Christopher
ClioSport Club Member
Z4M
Good progress!
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Project Lightweight, Trackday Clio 172
- Thread starter scullyg40
- Start date
So I received my all intact interior loom.
First I put in on the scale of course, and the difference between the 2 looms is 2,216 kg's.
But, I installed the new loom, hooked up the battery, and noting, still the same. :rage:
I have narrowed down my options now. I have also removed a couple of things under the hood, namely, the loom that goes to the lights and the horn, the loom that goes to the airconditioning, and a white/grey connector in the engine fuse box that wasn't connected to anything. My problem should be here somewhere. I will take my time to try and find the problem. Because the new interior loom didn't fix the problem, I will most likely not make it to my first trackday on August the 30th. Also because from next week on, I have to give my education a priority, since I have a test in the end of September. I'm kind of frustrated about this, but I can only blame myself.
Because I still wanted to book some progress on the car, I decided that I would change the sump gasket.
First I drained the oil.
In order to be able to drain the oil, I had to make myself a tool, because the plug has some stupid french size or something. I made the tool from an old piston stop I still had from when I was driving scooters.
Then I raised the engine.
To get to the fuel filter, I had to remove the fuel rail guard. It weighed in at 1,582 kg's. It will not be going back on. I do see why everybody is against it, but to gain a couple of horsepowers with installing throttlebodies, it is okay presumably. I also figured that removing all the airbags is probably more dangerous, since the crash sensor cuts of the fuel pump in case of a crash.
A nice bonus was to find an RS stamped lower intake.
Then it was time to take out the fuel filter, no biggie, I thought, but it was stuck, and I mean really stuck. I had a nice tool to do this, but in the end, I overtensioned it, and it didn't survive.
So the oil filter came out like this, after being penetrated several times by a screwdriver.
Obviously, this took a lot of time, and more important frustation, that after taking out all the screws that hold the sump in place, and finding out, that the engine had not been raised enough, I still had to lower the subframe. I made a small start, but I was finished for the day.
Total weight savinds so far, 155,8 kg's.
First I put in on the scale of course, and the difference between the 2 looms is 2,216 kg's.
But, I installed the new loom, hooked up the battery, and noting, still the same. :rage:
I have narrowed down my options now. I have also removed a couple of things under the hood, namely, the loom that goes to the lights and the horn, the loom that goes to the airconditioning, and a white/grey connector in the engine fuse box that wasn't connected to anything. My problem should be here somewhere. I will take my time to try and find the problem. Because the new interior loom didn't fix the problem, I will most likely not make it to my first trackday on August the 30th. Also because from next week on, I have to give my education a priority, since I have a test in the end of September. I'm kind of frustrated about this, but I can only blame myself.
Because I still wanted to book some progress on the car, I decided that I would change the sump gasket.
First I drained the oil.
In order to be able to drain the oil, I had to make myself a tool, because the plug has some stupid french size or something. I made the tool from an old piston stop I still had from when I was driving scooters.
Then I raised the engine.
To get to the fuel filter, I had to remove the fuel rail guard. It weighed in at 1,582 kg's. It will not be going back on. I do see why everybody is against it, but to gain a couple of horsepowers with installing throttlebodies, it is okay presumably. I also figured that removing all the airbags is probably more dangerous, since the crash sensor cuts of the fuel pump in case of a crash.
A nice bonus was to find an RS stamped lower intake.
Then it was time to take out the fuel filter, no biggie, I thought, but it was stuck, and I mean really stuck. I had a nice tool to do this, but in the end, I overtensioned it, and it didn't survive.
So the oil filter came out like this, after being penetrated several times by a screwdriver.
Obviously, this took a lot of time, and more important frustation, that after taking out all the screws that hold the sump in place, and finding out, that the engine had not been raised enough, I still had to lower the subframe. I made a small start, but I was finished for the day.
Total weight savinds so far, 155,8 kg's.
I went to the TT-circuit in Assen this weekend to visit the Gamma Racing Days. It is a free event with different types of motorsport, like motorracing, superkarts (these things are crazy, google them if you don't know), Formula Renault, Supercar Challenge and more. Nico Hulkenberg was there as well with a Renault Formula 1 car.
Nice looking car in the parking lot, I would really like to have one of these sometime.
Sebastian Vettel's old car in the BOSS GP. This car also has the official lap record of the TT-circuit, 1.24 I believe.
And Nico Hulkenberg in a Renault Sport Formula 1 car.
He was much faster, doing a 1.17, but as it was a demo, it doesn't count for the records.
It did brake down though, right in front of us.
Cheers Nico :beers:
Right, tonight I had some time to move on with the sump gasket.
How hard can it be to take of the sump? :rage:
I knew, I had to drop the subframe a little bit. So I took out the 16 and 18 mm bolt on the engine side. Subframe did not drop one bit. Then I thought I had to take of the plate with the 4 13 mm bolts. One went out without a problem. The second one (on the chassis side), would go round, but (I suppose) with the nut inside the chassis. No chance in getting that of. It's still tight, so I decided to leave that one on.
To get some more room, I thought I would loosen the gearbox side a bit as well. That wasn't a succes either. The 16 mm front bolt loosened a liitle bit, then it decided to take the nut with it as well. So there's a little more extra work for me. :rage:
Then finally, I realised that the bar between the chassis and wishbone is holding up the subframe. So I started to take the 13 mm bolt out. Then it broke of. More work for me. :rage:
But I could finally drop the subframe, and put a piece of wood in between.
Tried to take it off, and I was 1 cm short.
So I made a wedge, which was a little bit wider.
And victory.
Bad news is, that I couldn't see an obvious leak.
Next up is cleaning the underside and sump, and replacing the gasket.
Nice looking car in the parking lot, I would really like to have one of these sometime.
Sebastian Vettel's old car in the BOSS GP. This car also has the official lap record of the TT-circuit, 1.24 I believe.
And Nico Hulkenberg in a Renault Sport Formula 1 car.
He was much faster, doing a 1.17, but as it was a demo, it doesn't count for the records.
It did brake down though, right in front of us.
Cheers Nico :beers:
Right, tonight I had some time to move on with the sump gasket.
