Drove the 197 today!!!!!

[BIG jts]

Oh yeah.... Went on the Renault course for the 197 today at Outon park, myself and superfast and what a wicked time we had.We Drove the 197 round the track but only got to do 3 laps which was a bit of a shame, then we got driven round buy Danny Buxton the clio cup champion and what a driver he is.....
We also did a timed lap around a small track built in the car part out of cones, didnt even get out of first gear! superfast did a good lap around this but i f**ked up big time and to the enjoyment of the others smashed most of the cones down..
If i was honest i wasnt really impressed with the 197 when i firet saw it but after driving it , wow!!!! fantastic much better than my 172/182 drives wicked and the handling is awesome,i really want one .
As they say "The proof is in the pudding"
Here's a few pics nothing fantastic and a small phone vid clip...

Myself and superfast....

Found out some other info the Recaro seats will be a option but not for a few months, Also a rear spoiler the same as the cup, but because the rear lower diffuser has been built to match the car you could lose up to 14hp buy fitting it because of the extra
aerodynamic drag ????

These are the new cars for Oulton park track days to eventually replace the 182 cups they have, one of them is the car which was given to Alonso to drive....

Small vid above Superfast is the second 197...

 

[TheCake]

There is no possible way, that fitting a rear spoiler will lose 14bhp. Absolute and without any doubt - the biggest pile of b****cks I've heard in a long time.

Not sure where you heard/read this but were you getting a good lubing at the time?

Liking the 197 though. Looks good.

 

[Has]

Looks like a good day

 

[Josh27]

Nice pics!

 

[GarethM]

lol^^^ cant see you loosing 14bhp from fitting a spoiler

nice pics though, what was the car like to drive??

 

[TheCake]

lol^^^ cant see you loosing 14bhp from fitting a spoiler

From my limited but basic knowledge of aerodynamics, i'd be quite happy to put good money on it not being possible

 

[BIG jts]

Only telling you what the Guy from Renault told us..... He said its the same on the cup racer?????

 

[Rick]

There is no possible way, that fitting a rear spoiler will lose 14bhp. Absolute and without any doubt - the biggest pile of b****cks I've heard in a long time.

Not sure where you heard/read this but were you getting a good lubing at the time?

Does sound a bit strange. Unless they worded it like 'the extra aerodynamic drag would be equivalent to losing 14bhp', but even then it would still be a pretty strange thing to say!

Its interesting what you said about the handling being far better than the 172. It must corner like a demon! I'd have considered one if it didn't look so ordinary, maybe the Cup version will change things.

 

[simon3wms]

i agree it is impossible to lose horsepower from the spoiler, maybe he meant something to the effect of the extra drag will be the equivalent of the car having 14hp, then again that doesn't sound right, hmmmm

 

[BIG jts]

Does sound a bit strange. Unless they worded it like 'the extra aerodynamic drag would be equivalent to losing 14bhp', but even then it would still be a pretty strange thing to say!

Its interesting what you said about the handling being far better than the 172. It must corner like a demon! I'd have considered one if it didn't look so ordinary, maybe the Cup version will change things.

That's what he said the drag would be the equivalent of 14hp??? I didnt mean the weight.... He was on about people fitting spoilers ect to cars and explaining that Renault have spent so much time on design and testing of the rear diffuser, that its not worth it but they will be available to customers, he also talked about the exhaust and that they are tucked away this is so the rear diffuser works better and wouldnt work so well if you fitted superfandango exhausts that stick out,but normall rd use you prb never notice it???

 

[CH33MA]

Im sure that by adding this bad boy you could lose 14bhp!!

 

[Rich]

Looked a fun day.

 

[Peperami]

Probably meant something like, at 140mph the spoiler would create more drag, giving an equivalent loss of speed to driving the car with 14bhp less.

 

[Dan@SJM]

so acceleration wise, quicker than a 172?

 

[_Kenny_]

Good mini report mate. If I decided to get one I wouldn't be arsed about a spoiler tbh

 

[Clio R]

gd thread that new clio is slowly growing on me

 

[Adam]

nice 1 matey..
glad you enjoyd it

 

[al]

Hmm.... interesting, the 197 might surprise a few folk then.

 

[Remedi]

How small does the V6 look next to the 197 in the second pic!

 

[SimonV6]

Yep, tall innit?

