Hello from Finland! My 5-door Clio II RS-inspired project

[AddictedTuna]

Hi everyone!​

I'm from Finland, and I've recently joined ClioSport because I'm planning a fairly ambitious project with my 2005 Renault Clio II 1.4 16V (K4J).

This is actually my fifth Renault Clio!

My interest in Clios goes back quite a few years. When I was younger, I owned a 2004 Clio II 1.4 16V, which I eventually sold. More recently, I had a 2000 Clio II 1.4 8V that I maintained and repaired myself before selling it.

My current daily driver is a 2025 Renault Clio V E-Tech, so you could say I've developed a bit of a soft spot for these cars!

But the Clio I'm most excited about right now is my 2005 five-door project car.

I bought it at an auction, and it needed quite a bit of attention. I've already repaired or replaced several things, including the timing belt, water pump, suspension components, brakes and various other issues. It's now road legal and running, so I've started planning what I really want to build.

The plan​

My goal is to build something Renault never made: a sporty, widened, five-door Clio II with RS 182-inspired handling and considerably more power, while keeping it reliable and usable on the road, including during Finnish winters.

The current plans include:

• RS 172/182 front suspension components, including wishbones, hubs and steering knuckles
• RS 182 front brakes and potentially a rear disc brake conversion
• Wider track width and at least 205-section tyres
• RS front wings, bumpers and side skirts, with custom wider rear arches
• Lowered suspension and a more aggressive but relatively OEM-looking exterior
• Eventually turbocharging the original K4J 1.4 16V engine, aiming for around 180+ hp

I'd also like to retain the original JB3 gearbox and front subframe if possible.

Where I could use some advice​

At the moment, I'm researching the differences between standard Clio II and RS 172/182 suspension components, especially the wishbones, steering knuckles, driveshafts and subframes.

One thing I've discovered is that the later RS wishbones with increased caster seem to be getting difficult to find. I'm also trying to establish which RS components can be fitted to the standard front subframe without compromising suspension geometry.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has compared these parts directly or carried out similar conversions.

I realize that building a five-door RS-inspired Clio isn't necessarily the easiest or most economical route, but that's part of what makes the project interesting to me. I enjoy working on cars, solving mechanical problems and learning along the way.

Looking forward to sharing the progress and learning from everyone here!

Cheers from Finland!

 

[MLB]

Welcome to cliosport!

Lots of information and lots of helpful people here. I believe @BOBI904 is trying a similar thing at the same time, may be interesting to follow.

B

Thread 'Clio 2 RS undercarriage on 1.2 16V'

Oct 30, 2026

Hi all
As strange as this might sound I started to think about replacing whole suspension/undercarriage (and bodykit in the future) on my Clio from standard 1.2 16V to an RS172 or RS182, but id want to keep the original 1.2 16V engine.
You might ask why would I want to do such a stupid thing?
Well there are 3 main reasons:
1. It's my first car, and I absolutely love it
2. I want to improve handling and braking
3. I'll probably buy an actual RS in the future that will be the same colour as this one so people that don't know me won't know if they have been overtaken by a regular Clio or RS...

• BOBI904
• Replies: 10
• Forum: Suspension, Brakes, Wheels, & Tyres