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Kiffle's 182 Progress Blog
- Thread starter Kiffle
- Start date
I have been tempted to remove the stickers tbf. But, I worry that the sunstrip would be a bit much without the others and I want to keep that... Decisions decisions!
When the Regas were getting a refurb I ordered a set of 195/50r15 Michelin PS3s to replace the frankly garbage (for track) AD08RSs on my 2118s to use as 'everyday' and wet track tyres.
Got a bit of a bargain on eBay and spent £135 on a set all with 7+mm tread and got my mate to fit these too.
Weighed the AD08s on the 2118s:
And then with the PS3s:
Not really much difference between the two sets, but both packages are still about 4.5kg heavier a corner than the Regas.
Then put the 2118s and PS3s on and left the 25mm front and 15mm rear spacers on. Looks much better than the previous spacer setup.
There's definitely going to be some rubbing on the rear so may need to roll the arch lips or grind them back, but for the meantime it looks better and I'll put up with the rubbing.
Ready for Combe on the 28th now!
Got a bit of a bargain on eBay and spent £135 on a set all with 7+mm tread and got my mate to fit these too.
Weighed the AD08s on the 2118s:
And then with the PS3s:
Not really much difference between the two sets, but both packages are still about 4.5kg heavier a corner than the Regas.
Then put the 2118s and PS3s on and left the 25mm front and 15mm rear spacers on. Looks much better than the previous spacer setup.
There's definitely going to be some rubbing on the rear so may need to roll the arch lips or grind them back, but for the meantime it looks better and I'll put up with the rubbing.
Ready for Combe on the 28th now!
Bit over due on this update but oh well ......
Combe on 25th October (not the 28th as previously said) was pure class with theGUESSWORK squad. Skies started off clear but the track was wet from the previous night's rain.
The day before I also removed the shopping list on the back window. I think it's for the better.
First thing I noticed was that the Circuit seat was an enormous improvement over the grid and I felt much more comfortable driving the car harder whilst not being chucked around so much.
Also, the pilot sports were class and combined with the Quaife diff, the car felt amazing in the wet! Managed to have a couple of moments that I managed to save which I was pleased about. Nothing Camber and Combustion level but I didn't crash it so that's a win at least.
I was initially disappointed and a little nervous about doing a wet trackday but I enjoyed the wet sessions immensely and didn't get overtaken once throughout the entire day - something I'm quite proud of but more likely down to the faster cars staying in the pits rather than my own skill. This M3 which did get the chop though.
Once the track dried after lunch I did a session on the PS3s to see what they were like compared to the AD08RS's I had previously run and the PS3s felt much better. I wouldn't recommend the RS's really to anyone.
Then the Regas and AR1s got put on.....
WOWAWEEWA!
Certainly an improvement in grip! Was a crazy difference in how the car felt and performed in the dry. Although, I did get a bit carried away through the esses and had to cut across the grass on one lap.
However problems started occurring then - I guess 3 trackdays without issue had caught up to me clearly!
As I pulled into the pitlane after the first session with the AR1's on there was a horrendous wobble through the steering wheel. I stopped under the Avon bridge and my mate who I took out as a passenger got out to check if there were any issues. To which there was a pretty much instant "STOP!" shouted as I continued to drive slowly back to the pits.
The NSF wheel was about 5mm off of the face of the spacer! Damn lucky it didn't happen whilst I was out on track though or even worse fall off.
Turns out I probably should've sanded back the fresh paint from the refurb on the mounting face and where the bolt tapers tighten. The paint had melted and the bolts came loose from the gap that had then appeared. You learn something new everyday I guess.
PS3s back on to do some more sessions but the car wouldn't start - great.
Ignition on, EPAS powered, lights all working on the dash, immobiliser off, and just a load of ticks and flashes up on the dash but no joy starting the car. So, my mates were more than willing (well, maybe not after the 3rd time) to bump it for me so I could do some more sessions.
Car performed fine once started and I did a couple more sessions before heading home, making sure not to stall it on the way back before parking it up again. Something to sort another day!
And then, its that time again...... Yep another brake related issue. Only went and snapped the OS handbrake cable parking it up. Again, something to sort another day though I thought at the time.
Combe on 25th October (not the 28th as previously said) was pure class with the
The day before I also removed the shopping list on the back window. I think it's for the better.
First thing I noticed was that the Circuit seat was an enormous improvement over the grid and I felt much more comfortable driving the car harder whilst not being chucked around so much.
Also, the pilot sports were class and combined with the Quaife diff, the car felt amazing in the wet! Managed to have a couple of moments that I managed to save which I was pleased about. Nothing Camber and Combustion level but I didn't crash it so that's a win at least.
I was initially disappointed and a little nervous about doing a wet trackday but I enjoyed the wet sessions immensely and didn't get overtaken once throughout the entire day - something I'm quite proud of but more likely down to the faster cars staying in the pits rather than my own skill. This M3 which did get the chop though.
Once the track dried after lunch I did a session on the PS3s to see what they were like compared to the AD08RS's I had previously run and the PS3s felt much better. I wouldn't recommend the RS's really to anyone.
Then the Regas and AR1s got put on.....
WOWAWEEWA!
Certainly an improvement in grip! Was a crazy difference in how the car felt and performed in the dry. Although, I did get a bit carried away through the esses and had to cut across the grass on one lap.
However problems started occurring then - I guess 3 trackdays without issue had caught up to me clearly!
As I pulled into the pitlane after the first session with the AR1's on there was a horrendous wobble through the steering wheel. I stopped under the Avon bridge and my mate who I took out as a passenger got out to check if there were any issues. To which there was a pretty much instant "STOP!" shouted as I continued to drive slowly back to the pits.
The NSF wheel was about 5mm off of the face of the spacer! Damn lucky it didn't happen whilst I was out on track though or even worse fall off.
Turns out I probably should've sanded back the fresh paint from the refurb on the mounting face and where the bolt tapers tighten. The paint had melted and the bolts came loose from the gap that had then appeared. You learn something new everyday I guess.
PS3s back on to do some more sessions but the car wouldn't start - great.
Ignition on, EPAS powered, lights all working on the dash, immobiliser off, and just a load of ticks and flashes up on the dash but no joy starting the car. So, my mates were more than willing (well, maybe not after the 3rd time) to bump it for me so I could do some more sessions.
Car performed fine once started and I did a couple more sessions before heading home, making sure not to stall it on the way back before parking it up again. Something to sort another day!
And then, its that time again...... Yep another brake related issue. Only went and snapped the OS handbrake cable parking it up. Again, something to sort another day though I thought at the time.
Skipping forward a bit to fixing stuff now.
The not starting issue turned out to be the starter motor itself. It was moving out of the housing but not actually turning so that was a straight change for a reconditioned unit.
I bought a spare set of handbrake cables from BTT ages ago so the drivers side handbrake cable was a pretty simple change once the car was up on a lift - very happy to have a mate with one.
Finally I ordered a stud and nut kit from SUPREME Motorsport as I'm fed up of swapping wheels without studs. I went for 90mm long studs for the front and 82mm for the rear. Just to give enough clearance for the spacers that I run at the moment and might change to in future. Some Loctite 270 is on the way and then I can get the studs on.
The not starting issue turned out to be the starter motor itself. It was moving out of the housing but not actually turning so that was a straight change for a reconditioned unit.
I bought a spare set of handbrake cables from BTT ages ago so the drivers side handbrake cable was a pretty simple change once the car was up on a lift - very happy to have a mate with one.
Finally I ordered a stud and nut kit from SUPREME Motorsport as I'm fed up of swapping wheels without studs. I went for 90mm long studs for the front and 82mm for the rear. Just to give enough clearance for the spacers that I run at the moment and might change to in future. Some Loctite 270 is on the way and then I can get the studs on.
Right, a long overdue update here.....
Stud kit came from SUPREME Motorsport at the end of November. Super easy to install and I've been kicking myself since fitting them for not buying them sooner!
Parked up for a couple of weeks and then made the trip to Somerset to the Late Brake Show Christmas Event. Hosted by Jonny Smith and Jason Plato (who joined for the quiz), it was a great day out and there were some proper machines on display as well.
The little Clio got tucked away up the top next to an old roller (which I had to be careful not to smash the door on), but still managed to make an appearance on Jonny's YT Channel!
That was the last event for 2021 and so I parked it up and forgot about it for a few weeks.
All the other Guesswork lads were doing stuff to their cars and, not wanting to be left behind, began to think about what I could do too. Looked at a few things that were left on the list and a cage seemed to be the next logical step for the "build".
"Clubsport" spec no more as the teardown began.....
Removing the sound deadening is actually pretty easy. I just used a heat gun, paint scraper and a wire wheel on a drill to clean up all the residue afterwards. I was surprised at how much it weighs really - I've got the goal of 1000kg with a cage but I guess we'll just have to see if that can be done or not!
I'm going to paint the inside of the car Racing Blue and the cage will be powder coated in a similar blue to match. I'm very excited to see it all done.
I just have to remove the sound deadening under the drivers seat, degrease the inside and then mask everything before I can get on and spray it. Hopefully I'll get some time to do it soon.
A decat was fitted at some point last month too and I've also ordered a PMS Shifter - something which I have wanted for a long time.
I'll have to stop spending money for a while now...
Finally gave the car its first wash of the year. Still chuffed with how well it scrubs up!
Stud kit came from SUPREME Motorsport at the end of November. Super easy to install and I've been kicking myself since fitting them for not buying them sooner!
Parked up for a couple of weeks and then made the trip to Somerset to the Late Brake Show Christmas Event. Hosted by Jonny Smith and Jason Plato (who joined for the quiz), it was a great day out and there were some proper machines on display as well.
The little Clio got tucked away up the top next to an old roller (which I had to be careful not to smash the door on), but still managed to make an appearance on Jonny's YT Channel!
That was the last event for 2021 and so I parked it up and forgot about it for a few weeks.
All the other Guesswork lads were doing stuff to their cars and, not wanting to be left behind, began to think about what I could do too. Looked at a few things that were left on the list and a cage seemed to be the next logical step for the "build".
"Clubsport" spec no more as the teardown began.....
Removing the sound deadening is actually pretty easy. I just used a heat gun, paint scraper and a wire wheel on a drill to clean up all the residue afterwards. I was surprised at how much it weighs really - I've got the goal of 1000kg with a cage but I guess we'll just have to see if that can be done or not!
I'm going to paint the inside of the car Racing Blue and the cage will be powder coated in a similar blue to match. I'm very excited to see it all done.
I just have to remove the sound deadening under the drivers seat, degrease the inside and then mask everything before I can get on and spray it. Hopefully I'll get some time to do it soon.
A decat was fitted at some point last month too and I've also ordered a PMS Shifter - something which I have wanted for a long time.
I'll have to stop spending money for a while now...
Finally gave the car its first wash of the year. Still chuffed with how well it scrubs up!
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Wow, an update that's pretty much on time!
When fitting the Decat we noticed that the centre exhaust mount had perished. So a quick trip to eBay and a BTT poly mount was ordered ready to fit the next time the car was up on the ramp. The passenger handbrake cable had also broken since the last update but I had already got a spare one ready. Something to fix alongside the exhaust mount.
Once the PMS shifter turned up it was off to the garage to sort and fit everything. I never really bought into the whole "The PMS shifter is one of the best things you can do to one of these cars" idea but, it turns out that its pretty accurate. The fact that it is much closer to the wheel makes the most difference I think. Plus it looks better than the standard setup.
Quick release wheel boss was next to install. A few mates run these Driftworks bosses and so I decided to go for one. Pretty good value and there is no play in the fixing. I ran a 40mm Spacer anyway and this boss is only a little larger so its still in a comfortable position. I will have to lower the column at some point though.
Then last Sunday (20th) I tested positive for COVID. Only tested as I was supposed to go away with work. I didn't have any symptoms luckily.
So, I thought I would use the isolation time wisely and get the car painted. I'd already decided that it would be a driveway rattle can job and had placed an order for primer, J45 RB and lacquer through Rapid pints at the beginning of the year.
Cracked on with removing the last of sound deadening on Tuesday, began to degrease on Wednesday, finished degreasing and scotched everything up on Thursday, masked Friday lunchtime and primed in the Eve.
First coat of paint went down Saturday morning and then a second coat went on in the afternoon.
Managed to get 2 coats of lacquer down on Sunday morning.
Then I tore the masking off and plugged everything back in late in the afternoon. One of my mates popped over to help put the seat back in too.
I'm very pleased with how it came out. It's not concours, but for an impromptu driveway jobby in February I think it's respectable.
No centre console (and flat doorcards soon) means that there is nowhere for a water bottle to be kept for longer journeys, so I was pleased to see this handy air vent cupholder advertised on the Mk2 Clio FB page.
Really neat solution. I just hope it will still fit with the cage! More parts turning up soon.....
When fitting the Decat we noticed that the centre exhaust mount had perished. So a quick trip to eBay and a BTT poly mount was ordered ready to fit the next time the car was up on the ramp. The passenger handbrake cable had also broken since the last update but I had already got a spare one ready. Something to fix alongside the exhaust mount.
Once the PMS shifter turned up it was off to the garage to sort and fit everything. I never really bought into the whole "The PMS shifter is one of the best things you can do to one of these cars" idea but, it turns out that its pretty accurate. The fact that it is much closer to the wheel makes the most difference I think. Plus it looks better than the standard setup.