How hard can it be to take of the sump? :rage:
I knew, I had to drop the subframe a little bit. So I took out the 16 and 18 mm bolt on the engine side. Subframe did not drop one bit. Then I thought I had to take of the plate with the 4 13 mm bolts. One went out without a problem. The second one (on the chassis side), would go round, but (I suppose) with the nut inside the chassis. No chance in getting that of. It's still tight, so I decided to leave that one on.
To get some more room, I thought I would loosen the gearbox side a bit as well. That wasn't a succes either. The 16 mm front bolt loosened a liitle bit, then it decided to take the nut with it as well. So there's a little more extra work for me. :rage:
Then finally, I realised that the bar between the chassis and wishbone is holding up the subframe. So I started to take the 13 mm bolt out. Then it broke of. More work for me. :rage:
But I could finally drop the subframe, and put a piece of wood in between.
Tried to take it off, and I was 1 cm short.
So I made a wedge, which was a little bit wider.
And victory.
Bad news is, that I couldn't see an obvious leak.
Next up is cleaning the underside and sump, and replacing the gasket.
Audi rs3/Clio 172cup
I've got one myself. I love it but I have a lot more fun in my clio
Audi rs3/Clio 172cup
I've got one myself. I love it but I have a lot more fun in my clio View attachment 1009207
That's a really nice looking car, would be a nice upgrade from my 130i.
Anyway, good news, managed to get the car running again. I'm really happy, put my hands up in the air and everything. :tongueout:
Looking back, it was not even a big issue. The earth cable coming from the battery did not make a good connection to the chassis. I sanded the connector, cleaned the thread and put a new bolt in.
I tried to start the car, and unthough it still didn't start, I made a massive step forward. I could hear the fuelpump, and the engine was cranking over. But now I was back to the immobilizer problem I had before. But I had my immobilizer deleted by EFI parts. After a little thought, I thought lets try my old stripped loom, to see if the problem could be in the UCH. 10 minutes later, the loom was changed, and the car started.
This means, I can clean up my list a bit more.
-Buy two more straps, to strap the car on the trailer, as I only have a pair for the front wheels
-Change the brake fluid
-FIX THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM!!! DONE :up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up:
-Tidy up the interior loom
-Make a bracket for the instrument panel DONE :up:
-Change the sump gasket DONE :up:
-Change the engine oil DONE :up:
-Clean up the interior DONE :up:
-Put in the seats DONE :up:
-Mount the hood pins for the boot lid DONE :up:
-Mount the towing straps front and back DONE :up:
The list is getting shorter, but as can be seen in the video, I have a lot of tidying up to do with the loom, but now at least my first trackday with this car is managable, so the future is looking positive. :smile:
Having put back my original loom in, means I have saved what I have added with the full loom, so total weight savings so far are: 158 kg's
Anyway, good news, managed to get the car running again. I'm really happy, put my hands up in the air and everything. :tongueout:
Looking back, it was not even a big issue. The earth cable coming from the battery did not make a good connection to the chassis. I sanded the connector, cleaned the thread and put a new bolt in.
I tried to start the car, and unthough it still didn't start, I made a massive step forward. I could hear the fuelpump, and the engine was cranking over. But now I was back to the immobilizer problem I had before. But I had my immobilizer deleted by EFI parts. After a little thought, I thought lets try my old stripped loom, to see if the problem could be in the UCH. 10 minutes later, the loom was changed, and the car started.
This means, I can clean up my list a bit more.
-Buy two more straps, to strap the car on the trailer, as I only have a pair for the front wheels
-Change the brake fluid
-FIX THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM!!! DONE :up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up:
-Tidy up the interior loom
-Make a bracket for the instrument panel DONE :up:
-Change the sump gasket DONE :up:
-Change the engine oil DONE :up:
-Clean up the interior DONE :up:
-Put in the seats DONE :up:
-Mount the hood pins for the boot lid DONE :up:
-Mount the towing straps front and back DONE :up:
The list is getting shorter, but as can be seen in the video, I have a lot of tidying up to do with the loom, but now at least my first trackday with this car is managable, so the future is looking positive. :smile:
Having put back my original loom in, means I have saved what I have added with the full loom, so total weight savings so far are: 158 kg's
I have ordered two of these:
Already had two, which came with the auto transporter, but now I have a set of 4.
Already had two, which came with the auto transporter, but now I have a set of 4.
Due to personal circumstances I wasn't able to finish the car in time, nor did I want to attend the trackday on Assen on the 30th of August. Octobre 11th is the next one.
Because my car didn't want to start with the other loom, it got me thinking, and I sent EFI parts an email with the question why it wouldn't start with the other loom, since the immobiliser has been removed. Here is his reply (In case you read this Chris, I hope you don't mind me sharring this):
It’s a little bit more complicated with the looms. Your ECU uses pin 54 of the ECU to communicate with the immobiliser in the UCH module. So, with my modification made to the ECU we do not need this connection to the UCH anymore. But, things can stop working if you re-connect this wire (like installing a standard loom again) because now the ECU has 2 signals on pin 54. One from the emmulator inside the ECU and another from the UCH. Cut the wire going to pin 54 of the ECU and all should work properly.
So this gave me confidence to crack on with further lightnening the interior loom.
A little bit forward in time, and this was out:
I only had to rewire one relay, since I don't use any others anymore that or on the UCH.
Since I only had three more fuses in the fuse holder, I wanted to take that out as well.
So I got these from the local carparts shop.
The three fuses that are left are:
-Brake lights/instrument panel/OBD connector
-Front windshield wiper
-ABS
The two relays that are left are:
-Fuel gauge
-Front windshield wipers
I want to delete the ABS in the future as well, but that is another project, that will come in time.
When all the cutting and rewiring was done, it was time to make it all tidy again.
Nice and tidy under the hood again.
And in the interior, I went from this:
To this:
I was able to take this out:
With a weight saving of: 2,393 kg's, which means I broke the 160 kg barrier with a total of 160,4 kg's.
