My ph-quick clio

[colm_gti]

06/03/09

After a lot of messing around in cars I wasn't really mad about because I didn't think I could insure a 172, I finally got a quote I was happy to pay and snapped up a bargain of a clio. Being a bargain it was a little rough around the edges to start with, but sure thats what gives it character

Got it at 64k miles with the most important bit, all the belts changed at 55k. Standard bar a k&n panel filter and a remap, and a set of aftermarket OZ f1's that are in need of a bit of tlc.

Some pics...

Only plans I have for it right now are to drive it and fix any little bits that arise over the next while driving it


05/04/09

After living with it for a month and getting to know it, and any little faults it had, i decided to order the parts i needed to fix/improve it from k-tec racing


15/04/05/09

My goodies arrived from k-tec..

Polyurathene lower engine mount bushes, group n solid upper engine mount, 2 new rear discs with bearings already pressed in, and a set of rear pads

Should stop the broken bearing whining and the exhaust clunking on the subframe during 1st gear launches and gear shifts


17/04/09

Parts now fitted and it feels like a new car to drive

The whole car vibrates when you turn the engine on, it's like my old saxo vts, the clutch feels lighter cos the gearbox isn't moving around when you press it, there's no more exhaust banging off the subframe or car lunging forward when you drop gears. Everything feels much more solid and gearshifts are much tighter. Probably the best thing i've done to this car yet!

Next on the list is to clean everything up a bit, and get the all important NCT

NCT is the irish version of the MOT


22/04/2009

Was unhappy with the pirelli p5000's that came on the car so ordered a set of toyo proxes from camskill


24/04/2009

New tyres arrived today, which is amazing considering i only ordered them wednesday night!

Started spraying my alloys satin black today, not lookin half bad considering all i done was flat them down with a scotch pad, quick coat of primer and then top coat of satin black..

30/04/2009

Finally finished spraying all my alloys satin black, look grand for now but plan on giving them one more coat with hammerite satin black spray when i get the new tyres on and finish my exams.

Cost me 35 euro all in to do the 5 of them, recession busting car modifying

Think I need to get a set of lowering springs now tho, but next on the list is some form of front splitter


01/05/2009

New tyres are on the car and they are definitely much stickier than the pirelli's that were on it. Paid 140 for them delivered and sold the pirellis for 120, best 20 quid i ever spent

Also attacked my rear badges with the same paint my wheels were victim to and theyre back on the car now. May possibly attack the engine bay next haha.

Applied for a student credit card last week and was approved. It should be here early next week and i'll be ordering a set of eibach sportlines from ktec straight away

Car is also booked in for its test next thursday, need to pick up a drivers side door handle screw and retainer, drivers side inner window seal and ph1 aerial base in the scrappie over the next few days to get everything spot on

Comments welcome as always

 

[.GAZ.]

Those wheels arent aftermarket chief, they are standard!

Shoulda kept them silver too!

Car looks very well!

 

[Luke.]

looks good mate! really like it!

 

[colm_gti]

Those wheels arent aftermarket chief, they are standard!

Shoulda kept them silver too!

Car looks very well!

they're not the standard oz f1's

my spare is a standard one and it looks fairly different

the ones i have were too polished and shiny for my liking, and i plan on tieing the black wheels a bit better as i go along, painted my rear badges black, lowering 30mm, tinting the back 3 windows slightly, keep the ph1 black side mouldings, megane front splitter, yellow brakes, yellow 2.0 16v badges...the list goes on

looks good mate! really like it!

thanks man

 

[.GAZ.]

Ah!