Quick release wheel boss was next to install. A few mates run these Driftworks bosses and so I decided to go for one. Pretty good value and there is no play in the fixing. I ran a 40mm Spacer anyway and this boss is only a little larger so its still in a comfortable position. I will have to lower the column at some point though.
Then last Sunday (20th) I tested positive for COVID. Only tested as I was supposed to go away with work. I didn't have any symptoms luckily.
So, I thought I would use the isolation time wisely and get the car painted. I'd already decided that it would be a driveway rattle can job and had placed an order for primer, J45 RB and lacquer through Rapid pints at the beginning of the year.
Cracked on with removing the last of sound deadening on Tuesday, began to degrease on Wednesday, finished degreasing and scotched everything up on Thursday, masked Friday lunchtime and primed in the Eve.
First coat of paint went down Saturday morning and then a second coat went on in the afternoon.
Managed to get 2 coats of lacquer down on Sunday morning.
Then I tore the masking off and plugged everything back in late in the afternoon. One of my mates popped over to help put the seat back in too.
I'm very pleased with how it came out. It's not concours, but for an impromptu driveway jobby in February I think it's respectable.
No centre console (and flat doorcards soon) means that there is nowhere for a water bottle to be kept for longer journeys, so I was pleased to see this handy air vent cupholder advertised on the Mk2 Clio FB page.
Really neat solution. I just hope it will still fit with the cage! More parts turning up soon.....
Right - new parts!
TRS Carbon foot trays for both driver and passenger first up.
Then I quickly realised that non carbon doorcards might look a bit strange next to the foot trays so a set of Carbon-Tec front and rear doorcards were ordered.
All seem to be nice pieces of kit.
To go with the doorcards; there are a couple of blue door pulls (just cheap ones off ebay), a Renault Master Window switch so that I can keep the mirrors and electric window functions and some nice neat black fixings to attach them to the doors.
Foot trays and doorcards are waiting to go on still though... Any suggestions on how to fix the foot trays in place are welcome!
Had a nice message from Tom at Fulcrum Motorsport just before my cage was shipped. Went all out with spec - Rear X, Centre X, Roof X, X doorbars, and A pillar supports.
But there's always something you bring you down! Next issue was that the circlip had popped out of the selector bush of the gearbox so I couldn't select gears properly. Oh well, new one ordered and fitted but did have to file the bush down to get it sat within the groove properly however.
Then cheered myself up by cleaning the Regas. They were still dirty from the trackday in October but the coating on them made it easy to get the dirt off!
TRS Carbon foot trays for both driver and passenger first up.
Then I quickly realised that non carbon doorcards might look a bit strange next to the foot trays so a set of Carbon-Tec front and rear doorcards were ordered.
All seem to be nice pieces of kit.
To go with the doorcards; there are a couple of blue door pulls (just cheap ones off ebay), a Renault Master Window switch so that I can keep the mirrors and electric window functions and some nice neat black fixings to attach them to the doors.
Foot trays and doorcards are waiting to go on still though... Any suggestions on how to fix the foot trays in place are welcome!
Had a nice message from Tom at Fulcrum Motorsport just before my cage was shipped. Went all out with spec - Rear X, Centre X, Roof X, X doorbars, and A pillar supports.
But there's always something you bring you down! Next issue was that the circlip had popped out of the selector bush of the gearbox so I couldn't select gears properly. Oh well, new one ordered and fitted but did have to file the bush down to get it sat within the groove properly however.
Then cheered myself up by cleaning the Regas. They were still dirty from the trackday in October but the coating on them made it easy to get the dirt off!
Now onto the cage.
I didn't actually take a lot of photos of the fitting process, but it was a very long day and much more of a faff than I (perhaps naively) thought it would be!
Ratchet straps came in very handy to pull everything into place!
Colour is a pretty good match. Sky Blue RAL5015 was the closest to RB and I'm pleased I chose to go blue. I think it looks really good, especially now the inside is painted.
The lower dash then got some weight saving treatment! Think this is my new favourite tool too!
Absolutely buzzing to get it the cage in and the dash fitted and take it for a drive. it probably sounds strange but it feels incredible to be driving caged car on the road and even more so due to the fact it's my own!
I was initially concerned that I wouldn't be able to get in and out particularly easily because I have my seat so far forward and there's a cage bar that comes down in front of the dash. But, even though it took some getting used to, there is enough room. Good job too as I didn't really want to change seats again.
The wiring behind the dash needs some tidying, but everything is in and I'm very happy. Tom also provided a dash bar for the cage too, but I'm not super fussed about fitting that at the moment. Maybe down the line though.
Passenger seat to go back in, along with doorcards and foot trays and then the inside will be complete!
And... I managed to get to work and back successfully in it. Perfect Daily!
I didn't actually take a lot of photos of the fitting process, but it was a very long day and much more of a faff than I (perhaps naively) thought it would be!
Ratchet straps came in very handy to pull everything into place!
Colour is a pretty good match. Sky Blue RAL5015 was the closest to RB and I'm pleased I chose to go blue. I think it looks really good, especially now the inside is painted.
The lower dash then got some weight saving treatment! Think this is my new favourite tool too!
Absolutely buzzing to get it the cage in and the dash fitted and take it for a drive. it probably sounds strange but it feels incredible to be driving caged car on the road and even more so due to the fact it's my own!
I was initially concerned that I wouldn't be able to get in and out particularly easily because I have my seat so far forward and there's a cage bar that comes down in front of the dash. But, even though it took some getting used to, there is enough room. Good job too as I didn't really want to change seats again.
The wiring behind the dash needs some tidying, but everything is in and I'm very happy. Tom also provided a dash bar for the cage too, but I'm not super fussed about fitting that at the moment. Maybe down the line though.
Passenger seat to go back in, along with doorcards and foot trays and then the inside will be complete!
And... I managed to get to work and back successfully in it. Perfect Daily!
Put the passenger seat back in yesterday then got the camera out in the evening...
I cannot stress how happy I am with the car now. My friends have put a lot of hours in recently to help me get it to this stage and I'm very grateful.
Very close to being complete I think...
Simple things like wrapping the harnesses up make such a difference.
The above might be my favourite angle.
I would love to say that I meant to get the sparco logo in the rear view mirror here, but it was really only a happy accident! Also do I now get scene points for putting the steering wheel on the dash? Basically a show car rather than a track car.
Much more professional looking and complete with the passenger seat and harness fitted back in.
You also might be able to tell that I like RB just a little bit!
I cannot stress how happy I am with the car now. My friends have put a lot of hours in recently to help me get it to this stage and I'm very grateful.
Very close to being complete I think...
Simple things like wrapping the harnesses up make such a difference.
The above might be my favourite angle.
I would love to say that I meant to get the sparco logo in the rear view mirror here, but it was really only a happy accident! Also do I now get scene points for putting the steering wheel on the dash? Basically a show car rather than a track car.
Much more professional looking and complete with the passenger seat and harness fitted back in.
You also might be able to tell that I like RB just a little bit!
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Sunny bank holiday weekends mean some drive outs!
When I took the photos of the cage, my mate with his E36 came along too so got a couple quick pics of ours together.
Golden hour doing bits in making these 2 sheds look half decent.
Then someone in the Guesswork chat suggested going to Podium Place in Newbury. I'd heard of it, but not really looked into it before. I expected a "Caffeine and Machine" sort of vibe but it was really just a small dealership with like 20 odd spaces - but we seemed to be the only ones there! An F430 scud did turn up which was pretty impressive though!
The squad looking fresh! 197 and S2000 are new additions to the group and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how mine compares to the MK3. Should be able to get some decent laps in together this year and it wont matter if we end up rubbing bumpers!
Really good to go for a drive and make the most of the weather. Definitely going to be making the most of the sunshine before it hides away again.
When I took the photos of the cage, my mate with his E36 came along too so got a couple quick pics of ours together.
Golden hour doing bits in making these 2 sheds look half decent.
Then someone in the Guesswork chat suggested going to Podium Place in Newbury. I'd heard of it, but not really looked into it before. I expected a "Caffeine and Machine" sort of vibe but it was really just a small dealership with like 20 odd spaces - but we seemed to be the only ones there! An F430 scud did turn up which was pretty impressive though!
The squad looking fresh! 197 and S2000 are new additions to the group and I'm very much looking forward to seeing how mine compares to the MK3. Should be able to get some decent laps in together this year and it wont matter if we end up rubbing bumpers!
Really good to go for a drive and make the most of the weather. Definitely going to be making the most of the sunshine before it hides away again.
Doorcards were first on the agenda for Sunday.
Taped and marked the holes up on the panels, then stuck them to the doors and drilled through.
I'd bought black M4 hex head bolts and plastic rivets to fit them to the doors.
Unfortunately though, I screwed up and slammed the drivers window switch in the doorsill fitting the doorcard and broke it. The passenger window was down at the time and wouldn't go back up. New switch ordered...
Really pleased with the look of the doorcards. I haven't cut into them for the doorpulls yet and will do this soon, as well as tidying up how the window switches are mounted.
Weave of the PMS shifter and doorcards are a pretty good match!
Then, to cheer myself up after breaking the window switch I took a trip to Caffeine and Machine. Seems to get quite a lot of attention now that it's got the cage inside!
I only took the above image but @24sevenphotpgraphy took some luckily!
Bumped into some fellow RS owners as well and had a quick photo. Shame it was at the back though. I just like to think it would be reverse quali order
Good time as always, but it was damn cold on the way home with the window down! Luckily it wasn't due to rain overnight so wasn't an issue to leave it down.
Taped and marked the holes up on the panels, then stuck them to the doors and drilled through.
I'd bought black M4 hex head bolts and plastic rivets to fit them to the doors.
Unfortunately though, I screwed up and slammed the drivers window switch in the doorsill fitting the doorcard and broke it. The passenger window was down at the time and wouldn't go back up. New switch ordered...
Really pleased with the look of the doorcards. I haven't cut into them for the doorpulls yet and will do this soon, as well as tidying up how the window switches are mounted.
Weave of the PMS shifter and doorcards are a pretty good match!
Then, to cheer myself up after breaking the window switch I took a trip to Caffeine and Machine. Seems to get quite a lot of attention now that it's got the cage inside!
I only took the above image but @24sevenphotpgraphy took some luckily!
Bumped into some fellow RS owners as well and had a quick photo. Shame it was at the back though. I just like to think it would be reverse quali order
Good time as always, but it was damn cold on the way home with the window down! Luckily it wasn't due to rain overnight so wasn't an issue to leave it down.
Attachments
Next up was trying to fix the window switch. The Renault master assembly that I had bought to fit to the doorcards had a switch that looked identical so I tried that on the door connector but still didn't work unfortunately. Then took a short trip to Chippenham to grab a 197 window switch that one of my friends had. I thought I had seen 197 switches used on the track car doorcards before, but I tried this one and it still didn't work. Another mate's garage is only round the corner so I popped round there where it turned out that the fuse had blown for the passenger side window so we replaced that, and then bridged the broken 182 switch with a screwdriver to get the window up.
I then messaged Josh at Harvey's Auto-Tech in Westbury (who did my alignment and weighed the car last June) to see if he could weigh the car now it has the cage fitted. He said to bring it over later that day so that was handy! Below is the image of the alignment and weight last summer.
Tbh I didn't think 1039kg was bad and from memory, this was with 1/3 or a 1/4 of a tank of fuel so more like 1030kg dry. A decent saving over standard! The spec at the time compared to a standard car was no AC, EPAS rather than HPAS, 1 fibreglass bucket seat and steel mounts, 1 steel bucket seat and steel mounts, no seatbelts, harness bar, and rear bench removed. The car was also sat on the BC's and 2118s with AD08RS tyres. All the interior trim was still in at this point.
Things have changed a bit since last June. Main differences are that both seats are now fibreglass (all mounts are still steel though), the sound deadening has been removed, all the carpet and trims have been removed bar the dash (which has been significantly cut to fit round the cage), no speakers or radio, decat, the cage obviously and I put it on the regas to instantly get a saving.
I had initially hoped for 1000kg with a cage and no fuel, but it's about the heaviest spec cage you could get so I thought this would be unrealistic. I then settled for a goal of 1050kg with no fuel.
Well, what a pleasant surprise this was! I had filled up with fuel in the morning and according to the trip computer, had used 1.5 gallons for the 52 miles I'd driven since filling it up.
Therefore, 1039kg with the above fuel amount works out at just over 1007kg dry. Very pleased with this as according to Tom at Fulcrum Motorsport, he reckons the cage is between 60 and 70kg. Also, I'm very happy with the 50% cross weight considering the car hasn't been corner weighted.
Forgot how good it looks on the regas too! Haven't run them since the trackday last October but will start to now the weather is getting better I think, just got to be careful to not smash any potholes!
Now to find 7kg to get rid of... Maybe a race heater is next on the list...
I then messaged Josh at Harvey's Auto-Tech in Westbury (who did my alignment and weighed the car last June) to see if he could weigh the car now it has the cage fitted. He said to bring it over later that day so that was handy! Below is the image of the alignment and weight last summer.
Tbh I didn't think 1039kg was bad and from memory, this was with 1/3 or a 1/4 of a tank of fuel so more like 1030kg dry. A decent saving over standard! The spec at the time compared to a standard car was no AC, EPAS rather than HPAS, 1 fibreglass bucket seat and steel mounts, 1 steel bucket seat and steel mounts, no seatbelts, harness bar, and rear bench removed. The car was also sat on the BC's and 2118s with AD08RS tyres. All the interior trim was still in at this point.
