Before i get criticised, as the title suggests the car is Euro *Inspired* in no way am i comparing mine to others from the 'Euro scene', its far from that, but nevertheless im pleased with how its coming along and thought i'd share it with you guys!
Secondly, yes i realise it is a 1.2 16v and most of you think its a waste of time to put any sort of money into it, but unfortunately due to money reasons (insurance mainly) i had to keep it for a number of years so as time went on i tastefully modified it and experimented to see what could be done.
So 2 and a half years ago i picked it up as my first car and it looked like this....
Nice colour and base to work on but far from what i envisaged. The car did come with some 15" TSW Volcano alloys in good condition though which was a nice bonus.
I was a huge fan of the Euro scene. To my knowledge back then it wasnt so widely known, these days its kind of gone from a niche movement to a mainstream thing which kind of is a shame, but thats a whole other forum topic! The clio is hugely overlooked, i feel that it lends it self perfectly to the low, wide wheeled and sleek look, as opposed to the usual chavvy mods you see most clios of this model.
So long story short i got rid of these wheels and replaced them with a set of 16" x 8j Schmidt Space line evolution wheels (with the 4 stud fitment as opposed to the 5 stud in the picture)
NEXT...
Replaced the rear lights to the older 98-01 rear lights, i know this is a point of controversy as many people hate those and prefer the newer ones, personally i like the 'all red' clean look compared to the white circle.
Then i got to tinting the rear window which was simple enough...so i thought. If i had the money i would of gotten them professionally done but i miraculously managed to do a good job with some DIY tinting kit, not preferable but saved some money.
After this i got myself a K&N Air filter as ya do...
Then came the real game changer...suspension.
Lowered suspension is key, unfortunately at the time i was ill informed, and i chose to buy coilovers at a budget, which is now detrimental to the condition of my spine. Never the less i picked up a set of TA Technix adjustable coilovers, dramatically changed the look of the car for the better, it went from being a monster truck with the stock springs to a nice low clean looking car. A work of advice though, if you do chose budget coilovers which i wouldnt do again, then dont drop it too low or the ride quality will greatly suffer. The car was lowered around 40-50mm all round, which is the absolute limit for a bareable ride.
Lastly the exhaust, which i am very pleased with. I went to Longlife exhaust specialist in birmingham, and they fittied a twin pipe full system for me. The sound is great, its overall a quiet system, especially on the motorway, but gives a very nice sound when it goes past around 3000 rpm. I highly reccomend these guys.
And HERE IS THE END RESULT....
Secondly, yes i realise it is a 1.2 16v and most of you think its a waste of time to put any sort of money into it, but unfortunately due to money reasons (insurance mainly) i had to keep it for a number of years so as time went on i tastefully modified it and experimented to see what could be done.
So 2 and a half years ago i picked it up as my first car and it looked like this....
Nice colour and base to work on but far from what i envisaged. The car did come with some 15" TSW Volcano alloys in good condition though which was a nice bonus.
I was a huge fan of the Euro scene. To my knowledge back then it wasnt so widely known, these days its kind of gone from a niche movement to a mainstream thing which kind of is a shame, but thats a whole other forum topic! The clio is hugely overlooked, i feel that it lends it self perfectly to the low, wide wheeled and sleek look, as opposed to the usual chavvy mods you see most clios of this model.
So long story short i got rid of these wheels and replaced them with a set of 16" x 8j Schmidt Space line evolution wheels (with the 4 stud fitment as opposed to the 5 stud in the picture)
NEXT...
Replaced the rear lights to the older 98-01 rear lights, i know this is a point of controversy as many people hate those and prefer the newer ones, personally i like the 'all red' clean look compared to the white circle.
Then i got to tinting the rear window which was simple enough...so i thought. If i had the money i would of gotten them professionally done but i miraculously managed to do a good job with some DIY tinting kit, not preferable but saved some money.
After this i got myself a K&N Air filter as ya do...
Then came the real game changer...suspension.
Lowered suspension is key, unfortunately at the time i was ill informed, and i chose to buy coilovers at a budget, which is now detrimental to the condition of my spine. Never the less i picked up a set of TA Technix adjustable coilovers, dramatically changed the look of the car for the better, it went from being a monster truck with the stock springs to a nice low clean looking car. A work of advice though, if you do chose budget coilovers which i wouldnt do again, then dont drop it too low or the ride quality will greatly suffer. The car was lowered around 40-50mm all round, which is the absolute limit for a bareable ride.
Lastly the exhaust, which i am very pleased with. I went to Longlife exhaust specialist in birmingham, and they fittied a twin pipe full system for me. The sound is great, its overall a quiet system, especially on the motorway, but gives a very nice sound when it goes past around 3000 rpm. I highly reccomend these guys.
And HERE IS THE END RESULT....