Because my car didn't want to start with the other loom, it got me thinking, and I sent EFI parts an email with the question why it wouldn't start with the other loom, since the immobiliser has been removed. Here is his reply (In case you read this Chris, I hope you don't mind me sharring this):
It’s a little bit more complicated with the looms. Your ECU uses pin 54 of the ECU to communicate with the immobiliser in the UCH module. So, with my modification made to the ECU we do not need this connection to the UCH anymore. But, things can stop working if you re-connect this wire (like installing a standard loom again) because now the ECU has 2 signals on pin 54. One from the emmulator inside the ECU and another from the UCH. Cut the wire going to pin 54 of the ECU and all should work properly.
So this gave me confidence to crack on with further lightnening the interior loom.
A little bit forward in time, and this was out:
I only had to rewire one relay, since I don't use any others anymore that or on the UCH.
Since I only had three more fuses in the fuse holder, I wanted to take that out as well.
So I got these from the local carparts shop.
The three fuses that are left are:
-Brake lights/instrument panel/OBD connector
-Front windshield wiper
-ABS
The two relays that are left are:
-Fuel gauge
-Front windshield wipers
I want to delete the ABS in the future as well, but that is another project, that will come in time.
When all the cutting and rewiring was done, it was time to make it all tidy again.
Nice and tidy under the hood again.
And in the interior, I went from this:
To this:
I was able to take this out:
With a weight saving of: 2,393 kg's, which means I broke the 160 kg barrier with a total of 160,4 kg's.
This morning I took out the inner skin of the boot lid.
Saving another 1,485 kg's, making a total of 161,9 kg's.
I also took the car out for a sneaky little test drive. The car is far from streetlegal, so I didn't want to bump in to the police. Just went around the block really to see/feel if everything is like it should be since I had been working on the subframe, engine etc. To say the car drives/feels different then with a full interior/sound insulation, is an understatement. I still have to close of some openings in the bulkhead, so the engine noise blasts straight into the cockpit. It feels really light as well. The steering feels as light as in my wifes Fiat 500.
Saving another 1,485 kg's, making a total of 161,9 kg's.
I also took the car out for a sneaky little test drive. The car is far from streetlegal, so I didn't want to bump in to the police. Just went around the block really to see/feel if everything is like it should be since I had been working on the subframe, engine etc. To say the car drives/feels different then with a full interior/sound insulation, is an understatement. I still have to close of some openings in the bulkhead, so the engine noise blasts straight into the cockpit. It feels really light as well. The steering feels as light as in my wifes Fiat 500.
The list is pretty much done now, just need to change the brake fluid, I think I will put in some new spark plugs as well though.
-Buy two more straps, to strap the car on the trailer, as I only have a pair for the front wheels DONE :up:
-Change the brake fluid
-FIX THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM!!! DONE :up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up:
-Tidy up the interior loom DONE :up:
-Make a bracket for the instrument panel DONE :up:
-Change the sump gasket DONE :up:
-Change the engine oil DONE :up:
-Clean up the interior DONE :up:
-Put in the seats DONE :up:
-Mount the hood pins for the boot lid DONE :up:
-Mount the towing straps front and back DONE :up:
-Buy two more straps, to strap the car on the trailer, as I only have a pair for the front wheels DONE :up:
-Change the brake fluid
-FIX THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM!!! DONE :up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up::up:
-Tidy up the interior loom DONE :up:
-Make a bracket for the instrument panel DONE :up:
-Change the sump gasket DONE :up:
-Change the engine oil DONE :up:
-Clean up the interior DONE :up:
-Put in the seats DONE :up:
-Mount the hood pins for the boot lid DONE :up:
-Mount the towing straps front and back DONE :up:
Thanks. :up:
Tonight I did one of the biggest modifications I will ever do on this car.
Tape up some holes. :smile:
To prevent engine fumes etc from entering the interior, I had to block of two holes. In the future I will do some welding on this, but for now I hope this has some function.
I have two holes left, but they go to the windshield wiper area. Hopefully they will let some fresh air get in to the car.
Tape up some holes. :smile:
To prevent engine fumes etc from entering the interior, I had to block of two holes. In the future I will do some welding on this, but for now I hope this has some function.
I have two holes left, but they go to the windshield wiper area. Hopefully they will let some fresh air get in to the car.
So with the car being pretty much ready for know, I would like to keep it that way, so I focussed on my studies lately. Got on exam coming up shortly so that's my priority for now.
I did buy this though:
I will fit this first, just to make sure it al works as expected, and then get the PMS AC delete kit, and delete all the ancilliaries that are in front of the motor.
Also, for who is interested in the weight of a standard mirror. :tongueout:
That's it for now, updates will be quite low untill it's winter I suppose.
I did buy this though:
I will fit this first, just to make sure it al works as expected, and then get the PMS AC delete kit, and delete all the ancilliaries that are in front of the motor.
Also, for who is interested in the weight of a standard mirror. :tongueout:
That's it for now, updates will be quite low untill it's winter I suppose.
I'm keeping both. :tonguewink: The BMW Motorsport will remain silver, and the AC Schnitzers will become dark silver, so that I have some variation and 2 different looks to keep the car looking fresh.
Received this with the post today, bought it secondhand, so it was pretty cheap. I know the F4R engine is not covered in here, but it can always come in handy in a lot of other occasions.
It's quite thick too, so it should have enough information. :smile:
I also ordered a new set of spark plugs, and a new air filter, so that the engine is as fresh as it can be.
And I made myself a list of things I would like to do in the near future:
-Fit a decat
-Match the inlets
(Combined with the basic remap, and the single silencer catback, that is all I want to do performance wise for now)
-Fit a rollcage
-Fit bucket seats with harnesses
-As a result paint the interior
-Fit the manual steering rack
-Buy and install the AC delete kit from Pure Motorsport
-Fit new spark plugs and air filter
-Change brake fluid
-Install lightweight battery
-Polycarbonate windows
-Lighten doors and bonnet
That should be enough for the next year or so, we'll see how I am able to stick with this. Suspension wise, I first want to drive and learn the car, and go from there. Tyres and brakes will be replaced and upgraded as they wear out.
And just 2 overall shots of the car as it is right now.