Things have changed a bit since last June. Main differences are that both seats are now fibreglass (all mounts are still steel though), the sound deadening has been removed, all the carpet and trims have been removed bar the dash (which has been significantly cut to fit round the cage), no speakers or radio, decat, the cage obviously and I put it on the regas to instantly get a saving.
I had initially hoped for 1000kg with a cage and no fuel, but it's about the heaviest spec cage you could get so I thought this would be unrealistic. I then settled for a goal of 1050kg with no fuel.
Well, what a pleasant surprise this was! I had filled up with fuel in the morning and according to the trip computer, had used 1.5 gallons for the 52 miles I'd driven since filling it up.
Therefore, 1039kg with the above fuel amount works out at just over 1007kg dry. Very pleased with this as according to Tom at Fulcrum Motorsport, he reckons the cage is between 60 and 70kg. Also, I'm very happy with the 50% cross weight considering the car hasn't been corner weighted.
Forgot how good it looks on the regas too! Haven't run them since the trackday last October but will start to now the weather is getting better I think, just got to be careful to not smash any potholes!
Now to find 7kg to get rid of... Maybe a race heater is next on the list...
Seeing as I hadn't run the Regas since October I thought I better get some updated photos of them on the car.
I didn't have much time however so just stayed close to home for some snaps. Next time I run them I'll add an extra 5mm shim to the rear to just help fill the arch a bit better.
I'm so happy with the car now. Just a bit of tidying here and there and then its just onto maintenance to keep it going strong.
I didn't have much time however so just stayed close to home for some snaps. Next time I run them I'll add an extra 5mm shim to the rear to just help fill the arch a bit better.
I'm so happy with the car now. Just a bit of tidying here and there and then its just onto maintenance to keep it going strong.
Got bored on the May bank holiday Monday so went back to Caffeine and Machine, this time accompanied by my mate and his 197. They even let me park on an empty plinth up on the side - one of the few spots here it hasn't been!
Even got it's own feature on the C&M IG. You love to see it!
I certainly think so in answer to their question! Not that mine has been particularly good value for money though, but nevertheless its famous now (or so I like to think).
Then moved down to the bottom to get a couple of pics next to the 197.
Mk3s really are quite a bit bigger than the Mk2s! Fitment on the 197 is spot on though so I've got to make a couple improvements. Some 100mm studs on the front so that I can run a 30mm spacer will be a start (currently running 92mm studs with a 25mm spacer), then I need to work on getting the whole thing lower.
Regardless, since the cage has been done I have just been enjoying the car. Think I must've done about 750 miles in it in the last month with a smile on my face for each and every one driven...
Now I managed to get a last minute slot on a track day at Combe on the 9th May so needed to do a little maintenance to be in tip top shape - oil change and re fitting the exhaust heatshields.
When we fitted the PMS we tore off the old heatshields as they were super crusty, but I had read on Facebook of someone who had done the same and their exhaust had actually melted through their fuel tank on a trackday! i certainly did not want this happening and so I grabbed some of my good friend James at JMRS and got them fitted. Also noticed that the rear pads were pretty low so a trip to Euro Car Parts to get their finest £14 Pagid replacements did the trick!
Last thing up on trackday prep was fixing the GoPro somewhere to record me pootling around. Previously I had used a suction mount stuck to the passenger side window which was ok, but the view is a little distorted from that angle and now that I have a cage, I can use the central X. Amazon Prime came in handy for the roll bar mount and it looks straight through the front window with a nice view of some of the interior too.
Then all was ready for Monday's trackday and I was very excited to see how it felt with the cage, and to give the AR-1s a proper try as the last day in October wasn't too successful on the Regas.
Even got it's own feature on the C&M IG. You love to see it!
I certainly think so in answer to their question! Not that mine has been particularly good value for money though, but nevertheless its famous now (or so I like to think).
Then moved down to the bottom to get a couple of pics next to the 197.
Mk3s really are quite a bit bigger than the Mk2s! Fitment on the 197 is spot on though so I've got to make a couple improvements. Some 100mm studs on the front so that I can run a 30mm spacer will be a start (currently running 92mm studs with a 25mm spacer), then I need to work on getting the whole thing lower.
Regardless, since the cage has been done I have just been enjoying the car. Think I must've done about 750 miles in it in the last month with a smile on my face for each and every one driven...
Now I managed to get a last minute slot on a track day at Combe on the 9th May so needed to do a little maintenance to be in tip top shape - oil change and re fitting the exhaust heatshields.
When we fitted the PMS we tore off the old heatshields as they were super crusty, but I had read on Facebook of someone who had done the same and their exhaust had actually melted through their fuel tank on a trackday! i certainly did not want this happening and so I grabbed some of my good friend James at JMRS and got them fitted. Also noticed that the rear pads were pretty low so a trip to Euro Car Parts to get their finest £14 Pagid replacements did the trick!
Last thing up on trackday prep was fixing the GoPro somewhere to record me pootling around. Previously I had used a suction mount stuck to the passenger side window which was ok, but the view is a little distorted from that angle and now that I have a cage, I can use the central X. Amazon Prime came in handy for the roll bar mount and it looks straight through the front window with a nice view of some of the interior too.
Then all was ready for Monday's trackday and I was very excited to see how it felt with the cage, and to give the AR-1s a proper try as the last day in October wasn't too successful on the Regas.
Trackday time once again with the GUESSWORK boys.
Turn in on the AR-1s was so much better than the garbage AD08RS's that I was running last year!
Squad goals. We had my 182 and mates 197, FN2 Type R, E36 325i and S2000. All lapping within similar times to each other throughout the day.
Wish it looked this low all the time!
I was carrying extra corner speed over the previous trackdays and so the brakes were starting to fade after 5/6 laps. Rears are standard and fronts are just DS2500 pads so I think an upgrade is needed. I was very impressed with the PBS setup in the 197 so maybe a set of brembos calipers are needed so I can copy the setup.
I was struggling with getting the car to rotate quickly in the chicanes so stiffened the rear BC's all the way and had the fronts at +10. Think an increased spring rate and ARB is needed. Car was super stable though, didn't step out once.
Nearly ended up bump drafting the 197 out of Camp up to Avon Rise as the 182 definitely has the legs!
Mega day all round! Did have a wheel weight come off at one point though so I was getting a bit of a wobble at 100+ but just pushed through it. Cadwell is booked for August so I shall look forward to that.
Turn in on the AR-1s was so much better than the garbage AD08RS's that I was running last year!
Squad goals. We had my 182 and mates 197, FN2 Type R, E36 325i and S2000. All lapping within similar times to each other throughout the day.
Wish it looked this low all the time!
I was carrying extra corner speed over the previous trackdays and so the brakes were starting to fade after 5/6 laps. Rears are standard and fronts are just DS2500 pads so I think an upgrade is needed. I was very impressed with the PBS setup in the 197 so maybe a set of brembos calipers are needed so I can copy the setup.
I was struggling with getting the car to rotate quickly in the chicanes so stiffened the rear BC's all the way and had the fronts at +10. Think an increased spring rate and ARB is needed. Car was super stable though, didn't step out once.
Nearly ended up bump drafting the 197 out of Camp up to Avon Rise as the 182 definitely has the legs!
Mega day all round! Did have a wheel weight come off at one point though so I was getting a bit of a wobble at 100+ but just pushed through it. Cadwell is booked for August so I shall look forward to that.
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Minimal progress but an update nevertheless.....
First on the list after the trackday was to get the front wheels rebalanced after a weight fell off. Just about managed to fit the Regas in the car between the cage without scratching any of the bars!
Quick trip to the local Bathwick sorted me out. Got the expected "Blimey they're light" comment from the guy that balanced them.
Also took a trip to the first Wilton Wake Up of the year accompanied by the G/W 197.
Unfortunately we didn't make it into the main displaying area but there were some insane machines on display all around. Highlights being a Carrera GT and a Koenigsegg Regera!
Now, as my car friends have been telling since I've known them - I need to lower my car apparently. I have wanted to make it lower, however the BCs are not a full coilover on the rear and I don't have any of the spring spacers installed so it is as low as it can go on the current setup. The barrel spring is 135.008.62 (I think) and the only shorter barrel spring offered by BC is 120mm tall in a 12kg rate. Not really sure that would make much difference to the height really.
I had seen on the '@KISMotorsport' Instagram page that they had made their rear BC DS setup into a full coilover and it turns out the rear damper is the same as the front. So it was a quick phone call to BC for the spring perches and lockrings, and a trip up the road to Merlin Motorsport for the Faulkner springs. I wanted to stiffen the rear up anyway and so these new springs are 550lb (9.8kg) up from the current 8kg BC springs fitted. I am aware that the valving may be different but I just want to see what it's like first before I spend money on new dampers.
It was then a trip to the G/W garage to mock up the shock with spring as I had heard it was a tight fit. Well, it was very tight and the spring catches the inner arch unfortunately.
Upon further inspecting though, the inside of the arch has been pulled sort of square by the spreader plates from the harness bar inside. I had heard that some "percussive persuasion" may be needed but with that bar across the arches it isn't happening and so the harness bar will be cut out, and the air hammer will be unboxed for some action when the time comes to fit the coilovers....
The BC parts arrived this week and I have drawn a top mount up that I am currently waiting for a friend to machine. Then hopefully we should be able to get it all fitted!
More evening driveouts happening now the sun is shining! Although I didn't stay in front of the Startlet for long!
I had quickly noticed that normal sized people (not short arses like me) make an absolute meal of getting in and out with the cage now fitted and, not wanting to pay the £50 a metre for the genuine Carbon tube protector stuff, I used some Carbon Fibre vinyl to cover the doorbars to stop them getting scratched up.
Don't like the fact it's fake but it's there to take the abuse so I can live with it. The "weave" is even a decent match for the doorcards and shifter too so that's a bonus!
Some spare time this weekend meant that I finally got round to fitting the rear Carbon-Tec doorcards that had been sat in the shed for 3 months.
Definitely the most difficult 4 holes to drill as some idiot didn't fit them before the cage was installed. They're in nevertheless and I'm really pleased with how they look.
Much nicer than having the ugly metal behind that didn't get painted when I sprayed the car back in Feb. Very pleased with the interior now and just need to fit the pulls to the front doors to complete it.
I definitely have a sticker addiction but oh well each to their own. I had a spare blue gel sticker of my nickname and so decided to stick it to the back of my seat along with a little Welsh Dragon to rep the family roots. Not as fancy as having my name sewn into the fabric but I like it.
Another part that got bought recently was a new stud kit from K-Tec. Currently running 90mm fronts and 82mm rears with 25mm and 15mm (20mm on Regas) spacers respectively. I want to move to a 30mm front spacer and so needed to go a longer stud. K-Tec do 100mm and 82mm ones but they're M12x1.25 (M12x1.5 thread for the hub though) so I needed to replace the set rather than just buy 100mm fronts. However, they packed 100mm and 68mm ones so fitting those has been delayed. The correct ones will arrive soon I hope.....
Regardless I am very excited to see what the stiffer rear setup is like and to sort the fitment out - mainly to get rid of the "stock ride height" comments from friends. Not sure when the next update will be as the next few weeks are pretty busy, but fingers crossed it's not too far away.
First on the list after the trackday was to get the front wheels rebalanced after a weight fell off. Just about managed to fit the Regas in the car between the cage without scratching any of the bars!
Quick trip to the local Bathwick sorted me out. Got the expected "Blimey they're light" comment from the guy that balanced them.
Also took a trip to the first Wilton Wake Up of the year accompanied by the G/W 197.
Unfortunately we didn't make it into the main displaying area but there were some insane machines on display all around. Highlights being a Carrera GT and a Koenigsegg Regera!
Now, as my car friends have been telling since I've known them - I need to lower my car apparently. I have wanted to make it lower, however the BCs are not a full coilover on the rear and I don't have any of the spring spacers installed so it is as low as it can go on the current setup. The barrel spring is 135.008.62 (I think) and the only shorter barrel spring offered by BC is 120mm tall in a 12kg rate. Not really sure that would make much difference to the height really.
I had seen on the '@KISMotorsport' Instagram page that they had made their rear BC DS setup into a full coilover and it turns out the rear damper is the same as the front. So it was a quick phone call to BC for the spring perches and lockrings, and a trip up the road to Merlin Motorsport for the Faulkner springs. I wanted to stiffen the rear up anyway and so these new springs are 550lb (9.8kg) up from the current 8kg BC springs fitted. I am aware that the valving may be different but I just want to see what it's like first before I spend money on new dampers.
It was then a trip to the G/W garage to mock up the shock with spring as I had heard it was a tight fit. Well, it was very tight and the spring catches the inner arch unfortunately.
Upon further inspecting though, the inside of the arch has been pulled sort of square by the spreader plates from the harness bar inside. I had heard that some "percussive persuasion" may be needed but with that bar across the arches it isn't happening and so the harness bar will be cut out, and the air hammer will be unboxed for some action when the time comes to fit the coilovers....
The BC parts arrived this week and I have drawn a top mount up that I am currently waiting for a friend to machine. Then hopefully we should be able to get it all fitted!
More evening driveouts happening now the sun is shining! Although I didn't stay in front of the Startlet for long!
I had quickly noticed that normal sized people (not short arses like me) make an absolute meal of getting in and out with the cage now fitted and, not wanting to pay the £50 a metre for the genuine Carbon tube protector stuff, I used some Carbon Fibre vinyl to cover the doorbars to stop them getting scratched up.
