New member just getting started with my 182

[BigKristian]

Hi all,

Bought myself my clio 182 recently only 1 previous owner 91,000 miles and as standard as the day it rolled out of the factory. Thus far I have had the dephaser/ vvt pulley, waterpump cambelt & pulleys all done as well as the Aux belt. I have spent a bit of time detailing the paintwork but really want to start getting a few bits done.

Next on the to do list are the following-

• New exhaust from cat back possibly de-cat due to wanting aftermarket and the original is blowing a bit
• Either alloy refurb or new set of alloys with tyres to be ordered soon
• Looking to lower the car by 40-50mm

I will start looking at other options once these are done and hopefully have a solid good looking little car at the end.

If anyone is selling or knows of anyone selling any of the above items I would be very interested!

Cheers.

 

[jamesycc]

Welcome. My first 172 was lowered on Apex's by 40mm and jeez it was harsh, would have you're fillings out. Roads around Bristol are terrible!! Got Eibachs on my cup which is 35mm lowered which is just right for me. Can't imagine what a 50mm drop would be like?! I ended up putting my cat back on as the motorway drone went right to the core of my brain. But each to their own I say either way you'll have fun in it. Oh and pics are obligatory...!!

 

[Goodj]

As above, if you're looking to use the car as a daily, then removing all suspension travel and exhaust muffling will likely be something you regret after the first 100 miles.

OEM exhausts are made of soft cheese, so a good quality aftermarket one would be a good move, by the time you've bought whichever shiny drainpipes you go for, you' may find that you'll be quite happy to leave the catalyst in place.

Essentially, short of a lot of cam/itb or boost work, you're going t be hard pushed to screw much more power out of the car. A lot of people make their car louder but absolutely no quicker.

 

[BigKristian]

Cheers for the feedback. Ive honestly got no preference on whether or not to have a de-cat exhaust so will probably keep the cat as mentioned due to the noise and MOT reasons. Any suggestions for the best/ most reasonably priced cat back exhaust system readily available online? again if anyone is selling one of these in good condition I would be interested.

With the springs I wouldnt want the ride to be too rough but do like the look of a lower stance, are there any 40mm springs which give reasonable ride comfort I could take a look at? I used to drive a corsa b redtop years ago on 100mm springs so am well versed in crappy ride quality LOL that was awful so I reckon 40mm on a cliosport would seem pretty bearable to me.

Any suggestions for alloys which suit the car well? I do like the turinis but would probably look for something else due to them being in such high demand I dont really have the time with work and family life etc.

Really enjoying the car so far though will get pictures up soon. Just fully serviced it too so all seems to be running perfectly, looking forward to seeing what I can do with the looks and some quality aftermarket parts!

 

[jamesycc]

Alot of people rate Cooksports springs although I can only comment on the Eibachs and they are good balance of firm but forgiving which is good for me as its my daily. Exhausts don't have enough knowledge to help with that. My cup has a cat back ktec super sport which is a bit shouty (my wife hates it!). Not everyone rates ktec on here but I've done ok with there stuff. If you don't have time to watch out for turinis then get a good refurb on your wheels and choose a colour which is always fun.

 

[George@RTR_Parts]

Welcome along

 

[BigKristian]

Bit of an update- centre box was blowing like mad so just had it chopped out and had a straight pipe welded in as a temporary fix. Went down to the garage and discovered my mate works there so is going to do me a full custom stainless cat back system for £150 soon so thats the exhaust system sorted. Also says he can get me my alloys through the garage at cost price around £40 per alloy brand new so going to flick through their catalogue and see which ones I like. On the hunt for the right springs at the moment but it looks as though things are off to a good start.

 

[BigKristian]

Finally got some pictures. The two with the standard alloys are how it was when i first purchased it and the others were today. Done some simple mods so far and some detailing. Looking at getting the exhaust done within the next two weeks with some 4" tips and order my lowering springs on payday :smile: Also ordering some new uprated drilled grooved front discs and pads.

 

[BigKristian]

Also I have recently refurbed the headlights as they were completely caked in hazy yellow crap. Did a bit of research on here about restoring them and thankfully they came out great at the end! Surprising what you can do with a few simple items.

 

[davo172]

Eibach sportlines are one of the best mods you can do along with rs tuner imo

 

[warwickstingray]

There is a reason that cooksports and eibachs don't go that low. It might look good in your eyes but it will ruin the handling.

 

[BigKristian]

Your quite right chaps, been thinking about springs quite a bit and playing with what the best option would be and im starting to look at handling being my priority rather than the look at this point.

Is there any advatange to the rstuner map over a map performed by ktec or somewhere similar or do most people just go with the rstuner due to cost? Which option overall is better?

 

[warwickstingray]

RS tuner is a well proven generic map that will cover basic mods. It is kinda based on an old group N map That Renault offered which would have used a better filter and exhaust setup. It also raises the rev limit a bit and the idle which have benefits in the right situations.

The main benefit is that it allows best power fuelling earlier in the rev range over the standard map so if you find the car lacking in the mid range this will help.

A custom map may provide a better result but at this level it isn't a given so can be seen as expensive over the RS Tuner.

If your flush with cash then go do a custom map but make sure the mapper has proven work under their belt.

 

[BigKristian]

Thanks for the explanation, looking at the rstuner device and map etc it would cost about the same as having it mapped at a specialist. Is anyone on here selling an rstuner? Are there any before and after dyno results with and without the map available to see any potential power gains?