It's quite thick too, so it should have enough information. :smile:
I also ordered a new set of spark plugs, and a new air filter, so that the engine is as fresh as it can be.
And I made myself a list of things I would like to do in the near future:
-Fit a decat
-Match the inlets
(Combined with the basic remap, and the single silencer catback, that is all I want to do performance wise for now)
-Fit a rollcage
-Fit bucket seats with harnesses
-As a result paint the interior
-Fit the manual steering rack
-Buy and install the AC delete kit from Pure Motorsport
-Fit new spark plugs and air filter
-Change brake fluid
-Install lightweight battery
-Polycarbonate windows
-Lighten doors and bonnet
That should be enough for the next year or so, we'll see how I am able to stick with this. Suspension wise, I first want to drive and learn the car, and go from there. Tyres and brakes will be replaced and upgraded as they wear out.
And just 2 overall shots of the car as it is right now.
Looks great
I had some spare time this afternoon, so I changed the air filter and spark plugs.
The spark plugs that came out didn't look to bad, I'm not sure how many kilometers these already have haid.
The new filter did let quite a lot more light go through than the old one.
One thing I noticed though, was that the intake was quite greasy.
I'm sure it's coming from here.
Can anyone tell if this is normal? Or if I have a problem, and indicate what it is?
The butterfly valve is quite clean. On this picture the wedge can be seen, something I would like to modify, when I will match the inlets.
And I took the gasket between the two intake halves to see if there is a noticable difference between the two, and there is. You can clearly see that the top half has smaller ports that the bottom one, which is an RS stamped lower intake.
Having changed the spark plugs and air filter, means I can start cleaning up my list:
-Fit a decat
-Match the inlets
(Combined with the basic remap, and the single silencer catback, that is all I want to do performance wise for now)
-Fit a rollcage
-Fit bucket seats with harnesses
-As a result paint the interior
-Fit the manual steering rack
-Buy and install the AC delete kit from Pure Motorsport
-Fit new spark plugs and air filter DONE :up:
-Change brake fluid
-Install lightweight battery
-Polycarbonate windows
-Lighten doors and bonnet
The spark plugs that came out didn't look to bad, I'm not sure how many kilometers these already have haid.
The new filter did let quite a lot more light go through than the old one.
One thing I noticed though, was that the intake was quite greasy.
I'm sure it's coming from here.
Can anyone tell if this is normal? Or if I have a problem, and indicate what it is?
The butterfly valve is quite clean. On this picture the wedge can be seen, something I would like to modify, when I will match the inlets.
And I took the gasket between the two intake halves to see if there is a noticable difference between the two, and there is. You can clearly see that the top half has smaller ports that the bottom one, which is an RS stamped lower intake.
Having changed the spark plugs and air filter, means I can start cleaning up my list:
-Fit a decat
-Match the inlets
(Combined with the basic remap, and the single silencer catback, that is all I want to do performance wise for now)
-Fit a rollcage
-Fit bucket seats with harnesses
-As a result paint the interior
-Fit the manual steering rack
-Buy and install the AC delete kit from Pure Motorsport
-Fit new spark plugs and air filter DONE :up:
-Change brake fluid
-Install lightweight battery
-Polycarbonate windows
-Lighten doors and bonnet
Today I changed the brake fluid. Decided to go for ATE.
I also wanted to try out my Eezibleed kit, which I had in my garage for a while now.
Also took the opportunity to check my disks and brake pads. They seem to be allright.
Then it was time to check and install my Eezibleed kit. Turned out it was quite easy, as the name implies. Only thing is you have to reinflate the tyre a few times, but if you do that at the same time you refill the reservoir bottle, it's not to bad. I had the air compressor beside it, so it was reinflated in no time.
Only problem I had was to see when the old fluid was out, and the new one was at the nipple, since the color was the same. So I had to guess a little bit when the new fluid was through. Maby for next time, I have to take another color.
Then at the rear left, I noticed I wasn't able to bleed the brakeline, because the nipple wasn't there. It had broken off inside. Seems there isn't much thread left either, so I might have to search for a replacement caliper, but I will probably try to get this one working first.
Having refreshed the brake fluid, means I can tick another item off my list.
-Fit a decat
-Match the inlets
(Combined with the basic remap, and the single silencer catback, that is all I want to do performance wise for now)
-Fit a rollcage
-Fit bucket seats with harnesses
-As a result paint the interior
-Fit the manual steering rack
-Buy and install the AC delete kit from Pure Motorsport
-Fit new spark plugs and air filter DONE :up:
-Change brake fluid DONE :up:
-Install lightweight battery
-Polycarbonate windows
-Lighten doors and bonnet
What isn't on the list, is that I have bought a deep dish steering wheel with a quick release hub. Haven't taken any pictures of it yet, so that will have to wait, and I have bought a couple of racing gloves at the local construction shop. It doesn't say Sparco or OMP on it, but they offer lots more grip than my sweaty hands. :tongueclosed:
I also wanted to try out my Eezibleed kit, which I had in my garage for a while now.
Also took the opportunity to check my disks and brake pads. They seem to be allright.
Then it was time to check and install my Eezibleed kit. Turned out it was quite easy, as the name implies. Only thing is you have to reinflate the tyre a few times, but if you do that at the same time you refill the reservoir bottle, it's not to bad. I had the air compressor beside it, so it was reinflated in no time.
Only problem I had was to see when the old fluid was out, and the new one was at the nipple, since the color was the same. So I had to guess a little bit when the new fluid was through. Maby for next time, I have to take another color.
Then at the rear left, I noticed I wasn't able to bleed the brakeline, because the nipple wasn't there. It had broken off inside. Seems there isn't much thread left either, so I might have to search for a replacement caliper, but I will probably try to get this one working first.
Having refreshed the brake fluid, means I can tick another item off my list.
