7R
How you finding the PSC2's with pressures?
What you run them at hot/cold?
What you run them at hot/cold?
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charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
I'm running them at stock pressures on the road, Michelin recommend about 32 PSI hot on track so I'll give that a go. I'll report back once I've done a track day on them.
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
I bloody love this car, shines up nicely too. Storm grey is such a good colour 
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Combe tomorrow
imprezaworks
ClioSport Club Member
Mk5 Golf GTI :)
Have fun mate. Love the car
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
That was more like it
I'm knackered but still on a total high. It was just like driving my old 182 but better in every single department, couldn't be happier. Chasing down M3s in a Clio is nothing short of hilarious
Thirsty work though......
The usual queuing but didn't mind, almost entirely road cars today which was great, such a contrast to Silverstone. Almost everyone was really well mannered and even the people who pushed the boundaries a bit weren't aggressive. It was nice to have the power to get past the few people who didn't really want to move over.
Coughed up for a couple of photographer's shots too:
Having done a decent day in the 200 I don't think I'll be fitting coilovers, it's the same dilemma I had with the old car, I know it could be faster with some properly set up track suspension but I strongly suspect it would be less fun. I think it's the way the car moves around on the current setup that makes it so engaging.
One thing I do want to look at is some sort of cold air feed for the intake, it gets very hot under the bonnet so there must be massive heat soak going on and sucking in hot air doesn't do anything for the engine temps either. That would involve either relocating the battery (hmmmm....) or cutting a hole in the bonnet for some sort of scoop (hmmmmm......). Still, just something to think about at this stage.
In terms of tyres the Pilot Sport Cup 2 were bloody awesome. Tons of grip, really consistent and lots of feedback too. If you can get them in the size you need I would definitely suggest giving them a go.
Ah well, back to reality, got to wash the thing now :laughing:
I'm knackered but still on a total high. It was just like driving my old 182 but better in every single department, couldn't be happier. Chasing down M3s in a Clio is nothing short of hilarious
Thirsty work though......
The usual queuing but didn't mind, almost entirely road cars today which was great, such a contrast to Silverstone. Almost everyone was really well mannered and even the people who pushed the boundaries a bit weren't aggressive. It was nice to have the power to get past the few people who didn't really want to move over.
Coughed up for a couple of photographer's shots too:
Having done a decent day in the 200 I don't think I'll be fitting coilovers, it's the same dilemma I had with the old car, I know it could be faster with some properly set up track suspension but I strongly suspect it would be less fun. I think it's the way the car moves around on the current setup that makes it so engaging.
One thing I do want to look at is some sort of cold air feed for the intake, it gets very hot under the bonnet so there must be massive heat soak going on and sucking in hot air doesn't do anything for the engine temps either. That would involve either relocating the battery (hmmmm....) or cutting a hole in the bonnet for some sort of scoop (hmmmmm......). Still, just something to think about at this stage.
In terms of tyres the Pilot Sport Cup 2 were bloody awesome. Tons of grip, really consistent and lots of feedback too. If you can get them in the size you need I would definitely suggest giving them a go.
Ah well, back to reality, got to wash the thing now :laughing:
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Currently in with my mechanic for a full service, all the filters, plugs, belts, water pump, coolant, few other minor non servicing jobs too.
This is going to sting!
This is going to sting!
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
At least it looks good against the red floor in his workshop
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
It's back!
Clean bill of health apart from some of the coil packs are starting to crack. They're still working perfectly but I'll order a couple so if they start to cause issues I can just swap them out straight away.
Front pads and rear pads and discs will need doing after another two or three track days but that's fair enough, can't complain about going through consumables.
It's also had a regas and the aircon is now ice cold which is great, it might not last but it held vacuum properly so hopefully it's just lack of use that caused it to lose the gas over time.
The daily driver is in with my mechanic tomorrow for a service and mot (expensive month!!) so I'll be commuting in the Clio tomorrow. Really looking forward to it
Clean bill of health apart from some of the coil packs are starting to crack. They're still working perfectly but I'll order a couple so if they start to cause issues I can just swap them out straight away.