 

[Dave Hester]

ffs man get some tyre foam sprayed on those side walls and your wheels will look 100% better.....Fact

get it lowered and paint the calipers yellow for an extra sexual look

 

[colm_gti]

ffs man get some tyre foam sprayed on those side walls and your wheels will look 100% better.....Fact

get it lowered and paint the calipers yellow for an extra sexual look

haha thats the plan my friend. got a spankin new set of toyo proxes fitted this morning, dont mind them pics the car was mankey when i took them

and check out my previous post for the short term plans

painted my rear badges black, lowering 30mm, tinting the back 3 windows slightly, keep the ph1 black side mouldings, megane front splitter, yellow brakes, yellow 2.0 16v badges...the list goes on

 

[jesus]

Wheels look loads better black, they were a proper funny colour before! Chromey :S

 

[Oliver rs]

Wheels look loads better black, they were a proper funny colour before! Chromey :S

+1 :S

 

[colm_gti]

06/05/2009

After pretty much failing my first college exam of this term, I decided to head for kilcock and cheer myself up by buying the few little bits the clio needed for its nct tomorrow:happy)

All it needed was a drivers side door handle screw and retainer, so that cost all of 1 euro

While i was there I also picked up the right aerial for it, as the previous owner had his aerial pulled out by vandals and replaced it with the base from a mk2 clio, so it sat pretty much vertical, and worst of all leaked! Looks a bit better now tho.

Also, I found the remains of a RS clio 172 hidden down the very back that I managed to salvage a 2.0 16v badge off for my drivers side rub strip, which had been replaced with a 16v badge. Everything bar the engine was still in it by the looks of things; front wishbones, hubs and brakes, interior (although its probably rotten at this stage) and dash. Might take a trip back and stock up on more bits to have as spares

Should be all set for the NCT tomoro tho, so fingers crossed

 

[colm_gti]

07/05/2009

Well, the good news is that the clio passed its NCT first time round, but the bad news is that the tester seemingly done some damage while testing it..

Had it up on the ramp at the last section of the test, saw him pushing the wire for the passenger side foglight up into the bumper as it was hanging down slightly, next thing i know my radiator is p*ssing coolant out! He carried on testing and drove the car into the carpark. When i walked out it had emptied quite a bit of the coolant into the parking space. He came over and pointed to the bottom of the rad where it was leaking from. Rang a mate to come collect it but it was too low to get onto his trailer, so had to drive home and keep an eye on the temperature.

Was fearing for the worst, that the rad might be f*cked, but i filled the expansion bottle at the centre and left the cap loose on it while driving home. Temperature didn't once go over half way, and hasn't leaked since as the expansion bottle is still full.

Upon further inspection, it looks like the fan has made contact with the rad causing the damage as all the coolant seems to be leaking at the middle of the rad.

I don't know who's to blame here, if he's at fault or if it was about to happen anyway. All I know is that it happened while he was at the car so as for now i'm holding him, or the test centre responsible. The car has been through a lot more testing conditions and have never once had any problems.

After it happened i went in looking for a manager/supervisor. The supervisor came out to me, took my test sheet and went looking for the tester. He came back after a few minutes and said basically they cannot be held responsible for what happened. He couldn't offer much help, but told me the only route I could go down is to fill out a complaint form and see if customer services entertain me. He logged what happened on the system in case they need evidence. I took a sheet and i'm gonna get the mechanic to get me a quote on a brand new rad, supplied and fitted in the morning and send in a monster of a complaint with the quote stapled to it.

All I can do then is hope for the best

 

[Jon.L]

advanced radiators mate got my allminuim one of there last week took 1 day to come and took like hour and half to fit easy job, only cost 85 sheets aswell including postage and weights alot less than a standard one

 

[colm_gti]

Got a quote off renault ireland to supply and fit a radiator, and sent it into the NCT customer services along with my complaint for them to process it. They said I can go ahead and get it fixed in the meantime as they have the evidence they will require.

Quote from the nearest dealership to do the work was €579 including vat:S

But yeah, I went onto discount cooling and ordered a replacement rad for €105 including delivery, and I have enough experience to give fitting it a go myself.

All I can do now is sit tight and hope they will compensate the damage in some way.

 

[colm_gti]

12/05/2009

New radiator arrived today, looks to be fairly good quality for the 105 euro i paid for it, far better than the 350+vat renault ireland wanted:S

Should find time next week to fit it, along with a new thermostat and some fresh coolant.

Debating what to do next..
Order a set of eibach sportlines, or book it in for a trackday and see what needs improving...

