Had my first drive of a 172 last night

[scotty86d]

Went to look at a black one locally.

General opinions:

Thumbgrips made it difficult to hold steering wheel( got quite large hands unfortunately)
Steering was nice and heavy but well assisted for parking
Brakes had surface rust from being standing so can't comment
Suspension was hard on country roads but as I picked speed up was planted round corners
Clutch was initially very odd, didn't like it much- forgot about that/got used to it after I planted my foot in 1st after warming it up for 10 minutes. I can see why these cars are popular ;-)
Wheels were 17 inches- I think standard ones would have driven a lot better-tram lining was apparent

I felt like I was sitting too high, don't know if this can be sorted in adjustment.
Gearbox was nice to use- rebuilt last year on this car
Squeak from alternator belt, chavvy wheels, powerflow back box and no cold air from air con put me off as well as 8 owners.

I dont know if you have this on your aftermarket exhausts or powerflow are crap but the booming around 3k was unbearable. No amount of music could have hidden it!!

Will try another one this evening that is 2 owners, 60k and standard and see the difference. Definately liked the drive it could potentially have if set up well though. Will have to see if my girlfriend agrees this evening- she loves the looks at least.

Any thoughts/ opinions feel free to chuck them in

Scotty

 

[Matt W]

You can take some spacers from the passenger seat to may it sit lower.
I had a powerflow exhaust on mine, you can specify how loud you want them.

The handling is horrible with 17" wheels.

 

[scotty86d]

You can take some spacers from the passenger seat to may it sit lower.
I had a powerflow exhaust on mine, you can specify how loud you want them.

The handling is horrible with 17" wheels.

I'd rather a discreet system IMO suits the 172 better, useful info on the seat cheers dude.

Yep, STD wheel size but I'd love the 172 cup rims.

 

[LiamR172]

Sounds like mine when I bought it, 17's are an absolute b*****d. No idea why someone would put them on a clio. I'm getting 16s fitted tomorrow morning and I can't wait. Can't take a corner at any speed with 17's. And yeah it feels very high.

You'll love the standard one I'm sure

 

[Andyman]

You'll get a better picture tonight driving a unmolested one.

 

[Staples230uk]

Thanks for the post, I am considering selling my supra mk4 for a clio sport 172/182. Good to see someone's first reactions to the car.

 

[andywa]

Good review mate. I think if you get a good honest one you'll love it. Good luck with the search.

 

[Will.]

I've not driven on 17s before but I can't imagine it being very nice in a 1*2. I remember my first drive in one. Been hooked every since.

 

[Martin_172]

how u feel on 17s is how i feel everytime i drive one on 16s. Driving possition didnt bother me for years but now im used to my GT i need to get a set of buckets and small wheel for the 172 i think

 

[plymcl172]

Sounds like mine when I bought it, 17's are an absolute b*****d. No idea why someone would put them on a clio. I'm getting 16s fitted tomorrow morning and I can't wait. Can't take a corner at any speed with 17's.

have you driven an RS on 17's?

 

[NickM5c]

Try and get a nice, unmolested, Iceberg Silver 172 if you can. The colour really suits the car and hides minor blemishes very well indeed.