-Fit a decat
-Match the inlets
(Combined with the basic remap, and the single silencer catback, that is all I want to do performance wise for now)
-Fit a rollcage
-Fit bucket seats with harnesses
-As a result paint the interior
-Fit the manual steering rack
-Buy and install the AC delete kit from Pure Motorsport
-Fit new spark plugs and air filter DONE :up:
-Change brake fluid DONE :up:
-Install lightweight battery
-Polycarbonate windows
-Lighten doors and bonnet
What isn't on the list, is that I have bought a deep dish steering wheel with a quick release hub. Haven't taken any pictures of it yet, so that will have to wait, and I have bought a couple of racing gloves at the local construction shop. It doesn't say Sparco or OMP on it, but they offer lots more grip than my sweaty hands. :tongueclosed:
So, yesterday it was finally time to take the car out for a drive.
First I gave the BMW a quick wash. It can look good in the silver for a very long time, but when it is clean, it does come out a lot better.
Then right after, I gave the Clio a wash.
After taking it out of the garage, it became apparent of how much of a monster truck it has become. This car has 30 or 40 mm lowering springs on it. :laughing: I guess this is evidence that ligthening a car gives less stress to pretty much all of it's components, in this case the suspension.
Then it was time to pack everything up. I took much more than I needed, especcially considering I do not have any spare parts, so if something would have broken down, I wouldn't have been able to fix it.
I also took a lot of extra gasoline, turned out I only used halve a tank. :smile:
I also made a very hightech 99 cents phone holder to record the lapimes, which worked very well.
Then it was time to put the car on the trailer. All ready to go.
A very nice combo if I may do say so myself. :tongueout:
Our spot at the paddock, it was not very busy, being at the end of the season I guess. Notice the really nice M3 next to us. It's ceramic brakes were ticking like they were breaking apart.
Me doing a last oil level check.
Getting ready to go for my first session, having a big smile. I really enjoyed myself all day long, and so did my neighbor/friend who joined me for the day.
Going through pit lane.
First session was wet. There were a couple of cars going into the gravel, all VW's. Don't know if this is a coincidence or not. :tongueclosed:
For the second session, my dad got in the car as a passenger. Fast driving is not really his thing, but he let me do my thing. Don't know if he really enjoyed it, but he did say it was an experience to remember. He also gave me a compliment about my driving, which was nice to hear.
Third session was with another mate of mine, I also managed to do my quickest lap in this session, which was a 2.25.
I was quite happy with this, as can be seen in the video of me driving my old Clio on track, I managed to do a 2.30 plusminus. Thing is, that I wasn't pushing it as much in that car being it a daily driver. The old Clio feld much more stable, which must be down to the coilover set it had one. This Clio is much faster, being a 160 kg lighter and having a basic remap. There were 4 of 5 other Clio's on track, and I managed to pass them all, some even quite easily.
At some point, a group came over asking what I had done to my engine, as one of them had Schrick cams, and a standalone engine management system etc. They were quite surprised to hear that my car was pretty much standard. They also had a look at the interior, and we concluded that it must have made a big difference in the performance.
As a conclusion, I am pretty happy. Things I was a little worried about, such as the screen fogging up, didn't happen, even in the rain. Reflection on the screen as a result of the lack of a dash was also not bad. But I have to say it was cloudy, so I will have to see how this goes on a sunny day. In car temperature was nice, but it was only 15 degrees outside, so for summer drives I will probably have to make some sort of cooling.
For handling, I started with 1.8 bar in the front, and 1.9 bar in the back. On the wet it felt stable, but I did not have a lot of grip. Hot pressure was around 2 bar all around. On the dry, I had some understeer coming out of the slower corners, also some wheelspin, but the back felt twitchy in some areas under braking. I think this is all down to the suspension being pretty much standard, I will upgrade this in time.
First I gave the BMW a quick wash. It can look good in the silver for a very long time, but when it is clean, it does come out a lot better.
Then right after, I gave the Clio a wash.
After taking it out of the garage, it became apparent of how much of a monster truck it has become. This car has 30 or 40 mm lowering springs on it. :laughing: I guess this is evidence that ligthening a car gives less stress to pretty much all of it's components, in this case the suspension.
Then it was time to pack everything up. I took much more than I needed, especcially considering I do not have any spare parts, so if something would have broken down, I wouldn't have been able to fix it.
I also took a lot of extra gasoline, turned out I only used halve a tank. :smile:
I also made a very hightech 99 cents phone holder to record the lapimes, which worked very well.
Then it was time to put the car on the trailer. All ready to go.
A very nice combo if I may do say so myself. :tongueout:
Our spot at the paddock, it was not very busy, being at the end of the season I guess. Notice the really nice M3 next to us. It's ceramic brakes were ticking like they were breaking apart.
Me doing a last oil level check.
Getting ready to go for my first session, having a big smile. I really enjoyed myself all day long, and so did my neighbor/friend who joined me for the day.
Going through pit lane.
First session was wet. There were a couple of cars going into the gravel, all VW's. Don't know if this is a coincidence or not. :tongueclosed:
For the second session, my dad got in the car as a passenger. Fast driving is not really his thing, but he let me do my thing. Don't know if he really enjoyed it, but he did say it was an experience to remember. He also gave me a compliment about my driving, which was nice to hear.
Third session was with another mate of mine, I also managed to do my quickest lap in this session, which was a 2.25.
I was quite happy with this, as can be seen in the video of me driving my old Clio on track, I managed to do a 2.30 plusminus. Thing is, that I wasn't pushing it as much in that car being it a daily driver. The old Clio feld much more stable, which must be down to the coilover set it had one. This Clio is much faster, being a 160 kg lighter and having a basic remap. There were 4 of 5 other Clio's on track, and I managed to pass them all, some even quite easily.
At some point, a group came over asking what I had done to my engine, as one of them had Schrick cams, and a standalone engine management system etc. They were quite surprised to hear that my car was pretty much standard. They also had a look at the interior, and we concluded that it must have made a big difference in the performance.
As a conclusion, I am pretty happy. Things I was a little worried about, such as the screen fogging up, didn't happen, even in the rain. Reflection on the screen as a result of the lack of a dash was also not bad. But I have to say it was cloudy, so I will have to see how this goes on a sunny day. In car temperature was nice, but it was only 15 degrees outside, so for summer drives I will probably have to make some sort of cooling.
