Handling difference.

[Luke20]

Im currently hunting for a ph1 172 to get me down the motorway to work and back,ive been driving my sisters 1.4 recently and its very comfortable and im loving the spec,remote central locking etc,especially as im coming from a 1995 MX5.

The handling however hasnt impressed me,the ride is lovely and comfy but around corners that in the mazda i can really give it some,in the clio i find i understeer alot and end up crossing the line in the middle of the road,i know its unfair to compare the two as they are made for different things but i havnt really been pushing the clio and its wollowed wide on me on a few occasions already.

Im wondering if the 172 will feel alot different as im not sure i could take that sort of handling all day every day,i like a spirited drive.

 

[sideways danny]

base models drive very different to sports. You probably need to get used to FWD handling too, they tend to understeer if you drive it like you would a RWD car.

 

[Luke20]

Thats good to hear dan,i also drive my mums 08 mini cooper (BMW joke of a thing) on a regular basis so im not too new to FWD,i just find that if i turn in i feel like im pushing wide,but i dont have the confidence to turn in further(which obviously wouldnt help anyway if im understeering!),maybe i need to be a bit braver with it.

How much tighter and more involving are the sports?The base model didnt give alot of feedback atall,light and relaxing to drive granted,but i wouldnt describe it as fun.

 

[Daniel]

Tyres play a massive role on Clio's i've found.

Decent rubber transforms the grip!

 

[sideways danny]

oh complely different. i drive 1.2s and dci's all the time and they're "nice" but in no way sporty. saying that if you know how to hustle a 1.2 you can have a proper giggle. They're very tail happy if provoked with lift off

 

[Luke20]

Cheers Daniel,it wasnt just the grip though,it was the responsiveness,there seemed to be a lot of play in the wheel before the car started to turn,aslong as the sport isnt like that im not too bothered!

 

[Ralphizzle]

08 MINI? Those MINI's have well sorted underpinnings even the lesser models.

I guess a Sport running wider tires, wider front stance will also make a diff. to a 1.4!

But then again, there's only so much a FWD can cope with in the end.
Steering input, drive input, weight transfer.

Dunno' about the wheel play.
Differs from car to car... should be tight!

 

[Brett]

In my opinion there is a huge difference in handling. My 172 handles very well, is very predictble and inspires confidence.

 

[kev182cup]

The difference is black and white dude, the only thing that is similar is the shell and dash. Can only comment on ph2 though. Think about turning and it does, sharp enough for ya?lol feel a million times more planted a million times faster feel alot better put together aswell.

 

[DrR]

There about the same as a 1.4 civic to a type r
a corsa 1.2 sxi to a VXR
fiesta. To a ST
etc

 

[Martin_172]

theres a big difference however tyres make a massive difference on the non RS models.

1.2's have horrible electric PAS on them with no feeling or weight.

the rest have the sports suspension package and hydraulic PAS and just feel like a softer setup of the 172.

when i got my 2nd dci (my current one) i felt it never handled as well as my last one, i knew it had cheap tyres on it but didnt beleive they would cause it to have so little grip even on a dry sunny day, so i was checking the springs, dampers, ARB etc etc, put a set of Toyo T1-R 195/50/15's all round and it transformed it. now with the bilstein dampers, eibach springs, ds2500 pads and the remap its an extremely capable car

 

[theduck]

Comparing a 1.4 Clio to a 172 is like comparing a lada with a lotus imo.

 

[Martin_172]

lol are we talking 1.6 16v dynamique spec here? ive never driven any older ph1 clios but the dynamique spec ones with sport suspension package handle brilliant, much softer setup than the 172 but the grip is there

 

[Cliotoby]

Tyres play a massive role on Clio's i've found.

Decent rubber transforms the grip!

Yeah, a set of low profile tyres wont go a miss, the handling is totally different in the sports, chassis is a lot better for a start and its very easy to get it on three wheels, i used to hoon my 1.2 around backroads, im suprised my car didnt bend in the middle. Was so much more fun than my GT.

 

[Martin_172]

shell and chassis is the same only difference being springs, dampers and ARB

 

[Cliotoby]

well the cup i drove felt a damm site stiffer. I dont mean the springs. but ok....