Don't like the fact it's fake but it's there to take the abuse so I can live with it. The "weave" is even a decent match for the doorcards and shifter too so that's a bonus!
Some spare time this weekend meant that I finally got round to fitting the rear Carbon-Tec doorcards that had been sat in the shed for 3 months.
Definitely the most difficult 4 holes to drill as some idiot didn't fit them before the cage was installed. They're in nevertheless and I'm really pleased with how they look.
Much nicer than having the ugly metal behind that didn't get painted when I sprayed the car back in Feb. Very pleased with the interior now and just need to fit the pulls to the front doors to complete it.
I definitely have a sticker addiction but oh well each to their own. I had a spare blue gel sticker of my nickname and so decided to stick it to the back of my seat along with a little Welsh Dragon to rep the family roots. Not as fancy as having my name sewn into the fabric but I like it.
Another part that got bought recently was a new stud kit from K-Tec. Currently running 90mm fronts and 82mm rears with 25mm and 15mm (20mm on Regas) spacers respectively. I want to move to a 30mm front spacer and so needed to go a longer stud. K-Tec do 100mm and 82mm ones but they're M12x1.25 (M12x1.5 thread for the hub though) so I needed to replace the set rather than just buy 100mm fronts. However, they packed 100mm and 68mm ones so fitting those has been delayed. The correct ones will arrive soon I hope.....
Regardless I am very excited to see what the stiffer rear setup is like and to sort the fitment out - mainly to get rid of the "stock ride height" comments from friends. Not sure when the next update will be as the next few weeks are pretty busy, but fingers crossed it's not too far away.
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Some recent pics and another small update here...
Had a trip to Diddly Squat Farm shop at the end of June. 0 Jeremy Clarkson's seen though .
Stopped off at C&M for some lunch and got sent the following pic after. More scene points for the little baguette.
Made myself have a bit of a clear-out of all the interior parts that I wouldn't be using anymore. I thought about selling it but couldn't be bothered to list it all for sale or be at the mercy of when other people could collect, so I packed up the daily and took it all to James at JMRS. He's a good mate and I'm sure I'll need his expertise and a part soon enough so was happy to drop it all off to him.
Headliners are not the easiest things to transport however!
After all the junk was cleared I finally decided to get the footplates fitted. They had been sitting in the shed since February and so it was about time they made their way into the car.
Driver's side was first up...
Then the Passenger side...
Also found a cheap single din Cupholder radio replacement off Amazon so purchased that to see what it was like.
It's ok but not sure what drinks it will actually hold as the openings are very small. I think some custom solution will be needed soon to be honest but was worth a try anyway. Interior coming together nicely now though I think.
Still waiting on top mounts to be made and some more time to change over the stud kits to get the bigger spacers on. hoping to get that done some time in August but I'm not sure whether that will be possible - we shall see.
Cadwell trackday on the 4th so will look forward to that in the meantime!
Had a trip to Diddly Squat Farm shop at the end of June. 0 Jeremy Clarkson's seen though
.Stopped off at C&M for some lunch and got sent the following pic after. More scene points for the little baguette.
Made myself have a bit of a clear-out of all the interior parts that I wouldn't be using anymore. I thought about selling it but couldn't be bothered to list it all for sale or be at the mercy of when other people could collect, so I packed up the daily and took it all to James at JMRS. He's a good mate and I'm sure I'll need his expertise and a part soon enough so was happy to drop it all off to him.
Headliners are not the easiest things to transport however!
After all the junk was cleared I finally decided to get the footplates fitted. They had been sitting in the shed since February and so it was about time they made their way into the car.
Driver's side was first up...
Then the Passenger side...
Also found a cheap single din Cupholder radio replacement off Amazon so purchased that to see what it was like.
It's ok but not sure what drinks it will actually hold as the openings are very small. I think some custom solution will be needed soon to be honest but was worth a try anyway. Interior coming together nicely now though I think.
Still waiting on top mounts to be made and some more time to change over the stud kits to get the bigger spacers on. hoping to get that done some time in August but I'm not sure whether that will be possible - we shall see.
Cadwell trackday on the 4th so will look forward to that in the meantime!
Mr Underhill
ClioSport Club Member
Looking good. How far are you going with it? I really enjoyed building my track car, which ended up a race car and couldn’t be used on the road in the end. It was a weapon on circuit and I sold it on this year to a lad racing in tin tops. Going to build another one next year, only this time keeping it road legal.Some recent pics and another small update here...
Had a trip to Diddly Squat Farm shop at the end of June. 0 Jeremy Clarkson's seen though
View attachment 1604782
Stopped off at C&M for some lunch and got sent the following pic after. More scene points for the little baguette.
View attachment 1604783
Made myself have a bit of a clear-out of all the interior parts that I wouldn't be using anymore. I thought about selling it but couldn't be bothered to list it all for sale or be at the mercy of when other people could collect, so I packed up the daily and took it all to James at JMRS. He's a good mate and I'm sure I'll need his expertise and a part soon enough so was happy to drop it all off to him.
Headliners are not the easiest things to transport however!
View attachment 1604793
After all the junk was cleared I finally decided to get the footplates fitted. They had been sitting in the shed since February and so it was about time they made their way into the car.
Driver's side was first up...
View attachment 1604788
Then the Passenger side...
View attachment 1604787
View attachment 1604786
Also found a cheap single din Cupholder radio replacement off Amazon so purchased that to see what it was like.
View attachment 1604789
It's ok but not sure what drinks it will actually hold as the openings are very small. I think some custom solution will be needed soon to be honest but was worth a try anyway. Interior coming together nicely now though I think.
View attachment 1604792
Still waiting on top mounts to be made and some more time to change over the stud kits to get the bigger spacers on. hoping to get that done some time in August but I'm not sure whether that will be possible - we shall see.
Cadwell trackday on the 4th so will look forward to that in the meantime!
Good question and one that I have thought of a lot...
My initial plans were to just make a couple of upgrades as and when things needed replacing. However once this became a 2nd car that soon went out the window. Really just got some "tidying" up to do now.
I don't think I will go any more "hardcore" with it - don't really want to do Poly Windows or go to fibreglass doors or boot. The heater / blower could do with changing or sorting so that it works a little better as I cut a lot of the ducting out when fitting the dash around the cage.
But having said that it's still fine for use on the road. It's not that uncomfortable and even though getting in/out is a bit of a faff, I can put up with it for the enjoyment I get from driving it around. I did nearly 6k miles last year and now that I have storage closer to home I expect it'll be around 5k this year. I've put the time, effort and money into it so may as well keep it useable!
Well... Guess who forgot to update this on time... again...
To start with that amazon cupholder is crap. Its too small to hold anything you'd actually drink from and it's really difficult to reach when you're strapped into a harness. Luckily I have a friend with 3D scanner and printer so I think we are going to have a stab at making something a bit better quality and ergonomic.
Anyway after I got the foot plates fitted I went for some more photos.
Airbag ECU needs removing next and will do my best at tidying up the rest of the loom too I think. Window switches also need some attention.
To start with that amazon cupholder is crap. Its too small to hold anything you'd actually drink from and it's really difficult to reach when you're strapped into a harness. Luckily I have a friend with 3D scanner and printer so I think we are going to have a stab at making something a bit better quality and ergonomic.
Anyway after I got the foot plates fitted I went for some more photos.
Airbag ECU needs removing next and will do my best at tidying up the rest of the loom too I think. Window switches also need some attention.
Then I went to check the car over for Cadwell and had a nasty shock
I hadn't properly cleaned the Regas since January (I think) and had only washed them on the car. That time they were fine but I had done a trackday at Combe and driven to Caffeine and Machine on them in the meantime.
Anyway, when I was cleaning them I noticed some cracks in one wheel. Now, I had been told and read enough about them to know that they were weak but 3 were fine, yet one had 4 (pretty sizeable) cracks on the inside lip - I was absolutely gutted. Especially as this was the Monday eve before I was supposed to drive to Cadwell on Wednesday.
Big sad indeed for about half an hour whilst I worried how I was going to run AR-1s on the trackday. Well one of my car mates came in clutch and lent me a couple of his Jap wheels in the same spec. A genuine pair of KC-SE wheels (15x6.5 ET+45 - exactly the same as the Regas) developed by Keiichi Tsuchiya.
Jap wheels are cool...
Tbf at a glance you wouldn't even know that I would be running two different pairs of wheels.
First photo I took at Cadwell. Next post will be about the trackday.
I hadn't properly cleaned the Regas since January (I think) and had only washed them on the car. That time they were fine but I had done a trackday at Combe and driven to Caffeine and Machine on them in the meantime.
Anyway, when I was cleaning them I noticed some cracks in one wheel. Now, I had been told and read enough about them to know that they were weak but 3 were fine, yet one had 4 (pretty sizeable) cracks on the inside lip - I was absolutely gutted. Especially as this was the Monday eve before I was supposed to drive to Cadwell on Wednesday.
Big sad indeed for about half an hour whilst I worried how I was going to run AR-1s on the trackday. Well one of my car mates came in clutch and lent me a couple of his Jap wheels in the same spec. A genuine pair of KC-SE wheels (15x6.5 ET+45 - exactly the same as the Regas) developed by Keiichi Tsuchiya.
Jap wheels are cool...
Tbf at a glance you wouldn't even know that I would be running two different pairs of wheels.
First photo I took at Cadwell. Next post will be about the trackday.
Cadwell round up time. 4th August with Javelin and the GUESSWORK lads.
Firstly, I hate driving at a constant 70 unless I have my earbuds in. The PMS rattle is awful and ruins an otherwise pretty nice cruise.
Secondly, I think the car looked pretty spot on even with its mismatched wheels.
Anyway onto the track driving and it didn't take long until there was an issue.
Within about 5 minutes into the first session the gearbox started making a noise, and not a nice one. It's a sort of whirring noise off throttle (probs all the time but can't hear it when the throttle is wide open), around 3-4k rpm, noticeable most at the end of Hall Bends and braking into Park.
Now the gearbox has had a crunch when you slam it from 2nd to 3rd for a while but I have just been 'careful' not to do this too much. I had thought it might be a warped disc or wheel bearing initially but after checking these (admittedly quickly in the paddock) they seemed fine. So, I sulked for a while wondering what to do and as I had access to a trailer (if it went bang) I thought sod it and carried on...
Apart from the noisy box the car felt good but I did feel as though I was running out of brakes compared to last year. An upgrade is definitely needed for whenever I go out on track next.
Realising that it was all still ok once I reached the 100mile mark I thought I would call it a day because I was going to be driving the car home. This was about 14:00 so I just enjoyed watching the rest of the lads send it around the track all afternoon.
Also had a decent few laps trying to keep up with @182jwilliams in his 197. Proper nice car that and very well pedalled!
When I swapped the wheels back to the 2118s to drive home my heart dropped again...
The lacquer has appeared to crack on the KS-CEs which I can only put down to the heat cycles and the fact that the paint is original.
Driving back to the hotel from Cadwell was noise free however (annoyingly) but I was just pootling along trying not to break down. The drive home the next day was also fine but the noises were there towards the end so not sure if it's heat related or what really.
Once home it was time for a well earned clean. Still so pleased with it but really could do with using a polisher on it at some point.
Even though the trip wasn't as successful as it might be, Cadwell still remains my favourite track so far and was nice to spend some time with friends.
Firstly, I hate driving at a constant 70 unless I have my earbuds in. The PMS rattle is awful and ruins an otherwise pretty nice cruise.
Secondly, I think the car looked pretty spot on even with its mismatched wheels.
Anyway onto the track driving and it didn't take long until there was an issue.
Within about 5 minutes into the first session the gearbox started making a noise, and not a nice one. It's a sort of whirring noise off throttle (probs all the time but can't hear it when the throttle is wide open), around 3-4k rpm, noticeable most at the end of Hall Bends and braking into Park.
Now the gearbox has had a crunch when you slam it from 2nd to 3rd for a while but I have just been 'careful' not to do this too much. I had thought it might be a warped disc or wheel bearing initially but after checking these (admittedly quickly in the paddock) they seemed fine. So, I sulked for a while wondering what to do and as I had access to a trailer (if it went bang) I thought sod it and carried on...
Apart from the noisy box the car felt good but I did feel as though I was running out of brakes compared to last year. An upgrade is definitely needed for whenever I go out on track next.
Realising that it was all still ok once I reached the 100mile mark I thought I would call it a day because I was going to be driving the car home. This was about 14:00 so I just enjoyed watching the rest of the lads send it around the track all afternoon.
Also had a decent few laps trying to keep up with @182jwilliams in his 197. Proper nice car that and very well pedalled!
When I swapped the wheels back to the 2118s to drive home my heart dropped again...
The lacquer has appeared to crack on the KS-CEs which I can only put down to the heat cycles and the fact that the paint is original.
Driving back to the hotel from Cadwell was noise free however (annoyingly) but I was just pootling along trying not to break down. The drive home the next day was also fine but the noises were there towards the end so not sure if it's heat related or what really.
Once home it was time for a well earned clean. Still so pleased with it but really could do with using a polisher on it at some point.
Even though the trip wasn't as successful as it might be, Cadwell still remains my favourite track so far and was nice to spend some time with friends.
Clios and Coffee at Hendy Performance last year was a good event and so I thought I would attend again as it's only about an hour away from me. Also on the same morning was a Wilton Wake Up in Salisbury so detoured there along the way.