 

[colm_gti]

17/05/2009

She's alive again!!!

Fitted the new aluminium rad, thermostat and coolant and she's running as sweet as ever again.

Payed for 3 months road tax and ordered a group n upper gearbox mount last night, so should be here within the week

 

[colm_gti]

just a quick update as i'm bored haha

took a trip to gsf and renault and got a few bits to service it when the rain stops..

5 litres of 5w40 fuchs titan supersyn
4 litres of 75w90 fuchs titan gearsyn
renault OEM oil filter
spark plugs

Also waiting on a group n upper gearbox mount to arrive. I think the reason my rad burst was because i replaced all my mounts bar the gearbox mount with group n ones, so there was a lot of strain on the old standard gearbox mount, causing it to break and let the engine move too much, pushing the airbox up against the fan cowling and rubbing a hole in the rad. Hopefully the new mount prevents this happening to my shiney aluminium rad, and on the plus side, i'll never have to worry about a mount breaking again

Also considering pulling the air con system out, but i'll need to replace the compressor pulley with something else...

 

[colm_gti]

7/06/2009

There hasn't been an update in a while now, i'm slowing down! i better go order some more bits

Anyway, spent all morning yesterday fitting my new shocks and springs, took about 2 hours in total with some lunch in between. Wasn't a hard job at all to do. Didin't get a chance to take any pics myself, as soon as i finised i headed to dundalk to a meet.

Car is now sitting 25/30mm lower and a good bit stiffer, havn't really pushed it into any bends yet but it does feel more planted than before.

Some pics of it at yesterday's frenchcarsireland meet, courtesy of jbredrebel and shorty (please excuse the dirt, hasn't been washed in over a month)

08/06/2009

Managed to get my calipers painted today..

15/06/09

Just back from a 550 mile round trip to french car show in rockingham raceway. The standard of cars over there is unreal and would put a lot of irish cars to shame. Every clio is on throttle bodies, turbocharged or supercharged and pushing out 250bhp! Got plenty of inspiration for my own aswel

Had the car out for a 15 minute track session on rockingham raceway, my first time out on a track in the clio, and i was well impressed considering my front allignment is way out and i was running old front OEM pads and brake fluid. Plan is to get the allignment sorted, and fit a set of ferodo ds2500's, OEM discs, and possibly braided lines, along with fresh dot 5.1 fluid. Wasn't too impressed with the toyo px4's, so may look into changing them soon enough too.

Lookswise, I've decided i want to get a ph2 172 rear bumper, lights, a cup spoiler and possibly colour coded ph2 rubstrips. Also want to get a new bonnet and get my bumper touched up, but these aren't a huge priority just yet.

Bought a rear strut brace as they were going for great prices on the day, supposedly they make a little difference, but it looks cool at least

Also got the car on the rolling road while i was there to see what sort of figures it's pushing out before i start looking to increase power etc. Put out 178.3bhp at the fly, 148.1bhp at the wheels, and 132lb-ft at the wheels. The curves were all very nice with a good power band from 5500rpm all the way to 7500rpm. Impressive for what i first thought was a completely standard car...

Asked the lads if it was a good figure for a standard car only to be laughed at.. Turns out it has a Grp. N ecu remap, with the rev limiter lifted from the standard 7200rpm to 7800rpm. Needless to say i was delighted

Was well impressed with the little clio after the trip, not one bit of trouble the whole way, and used less than 2 full tanks of petrol for the whole trip, including the track session.

I think this car is a keeper

 

[W4tson]

Good effort boyo

 

[maynard]

nice surprise about the remap! good progree

 

[leeboy182]

Love black wheels on silver cars not that I'm biased or anything looks sweet tho mate good work !!

 

[colm_gti]

Good effort boyo

nice surprise about the remap! good progree

Love black wheels on silver cars not that I'm biased or anything looks sweet tho mate good work !!

cheers lads, was a nice surprise alright

 

[f0xy]

car was looking nice, good to meet you at the hotel

nice suprise with the remap! seems like its making good power

 

[Leeshez]

Might fine example .