For handling, I started with 1.8 bar in the front, and 1.9 bar in the back. On the wet it felt stable, but I did not have a lot of grip. Hot pressure was around 2 bar all around. On the dry, I had some understeer coming out of the slower corners, also some wheelspin, but the back felt twitchy in some areas under braking. I think this is all down to the suspension being pretty much standard, I will upgrade this in time.
Thanks, and yes, that would be nice. I will attend Zandvoort in the future as well, but my main track will be Assen since that is only a 30 min drive for me.
So I came across a set of these:
OZ Superleggera 7x15 4x100 ET37 :tongueout:
They've got scratches etc, but I don't care, because Superleggera means Superlight :tongueclosed:
Saving 3,3 kg's per wheel. Since this is unsprung weight, it equals to 150 extra horsepowers. :stig:
Just waiting for centre rings so I can mount them.
Total weight saving 161,9 + (4x3,3) = 175,1 kg's
OZ Superleggera 7x15 4x100 ET37 :tongueout:
They've got scratches etc, but I don't care, because Superleggera means Superlight :tongueclosed:
Saving 3,3 kg's per wheel. Since this is unsprung weight, it equals to 150 extra horsepowers. :stig:
Just waiting for centre rings so I can mount them.
Total weight saving 161,9 + (4x3,3) = 175,1 kg's
While I nearly transferred money to buy a decat, I found a 182 4-2-1 manifold on the Dutch marketplace website, the seller turned out to be hostler.
I had already looked into these, and read a lot of topics, mostly on this site.
The way I see it, is that a 4-1 system is more for higher revving engines, such as Hondas. A 4-2-1 is better for the more realistic revs that you are driving coming out of a corner. Having seen a few graphs on here, I concluded that there is no loss in the upper rev range, which is good, but there are noticable gains in the mid-range. A good example is a comment I read a couple of times, which is that the Dephaser kick-in is less noticable, which means that there is a torque gain beneath the 5000 rpm.
I had already looked into these, and read a lot of topics, mostly on this site.
The way I see it, is that a 4-1 system is more for higher revving engines, such as Hondas. A 4-2-1 is better for the more realistic revs that you are driving coming out of a corner. Having seen a few graphs on here, I concluded that there is no loss in the upper rev range, which is good, but there are noticable gains in the mid-range. A good example is a comment I read a couple of times, which is that the Dephaser kick-in is less noticable, which means that there is a torque gain beneath the 5000 rpm.
I'm going decat as well yes. If I get into trouble, I will add a midsilencer. But at the last trackday, there were cars that were a lot louder so I'm not to afraid.
And the BMW does sound nice, you should hear it at full throttle at 5000 rpm though. :tongueout:
And the BMW does sound nice, you should hear it at full throttle at 5000 rpm though. :tongueout:
I present to you, one single skinned hood. As a result it is hanging a bit. :tonguewink:
That's a 2,2 kg weight save right there.
Now I had to install my catches as well.
During fabrication, this happened.
It's not supposed to be like that right? Anyway, got some scratches as a result of this.
And the finished result. The catches cover the scratches completely, so that's nice.
I also wanted to remove the crossmember that's holding the radiotor and the original hood locking mechanism, since I've seen that a couple of times om this site. Mostly been done by guys who have ITB's, for cold airflow, but I figured it would be a nice weight save entirely in front of the car, so it can compensate the ligth back end somewhat, and it gives me better acces to the front of the engine, for instance to the oil filter, or the filling plug of the gearbox.
Unbolting Renault style. 😂:down:
Securing the radiator with a metal strap.
And the new and improved front end, giving me much more acces to the front of the engine.
I have saved 1,753 kg's with this, making my total weight saving so far 179 kg's.
That's a 2,2 kg weight save right there.
Now I had to install my catches as well.
During fabrication, this happened.
It's not supposed to be like that right? Anyway, got some scratches as a result of this.
And the finished result. The catches cover the scratches completely, so that's nice.
I also wanted to remove the crossmember that's holding the radiotor and the original hood locking mechanism, since I've seen that a couple of times om this site. Mostly been done by guys who have ITB's, for cold airflow, but I figured it would be a nice weight save entirely in front of the car, so it can compensate the ligth back end somewhat, and it gives me better acces to the front of the engine, for instance to the oil filter, or the filling plug of the gearbox.
Unbolting Renault style. 😂:down:
Securing the radiator with a metal strap.
And the new and improved front end, giving me much more acces to the front of the engine.
I have saved 1,753 kg's with this, making my total weight saving so far 179 kg's.
Jamess182
ClioSport Club Member
175kg weight saving- crazy!
Nice work!
Nice work!
Get some semi's! My time was 2:20:35 on Assen with full interior and a passenger.
200 kg looks reachable at this moment. :smile:
I will in time, but I'm cheap so I first want to wear out what I've got at the moment.
And for comparison, I'm 110 kg, and my passenger in that session is 100 kg. That's probably 60/70 kg's more than you and your passenger, so that will even out the weight advantage I guess. :wink:
I'm also on stock suspension, and I have the long gear ratio gearbox. In my first video with the old Clio, which is a ph2, you can see that I am in 4th at some places where I still have this Clio in 3rd.
This is all very positive for me, as it shows how much there is to gain with simple mods such as tires and suspension.
First I would like to show our newest acquisition. We gave the terrible terrible Fiat 500 a kick goodbye, and after having 'the Italian' experience, I despirately needed a german car again for my wife. It became this one.
As you can see, my wife is very happy with it, and so am I. It is a Opel Corsa Color Edition OPC line, which means it has a nice color with black wheels mirrors and roof, and it has a nice bodykit to make it stand out. The engine is only a 1.0 3 cylinder engine, but it has a turbo, so with 116 hp it is more than fast enough to go from A to B.
Next, in preparation for this saturday, I did some maintenance/modification to my trailer. The winch cable was to short, and it was in very bad shape.
I replaced this with a stainless one, and gave the winch a bit of paint.
Also because the trailer is a bit short, the rear wheels were a little bit off centred with the strap eyes, so I made a modification for that.
I also received my centre rings, original OZ ones.
And the car on it's new wheels.
During changing the wheels, I noticed that I have Eibach springs, which is good.