Had a nice, albeit slow, convoy down with the G/W 197.
Always some nice machinery here on display but only stayed for a few mins before heading down to Eastleigh.
Callum had arranged for a photographer to be there and was pretty happy with the results. Good job because I took 0 of my own car 🙃.
The car may even make it into some of the future Clios and Coffee promos - who knows!
Gave the inside a bit of a clean and took a quick snap of the reflection in the doorcards. I never used to like carbon but now think it's quite nice. Might need to find some more to add somewhere...
Parked up for a couple of weeks and then was back out at Forge Action day last Saturday with RenaultSport Wiltshire.
I had no Track sessions booked due to the gearbox but the sessions were carnage a couple of years ago when I did my last action day and I hadn't many good things about the others so far this year.
Well, wasn't I glad not to be out on track. Possibly the worst display of track etiquette I have seen and once the BMW crash (videos of which have made the rounds on the FB pages) occurred I left. I will not book a track session at an action day ever again.
Over the last few weeks I have been in the process of selling the Regas so have been thinking of what to go for as track wheels next. I'd like to move to bigger tyre and since taking a dremel and grinder to the front arches, I had thought that a 225 or maybe even a 245 tyre would fit. So on the way home from Combe I stopped to try a Konig Hypergram off my friends K-Swap Starlet.
15x8.5 ET20 with a 215/50R15 Direzza (which I think actually measures at 234 treadwidth) and no spacer fitted fine up front. Clearance in the arch and around the shock was fine and there is probably room for a 245 AR-1 to run something road legal.
Also tried the rears which are 15x7.5 ET35 and were fitted with a 205/50R15 Direzza. Without spacers the spokes hit the rear calipers and so I put the 15mm ones on that I run on the rear with the 2118s but the tyre poked a little so wouldn't have worked. A 5 or 10mm would probably be ideal on them.
So, I just need to decide on what wheels I want now. I want something that not everyone has but also something that isn't going to crack again 😭. A lot of Googling to be done to work out what I think I will be happy with.
That's that for the moment though! Spring perches for the rear BC's should be made soon (sounding like a broken record I know) and when James at JMRS has a beam available I will get that and fit the strengthening kit to it ready to sort the rear out. As bad as it sounds though I am quite glad to not have any deadlines or strict plans for the car this winter. I'll just chip away and take it to my mates garage as when the parts come in.
Not sure when the next update will be but will try to be more on time than these.
Had a nice, albeit slow, convoy down with the G/W 197.
Always some nice machinery here on display but only stayed for a few mins before heading down to Eastleigh.
Callum had arranged for a photographer to be there and was pretty happy with the results. Good job because I took 0 of my own car 🙃.
The car may even make it into some of the future Clios and Coffee promos - who knows!
Gave the inside a bit of a clean and took a quick snap of the reflection in the doorcards. I never used to like carbon but now think it's quite nice. Might need to find some more to add somewhere...
Parked up for a couple of weeks and then was back out at Forge Action day last Saturday with RenaultSport Wiltshire.
I had no Track sessions booked due to the gearbox but the sessions were carnage a couple of years ago when I did my last action day and I hadn't many good things about the others so far this year.
Well, wasn't I glad not to be out on track. Possibly the worst display of track etiquette I have seen and once the BMW crash (videos of which have made the rounds on the FB pages) occurred I left. I will not book a track session at an action day ever again.
Over the last few weeks I have been in the process of selling the Regas so have been thinking of what to go for as track wheels next. I'd like to move to bigger tyre and since taking a dremel and grinder to the front arches, I had thought that a 225 or maybe even a 245 tyre would fit. So on the way home from Combe I stopped to try a Konig Hypergram off my friends K-Swap Starlet.
15x8.5 ET20 with a 215/50R15 Direzza (which I think actually measures at 234 treadwidth) and no spacer fitted fine up front. Clearance in the arch and around the shock was fine and there is probably room for a 245 AR-1 to run something road legal.
Also tried the rears which are 15x7.5 ET35 and were fitted with a 205/50R15 Direzza. Without spacers the spokes hit the rear calipers and so I put the 15mm ones on that I run on the rear with the 2118s but the tyre poked a little so wouldn't have worked. A 5 or 10mm would probably be ideal on them.
So, I just need to decide on what wheels I want now. I want something that not everyone has but also something that isn't going to crack again 😭. A lot of Googling to be done to work out what I think I will be happy with.
That's that for the moment though! Spring perches for the rear BC's should be made soon (sounding like a broken record I know) and when James at JMRS has a beam available I will get that and fit the strengthening kit to it ready to sort the rear out. As bad as it sounds though I am quite glad to not have any deadlines or strict plans for the car this winter. I'll just chip away and take it to my mates garage as when the parts come in.
Not sure when the next update will be but will try to be more on time than these.
RB197
Awesome pictures mate, car looks mega. Nice driving at Cadwell too
Wahey! An update that's pretty much on time again, must be getting the hang of this!
I've really enjoyed putting miles on this car this year but there was one upgrade that had been fitted which I kind of wish never had been...
...the PMS Shifter.
Now, it's a nice bit of kit and it's better having the gear knob up closer to the wheel (+ it looks quite cool) but my god does it rattle. I was getting so fed up with it that I was almost at the point of not wanting to drive the car. Having to use earphones as earplugs or rest your hand on the lever really wasn't great and on track at high rpms it was pretty horrendous. 3000rpm seemed to be where the rattle started though and with the Megane 5th, that's 60mph.
I then remembered that I had seen on Instagram that @FrogJam Motorsport had fitted a Pro Coolerworx to their race ca which sparked my interest. I sent them a message asking if they would make something similar for me that would fit a standard tunnel (theirs is modified and mounted from the cabin rather than underneath). Fair play to them they said they would help out so they told me what bits to buy and so I got the bits ordered and sent the required parts off to Freddie.
Less than a week later I received the tower and had everything I needed to try it out. I'd been very impressed with the work done on the FrogJam car so had complete confidence that it would work in mine. Took it to the Guesswork garage to fit and setup the Saturday after...
Now I thought the PMS looked "race car" but think this is even better! The prototype stickers were taken from a project at work which I think adds a nice touch.
Not quite as simple to setup as the PMS down to the fact you need to adjust the spring centre and the lock limits for 1st/2nd, 5th and reverse but still only took about 30 mins. Guess that's the luxury of having access to a ramp though.
More importantly though the shift is way better due to the strong self centering spring and the lock limits. There is also absolutely no rattle throughout the whole rev range and we also moved the gears closer to the driver (if that makes sense) which is also an improvement I feel. The above photo is where the shifter is held in neutral by the spring neutral so 1st and 2nd are more where 3rd and 4th were with the original Renault shifter.
Shift feels great and is honestly such a fantastic addition to the car. it is so direct whilst being really smooth and no rattle means that it's just a nicer place to sit now.
Over the 3 weekends that the shifter has been fitted I have done just about 500 miles with no issues at all. Seriously one of the best mods on the car.
Further updates coming soon when some more shiny bits arrive.
I've really enjoyed putting miles on this car this year but there was one upgrade that had been fitted which I kind of wish never had been...
...the PMS Shifter.
Now, it's a nice bit of kit and it's better having the gear knob up closer to the wheel (+ it looks quite cool) but my god does it rattle. I was getting so fed up with it that I was almost at the point of not wanting to drive the car. Having to use earphones as earplugs or rest your hand on the lever really wasn't great and on track at high rpms it was pretty horrendous. 3000rpm seemed to be where the rattle started though and with the Megane 5th, that's 60mph.
I then remembered that I had seen on Instagram that @FrogJam Motorsport had fitted a Pro Coolerworx to their race ca which sparked my interest. I sent them a message asking if they would make something similar for me that would fit a standard tunnel (theirs is modified and mounted from the cabin rather than underneath). Fair play to them they said they would help out so they told me what bits to buy and so I got the bits ordered and sent the required parts off to Freddie.
Less than a week later I received the tower and had everything I needed to try it out. I'd been very impressed with the work done on the FrogJam car so had complete confidence that it would work in mine. Took it to the Guesswork garage to fit and setup the Saturday after...
Now I thought the PMS looked "race car" but think this is even better! The prototype stickers were taken from a project at work which I think adds a nice touch.
Not quite as simple to setup as the PMS down to the fact you need to adjust the spring centre and the lock limits for 1st/2nd, 5th and reverse but still only took about 30 mins. Guess that's the luxury of having access to a ramp though.
More importantly though the shift is way better due to the strong self centering spring and the lock limits. There is also absolutely no rattle throughout the whole rev range and we also moved the gears closer to the driver (if that makes sense) which is also an improvement I feel. The above photo is where the shifter is held in neutral by the spring neutral so 1st and 2nd are more where 3rd and 4th were with the original Renault shifter.
Shift feels great and is honestly such a fantastic addition to the car. it is so direct whilst being really smooth and no rattle means that it's just a nicer place to sit now.
Over the 3 weekends that the shifter has been fitted I have done just about 500 miles with no issues at all. Seriously one of the best mods on the car.
Further updates coming soon when some more shiny bits arrive.
FrogJam Motorsport
ClioSport Trader
Really glad you’re enjoying the car more now because of the shifter! Great to hear the good feedback.
Mr Underhill
ClioSport Club Member
Good bunch of lads. And it looks proper racecar.
PS... want to sell or swap me your climate control unit?
PS... want to sell or swap me your climate control unit?
Are they difficult to find? I'd like to change this to the cup style in future though as I no longer have AC. No clue on how to change mind as it's so far down on the list of priorities!Good bunch of lads. And it looks proper racecar.
PS... want to sell or swap me your climate control unit?
Mr Underhill
ClioSport Club Member
They're about but a lot are worn, especially around the fan buttons. It's for my resto, so if you take it off, let me know.
As a caveat to this update (and I'll probably regret saying this but...), there are not actually that many more things that I want to do the car before I feel it can just be used and maintained...
The current list stands at:
After finding the limit of the brake setup that I have been using for the past couple years over the last 2 trackdays, I looked into upgrades. On a bit of a whim I bought a second hand big brake kit that I thought could be bolted straight on but the calipers were in pretty bad condition and didn't want the added cost (which would've been the same as a new set) and hassle of having to get them rebuilt so sent them back.
I then spent some time reading the forums and Facebook pages (dangerous I know) and had seen that a lot of people seem to rate the standard calipers with more aggressive pads fitted. I suppose if the racecars run standard calipers then that should be good enough for me! Saying that however, I'd still really like a Brembo setup similar to my friends 197 as that thing stops very well. As well as having better performance I would like whatever the upgrades are to not squeal as I use the car a lot on the road still and frankly can't be bothered swapping pads over more than I need. Any opinions on suggested pad/disc/fluid upgrades from my DS2500/Godspeed C-Hook/RBF600 I use at the moment are welcome.
- Fitment Etc.
I sold the Regas to the UK distributor of the new Regamaster/Spoon SW388 wheels to be used as demo pieces in their office. Rather nice I thought but then of course meant I was looking for a 2nd set of wheels again. After trying the wide Konigs on in September I knew that I could get a decent sized wheel and tyre on. I would like to move to a wider tyre once I've used up my 205 AR1 this year.
I wasn't very adventurous and so bought a set of Protrack ones. 15x8 ET20 for the front and 15x7 ET35 for the rear in black. They fit well on the back with a 15mm spacer, but the fronts still need about 10-15mm but it needs lowering badly. I only fitted the wheels briefly as it was super wet out and didn't want to aquaplane all the way home or into a hedge somewhere on the way. There is still room on the front though and I feel silly for not buying a 15x9.
My spring perches have finally been made for the rear BC's so hopefully they will be going on soon along with the PMS beam stiffening kit. More news on that in an update soon I expect.
- Roll Centre Kit
I try not to believe a lot of what is said on FB and the forum on opinions on parts when I haven't tried them or been in a car with them fitted but I had not seen a bad review (on the performance at least) of a Roll centre kit. I looked at buying the PMS kit initially but that was quickly ended when I saw that I need Laguna hubs which are NLA. Then it was onto the Pro-Am kit which was also short-lived because there are reports that they break and I do not want that happening. Apparently the design has changed but the reputation is a little tainted for me. Therefore I was left with the NorthLoopCup/Bridgecraft Motorsport kit, only problem with this was the fact that I needed hubs to send off for machining. Quick call to James at JMRS who let me have a pair of hubs to send off on the basis that when mine were removed I gave them to him on an exchange basis afterwards.
Blasted them at work and quickly slapped some hamerite over them before sending them off to Allan at Bridgecraft. Didn't have to be perfect though but it'll add a little protection. Hubs are still away with Allan at the moment but new track rods, wheel bearings and ABS sensors have turned up ready for when they are returned. Exciting stuff!
- Gearbox rebuild
Something that I have been avoiding since August really and just been managing. I haven't really heard the noise that I did on track at Cadwell, but the crunch is still there and I have been getting annoyed with the Meg 5th. It's really nice on track, but the car is used on the road 95% of the time and so I was missing cruising at lower revs and left wanting the original one putting back in.
Steve at SE Gearbox Services in Bradford on Avon didn't replace anything when the Quaife and Meg 5th was fitted in June 2021 as the internals looked ok according to him. However, the box was out of another car and it's done 6 trackdays and 12ish thousand miles since they were fitted. I asked if he could price up a full bearing and synchro kit and what the quickest turnaround could be on it. I agreed on the price and he said it'd be about a days work.