Front pads and rear pads and discs will need doing after another two or three track days but that's fair enough, can't complain about going through consumables.
It's also had a regas and the aircon is now ice cold which is great, it might not last but it held vacuum properly so hopefully it's just lack of use that caused it to lose the gas over time.
The daily driver is in with my mechanic tomorrow for a service and mot (expensive month!!) so I'll be commuting in the Clio tomorrow. Really looking forward to it
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
That's not gone well. Completely lost the clutch without warning, luckily was able to safely get to the hard shoulder. When recovery arrived we found the car was sat in a puddle of it's own brake/clutch fluid so something has let go.
Hoping it's not the slave cylinder, but that seems like the most likely cause. If it is and the failure has contaminated the clutch and flywheel then things get pretty expensive.......
I think the word I'm looking for is "s**t".......
Is it coming from bottom of gearbox, where it meets engine block or from the front (facing) area?
It could be the pipe which has broken, which would be 10x cheaper than a broken CSC.
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Hard to tell, the undertrays hide everything pretty well and I wasn't in a position to do much proper digging around.
My mechanic has it now, I had it recovered straight to him, so once he's had a chance to have a look I'll update again. Not sure when that will be, he's usually booked up at least a week or two in advance and it's not urgent as I've got my sensible car for day to day work.
I know the slave is a weak spot on the meg gearbox but fingers crossed......
My mechanic has it now, I had it recovered straight to him, so once he's had a chance to have a look I'll update again. Not sure when that will be, he's usually booked up at least a week or two in advance and it's not urgent as I've got my sensible car for day to day work.
I know the slave is a weak spot on the meg gearbox but fingers crossed......
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Dodged a bullet here.....
It was the slave cylinder, but the clutch hasn't been contaminated and it's not going to need replacing any time soon either, so just slap a new slave cylinder in there and that's that.
Should have the car back pretty soon
It was the slave cylinder, but the clutch hasn't been contaminated and it's not going to need replacing any time soon either, so just slap a new slave cylinder in there and that's that.
Should have the car back pretty soon
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
I've had the car back for just over a week now, but had forgotten to update. If anything it feels even better than before, I suspect the slave had been a bit unhappy for a little while as power takeup feels much more positive now than I remember. Could just be the placebo effect of course, but I'm happy and that's what matters.
In an effort to make up for the lost time I've got two trackdays booked - 31st July at Combe and 15th August at Bedford GT :up:
In an effort to make up for the lost time I've got two trackdays booked - 31st July at Combe and 15th August at Bedford GT :up:
Evo 5 RS
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
In terms of upgrades at the moment I'm thinking - nothing. That's very, very unusual for me!
I'd want to get the engine forged before trying to get much more power out of it, and the car really doesn't need any more power at the moment - 275bhp in a Clio 200 is plenty. I think I could probably get close to 300 with a hybrid turbo, map and injectors but that's a lot of money for a relatively small hike - if I was going to do it then I'd go for a big jump
I would go faster round the track with some good coilovers and a proper corner-weighted setup, but would I have any more fun? I love the way it handles at the moment and that money would IMO be better spent on track time and tuition because I'm really not a very good track driver, people with skills frankly piss all over me, but I don't care because I've got a grin a mile wide and that's what it's all about. Chasing lap times isn't for me.
Brakes are already awesome with the upgraded setup.
All in all it's nigh-on perfect for me at the moment. The only "upgrade" I can think of is sometime in the next couple of years I really fancy trying a Seven-type car, the idea of track driving in something weighing so little really appeals because what I really love on the track is the sensation of feeling the car through the corners and thinking "holy s**t, I wonder if I can really take that corner a leeeeeetle bit faster next time"
I'd want to get the engine forged before trying to get much more power out of it, and the car really doesn't need any more power at the moment - 275bhp in a Clio 200 is plenty. I think I could probably get close to 300 with a hybrid turbo, map and injectors but that's a lot of money for a relatively small hike - if I was going to do it then I'd go for a big jump
I would go faster round the track with some good coilovers and a proper corner-weighted setup, but would I have any more fun? I love the way it handles at the moment and that money would IMO be better spent on track time and tuition because I'm really not a very good track driver, people with skills frankly piss all over me, but I don't care because I've got a grin a mile wide and that's what it's all about. Chasing lap times isn't for me.
