New to Clios.. with a Flame Red 172 Phase 2

[cusford]

Hey!
new here, just bought myself a flame red phase 2 clio 172.
pick it up tomorrow night.
dont want to go crazy with it, but any little mods, or worthwhile things to do would be good!

completely standard at the moment. fancy some 182 8 spoke wheels, really love them.

Cheers!

Marcus

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome from the ClioSport Admin Team

 

[Rhauri]

Welcome mate, I got my Flame 172 not long ago and I love it - you shouldn't be disappointed.

Out-of-the-box a 172 is great and needs little improvement if its mainly going to be a fun run-around. If you plan on going to meets & track days you may get suckered into wanting the usual mods:

- Intake
- Exhaust
- Springs / Coilovers
- Remap
- Wheels

If you join the club you'll get full access to the forum and you'll be able to do your research on all of the above; and access to the Parts For Sale section, for which you'll be able to pick up loads of parts 2nd hand and dirt cheap.

The big one is making sure your Cambelt & Auxillary belt changes are up to date, if you've got any cash spare and this job is due - it should take precedence over anything else. When I bought mine, they were due, so it was factored into the price and then I got them done straight away; then engine felt refreshed and more keen to rev after the job, but the Dephaser Pulley was changed along with the Throttle-body being cleaned so they'd have been contributing factors for sure.

More often than not though, a refresh of the standard suspension components will give you the best results and make the car feel incredibly tight and handle the way it was designed to, as the original rubber parts will not be in great stead now on our 172's.

172 Cup wishbones too are a decent idea, that help improve the handling as the geometry is improved by using them compared to the standard 'Full Fat' 172 wishbones.

I have a Poly-bushed dog bone engine mount which is the one near the gearbox and it makes the gear change feel very tight compared to a standard/old mount, that's worth a thought.

Hopefully that gives you a bit to think about for now anyway...

Make sure you pop some photo's up when you get it.

 

[is1]

If it is a standard car, double-check the service record when you get it, physically check the oil level/condition and if it appears it hasn't been serviced for around 12 months, give it a full service before anything else, check the position re cambelt as above.
A car like this is about handling, tyres are the single most important factor in relation to handling. If it doesn't have a decent set of boots on, get them on.
After all that, if it is a daily/road car and you intend to use premium fuel as recommended on the fuel flap, then get hold of an RS Tuner and apply the RON 98 map. It makes the engine feel much tighter, meatier, improves cold starting and idle and works out about £50-£100 net (you can resell the device easily).

 

[cusford]

Welcome mate, I got my Flame 172 not long ago and I love it - you shouldn't be disappointed.

Out-of-the-box a 172 is great and needs little improvement if its mainly going to be a fun run-around. If you plan on going to meets & track days you may get suckered into wanting the usual mods:

- Intake
- Exhaust
- Springs / Coilovers
- Remap
- Wheels

If you join the club you'll get full access to the forum and you'll be able to do your research on all of the above; and access to the Parts For Sale section, for which you'll be able to pick up loads of parts 2nd hand and dirt cheap.

The big one is making sure your Cambelt & Auxillary belt changes are up to date, if you've got any cash spare and this job is due - it should take precedence over anything else. When I bought mine, they were due, so it was factored into the price and then I got them done straight away; then engine felt refreshed and more keen to rev after the job, but the Dephaser Pulley was changed along with the Throttle-body being cleaned so they'd have been contributing factors for sure.

More often than not though, a refresh of the standard suspension components will give you the best results and make the car feel incredibly tight and handle the way it was designed to, as the original rubber parts will not be in great stead now on our 172's.

172 Cup wishbones too are a decent idea, that help improve the handling as the geometry is improved by using them compared to the standard 'Full Fat' 172 wishbones.

I have a Poly-bushed dog bone engine mount which is the one near the gearbox and it makes the gear change feel very tight compared to a standard/old mount, that's worth a thought.

Hopefully that gives you a bit to think about for now anyway...

Make sure you pop some photo's up when you get it.

perfect reply there mate!
I dont want to got crazy as i said.. but knowing what is best to do is great.
I dont want to do the whole coilover side of things.. with being in the vag scene originally, i know what its like to want to constantly go lower and lower.. and then slowly destroy my car.. so wont be doing that again! Definitely fancy a small drop of 40mm or so though. which will then give me the opportunity to check all the bushes and mounts over
i know that the cambelt and all belts/pulleys etc have been done by the previous owner, with all receipts of parts and labours to prove this. it has covered 68k, and appears to be in great condition.

 

[cusford]

If it is a standard car, double-check the service record when you get it, physically check the oil level/condition and if it appears it hasn't been serviced for around 12 months, give it a full service before anything else, check the position re cambelt as above.
A car like this is about handling, tyres are the single most important factor in relation to handling. If it doesn't have a decent set of boots on, get them on.
After all that, if it is a daily/road car and you intend to use premium fuel as recommended on the fuel flap, then get hold of an RS Tuner and apply the RON 98 map. It makes the engine feel much tighter, meatier, improves cold starting and idle and works out about £50-£100 net (you can resell the device easily).

