Enough of the Hatred!!

[philglover]

Lets remember why were here......

I took the beast out for a spin last night - just for the hell of it for the first time in ages.

WOW

When you drive sensibly (nearly) all the time, you kinda forget how good these cars are. Theres some nice new roads near me that are pretty empty, plenty of roundabouts and nice grippy straights and corners. Walloping out of a corner in 2nd or 3rd and giving it a bootfull - cream on my leather seats!!
It was nice and cold outside too, and the roar as the revs climb made me feel all warm and tingly!
172? Williams? VTS? Whatever, Im very happy with my valver, itll bother most 2ltrs, scare nearly all other hot hatches on the road, and turns heads in standard trim - not bad for a 10 year old car! Get the tyres warm and itll pull lumps of tarmac off the road before losing grip!


Bounce off the limiter at 7000? Suits me, sir! I just cant decide whether to mod it or keep it standard!!!! Broom broom!!

 

[ReNWiLL]

Good for you Phil....happy to see you are happy with ya valver...Is why I didnt get shot of my willy2, a complete package, not just good at somethings.



Bill.

 

[Paul16V]

I get like that mate.

It gets driven normally most of the time but sometimes you just wanna floor it.

I sometimes feel dissappointed with mine, think it seems slow. But then other times it seems fast as f**k! WEll pleased with it, even if it costs a lot to run and maintain. Williams is my favourite choice for my next car I think. Or maybe turboing a valver maybe.

If i was after a newer car id definately think about a 172 or something like that maybe. Think id miss this forum if i got something else sad innit lol.

 

[philglover]

Paul - your rims look really smart, nice one. Dont forget that having 17s stacked under it may make it feel a little slower!

Ive been thinking about mods alot lately, it has to look completely standard so will be dropped on standard rims, upgrade the braking system - braided hoses, top bollox fluid, good pads and disks too. So far as the engine goes Im really in two minds whether to push it or not, either way itll stay N/A for realistic and very useable power. Headwork, cams, exhaust etc etc try and improve the torque at the bottom end. Whats the point of 200+BHP in a small, FWD car? Its not that aerodynamic, and with so many speed traps yourre never gonna get much than 130mph anyway - unless your on a track! I would prefer to concentrate on in gear performance and handling, no point having big power if you cant drive the f**ka!

 

[aaronc]

Yeah i just been out in mine, ragged the sh*t out of it and car responded very well. Just had new steering colume fitted and boy does it make a difference!

I get days when i drive mine sensibily but when you take it up to 4,000rpm you gotta go all the way to 7000rpm!

 

[James20VT]

mine seems gutless :|



i think i might get a service done on it just to get everything cleaned up.. before i boght the car, the bloke hadn;t used it in a year, so it sat in his garage..... maybe its got a bit shi*ty somewhere... maybe an oil filter change etc might make it seem more lively..

with christmas and the cold weather setting in... maybe a service will do it good. whats a 36,000 mile "major service" likely to cost at a renault garage? £200?

im scared to floor it or attempt to race anyone incase im made to look a fool

 

[Paul16V]

I know 17s may affect the speed mate. I have never driven it with standard rims on though as i had 16s when i first bought it.

I would like a set of standard wheels if i saw some cheap enough. Im not overly keen on the standard phase 1 wheels, I prefer the phase 2s I think. But id have a set of phase 1s prob as a spare.

I think my wheels look well but they arent that practical. They seem to catch on the drivers side pretty bad. I might try swapping the springs round on the front as I think they drivers side one my have sagged a bit.

How many miles has you car done Phil? If you want a bit more power why not get it chipped, exhaust, and filter. Then maybe a PBV and a decat.

I wouldnt mind a chip but mine seems pretty quick already. Just wanna get it on the rollers and see what its running.

 

[GR7]

James

How can you floor a car in Jersey?

The last time I was there the speed limit was about 40mph!!

 

[philglover]

whats a PBV? or am i being thick?

cars just done 72,000 and had the cambelt done. Doing the major service with my dad this weekend - ready for brands!!

 

[philglover]

oh, james - major service from renault main dealers = £325

Shop around - you can get it for around £240 all in.

 

[James20VT]

hmm ok cheers



Sylvia!!! i could floor it... its just finding the space to break after reaching top!

maybe my new tyresw ill give me a bit more confidence in traffic light racing.. i just wheel spin at the moment..

 

[Paul16V]

What you get for major service? Mines done 67K now. Had the cam belt done a few months ago. A PBV is a power boost valve. Improved fuel pressure regulator. Mixed views whether they are any good or not but mine seems to be quick.

 

[philglover]

ah! wondered what it stood for!

Major service usually covers


oil/filter change
air filter
fuel filter
brake check and pads if needed
plugs wipers etc.
They make a lot of money for a simple job - BEWARE, as most of these things you can do your self!

 

[Paul16V]

Bloody hell! Is that it!

Well I got a K &N so that just needs cleanin and oiling.

Oil and filter I got already to do. Done 5k since last change so about due.

all pads are ok.

Changed plugs 2 months ago.

new wipers just fitted.

Just need a fuel filter which i can do myself.

all that comes to about £60 Id say for parts, which i dont need all of

 

[philglover]

I went to euro carparts and bought


oil (magnatec)
Oil filter
air filter
fuel filter
= £40 - bit of a price difference!!

 

[philglover]

it might be worth checking your brake fluid too if its not been done for a while - i dont know when mine was last done so well be changing that too

 

[Paul16V]

not bad. what grade of oil u used? I just got some Delphi 10w 40 semi synthetic, cost about £9. Used in Porsche and BMW apparently so good enough for my valver id say lol.

Is magnatec good? Stops the tapping when cold at all?

 

[SteveJJH]

No it doesnt unfortunatly. I specified Magnatec at my last service cos i do a lot of short journeys (not for much longer).

It still taps like hell from cold, but it usually goes away after a few seconds. It kept doing it for about a minute this morning though. (it was pretty cold)

 

[philglover]

Its pretty good - came highly reccomended but might try something else next time. she sounds a little rough when shes really cold, but id put that down to the high number of miles in a short space of time...

 

[Ben H]

Ive just swapped from 16" wheels back to the original 15" Speedline Phase 2 wheels. Initial accleration actually seems a bit better, though Id not put money on it.

If you really want to go for a good drive - I call it a "boon" - then select a cold, clear morning on your favourite road. You wont be disappointed!

 

[Nick Read]

Its not your imagination Ben. Ive got timing tickets from York that prove that running 15s will give you better times all through the run, as soon as youre rolling. The only point where they were crap (on my Clio) was off the line as they are too easy to spin up, 18s gave a much better launch. But then once youre rolling the different sized wheels made a difference of about 0.3 of a second over the 1/4 mile, 0-90mph +

 

[philglover]

Beh - youre absolutely right! The cold air really makes the engine roar!

 

[Infinicar]

James, if the car had been sitting for a year, it should have new oil and filters etc put on straight away...



I take it you havent serviced it since you bought it - if not do it asap.



Paul