Trip to the Guesswork garage was arranged and so on Friday lunch we dropped the box out the car and took it down the road to be rebuilt and have the original 5th put back in and then I went and grabbed it back yesterday morning. It was 26 hours between driving in the garage and then driving out again. Also took the chance to fit some Powerflex bushes to the front wishbones whilst the subframe was out. Not too shabby and also no crunch... Yay!
- Mapping
I need to decide where to go for this. EFI is the one I want to go for, but it is a really long way. Cooksport would be more convenient but not sure what the maps are like in comparison. Car started misfiring pretty badly on Friday on the way to the garage to drop the box out, but when I drove it home yesterday it was absolutely fine. Injectors are an unknown age, as is the coilpack so maybe it's time to change them. Don't want to get to mapping and it not working correctly.
- Bonus Content
Car hit 160000 miles the other week and I fitted a nicely fitting radio blank.
Hoping to make some sort of phone holder mount for this blank soon.
Finally, the clutch pedal cover fell off on a drive a couple weeks back, the rivets had worn away!
Lower black sunstrip also fitted and the snotter got a wash after all the snow and salty roads came at the end of last year.
So that's it. Gearbox done and all being well, roll kit and fitment will hopefully get ticked off the list soon. Brakes and mapping still require some more thought.
More updates soon!
The current list stands at:
- Upgrade brakes
- Sort fitment and lower the car more
- Roll centre +Bump steer correction kit
- Rebuild Gearbox
- Get it mapped
After finding the limit of the brake setup that I have been using for the past couple years over the last 2 trackdays, I looked into upgrades. On a bit of a whim I bought a second hand big brake kit that I thought could be bolted straight on but the calipers were in pretty bad condition and didn't want the added cost (which would've been the same as a new set) and hassle of having to get them rebuilt so sent them back.
I then spent some time reading the forums and Facebook pages (dangerous I know) and had seen that a lot of people seem to rate the standard calipers with more aggressive pads fitted. I suppose if the racecars run standard calipers then that should be good enough for me! Saying that however, I'd still really like a Brembo setup similar to my friends 197 as that thing stops very well. As well as having better performance I would like whatever the upgrades are to not squeal as I use the car a lot on the road still and frankly can't be bothered swapping pads over more than I need. Any opinions on suggested pad/disc/fluid upgrades from my DS2500/Godspeed C-Hook/RBF600 I use at the moment are welcome.
- Fitment Etc.
I sold the Regas to the UK distributor of the new Regamaster/Spoon SW388 wheels to be used as demo pieces in their office. Rather nice I thought but then of course meant I was looking for a 2nd set of wheels again. After trying the wide Konigs on in September I knew that I could get a decent sized wheel and tyre on. I would like to move to a wider tyre once I've used up my 205 AR1 this year.
I wasn't very adventurous and so bought a set of Protrack ones. 15x8 ET20 for the front and 15x7 ET35 for the rear in black. They fit well on the back with a 15mm spacer, but the fronts still need about 10-15mm but it needs lowering badly. I only fitted the wheels briefly as it was super wet out and didn't want to aquaplane all the way home or into a hedge somewhere on the way. There is still room on the front though and I feel silly for not buying a 15x9.
My spring perches have finally been made for the rear BC's so hopefully they will be going on soon along with the PMS beam stiffening kit. More news on that in an update soon I expect.
- Roll Centre Kit
I try not to believe a lot of what is said on FB and the forum on opinions on parts when I haven't tried them or been in a car with them fitted but I had not seen a bad review (on the performance at least) of a Roll centre kit. I looked at buying the PMS kit initially but that was quickly ended when I saw that I need Laguna hubs which are NLA. Then it was onto the Pro-Am kit which was also short-lived because there are reports that they break and I do not want that happening. Apparently the design has changed but the reputation is a little tainted for me. Therefore I was left with the NorthLoopCup/Bridgecraft Motorsport kit, only problem with this was the fact that I needed hubs to send off for machining. Quick call to James at JMRS who let me have a pair of hubs to send off on the basis that when mine were removed I gave them to him on an exchange basis afterwards.
Blasted them at work and quickly slapped some hamerite over them before sending them off to Allan at Bridgecraft. Didn't have to be perfect though but it'll add a little protection. Hubs are still away with Allan at the moment but new track rods, wheel bearings and ABS sensors have turned up ready for when they are returned. Exciting stuff!
- Gearbox rebuild
Something that I have been avoiding since August really and just been managing. I haven't really heard the noise that I did on track at Cadwell, but the crunch is still there and I have been getting annoyed with the Meg 5th. It's really nice on track, but the car is used on the road 95% of the time and so I was missing cruising at lower revs and left wanting the original one putting back in.
Steve at SE Gearbox Services in Bradford on Avon didn't replace anything when the Quaife and Meg 5th was fitted in June 2021 as the internals looked ok according to him. However, the box was out of another car and it's done 6 trackdays and 12ish thousand miles since they were fitted. I asked if he could price up a full bearing and synchro kit and what the quickest turnaround could be on it. I agreed on the price and he said it'd be about a days work.
Trip to the Guesswork garage was arranged and so on Friday lunch we dropped the box out the car and took it down the road to be rebuilt and have the original 5th put back in and then I went and grabbed it back yesterday morning. It was 26 hours between driving in the garage and then driving out again. Also took the chance to fit some Powerflex bushes to the front wishbones whilst the subframe was out. Not too shabby and also no crunch... Yay!
- Mapping
I need to decide where to go for this. EFI is the one I want to go for, but it is a really long way. Cooksport would be more convenient but not sure what the maps are like in comparison. Car started misfiring pretty badly on Friday on the way to the garage to drop the box out, but when I drove it home yesterday it was absolutely fine. Injectors are an unknown age, as is the coilpack so maybe it's time to change them. Don't want to get to mapping and it not working correctly.
- Bonus Content
Car hit 160000 miles the other week and I fitted a nicely fitting radio blank.
Hoping to make some sort of phone holder mount for this blank soon.
Finally, the clutch pedal cover fell off on a drive a couple weeks back, the rivets had worn away!
Lower black sunstrip also fitted and the snotter got a wash after all the snow and salty roads came at the end of last year.
So that's it. Gearbox done and all being well, roll kit and fitment will hopefully get ticked off the list soon. Brakes and mapping still require some more thought.
More updates soon!
So a day after the previous post I managed to get the spring perches for the rear dampers from the machine shop.
Test fitted them with the Faulkner springs as soon as I got home.
Once I knew they sat right in the springs it was time to go to the garage and test fit on the car...
As stated in a previous post, the springs are very close to the body and touch where the harness bar plates have been welded in. A bit of beating with a hammer got most of the clearance sorted but the bar does still need to come out. However, it fits really well and looks proper smart.
But, there's always something to sort out. I bought the Powerflex top mount bushes for the rear dampers but the metal sleeve does not fit over the rod on the BCs. I thought this would be the case but just wanted to be sure as the new bushes are made for standard dampers. These, as well as the spring perches needed going to the machine shop again for a couple of adjustments. The top hole needed boring out and so did the Powerflex sleeve.
Last problem during test fitting were the bottom locking collars on all the dampers. They are all seized to the silver damper units which was pretty annoying. We were not about to start heating them or smashing them up and as I know you can get all the spares from BC I decided I would order 4x new lockrings and cut the original ones off.
Cleaned all the units up in the meantime and have invested in some ACF-50 ready for when they are off next.
The spring perches and bush sleeves have been machined out and the new lockrings have turned up so I should have all that I need to fit these to the car now.
Now, remember I said it misfired on the way to the garage... Well on the way home this time it got real bad. Battery and stop light came on along with the misfire, plus the ABS and TCS light came on too. Not. Good.
I pulled over on the way home and gave it a minute to just think what to do and it really struggled to start again, sounding like a dead battery. I limped it home and then had a friend pickup a new battery and bring it over. It started the car easier, but the stop and battery light were still on and the damn misfire was too.
Then a bit more digging found this...
The crimp for the cable off of the side of the alternator has sheared so the battery wasn't getting charged. A new one needed then... Always something isn't there!
I needed to pop over to James at JMRS anyway as he's just down the road to get a beam. Like the hubs for my roll kit, he'd agreed to let me have it to build up with a PMS strengthening kit and new bushes in return for my standard one when it got swapped. When I got there I mentioned the crimp and James then grabbed a crimp and his hydraulic crimping tool and said I could take them too to get the cable sorted. He is a top bloke!
Beam is a little crusty and the bushes need replacing, but I have Whiteline ones to go in and will clean it up before fitting it down the line.
After dumping the beam in the garden I recrimped the cable on the alternator and it didn't solve the misfire, but the stop light and battery light went off so small steps towards solving the issue.
When the engine was changed at the end of 2020, the leads and plugs were new and the coil pack was taken off of my old engine which was known to be good (albeit at the time). The injectors were the only thing that was an unknown. I changed the coil pack first and tried it with the yellow leads which made no difference. Then I went back to the Renault leads that were on my old engine and tried those with both coil packs which also made no difference.
I then took the plugs out to see if any had fuel on to narrow down if it was a spark issue or fuel issue (I should've done this at the start but oh well). All of the plugs were dry so next up was injectors. It was dark and cold by this point so I turned the car on and removed the plug to each injector one by one, assuming that when I unplugged the dodgy one, it'd run the same. Sure enough the car ran the same depending on whether injector 2 was plugged in or not.
Now I remembered on FB that people had bought injectors on Amazon that seemed to be genuine and performed well. I ordered one at 10pm and it was delivered at 10am the next morning so it was super easy.
It arrived in Magneti Marelli packaging and looked good (even though I'm sure that a non genuine one would probably look good too).
Also noticed that when I was checking the injectors number 2 had no clip on it. Replacing it was super easy and afterwards the car ran much better. I was very relieved to get it sorted.
Due to the fact the other 3 injectors were still unknown I ordered 3 more and changed them the next day so at least they are all fresh, and I have 3 spare working ones now. The other 3 injectors were also bought on Amazon, came in the same packaging and were all of the same quality.
With the misfire sorted it still leaves the ABS and TCS light on the dash to sort.
My weekends are going to be busy for a while so not sure when the next updates will be. I'm yet to decide on what to do for brakes, but the roll kit should be delivered soon so I'll just keep stockpiling stuff ready for a big fitting session at some point in the coming weeks...
Test fitted them with the Faulkner springs as soon as I got home.
Once I knew they sat right in the springs it was time to go to the garage and test fit on the car...
As stated in a previous post, the springs are very close to the body and touch where the harness bar plates have been welded in. A bit of beating with a hammer got most of the clearance sorted but the bar does still need to come out. However, it fits really well and looks proper smart.
But, there's always something to sort out. I bought the Powerflex top mount bushes for the rear dampers but the metal sleeve does not fit over the rod on the BCs. I thought this would be the case but just wanted to be sure as the new bushes are made for standard dampers. These, as well as the spring perches needed going to the machine shop again for a couple of adjustments. The top hole needed boring out and so did the Powerflex sleeve.
Last problem during test fitting were the bottom locking collars on all the dampers. They are all seized to the silver damper units which was pretty annoying. We were not about to start heating them or smashing them up and as I know you can get all the spares from BC I decided I would order 4x new lockrings and cut the original ones off.
Cleaned all the units up in the meantime and have invested in some ACF-50 ready for when they are off next.
The spring perches and bush sleeves have been machined out and the new lockrings have turned up so I should have all that I need to fit these to the car now.
Now, remember I said it misfired on the way to the garage... Well on the way home this time it got real bad. Battery and stop light came on along with the misfire, plus the ABS and TCS light came on too. Not. Good.
I pulled over on the way home and gave it a minute to just think what to do and it really struggled to start again, sounding like a dead battery. I limped it home and then had a friend pickup a new battery and bring it over. It started the car easier, but the stop and battery light were still on and the damn misfire was too.
Then a bit more digging found this...
The crimp for the cable off of the side of the alternator has sheared so the battery wasn't getting charged. A new one needed then... Always something isn't there!
I needed to pop over to James at JMRS anyway as he's just down the road to get a beam. Like the hubs for my roll kit, he'd agreed to let me have it to build up with a PMS strengthening kit and new bushes in return for my standard one when it got swapped. When I got there I mentioned the crimp and James then grabbed a crimp and his hydraulic crimping tool and said I could take them too to get the cable sorted. He is a top bloke!
Beam is a little crusty and the bushes need replacing, but I have Whiteline ones to go in and will clean it up before fitting it down the line.
After dumping the beam in the garden I recrimped the cable on the alternator and it didn't solve the misfire, but the stop light and battery light went off so small steps towards solving the issue.
When the engine was changed at the end of 2020, the leads and plugs were new and the coil pack was taken off of my old engine which was known to be good (albeit at the time). The injectors were the only thing that was an unknown. I changed the coil pack first and tried it with the yellow leads which made no difference. Then I went back to the Renault leads that were on my old engine and tried those with both coil packs which also made no difference.
I then took the plugs out to see if any had fuel on to narrow down if it was a spark issue or fuel issue (I should've done this at the start but oh well). All of the plugs were dry so next up was injectors. It was dark and cold by this point so I turned the car on and removed the plug to each injector one by one, assuming that when I unplugged the dodgy one, it'd run the same. Sure enough the car ran the same depending on whether injector 2 was plugged in or not.
