Within the past 3 weeks of picking up my Clio 172 Cup I have completed 3 track days at Rockingham, Bedford and Brands. The car was bought as a Track car and only commuting on the roads to and from the track. I have learnt a great deal about the car but I need some help with the next stages to improve the car further;
Suspension
This is something I want to address now, I am currently running Bilstein B14 suspension, absolutely great on road but I feel for Track it doesn’t feel hard enough, the car needs to be more neutral around the corners with a stiffer setup. I have fitted new A048 tyres, adjusted the ride hide which is working well with NO rubbing and also fitted a pure motorsport Anti roll bar. My questions / options are
Op1 - Do I simply adjust the Anti roll bar and attempt a different setting from Soft to Medium? Has anyone had any experience of doing this, I don’t feel this will cut it as it won’t help ultimately with the body roll but it is still an option.
Op2 - Is it possible to change the springs on the B14’s to make them stiffer or is this not financially viable or possible
Op3 – Sell the Bilstein and replace with BC Racing coilovers or another recommended brand? Are the BC racing the best coilovers for less than £1000?
Op4 – I understand a roll cage will make a difference to the stiffness, this is something I am looking to address in the future
Seats
Brands Hatch was a nightmare with the standard 172 Cup seats, looking at a below £300 budget for the drivers seat and under £200 for the passengers, what would you recommend? I like the look of the Cobra Monaco seats but I hear they are not very comfy, also the Bimarco seem good value for money. Also, as I won’t have a roll cage, what racing seat harnesses will I require? Also, are the runners expensive and are these included with the seat? is there somewhere you can visit to test out the seats, to simply sit in?
Steering wheel
Looking to buy the Renault Sport Steering wheel but I can’t seem to find them anywhere, does anyone know somewhere I can find this online? Or is there another black Suede steering wheel you would recommend, I see a lot of Clio owners using OMP?
Wheels
Looking to fit studs, any recommendation on this and is there any issues using studs with 16” Speedline Turinis, I may change to 15” once I find a set of wheel, I like the look of the team dynamic wheels. My wheel nuts are constantly coming loose on track and I hear the studs will help.
Sorry for the long post, just thought it would be easier to list everything rather than posting lots of single posts on each topic. As you can see I am committed to making the care more track focussed so any recommendation would be appreciated.
This is a short clip showing me at Brands hatch yesterday
Suspension
This is something I want to address now, I am currently running Bilstein B14 suspension, absolutely great on road but I feel for Track it doesn’t feel hard enough, the car needs to be more neutral around the corners with a stiffer setup. I have fitted new A048 tyres, adjusted the ride hide which is working well with NO rubbing and also fitted a pure motorsport Anti roll bar. My questions / options are
Op1 - Do I simply adjust the Anti roll bar and attempt a different setting from Soft to Medium? Has anyone had any experience of doing this, I don’t feel this will cut it as it won’t help ultimately with the body roll but it is still an option.
Op2 - Is it possible to change the springs on the B14’s to make them stiffer or is this not financially viable or possible
Op3 – Sell the Bilstein and replace with BC Racing coilovers or another recommended brand? Are the BC racing the best coilovers for less than £1000?
Op4 – I understand a roll cage will make a difference to the stiffness, this is something I am looking to address in the future
Seats
Brands Hatch was a nightmare with the standard 172 Cup seats, looking at a below £300 budget for the drivers seat and under £200 for the passengers, what would you recommend? I like the look of the Cobra Monaco seats but I hear they are not very comfy, also the Bimarco seem good value for money. Also, as I won’t have a roll cage, what racing seat harnesses will I require? Also, are the runners expensive and are these included with the seat? is there somewhere you can visit to test out the seats, to simply sit in?
Steering wheel
Looking to buy the Renault Sport Steering wheel but I can’t seem to find them anywhere, does anyone know somewhere I can find this online? Or is there another black Suede steering wheel you would recommend, I see a lot of Clio owners using OMP?
Wheels
Looking to fit studs, any recommendation on this and is there any issues using studs with 16” Speedline Turinis, I may change to 15” once I find a set of wheel, I like the look of the team dynamic wheels. My wheel nuts are constantly coming loose on track and I hear the studs will help.
Sorry for the long post, just thought it would be easier to list everything rather than posting lots of single posts on each topic. As you can see I am committed to making the care more track focussed so any recommendation would be appreciated.
This is a short clip showing me at Brands hatch yesterday