Brakes are already awesome with the upgraded setup.
All in all it's nigh-on perfect for me at the moment. The only "upgrade" I can think of is sometime in the next couple of years I really fancy trying a Seven-type car, the idea of track driving in something weighing so little really appeals because what I really love on the track is the sensation of feeling the car through the corners and thinking "holy s**t, I wonder if I can really take that corner a leeeeeetle bit faster next time"
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Been a while since I updated, in the last month I've done another trackday at Combe which was really good, but sadly it seems to have broken the car. I had the expansion tank cap fail and blow water everywhere which was annoying, easily sorted with a new cap, but unfortunately it seems that nearly emptying the expansion tank allowed some air into the system, which then caused a hot spot, which then..... yeah...... looks like it's done the head gasket.
b****cks.
It's off to a guy who my usual mechanic recommended, he's an ex-Renault master tech and currently builds race/rally engines and cars so definitely knows his stuff. Whatever it needs it'll get. Couldn't have come at a worse time really following on from the big service and the clutch slave packing up, but such is life.
Was still a good day
b****cks.
It's off to a guy who my usual mechanic recommended, he's an ex-Renault master tech and currently builds race/rally engines and cars so definitely knows his stuff. Whatever it needs it'll get. Couldn't have come at a worse time really following on from the big service and the clutch slave packing up, but such is life.
Was still a good day
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Looks like it might not be the HG - there's a hole in one of the coolant pipes which is letting it suck air in. Once that's been sorted hopefully all will be well. Fingers crossed
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
All fixed, not the head gasket thank god
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Heh, yeah, I know! Dodged a couple of big bullets over the last few months. I'll get the full details from the mechanic when I pick the car up on Friday, but essentially it was a minor leak in the cooling system which was hidden by the weak expansion tank pressure cap.
Once I replaced the cap the system could get up to a much higher pressure, so the other leak became much more obvious and also became the path of least resistance for air to get into the system, which then caused problems with the cooling. Air into the top of the expansion tank because of a weak cap, well who cares, no actual harm. Air into one of the coolant pipes lower down the engine.... Yeah, then you start to care, because that's when you end up at the side of the road bleeding the cooling system when it's hot. Not recommended
Based on experience with other cars that's why I thought the system was over-pressurising because of HG failure, but it wasn't. Also I tend to be a bit paranoid about my cars and it's always the worst case scenario that comes to mind - although to be fair that's based on experience with other cars too
Apparently the HG in the Meg engine is a multi-layer metal one and really tough so failure is very rare. The key thing is that I never let the car actually overheat, as soon as the gauge started to rise above the normal range I did something about it every time, so it's fine.
The whole system has been inspected, sorted out as needed and pressure tested. It's all good now.
Phew!
Once I replaced the cap the system could get up to a much higher pressure, so the other leak became much more obvious and also became the path of least resistance for air to get into the system, which then caused problems with the cooling. Air into the top of the expansion tank because of a weak cap, well who cares, no actual harm. Air into one of the coolant pipes lower down the engine.... Yeah, then you start to care, because that's when you end up at the side of the road bleeding the cooling system when it's hot. Not recommended
Based on experience with other cars that's why I thought the system was over-pressurising because of HG failure, but it wasn't. Also I tend to be a bit paranoid about my cars and it's always the worst case scenario that comes to mind - although to be fair that's based on experience with other cars too
Apparently the HG in the Meg engine is a multi-layer metal one and really tough so failure is very rare. The key thing is that I never let the car actually overheat, as soon as the gauge started to rise above the normal range I did something about it every time, so it's fine.
The whole system has been inspected, sorted out as needed and pressure tested. It's all good now.
Phew!