Now I remembered on FB that people had bought injectors on Amazon that seemed to be genuine and performed well. I ordered one at 10pm and it was delivered at 10am the next morning so it was super easy.
It arrived in Magneti Marelli packaging and looked good (even though I'm sure that a non genuine one would probably look good too).
Also noticed that when I was checking the injectors number 2 had no clip on it. Replacing it was super easy and afterwards the car ran much better. I was very relieved to get it sorted.
Due to the fact the other 3 injectors were still unknown I ordered 3 more and changed them the next day so at least they are all fresh, and I have 3 spare working ones now. The other 3 injectors were also bought on Amazon, came in the same packaging and were all of the same quality.
With the misfire sorted it still leaves the ABS and TCS light on the dash to sort.
My weekends are going to be busy for a while so not sure when the next updates will be. I'm yet to decide on what to do for brakes, but the roll kit should be delivered soon so I'll just keep stockpiling stuff ready for a big fitting session at some point in the coming weeks...
Updates, updates, updates...
After the faffery with the injectors and the fact I was still waiting for the Roll Kit to come back, it was time to crack on with the rear beam.
When reading the instructions for the PMS strengthening kit i realised that the box you add around the lower shock bolt is really designed to be done with a shock in place so that you can make sure its done correctly. I wasn't really in a position to take a shock out of the car and leave it on stands (where the car is kept I am not able to work on it), so I just measured the spacing and got a little spacer made up. Borrowed a shock bolt from James at JMRS and then got onto welding the beam up.
Didn't take many pictures as the welding isn't pretty, but I had a go at it (with some supervision) and it was my first time welding. Got well acquainted with a flappy disc too but it won't be seen and its all stuck so not too bothered by the how it looks. The beam, along with the mounts and the stub axles are away for blasting and powdercoating at the moment. Hopefully should have them back at the end of April.
Skipping ahead a couple of weeks now and stupidly, when I went to get the car on Good Friday I didn't check that the car was in neutral for some reason and when it cranked it lurched forward. Worst part was the drivers door was open and it hit the post next to the car.
I didn't notice at the time but when I got home and was giving it a wipe over I saw it and thought "that wasn't there last time I drove it" - not my finest moment and was really gutted. More on this later on...
So one way to brighten one's day is shiny stuff. The roll kit had turned up in the week and so it was time to go back to the garage with the parts for the front end. Hubs with the Bridgecraft kit, new Renault track rods, Renault wheel bearings, ABS sensors, longer front studs and BC lockrings were on the agenda to be fitted - not short of stuff to do!
Everything came apart without issue and went together again nicely too.
The only issue was that the ABS sensors I had been sent were incorrect. Not the end of the world and the ABS light was on anyway so it didn't make any difference driving it home.
BC lockrings were cut off and the damper units were all cleaned up and made pretty again. I really should have been better at taking them off and cleaning them as they have done a fair few miles now and most at the same height. As previously mentioned in the thread I have been getting bullied by my mates for having poor fitment and monster truck ride height, so when they were back on the car we began to lower it. Each front was lowered 20mm.
Above pic taken straight after driving it out the garage. Probably cancelled out the benefits of the roll kit now but it looks much better. I had some 100mm KTEC studs that I had been waiting to fit to allow me to run a 30mm spacer up front. The max I could run with the 90mm ones was 25mm.
I then drove it home, cleaned all of the arches out and fitted the 30mm spacers to the front.
It wasn't difficult to line the wheel up with the arch with the standard alignment settings, but with ~3° camber it tucks the top of the wheel in quite a lot. The car doesn't need to be driven now until it goes for aligning but need to wait until the beam is back for that. Hopefully there will be a chance to get it weighed at the same time again to see what it's like on the fat 2118s.
So the beam is next up but the paint and the dent on the door needs fixing also. As gutting as it was at the time, it may actually be a blessing in disguise (that's what I'm trying to tell myself anyway 😭). There is a little patch of rust on each rear arch and so rather than keep ignoring that and getting some mobile repair to come and sort the door, I have decided that it should be done properly and will get the rust sorted at the same time. I will take the skirts off as well and see what they are like so if there is any rust there then it can all hopefully be hit in one. I don't expect the work will be cheap, but it needs doing and will only get worse. I don't need it to be mint and the car never will be as it's used hard but that's no excuse to not maintain it and keep it looking presentable.
After the faffery with the injectors and the fact I was still waiting for the Roll Kit to come back, it was time to crack on with the rear beam.
When reading the instructions for the PMS strengthening kit i realised that the box you add around the lower shock bolt is really designed to be done with a shock in place so that you can make sure its done correctly. I wasn't really in a position to take a shock out of the car and leave it on stands (where the car is kept I am not able to work on it), so I just measured the spacing and got a little spacer made up. Borrowed a shock bolt from James at JMRS and then got onto welding the beam up.
Didn't take many pictures as the welding isn't pretty, but I had a go at it (with some supervision) and it was my first time welding. Got well acquainted with a flappy disc too but it won't be seen and its all stuck so not too bothered by the how it looks. The beam, along with the mounts and the stub axles are away for blasting and powdercoating at the moment. Hopefully should have them back at the end of April.
Skipping ahead a couple of weeks now and stupidly, when I went to get the car on Good Friday I didn't check that the car was in neutral for some reason and when it cranked it lurched forward. Worst part was the drivers door was open and it hit the post next to the car.
I didn't notice at the time but when I got home and was giving it a wipe over I saw it and thought "that wasn't there last time I drove it" - not my finest moment and was really gutted. More on this later on...
So one way to brighten one's day is shiny stuff. The roll kit had turned up in the week and so it was time to go back to the garage with the parts for the front end. Hubs with the Bridgecraft kit, new Renault track rods, Renault wheel bearings, ABS sensors, longer front studs and BC lockrings were on the agenda to be fitted - not short of stuff to do!
Everything came apart without issue and went together again nicely too.
The only issue was that the ABS sensors I had been sent were incorrect. Not the end of the world and the ABS light was on anyway so it didn't make any difference driving it home.
BC lockrings were cut off and the damper units were all cleaned up and made pretty again. I really should have been better at taking them off and cleaning them as they have done a fair few miles now and most at the same height. As previously mentioned in the thread I have been getting bullied by my mates for having poor fitment and monster truck ride height, so when they were back on the car we began to lower it. Each front was lowered 20mm.
Above pic taken straight after driving it out the garage. Probably cancelled out the benefits of the roll kit now but it looks much better. I had some 100mm KTEC studs that I had been waiting to fit to allow me to run a 30mm spacer up front. The max I could run with the 90mm ones was 25mm.
I then drove it home, cleaned all of the arches out and fitted the 30mm spacers to the front.
It wasn't difficult to line the wheel up with the arch with the standard alignment settings, but with ~3° camber it tucks the top of the wheel in quite a lot. The car doesn't need to be driven now until it goes for aligning but need to wait until the beam is back for that. Hopefully there will be a chance to get it weighed at the same time again to see what it's like on the fat 2118s.
So the beam is next up but the paint and the dent on the door needs fixing also. As gutting as it was at the time, it may actually be a blessing in disguise (that's what I'm trying to tell myself anyway 😭). There is a little patch of rust on each rear arch and so rather than keep ignoring that and getting some mobile repair to come and sort the door, I have decided that it should be done properly and will get the rust sorted at the same time. I will take the skirts off as well and see what they are like so if there is any rust there then it can all hopefully be hit in one. I don't expect the work will be cheap, but it needs doing and will only get worse. I don't need it to be mint and the car never will be as it's used hard but that's no excuse to not maintain it and keep it looking presentable.
Motivation rapidly declined for the car since receiving quotes for the work that needed doing. I started to add up whether it was going to be worth but I began to feel that I could not justify it. Thoughts of breaking it began to manifest in my mind... So it was parked up and ignored at the beginning of May.
Skip to last week when I had a decent chat with some of my mates. We talked things over re the car and decided to fit the parts that I have paid for already and not worry about the shell for the moment. I don't have to look at the door when I'm driving it and I probably wouldn't have been worrying about the rust if I hadn't damaged the door anyway. Then, when the parts are fitted, use it over the summer and make a decision winter time on what to do re the bodywork later on.
A job list for Saturday was created and a trip to the Guesswork garage was arranged! As per, I didn't take that many pictures of the work being done as I was too busy being told what to do by the experts.
Think the front might be nearing the limit of how low it can be!
First up was removing the old beam from the car. Rubber flexi brake lines were cut and clamped and I had seen a post on Instagram about cutting the bolt on the fuel tank side slightly, so that you can slide the bolt out through the bush and drop the beam without taking the chassis mounts out. Bit of jiggling but the beam was dropped out relatively quickly. The Whiteline bushes were pressed in no problem on the vice and the mating surfaces and threads on the stub assemblies were cleaned up on the wire wheel.
Between the initial trial fit to see if the coil setup would work, we had a second go and found that the bottom coil mount on the BC (the black part that the damper unit threads into) was seized on the OSR. We also found that the Faulkner springs I had got were too long and stiff. I called BC to order 2 new bottom mounts and exchanged the 8 inch, 550lb springs (that I had bought way back in May 2022 and pictured above) for some 450lb, 6 inch springs and also a pair of helper springs and spacers (pictured below).
We tried to build the coils up but unfortunately realised that the inner extrusion on the spring divider and the top mount was thicker than that of the compressed helper spring. Kind of annoying but we soldiered on and knew that it would work without the helpers for the moment. Another trip to the machine shop needed!
BC mounts were cut and the damper unit was wound down inside the fresh mounts. Stub assemblies were bolted to the beam with fresh fixings from PMS and the disc spacers, discs and new calipers were also added.
KTEC lines fitted and rear pads fitted which just left the bleed left to do after fitting the coil units. Car was then put on the ground to check the height but the first try was still too high. Took the coils off again and then found out that the dampers were pretty much at the bottom of the mount so we wound them all the way down and fitted back to the rear end.
The height is much better than it was and is pretty much where it needs to be now.
First proper test drive was back from JMRS after dropping my original beam off to him to finalise the exchange.
Its nice to have it sat better than it was and to see it lower. The rear is also noticeably stiffer but it still feels pretty compliant. I drive with the BCs on full soft on the road and its not crashy at all. On some of the twisties back from Warminster it felt a little more eager to turn. Hopefully the stiffer back end and the roll kit will help with turn in on track!
I need to get the ProTracks fitted and see how it sits on them as I still haven't had all 4 fitted to the car! Might need to mess around with spacers on the back but I am hoping that the fronts will fit similar to the 2118s without a running any. I will also get the parts ready for the helpers in case I decide to fit them. If the bits can be done quickly then I might wait to get it aligned or if its going to take a while then I'll get it done before. It's only for the corner weights but last time it was aligned the cross weight was 50/50 anyway.
Several work trips coming up and so no track days are booked before Oulton at the end of August. Might try to fit some sort of shakedown out at Combe or Thruxton before just to see how it goes. Final bits to sort before that are the front calipers, PBS ProRace pads and a full flush through of fluid with Castrol SRF. I'll also get the camera out at some point (probably with the ProTracks on) to get some more snaps as I've basically used up any decent ones.
Until next time!..
Skip to last week when I had a decent chat with some of my mates. We talked things over re the car and decided to fit the parts that I have paid for already and not worry about the shell for the moment. I don't have to look at the door when I'm driving it and I probably wouldn't have been worrying about the rust if I hadn't damaged the door anyway. Then, when the parts are fitted, use it over the summer and make a decision winter time on what to do re the bodywork later on.
A job list for Saturday was created and a trip to the Guesswork garage was arranged! As per, I didn't take that many pictures of the work being done as I was too busy being told what to do by the experts.
Think the front might be nearing the limit of how low it can be!
First up was removing the old beam from the car. Rubber flexi brake lines were cut and clamped and I had seen a post on Instagram about cutting the bolt on the fuel tank side slightly, so that you can slide the bolt out through the bush and drop the beam without taking the chassis mounts out. Bit of jiggling but the beam was dropped out relatively quickly. The Whiteline bushes were pressed in no problem on the vice and the mating surfaces and threads on the stub assemblies were cleaned up on the wire wheel.
Between the initial trial fit to see if the coil setup would work, we had a second go and found that the bottom coil mount on the BC (the black part that the damper unit threads into) was seized on the OSR. We also found that the Faulkner springs I had got were too long and stiff. I called BC to order 2 new bottom mounts and exchanged the 8 inch, 550lb springs (that I had bought way back in May 2022 and pictured above) for some 450lb, 6 inch springs and also a pair of helper springs and spacers (pictured below).
We tried to build the coils up but unfortunately realised that the inner extrusion on the spring divider and the top mount was thicker than that of the compressed helper spring. Kind of annoying but we soldiered on and knew that it would work without the helpers for the moment. Another trip to the machine shop needed!
BC mounts were cut and the damper unit was wound down inside the fresh mounts. Stub assemblies were bolted to the beam with fresh fixings from PMS and the disc spacers, discs and new calipers were also added.
KTEC lines fitted and rear pads fitted which just left the bleed left to do after fitting the coil units. Car was then put on the ground to check the height but the first try was still too high. Took the coils off again and then found out that the dampers were pretty much at the bottom of the mount so we wound them all the way down and fitted back to the rear end.
The height is much better than it was and is pretty much where it needs to be now.
First proper test drive was back from JMRS after dropping my original beam off to him to finalise the exchange.