I also noticed that the rear wheels had more rubber displacement (hope you understand, don't know how to say it correct) than the front. Who can tell me what this means? Do I need to make some changes in the tyre pressure? I started with 1.8 in the front, and 1.9 in the rear with cold wheels. Once hot, this was around 2.1 bar all around. Advice/comment on this from somebody with more experience than me is more than welcome.
Left rear.
Right rear.
Left front.
Right front.
Finally I gave both cars a much needed wash again. All that's left to do is put the car on the trailer, and pack up.
As you can see, my wife is very happy with it, and so am I. It is a Opel Corsa Color Edition OPC line, which means it has a nice color with black wheels mirrors and roof, and it has a nice bodykit to make it stand out. The engine is only a 1.0 3 cylinder engine, but it has a turbo, so with 116 hp it is more than fast enough to go from A to B.
Next, in preparation for this saturday, I did some maintenance/modification to my trailer. The winch cable was to short, and it was in very bad shape.
I replaced this with a stainless one, and gave the winch a bit of paint.
Also because the trailer is a bit short, the rear wheels were a little bit off centred with the strap eyes, so I made a modification for that.
I also received my centre rings, original OZ ones.
And the car on it's new wheels.
During changing the wheels, I noticed that I have Eibach springs, which is good.
I also noticed that the rear wheels had more rubber displacement (hope you understand, don't know how to say it correct) than the front. Who can tell me what this means? Do I need to make some changes in the tyre pressure? I started with 1.8 in the front, and 1.9 in the rear with cold wheels. Once hot, this was around 2.1 bar all around. Advice/comment on this from somebody with more experience than me is more than welcome.
Left rear.
Right rear.
Left front.
Right front.
Finally I gave both cars a much needed wash again. All that's left to do is put the car on the trailer, and pack up.
Congratz on the new Peugeot/Citroën! (jk mate)
Great updates once again. I'll see you this saturday at Assen! Unless the weather is turning to shite, then I might just stay home. IF I am there, I'm taking it easy because of issues with the gearbox :/
Your tyres look like that because of the heat they go through on track. Even slicks and semi slicks do this. It's normal.
I guess because you're taking more right turns when on track, you'll see this on the left tyres more than on the right.
Great updates once again. I'll see you this saturday at Assen! Unless the weather is turning to shite, then I might just stay home. IF I am there, I'm taking it easy because of issues with the gearbox :/
Your tyres look like that because of the heat they go through on track. Even slicks and semi slicks do this. It's normal.
I guess because you're taking more right turns when on track, you'll see this on the left tyres more than on the right.
The weather should be okay according to the forecast, but it can go either way. Hope to see you there.
And no need for you to take it easy on the gearbox, because you have a spare in your garage. :smile:
Regarding the tires, I understand it is normal, but I don't understand why there is more degradation in the rear than in the front.
And no need for you to take it easy on the gearbox, because you have a spare in your garage. :smile:
Regarding the tires, I understand it is normal, but I don't understand why there is more degradation in the rear than in the front.
Yesterday I had another trackday at Assen. I was pretty excited, and the weather was really good, considering it had been draining the entire week before.
I had the car on the trailer two nights before. My dad came over to help, and brought along his nose weight measuring device. The idea was to shift the car back and forth to get a nose weight of around 75 kg's. Turned out the there wasn't much to shift, as with the car back as much as reasonably possible, I still have a nose weight in the direction of 100 kg's. To compromise this, and because I drove with the new wheels for the first time, I put my original wheels in the back, which equals to 60 kg's behind the axle.
On the night before, I decided that it's probable better to have my fire extinguisher with me in the Clio, than to have it luying in the trunk of the BMW. So I made a mount.
Unfortunately I added 1 kg with this, making my total weight saving 178 kg's.
At the track, with me from my best side :tongueclosed:, and @hostler with his car next to us.
Torqueing up the wheels.
The new wheels have 195/45 tyres around, in contrast to the 195/50 on the OZ F1's. The smaller diameter makes a huge difference, I was able to shift into 5th, going towards Ramshoek, where with the 195/50, I never got higher than 4th gear.
Random shot of my pride and joys. :innocent:
Me and my mate getting ready to get on track.
Leaving for line up in pit lane. Notice how quiet the car is compared to the passing BMW. I only have a cat, and a rear silencer.
First session, the track was still wet at some places, and because of that, very slippery. If I went of the throttle too much too soon, I understeered of the track. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun.
Part two of the same session, with @hostler passing by, showing what a difference good tyres, brakes and suspension can make.
I had the car on the trailer two nights before. My dad came over to help, and brought along his nose weight measuring device. The idea was to shift the car back and forth to get a nose weight of around 75 kg's. Turned out the there wasn't much to shift, as with the car back as much as reasonably possible, I still have a nose weight in the direction of 100 kg's. To compromise this, and because I drove with the new wheels for the first time, I put my original wheels in the back, which equals to 60 kg's behind the axle.
On the night before, I decided that it's probable better to have my fire extinguisher with me in the Clio, than to have it luying in the trunk of the BMW. So I made a mount.
Unfortunately I added 1 kg with this, making my total weight saving 178 kg's.
At the track, with me from my best side :tongueclosed:, and @hostler with his car next to us.
Torqueing up the wheels.
The new wheels have 195/45 tyres around, in contrast to the 195/50 on the OZ F1's. The smaller diameter makes a huge difference, I was able to shift into 5th, going towards Ramshoek, where with the 195/50, I never got higher than 4th gear.
Random shot of my pride and joys. :innocent:
Me and my mate getting ready to get on track.
Leaving for line up in pit lane. Notice how quiet the car is compared to the passing BMW. I only have a cat, and a rear silencer.
First session, the track was still wet at some places, and because of that, very slippery. If I went of the throttle too much too soon, I understeered of the track. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun.
Part two of the same session, with @hostler passing by, showing what a difference good tyres, brakes and suspension can make.
Second session, filmed by my wife on the roof of the pits.
And the onboard video of the last two laps. I was able to improve my best time by three seconds, the lap after that was only half a second slower, so I am quite happy with that.