 

[colm_gti]

car was looking nice, good to meet you at the hotel

nice suprise with the remap! seems like its making good power

cheers dude, was a nice surprise alright, rollers may have been a bit generous but its nice to see its running health anyway

Next on the list now is a set of alloy wheels, two of mine are buckled from the previous owner and the wobble is getting on my nerves now

 

[colm_gti]

29/06/09

Small update, hant had much money to spend on the car lately as i've been busy paying off a holiday, but thats out of the way now

Got an OMP rear strut brace at french car show for cheap..

Made fcuk all noticable difference, but looks cool

There was a fierce wobble in the steering wheel, which i thought was due to alignment being out, but soon found it was actually due to 4 buckled alloys:wall

Brought them to a local engineering company that straightened them for 40 euro a wheel. Only have the front 2 done so far due to funds, but the difference is unreal!

Just took a delivery of new front discs and pads; Ferodo DS2500 pads and Brembo High carbon discs, supposedly one of the best cheap combinations for fast road/track use.

Just need to get some motivation to fit them now

Also bought a litre of motul rbf600 off baz to bleed my brakes

Once i get all this fitted the car should be ready for some track action that my girlfriend bought me for my birthday

Have also decided on spraying my roof and mirror caps gloss black as they're not in the best condition right now and they should tie in nicely with the black wheels and possibly/eventually a carbon bonet and ibiza cupra splitter.

Here's the pic that made me want the black roof..

Hope to get a set of ph2 rear lights and a ph2 bumper like the ones in that pic, and also a cup spoiler, but they're a bit expensive right now

 

[colm_gti]

02/07/09

Got up early on tuesday morning, bought 3 scotch pads and 3 cans of satin black paint and got to work on doing this..

Some of ya may think i was nuts to do it in myself, but my roof was in rough enough condition as it was, so i wasn't too bothered if i made a hames of it. After a bit of drama, and thanks to robx1r for the guidance, i put the last coat on yesterday afternoon, after that pic was taken. Plan is to leave it a day or 2 until the paint hardens fully and flatten it down with 800 grit wet and dry to even the finish up.

I'm actually quite pleased with the finish considering i used rattle cans and done it in my front garden, and it looks cool too

 

[colm_gti]

09/07/2009

Havn't updated this in a while now, and i'm kinda bored so thought i'd add a few bits.

Just waiting to add a coat or 2 of laquer to the roof before its full finished. It actually turned out glossier than i'd expected, which looks kinda cool.

Still havn't fitted my new brakes and bled the system with the motul stuff yet, but that's next on my list of things to do.

Have a lot of work this week, so my wages should be healthy next week and i plan on getting my rear two wheel straightened, re-spraying them satin black and laquering them this time.

Have just bought a pair of F7P alternator brackets from f0xy, and with thanks to matteh i'll be removing my aircon for a lot less than the price of a 172 cup setup (350stg)

Plan on ordering a new timing belt and tensioner kit from ktec and fitting it and the new auxiliary setup at the same time, should drop a few kg's

 

[Greeny.]

Looking good, brave doing the roof yourself!

 

[colm_gti]

Looking good, brave doing the roof yourself!

haha cheers man, it didn't turn out perfect IMO, but thats just cos i'm a picky b*stard, it's as perfect as can be expected from doing it in your front garden with rattle cans haha.

i'll get some finished pics up once the laquer hardens and i wash the car

 

[colm_gti]

28/07/09

Finally got my act together and sent the other 2 alloys up to the engineering place to have them straightened. And while they were off i went about fitting my new brembo HC discs and ferodo DS2500's, a handy enough job bar trying to get the old discs off which were as good as welded to the hubs haha. Turns out the discs and pads that were in it had little "halfords" imprints on them:hmmm

Just have to bleed them with the motul rbf600 i have here in the morning and it should be stopping great.

I'm also booked in for the afternoon session of the open day in mondello next monday, will be the clio's first time around mondello.

 

[Limca]

excellent!!! i had the same brake setup as your getting. Well worth the purchase