Its nice to have it sat better than it was and to see it lower. The rear is also noticeably stiffer but it still feels pretty compliant. I drive with the BCs on full soft on the road and its not crashy at all. On some of the twisties back from Warminster it felt a little more eager to turn. Hopefully the stiffer back end and the roll kit will help with turn in on track!
I need to get the ProTracks fitted and see how it sits on them as I still haven't had all 4 fitted to the car! Might need to mess around with spacers on the back but I am hoping that the fronts will fit similar to the 2118s without a running any. I will also get the parts ready for the helpers in case I decide to fit them. If the bits can be done quickly then I might wait to get it aligned or if its going to take a while then I'll get it done before. It's only for the corner weights but last time it was aligned the cross weight was 50/50 anyway.
Several work trips coming up and so no track days are booked before Oulton at the end of August. Might try to fit some sort of shakedown out at Combe or Thruxton before just to see how it goes. Final bits to sort before that are the front calipers, PBS ProRace pads and a full flush through of fluid with Castrol SRF. I'll also get the camera out at some point (probably with the ProTracks on) to get some more snaps as I've basically used up any decent ones.
Until next time!..
ripp
ClioSport Club Member
182 FFAT
hey nice build you have here!
I see that you're running 30mm spacers- how do you cope up with that? Suspension guru's will say that the scrub radius will be all over the place and that the best way to substantially increase track width is with longer wishbones/lower ball joints and longer driveshafts (if necessary)
Mine slightly rubs on the front part of the wheel arch without any spacers whatsoever (only 8mm extra offset due to the ET37 rims vs ET45 stock)
I see that you're running 30mm spacers- how do you cope up with that? Suspension guru's will say that the scrub radius will be all over the place and that the best way to substantially increase track width is with longer wishbones/lower ball joints and longer driveshafts (if necessary)
Mine slightly rubs on the front part of the wheel arch without any spacers whatsoever (only 8mm extra offset due to the ET37 rims vs ET45 stock)
So this is going to be a bit of a strange update to the thread...
As the last post stated, I had a trackday booked with the GUESSWORK guys at the end of August which I (and the other lads) had been trying hard to get the car ready for with all the fancy and shiny new bits. Left on the list were brakes and an alignment...
A better photo of the full rear coil for reference related to the previous post.
Before it could be aligned we needed to work out the fitment on the Protracks as I'd owned them for 6 months at this point and not actually run them on the car. The test drive was not successful and whilst turning round one of the arch brackets caught the tyre on full lock and put a nasty cut into it. So it was off to my good friends garage to sort this out!
We beat the bracket back and then put some underseal spray stuff over the bare metal. At the same time we fitted fresh MS Custom Engineering calipers, some Brembo High carbon grooved disks and PBS ProRace front pads to the car.
I then booked the alignment for the week before I was due to go on holiday up until the track day.
Anyway, the weather was great and so I used the car for a couple of days before going on holiday. I even 3D printed a water bottle holder to solve the cup holder issue! Howeve, whilst using the car and ripping it about it went into limp mode a couple of times which was worrying and I knew that time was running out to get it sorted for the Oulton. I sort of ignored it and it did go away but had thoughts of what it could be began to start playing on my mind...
It came back from alignment but I wasn't particularly happy. The settings weren't as I had asked (but I was in a rush when I picked the car up and misread the readout) but I didn't have time to try and get it back to the garage to be sorted before I went away - which would have left me at a detriment before Oulton. This was disappointing.
I decided to change the wheels back to the 2118s ready for the drive up and when I took the car back to the storage unit it went straight into limp mode again. I've got AA cover and so I got them to come to my house and scan the car and it seemed to be a ground issue, so I fitted another strap from the engine to the battery which seemed to fix the issue on start-up, but as soon as I drove it, limp mode was back.
Time had basically run out at this point to sort stuff and I decided to cancel my spot at Oulton. This was gutting as a huge amount of work from friends (and money from me!) had recently gone into the car attempting to get it there.
Protrack pics from initial test
I cancelled Oulton, went on holiday and ignored it for a while. Unsurprisingly, this lifted what felt like a huge burden of pressure from me. The car was always a big source of joy, but I hadn't been enjoying it properly for a while and so motivation was at an all time low. I went to Oulton and all the GUESSWORK guys were all saying that I should just get it sorted but my heart was not in it anymore. It felt strange not driving with all my mates, but honestly having a day out with them all was such a laugh and not having to worry about the stress of the car breaking, me crashing it or something else untoward happening was just plain nice. I just want to have a good time with my friends which is what I had - even without a car.
Motivation this year from myself had been pretty low to do jobs on the car and the pushes had come from my friends to get it sorted. However, I had probably been too quick to spend money on the car this year and whilst I was away I had time to think on whether I had thought it would be worth carrying on with it. My lifestyle has changed since I originally bought the car (from being a uni student, to now a qualified engineer working in the automotive industry), and I end up travelling a lot for business. This takes up a lot of my time and when I am back, my weekends have been taken up working on the car and it had been feeling like at each pay day, the car would come first as there was always something that I needed to buy/pay someone to fix on it.
Now, I hadn't minded doing this when I got the use from the car as I used to get enormous joy from it, but having to fix it constantly and it never being ready to "just use" was getting wearing and it wasn't really fitting in with my lifestyle anymore. If the car was in it's less modified state (say as it was 18months ago when it worked the best), my feelings might have been different, but really - I had been spending the money on parts rather than actually using the car which is where I get the enjoyment. I really missed just being able to jump in it and go and unfortunately I hadn't been able to trust the car for a quite a while.
I'm good mates with James at JMRS and so when I came back, we got talking and ended up deciding that the car would be broken before my next work trip. This was quite a big decision to come to, but again, it felt like this burden was going to be lifted. We broke it the weekend of the 8th September and everything (bar the cage) was out by the end of the Sunday.
My original thoughts were that the shell would be scrapped which although sad, would be pleasing in a certain way as I had taken the car from standard and now it would end with me also. However, James mentioned that he could make use of it and so I thought that if the shell would be able to bring him anywhere near as much joy as it had brought me over the time I had owned it, then why should I stop it from "living on".
Now even though a lot of parts had been fitted in the few weeks prior (most below 200miles use), and that the car may have only needed "a few quid more" to sort, I couldn't continue to gamble with it. I also do actually want to own a few other cars whilst I still have the chance and all the cash tied up in the car basically was confining me to a 20 year old French Hatchback. My daily is a Fiesta ST180 and it reminds me a lot of the Clio when I first bought it and that gives me the "quick" FWD hatch fix. The mileage I had done in the Clio basically matched what I had done in the ST the weekend that we broke it and so there was a pleasing feeling that the "baton was being handed over".
Even though the breaking decision came around relatively quickly, thoughts of the car going had been around for a while. The fact that I wouldn't be able to drive it again took a while to sink in as driving the car was an environment that I felt so comfortable in. Owning the car allowed me to meet so many people (some of whom I'm now proud to know and call my friends) and I have so many memories (most good but some bad) attached to it, but these friendships don't end with the car and I will still have all the memories of course!
I bought the car on the 24/02/2019 and the mileage was ~120,800. The final journey (under my ownership and as the car that I built), was the 08/09/2023 and the mileage was 161,243. It was a damn good car and I am proud to have owned it. This blog, along with the Instagram account @kiffle_ is also a good place that I can look back on the progress of the car. Maybe it will be updated with another car one day and a new thread started somewhere else on the web!
Clio 182? Completed it mate.
As the last post stated, I had a trackday booked with the GUESSWORK guys at the end of August which I (and the other lads) had been trying hard to get the car ready for with all the fancy and shiny new bits. Left on the list were brakes and an alignment...
A better photo of the full rear coil for reference related to the previous post.
Before it could be aligned we needed to work out the fitment on the Protracks as I'd owned them for 6 months at this point and not actually run them on the car. The test drive was not successful and whilst turning round one of the arch brackets caught the tyre on full lock and put a nasty cut into it. So it was off to my good friends garage to sort this out!
We beat the bracket back and then put some underseal spray stuff over the bare metal. At the same time we fitted fresh MS Custom Engineering calipers, some Brembo High carbon grooved disks and PBS ProRace front pads to the car.
I then booked the alignment for the week before I was due to go on holiday up until the track day.
Anyway, the weather was great and so I used the car for a couple of days before going on holiday. I even 3D printed a water bottle holder to solve the cup holder issue! Howeve, whilst using the car and ripping it about it went into limp mode a couple of times which was worrying and I knew that time was running out to get it sorted for the Oulton. I sort of ignored it and it did go away but had thoughts of what it could be began to start playing on my mind...
It came back from alignment but I wasn't particularly happy. The settings weren't as I had asked (but I was in a rush when I picked the car up and misread the readout) but I didn't have time to try and get it back to the garage to be sorted before I went away - which would have left me at a detriment before Oulton. This was disappointing.
I decided to change the wheels back to the 2118s ready for the drive up and when I took the car back to the storage unit it went straight into limp mode again. I've got AA cover and so I got them to come to my house and scan the car and it seemed to be a ground issue, so I fitted another strap from the engine to the battery which seemed to fix the issue on start-up, but as soon as I drove it, limp mode was back.
Time had basically run out at this point to sort stuff and I decided to cancel my spot at Oulton. This was gutting as a huge amount of work from friends (and money from me!) had recently gone into the car attempting to get it there.
Protrack pics from initial test
I cancelled Oulton, went on holiday and ignored it for a while. Unsurprisingly, this lifted what felt like a huge burden of pressure from me. The car was always a big source of joy, but I hadn't been enjoying it properly for a while and so motivation was at an all time low. I went to Oulton and all the GUESSWORK guys were all saying that I should just get it sorted but my heart was not in it anymore. It felt strange not driving with all my mates, but honestly having a day out with them all was such a laugh and not having to worry about the stress of the car breaking, me crashing it or something else untoward happening was just plain nice. I just want to have a good time with my friends which is what I had - even without a car.
Motivation this year from myself had been pretty low to do jobs on the car and the pushes had come from my friends to get it sorted. However, I had probably been too quick to spend money on the car this year and whilst I was away I had time to think on whether I had thought it would be worth carrying on with it. My lifestyle has changed since I originally bought the car (from being a uni student, to now a qualified engineer working in the automotive industry), and I end up travelling a lot for business. This takes up a lot of my time and when I am back, my weekends have been taken up working on the car and it had been feeling like at each pay day, the car would come first as there was always something that I needed to buy/pay someone to fix on it.
Now, I hadn't minded doing this when I got the use from the car as I used to get enormous joy from it, but having to fix it constantly and it never being ready to "just use" was getting wearing and it wasn't really fitting in with my lifestyle anymore. If the car was in it's less modified state (say as it was 18months ago when it worked the best), my feelings might have been different, but really - I had been spending the money on parts rather than actually using the car which is where I get the enjoyment. I really missed just being able to jump in it and go and unfortunately I hadn't been able to trust the car for a quite a while.
I'm good mates with James at JMRS and so when I came back, we got talking and ended up deciding that the car would be broken before my next work trip. This was quite a big decision to come to, but again, it felt like this burden was going to be lifted. We broke it the weekend of the 8th September and everything (bar the cage) was out by the end of the Sunday.
My original thoughts were that the shell would be scrapped which although sad, would be pleasing in a certain way as I had taken the car from standard and now it would end with me also. However, James mentioned that he could make use of it and so I thought that if the shell would be able to bring him anywhere near as much joy as it had brought me over the time I had owned it, then why should I stop it from "living on".
Now even though a lot of parts had been fitted in the few weeks prior (most below 200miles use), and that the car may have only needed "a few quid more" to sort, I couldn't continue to gamble with it. I also do actually want to own a few other cars whilst I still have the chance and all the cash tied up in the car basically was confining me to a 20 year old French Hatchback. My daily is a Fiesta ST180 and it reminds me a lot of the Clio when I first bought it and that gives me the "quick" FWD hatch fix. The mileage I had done in the Clio basically matched what I had done in the ST the weekend that we broke it and so there was a pleasing feeling that the "baton was being handed over".
Even though the breaking decision came around relatively quickly, thoughts of the car going had been around for a while. The fact that I wouldn't be able to drive it again took a while to sink in as driving the car was an environment that I felt so comfortable in. Owning the car allowed me to meet so many people (some of whom I'm now proud to know and call my friends) and I have so many memories (most good but some bad) attached to it, but these friendships don't end with the car and I will still have all the memories of course!
I bought the car on the 24/02/2019 and the mileage was ~120,800. The final journey (under my ownership and as the car that I built), was the 08/09/2023 and the mileage was 161,243. It was a damn good car and I am proud to have owned it. This blog, along with the Instagram account @kiffle_ is also a good place that I can look back on the progress of the car. Maybe it will be updated with another car one day and a new thread started somewhere else on the web!
Clio 182? Completed it mate.
Last edited:
Hey thanks,
30mm spacers were fine. It was done to make the car look good more than anything because I didn't want poor fitment. I never thought that the car drove bad and I ran spacers for most of my ownership. I'm also not a racing driver and so never found that the spacers hindered my performance on track, although I never drove it back to back without any.
If I listened to what everyone says about wheels, tyre sizes and ride heights then I would've had the same car as everyone else! I just did what I wanted to with my car.
Little Newms
ClioSport Club Member
182, D2 Td5 & 840CI
Ah shame. We messaged a few times on IG. Loved this car 👍🏻
Jamess182
ClioSport Club Member
Great thread that mate, looked properly epic on the protracks. Shame it's not more!!