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Picked the car up today and there were a couple of issues. There was a crack in the pipe that feeds the turbo water cooling jacket so that bit of pipe needed replacing - sadly only available as a complete unit with the connecting block and heat shield at over £100 😧
Also the cooling system wasn't exactly optimal in terms of how the pipework was put together. There's an output close to the thermostat housing which is usually t-pieced into the top of the rad and the expansion bottle, but that had been bypassed in the conversion and capped off. Unfortunately that's the way the system bleeds if any air gets in so it exacerbated the issue, and the cap had also split so was leaking too. Basically it just wasn't right and if there was air getting in then things were always going to get a bit sticky.
This was the old setup - turns out the pipe from the expansion tank to the rad wasn't held in place except where it connected to the tank and the rad. You can just see the cap which failed to the right of the throttle body controller.
This is the new setup - proper job. :smile:
All in all the cooling system should be in a better state for track use now than it's ever been. It's had another coolant change with genuine Renault coolant too just to be on the safe side.
It could have been a lot worse if the cap or pipe had failed completely, so despite it being a bit of a 'mare I'm counting my blessings.
Also the cooling system wasn't exactly optimal in terms of how the pipework was put together. There's an output close to the thermostat housing which is usually t-pieced into the top of the rad and the expansion bottle, but that had been bypassed in the conversion and capped off. Unfortunately that's the way the system bleeds if any air gets in so it exacerbated the issue, and the cap had also split so was leaking too. Basically it just wasn't right and if there was air getting in then things were always going to get a bit sticky.
This was the old setup - turns out the pipe from the expansion tank to the rad wasn't held in place except where it connected to the tank and the rad. You can just see the cap which failed to the right of the throttle body controller.
This is the new setup - proper job. :smile:
All in all the cooling system should be in a better state for track use now than it's ever been. It's had another coolant change with genuine Renault coolant too just to be on the safe side.
It could have been a lot worse if the cap or pipe had failed completely, so despite it being a bit of a 'mare I'm counting my blessings.
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Chuffed to say that after giving it a thorough workout at Bedford today the car was absolutely faultless.
Shame it's nearly October really, trackday season is damn near finished. Got some decent video and some really good photos so I'll get some posted up.
Shame it's nearly October really, trackday season is damn near finished. Got some decent video and some really good photos so I'll get some posted up.
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Got to get at least one wheel in the air
My new personal favourite picture, love the reflections and the little bit of tyre smoke from the front left.
The car was genuinely faultless all day, absolutely brilliant fun to chuck about. Was a bit of a shame about the weather, my quickest lap was about an hour in to the day because the rain took a lot of grip away, but it was arguably more fun that way so meh. Who cares about lap time when you're doing your best Cheshire cat grin?
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
No mate, you were very courteous, unlike some
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Got a day off work today to chill out before moving house at the weekend, so finally managed to put together some video from Bedford. It's not the greatest quality, I'm changing from my GoPro to a Garmin VIRB with onboard GPS and all sorts of other tricks so next time out I should have much better quality video and full data available on the vids too. Boys with toys
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Having just moved house it looks like I might need to sell the 200
We've got a massive list of work to do and I'm not sure how else we can fund it, can only borrow so much on the mortgage and it's not going to cover it. Not certain yet, still looking at other options, but what a pisser that would be.
We've got a massive list of work to do and I'm not sure how else we can fund it, can only borrow so much on the mortgage and it's not going to cover it. Not certain yet, still looking at other options, but what a pisser that would be.
NorthloopCup
ClioSport Moderator
I'm interested in this if you do have to sell mate.
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
It's staying
I'm going to run it for another year and then probably look to change at the end of 2017/2018 to something very lightweight and track focused, probably one of the seven clones but maybe even something like a Zenos. I really want to get properly to grips with the Clio first and I've had agreement from the Mrs that some of our plans for the house can be put on hold for now. She's definitely a keeper
I'm going to run it for another year and then probably look to change at the end of 2017/2018 to something very lightweight and track focused, probably one of the seven clones but maybe even something like a Zenos. I really want to get properly to grips with the Clio first and I've had agreement from the Mrs that some of our plans for the house can be put on hold for now. She's definitely a keeper
Suzuki Swift Sport
That's great news! I've actually just bought a Clio 197 - so hopefully see you on another track day at some point!