RS Tuner? This some sort of tuning box? and are these recommended? It will be a daily runner. 12 miles a day, work and back.. then b road blasts on the weekend. so would rather follow everyones advice on here.. if you tell me its best to run RON 98 fuel, then its something i would definitely consider doing.
I only ran my previous cars on v power, so its not something that bothers me too much!

 

[is1]

RS Tuner? This some sort of tuning box? and are these recommended? It will be a daily runner. 12 miles a day, work and back.. then b road blasts on the weekend. so would rather follow everyones advice on here.. if you tell me its best to run RON 98 fuel, then its something i would definitely consider doing.
I only ran my previous cars on v power, so its not something that bothers me too much!

Yes, the RS Tuner is a highly commended device that plugs into the car's OBD-II port (under the ashtray). It is a fault code reader (allowing you to delete certain fault codes avoiding a visit to a dealer) which also enables you to apply slightly different engine maps.
The RON 98 map is optimised for premium fuel and most people report a real improvement in driveability, cold starting and idle. You never know, your car may already have it, it is a VERY popular "mod".
The unit can be bought from Fastchip in Holland (circa £200) or a used unit can be bought from here (or eBay) but would require an unlock code which can be bought from Henk at Fastchip. Just do a search on RS Tuner.
It can be resold easily (within a day in my case) for around £110 or you may want to keep it as a fault code reader or to try differnt maps/reverse maps.

 

[cusford]

Yes, the RS Tuner is a highly commended device that plugs into the car's OBD-II port (under the ashtray). It is a fault code reader (allowing you to delete certain fault codes avoiding a visit to a dealer) which also enables you to apply slightly different engine maps.
The RON 98 map is optimised for premium fuel and most people report a real improvement in driveability, cold starting and idle. You never know, your car may already have it, it is a VERY popular "mod".
The unit can be bought from Fastchip in Holland (circa £200) or a used unit can be bought from here (or eBay) but would require an unlock code which can be bought from Henk at Fastchip. Just do a search on RS Tuner.
It can be resold easily (within a day in my case) for around £110 or you may want to keep it as a fault code reader or to try differnt maps/reverse maps.

definitely something i will consider. i want to make the most of the car without going over the top with engine mods. something like this for that price is perfect!
i will do a bit of research into the maps and device thank you

 

[Rhauri]

68k is good mileage, I picked mine up at just over 70k with only 2 previous owners, so I'm the 4th now. Eibach Sportline/Proline springs are the most recommended way on here for a subtle drop of around 30/40mm and are very inexpensive; certainly on my wanted list

is1, just to be a bit lazy I'll ask you rather than doing a search Should two 172 Phase 2 (non-cup) owners buy an RSTuner between them would they be able to use it on both cars or would there be license complications?

My friend is in the market for a 172 so if I can get him to buy a non-cup then those are my thoughts...

 

[is1]

is1, just to be a bit lazy I'll ask you rather than doing a search Should two 172 Phase 2 (non-cup) owners buy an RSTuner between them would they be able to use it on both cars or would there be license complications?

My friend is in the market for a 172 so if I can get him to buy a non-cup then those are my thoughts...

It wouldn't matter which 172 model they bought. It could work as follows:
One of you buy the unit (you can share the cost) for around £200. That would enable it to be used on the first car it is connected to, apply the map to that car, read codes etc. It is then locked to that car.
The second car would need to buy an unlock code (around £50 I believe) and the map could be applied to the second car. It would then be locked to the second car for mapping purposes and couldn't be used on the first car (without a further unlock code).
I think I am correct in recalling that it can still be used on both cars for error code reading but don't quote me on this.
You could then sell the unit on here for £100+ and recoup some of your outlay.

So yes, there would be a cost advantage in sharing the unit.

 

[Rhauri]

Awesome, cheers mate.

I'll do a bit more research and have a think about it

 

[cusford]

well! i've been busy buying some bits for my car.. most of its either fitted, or still in the post.

gearbox mount - fitted
exhaust mount - fitted
pipercross panel filter - fitted
matched inlet - in the post (RS one)
new steering wheel - fitted
35mm lowering springs - fitted
new number plates - fitted
new gearknob - fitted
middle boxes cut out
cup splitter - fitted
travel bag in boot

next is decat time and remap
car has been fully cleaned inside and out. will get some pics up at some point soon!

anyone know how to remove the front seats?
take it i have to disconnect the battery first due to air bags. just one is knocking a bit, and its annoying!

 

[muld]

Front seats bolt from underneath, 4 bolts per seat IIRC. They will be covered with little rubber type covers which you have to remove to gain access to the bolts.

 

[Emz_197]

Where did you buy it from?

 

[cusford]

ah thanks i'll get the axle stands out and give it a go over the weekend

 

[cusford]

Where did you buy it from?

hey, i bought it from harrogate mate. the previous owner is a member on here.