In the end, I got black flagged for taking over under yellow, which was a bit stupid of me, guess it was al down to being excited and having a blast. It will not happen again of course. :tongueout:
Unfortunately after the second session, my brake pads were completely gone. I knew that I didn't have much left anymore, but since being busy with my studies after work, meant I didn't have time to look at the car untill a couple of days prior to the trackday so I didn't have time to order any new pads. I hoped they would last a bit longer, but that wasn't the case, so it's time to replace and upgrade.
Luckily my day wasn't really over, because @hostler offered my his passenger seat for another session. This was really interesting for me, as I could feel the difference between the cars, and I can really understand why his car is much faster. The tyres give so much more grip throught the corners, it also means he can go on the throttle much earlier coming out of corners. The brakes are so much better than mine (used to be :tongueclosed, and he can brake several metres later. The suspension is so much more stable. It gives a lot more confidence.
Conclusion for me is that I am having a lot of fun the way the car is right now, and that there is a lot to be gained handling wise, and it will be a lot of fun improving the car over time. Can't wait till it's spring again. 🙈
In the end, I got black flagged for taking over under yellow, which was a bit stupid of me, guess it was al down to being excited and having a blast. It will not happen again of course. :tongueout:
Unfortunately after the second session, my brake pads were completely gone. I knew that I didn't have much left anymore, but since being busy with my studies after work, meant I didn't have time to look at the car untill a couple of days prior to the trackday so I didn't have time to order any new pads. I hoped they would last a bit longer, but that wasn't the case, so it's time to replace and upgrade.
Luckily my day wasn't really over, because @hostler offered my his passenger seat for another session. This was really interesting for me, as I could feel the difference between the cars, and I can really understand why his car is much faster. The tyres give so much more grip throught the corners, it also means he can go on the throttle much earlier coming out of corners. The brakes are so much better than mine (used to be :tongueclosed
, and he can brake several metres later. The suspension is so much more stable. It gives a lot more confidence. Conclusion for me is that I am having a lot of fun the way the car is right now, and that there is a lot to be gained handling wise, and it will be a lot of fun improving the car over time. Can't wait till it's spring again. 🙈
Because the season is over, I started with my winterproject, which consist of deleting the PAS steering, and mounting the 182 manifold with decat.
Deleting PAS:
And a couple of me chasing down a GTR :kissingsmiling: (or maby not) :kissingsmiling::smile:
So in order to lower the subframe, to get the steering rack and the manifold out, I knew I had a problem with the bolt on the left front. I tried to loosen it with the air hammer, but it didn't work.
So I only had one option, which was taking out the welder.
I really couldn't see where I was welding, so it was with a bit of luck, that I didn't weld the bolt. Otherwise, I would have a bigger problem than what I started with.
And result.
The other bolts came out without any problems. So now I could lower the subframe. I lowered it with a jack at both ends of the car, little by little, making sure there was nothing attached to it anymore.
Turned out that there is a coolant pipe behind the radiator which is attached to the subframe with a clip, and the the plug of the lambda needs to be detached.
Out came the original steering rack.
And mounting points for reference.
Can anybody tell what the plug is for on the DCI rack? I suppose it's for the steering angle?
And nice to know is, that the DCI rack is 2 kg's lighter than the original one.
Tommorow I will order some parts at the dealer, and maby I will try to take out the exhause manifold.
Total weight savings so far: 180,9 kg's
Deleting PAS:
- Changing steering rack for DCI one
- Renewing internal and external track rod ends
- Replacing inner and outer stabilizer bushings by Powerflex black ones
- Deleting hydraulic tubing and expansion reservoir
- Installing PMS AC delete kit
- Installing camber bolts, as I need to re-align anyway
- Changing exhaust manifold for 182 manifold
- Change cat for KTEC decat/link pipe
- Change all gaskets involved
- Upgrade brake pads to Carbone Lorraine RC5+
- Check if disks can be turned, otherwise upgrade to Brembo HC
- Possibly refurbish front brake calipers
And a couple of me chasing down a GTR :kissingsmiling: (or maby not) :kissingsmiling::smile:
So in order to lower the subframe, to get the steering rack and the manifold out, I knew I had a problem with the bolt on the left front. I tried to loosen it with the air hammer, but it didn't work.
So I only had one option, which was taking out the welder.
I really couldn't see where I was welding, so it was with a bit of luck, that I didn't weld the bolt. Otherwise, I would have a bigger problem than what I started with.
And result.
The other bolts came out without any problems. So now I could lower the subframe. I lowered it with a jack at both ends of the car, little by little, making sure there was nothing attached to it anymore.
Turned out that there is a coolant pipe behind the radiator which is attached to the subframe with a clip, and the the plug of the lambda needs to be detached.
Out came the original steering rack.
And mounting points for reference.
Can anybody tell what the plug is for on the DCI rack? I suppose it's for the steering angle?
And nice to know is, that the DCI rack is 2 kg's lighter than the original one.
Tommorow I will order some parts at the dealer, and maby I will try to take out the exhause manifold.
Total weight savings so far: 180,9 kg's
With some persuasion, I got this one out.
Now I can fonfirm that the exhaust tip of the 172 and 182 manifold are the same.
Which means I can make my link pipe of a peace of tube, and the flanges from the cat, which saves me approximately 100 Pounds. :beers::smile:
I also put the 172 manifold and cat on the scale, who have a combined weight of 12 kg's. The 182 manifold weighs in at 7,8 kg's. Which is a weight saving so far of 4,2 kg's. Offcourse I will have to add the weight of the link pipe later, but I cannot imagine that it will weigh anywhere near 4 kg's. So total weight saving at this point: 185,1 kg's.
Now I can fonfirm that the exhaust tip of the 172 and 182 manifold are the same.
Which means I can make my link pipe of a peace of tube, and the flanges from the cat, which saves me approximately 100 Pounds. :beers::smile:
I also put the 172 manifold and cat on the scale, who have a combined weight of 12 kg's. The 182 manifold weighs in at 7,8 kg's. Which is a weight saving so far of 4,2 kg's. Offcourse I will have to add the weight of the link pipe later, but I cannot imagine that it will weigh anywhere near 4 kg's. So total weight saving at this point: 185,1 kg's.