Nice work! Good to see you're staying away from the full on coilover option too, leave that for the dedicated track cars :up:
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Not much been going on really. Used the Clio as a daily last week because the wife's Pug failed it's MoT on a couple of minor bits, but they also found a crack in the oil feed to the turbo which could have been fatal to the engine if it blew so that needed fixing immediately. Common fault on that engine apparently, ho hum. Anyway, that meant she nicked the Mondeo and I commuted in the Clio.
Was a bit cold last week, -8C one morning, so was a bit.... uh.... traction limited on the Cup tyres I could feel them warming up as I drove and after a few miles they were good as gold, was still pretty cautious though.
It's nice to use it as a daily for a bit, really makes me appreciate why I like it so much, raw, involving, darty, all that good stuff. I was actually getting quite tempted to dump the mondeo and use the Clio as my daily permanently, I'm only doing about 100 miles a week these days and it's a nice run, couple of opportunities to stretch the car's legs. Problem is that it's a lot of rural roads and the amount of crap that was over the car after just one week.... nah. I'll stick with the comfy snooze-mobile and bring the Clio out for track days and weekend mucking about
The new garage is turning out to be a slight ballache - would occasionally ground the bottom of the exhaust on the way in and out because there is quite a lip on the entry. Nothing major, just a slight touch, but still not something I wanted to be doing.
A left-over pack of loft boards and that's sorted for now
Long term the garage is going to come down and be rebuilt anyway. The roof beams are too low and I keep whacking my head on them, so have to walk round it with my head down or back bent. It's not ideal. Plus it's ripe to have a pitched roof on it with some sort of office space/granny annex/home cinema/who knows what in the "loft" space. Probably have that done for about... oooh... 2032. Maybe 2031 if we really crack on
Was a bit cold last week, -8C one morning, so was a bit.... uh.... traction limited on the Cup tyres
I could feel them warming up as I drove and after a few miles they were good as gold, was still pretty cautious though.It's nice to use it as a daily for a bit, really makes me appreciate why I like it so much, raw, involving, darty, all that good stuff. I was actually getting quite tempted to dump the mondeo and use the Clio as my daily permanently, I'm only doing about 100 miles a week these days and it's a nice run, couple of opportunities to stretch the car's legs. Problem is that it's a lot of rural roads and the amount of crap that was over the car after just one week.... nah. I'll stick with the comfy snooze-mobile and bring the Clio out for track days and weekend mucking about
The new garage is turning out to be a slight ballache - would occasionally ground the bottom of the exhaust on the way in and out because there is quite a lip on the entry. Nothing major, just a slight touch, but still not something I wanted to be doing.
A left-over pack of loft boards and that's sorted for now
Long term the garage is going to come down and be rebuilt anyway. The roof beams are too low and I keep whacking my head on them, so have to walk round it with my head down or back bent. It's not ideal. Plus it's ripe to have a pitched roof on it with some sort of office space/granny annex/home cinema/who knows what in the "loft" space. Probably have that done for about... oooh... 2032. Maybe 2031 if we really crack on
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Cheers
I think I might like it a little bit too much! Bloody garage door fell off it's runners just now, caught it on my back and shoulders before it hit the car. I must be f**king mental! It's heavy.
Never seen the point of Siri before, but when you're desperately trying to hold up a heavy door being able to phone the wife just by speaking is really very very very useful.
I think I might like it a little bit too much! Bloody garage door fell off it's runners just now, caught it on my back and shoulders before it hit the car. I must be f**king mental! It's heavy.
Never seen the point of Siri before, but when you're desperately trying to hold up a heavy door being able to phone the wife just by speaking is really very very very useful.
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
Time to bring the Clio out of hibernation, MoT, oil service and a pre-trackday season check over by my mechanic is looming.
Got some mates lined up to hold the garage door up for me, this could be fun - in a "this will be no fun at all" kinda way......
Got some mates lined up to hold the garage door up for me, this could be fun - in a "this will be no fun at all" kinda way......
charltjr
ClioSport Club Member
It's free from captivity!
Gratuitous picture, because freeeeeeeeeeeee
Gratuitous picture, because freeeeeeeeeeeee
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