V6 looks well low compared

and I do hope the steering wheel feed back is better than our Mk3 1.4 Dynamique?
that car is way to light? V6 feels so much better (heavier and with better feed back) even though most of its weight is in the back




Simon

 

[Iain C]

^^^being that a 1.4 Dynamique isnt a sports version i guess reno didnt bother fine tuning the steering.???!!!

Looks like you had a great day!
I am a fan of the 197. Its just the 225 f1 looks soooo much better

 

[PYE21]

There is no possible way, that fitting a rear spoiler will lose 14bhp. Absolute and without any doubt - the biggest pile of b****cks I've heard in a long time.

Not sure where you heard/read this but were you getting a good lubing at the time?

Liking the 197 though. Looks good.

In aerodynamic terms it will, the extra drag that the spoiler makes will mean that you are effectively driving a car with 14bhp less. However this isn't something that will happen at all speeds/drag conditions, it should only effect the top speed of the car and will reduce it considerably if that is the case.

 

[martynh]

Im deffo a fan now I think, needs the Megan F1 alloys though.

 

[Moby]

Found out some other info the Recaro seats will be a option but not for a few months

Where have we heard that before

 

[Daniel]

Can confirm that the 197 drives 10 times better than the 172/182 .
don't get scared all that easy, but when the proffesional drivers took us out for a lap.....Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus!!! The speed they can carry through corners is unreal! Was a top day out!

ps, thanks jon for some comical driving on the way home!

 

[Tyson-182]

Surely this drag thing the Renault chap was talking about would only play a part at very high speeds? I'm really liking the 197 now, I'll wait for anthractie wheels, and the Recaro option before going a head with one. Hopefully the price will come down too!!!

One thing i am worried about though, have Renault sorted the seating position? I don't to think i'm driving a very powerful bus!

Tyson.

 

[Tyson-182]

Im deffo a fan now I think, needs the Megan F1 alloys though.

^^ Agreed, it would look 10 x better!! Can anyone photoshop some Megane F1 wheels on to the 197??? Go on, you know you want too!!!

Tyson.

 

[Gaz]

Looked like a good day, Be good if Renault would do a Renault sport day for CS then we could all have a go with the 197 & 225

 

[al]

For free of course?

 

[Gaz]

For free of course?

of course

 

[TheCake]

In aerodynamic terms it will, the extra drag that the spoiler makes will mean that you are effectively driving a car with 14bhp less. However this isn't something that will happen at all speeds/drag conditions, it should only effect the top speed of the car and will reduce it considerably if that is the case.

Thats all very well - but thats not what he said.

 

[TomS]

brilliant jon lad.... looked like a wicked day

 

[Steviant]

Only telling you what the Guy from Renault told us..... He said its the same on the cup racer?????

Don't believe everything that you are told.

The cup race cars have a rear spoiler fitted!

 

[Daniel]

^^ But the guy from renault told us that the cup racers have been tuned to 212 bhp to compensate for tha rear spoiler and the extra drag.

 

[Daniel]

Thats all very well - but thats not what he said.

Its not what he said but its what he meant. Asshole. give the guy a break, he'd just got back from a 9 hour drive! tosser.

 

[JJ!]

Don't believe everything that you are told.

The cup race cars have a rear spoiler fitted!

not seen that pic before............ why oh why dont they produce a road going version like that!!

 

[Griff]

Its not what he said but its what he meant. Asshole. give the guy a break, he'd just got back from a 9 hour drive! tosser.

Toys, pram, back, in, put.... :clown:

 

[Steviant]

not seen that pic before............ why oh why dont they produce a road going version like that!!

I took that when I was passing the Alpine factory in Dieppe last month.

 

[TheCake]

Its not what he said but its what he meant. Asshole. give the guy a break, he'd just got back from a 9 hour drive! tosser.

PMSL. Wind your neck in. You sound like you need to get laid.

 

[Macca172]

Was there not an article in Evo or something, saying that the marketing department at Renault wanted the road car to have a rear spoiler and expose the tail pipes more, but the aerodynamic guys stated that it's essential that the road car has no spoiler and keeps the pipes hidden because the rear diffuser won't work effectively? I'm sure I read that somewhere... Also do the cup race cars have the same rear diffuser as the road cars? I can't tell from those pics.