Q: Is it possible too rear wheel drive a clio mk1?

[Anth1234]

Yey or ney? I've been thinking about it for a while but the only way I suppose I'll find out is if I ask.

Would I have too base it o something already rearwheel drive.... a v6 for e.g? if so would I have too use that engine etc etc?

 

[rory182]

get a motorbike engine and drive the rear axle off a chain and sprocket, 1300cc Hayabusa, Blackbird or something

 

[Anth1234]

Is there any kind of guide as too how about going to do that - dad's a mechanic so I'm sure he'd be able to do that if I had the parts, or would it be a specialist job?

EDIT: well I;ve found one or two places that can do it... tis a pricey conversion, but if I find out what I need... most of the price will be labour cost yeh?

EDIT #2: whats the insurance like for these conversions? :s

 

[BenR]

Sure, i wouldnt call it complex just highly time consuming.

You can either produce a mid engined affair ala clio v6 with the engine in the boot and basically transplating the front end of the donor vehicle, using subframe, fabricate some turrets, lock the track rods and ideally make beefier ones.

Or a front engined layout which would require fabrication of a transmission tunnel, custom prop, rear axle either live or independant off a donar car, remove boot floor and fab up some turrets and make sure the position of the diff is true, level and parallel.

Not something i would take on if you have to ask these sorts of questions, its not a matter of just boofing in an engine....well you can but it probably wont drive straight.

And a bike engine i wouldnt bother with unless you can get total vehicle weight down to about 500kg if your running a chain drive, 650 if your running a shaft drive setup......and bike engined projects require really expensive running gear setups, i'm talking thousands just for a diff.

 

[jay s]

it can be done, i remember a red r5gtt with an 2 engines in , 1 in front and 1 in the back both with 250bhp.... i know its not a clio but they are very similiar cars.

 

[BenR]

that followed the same layour as putting the front of a FWD car in the back of the 5, noithing complex.....the clio v6 is nothing but the front of a laguna in the back of the clio.

 

[_Joe_]

theres also a rally spec corsa b kicking about, has a 2.0lt red top engine in the front, think its traverse mounted? that sound right benr?

 

[BenR]

plenty, would be using a type 9 box with an adaptor bell housing etc

 

[_Joe_]

agreed, i never knew that thing about the clio v6 being a cut n shut thing, doesnt suprise with renault cheap n cheerful attitude towards life

 

[BenR]

If you get under a v6 you can still see the lagunas layout, they even used the steering arms and just locked them by bolting them to the subframe, hence all the 'snap oversteer' issues as the arms bend and toe out the rears.

 

[MAXIBOY]

if your doing this just add another too the rear. 4wd 400bhp

 

[Anth1234]

Ok I got some quotes from Zcars if anyone is interested;

A kit would be £6000 to fit yourself


If we cut out and fit the kit put in a bulkhead plumb and wire the engine,clutch,brakes so it can be driven would be around £15000 total

 

[GordonD]

This is one of those questions where anything is possible, it just depends on how much money you've got and how willing you are to throw it away.

What would be a lot smarter is to start with something that lends itself better to doing such a conversion. Like I looked half-seriously at starting with a Suzuki Mighty Boy and putting Suzuki Hayabusa in the back of it. The reason to start with the Mighty Boy is that it only weights 550 kgs, so its light enough that a motorcycle engine could give performance. And because its a ute so you can chop out the tray to fit the engine in there.

Even a Mk1 Clio is a bit heavy for a motorcycle engine to give reasonable performance. And its body chassis and rear suspension don't lend themselves to putting a V6 and transaxle back there without major surgery.

 

[_Joe_]

If you get under a v6 you can still see the lagunas layout, they even used the steering arms and just locked them by bolting them to the subframe, hence all the 'snap oversteer' issues as the arms bend and toe out the rears.

cool benr u know all :hail:

£6k thats alot, normal rear wheel drive clio would be a bit scary i think, from what i can remember of the rear wheel drive corsa u could drift it but it was unpredictable

 

[BenR]

short wheelbase, rear weight bias and a home made suspension setup based around a FWD locked steering geometry.......thats asking for an unpredictable car.

front engined, rwd hatches are better....but short wheelbase's are always twitchy.