suspension mods for the cup wont fit a 172...the wishbones are different (hence the different geometry)

So who knows what will fit and what wont

Ta

J

 

[KDF]

It seems to be a case of 172 owners dont want cup owners to be able to upgrade their cars with new parts for cups only, and cup owners dont like to admit the cup isnt really that much better on a track, they are in essence the same car, I myself am buying a 172 for comfort, and a bit of go in the engine department.

However If I was looking for a w/end track car that is still road legal I would have bought a CUP and would also be looking forward to possible upgrades.

I as a future 172 owner will be pleased to see Renualt providing upgrades to the CUP becuase, and I think Cup owners will agree, the seats suck big time.

both cars have the strong points, and I thanks Renualt for giving me the choice on whether I want the track day version or the comfort version.

sorry for the long post but It had to be said.

 

[BenS]

It doesnt bother me who decides to buy a car for what reasons, thats totally down to them and obviously nobody should be judged on that.

Cupsize - remember the Williams limited edition story, I guess this is slightly different but who knows!

As a Cup owner every 172 owner whether it be mk1/mk2 or Cup should be allowed the opportunity to have warranty friendly upgrades from Reno, especially engine modifications such as chips, exhaust.

 

[ak_uk]

Or you could just do what you want and f**k the warranty!



But it can be a mite stressful!



Arjun