Sensible performance mods for 172

[172Cup]

Guys et Gals,

Due to the impending arrival of my new baby, the Clio that is,,,, I am going to sensibly improve the car from day one. So can anyone suggest re liberating more power what a sensible option is to get nearer 190 BHP and more importantly improve torque. My stainless steel exhaust manufacturer is making up a straight through system for me, completely decatted (it must be easier than an Impreza which had 3 cats post MY01!!!) but I am also thinking of what you suggest re induction. Does a simple free-flow mat help or will an induction kit be required???

Re brakes, what are the standard brakes like???? I have deal with Brembo and im talking to them about making up some 4 pot 308ml discs with 421 fast road pads, but im interested to understand the performance of the standard brakes.

Cheers,

172Cup.

 

[BenR]

the brakes sre the same as the meganes so the AP megane or brembo kit should fit.

im have tested the viper kit and it gave about 6bhp mid range and 4 top end. But conditions were far from ideal (37 deg C!) and no moving air for the outboard inlet, apart from a pussy fan. got teh cliocup exhaust system comming nxt week, can tell you how that went..also workin with superchips to make a semi generic serial reprogram to suit these mods, but each car is tested for individuality...goes pretty well so far!

 

[Tim Lennox]

Prima do a 310mm brake kit for the 172. for £310

 

[telford_mike]

Brakes are the last thing Id spend money on - theyre great. Much more to be gained from suspension IMO. Most of the serious engine mods are still under development (Hill Power), and Renault havent come up with their promised mods yet, so Id wait on that one.

 

[BenR]

yeah, brakes are fine, but i do tend to experience a the ever so slightest bit of fade, not quite fade, but getting there. But thats cause i live at the bottom of a mountain.....long drive down with loads of corners. nothing a set of quality pads wouldnt fix. Std pads in the 172 are off the megane, and there surprisingly good!

im talking to a motorsport company who race cliocups.

anyway, i am making a asian budget cliocup series. And were discussin custom coilovers for teh clio. Straight swap, bolt off bolt on.
they are the real deal....anybody interested....their expensive though. but were negotiating price and asking for cheaper less adjustable units. we got 30 cars to do them for...if we can get another 10, then the price will fall further. oh, and you get a strut bar with it to held the new struts in place....should i post a new topic in the mods forums on this?

 

[172Cup]

Brakes are the first thing I look at. I have never come across a standard OE brake kit that is any good, unless they are specialist kits put on as standard, i.e. Brembo with the Evo and Fiat Coupe to name just 2. The best manufacturers at the moment are Brembo and AP and would not really consider using anyone else

 

[ChavyBoy]

A quick question.

With all these mods are you not bothered about warranty problems, say if the car goes bang ?

 

[Jock_071279]

the guys gotta lotus a subaru and a clio cup and u think hes worried about having to pay for repairs ... it does look like he has been saving his pennie s !!!!

Jock

 

[172Cup]

Warranty. If you play the game right, you have nothing to worry about, plus you have to find a friendly dealer, if there are any. Subaru and Lotus dealers are OK when it comes to warranty claims and you have mods. As long as the modded part is not attached to the faulty item, there is no problem, i.e. you have exhaust system and the brakes are f**ked, there should be no issue.

 

[Captain Slarty]

woooooooh boy

I cant beleive you are planning changes without having the vehicle ??

the brakes are excellent, the power is great.. the straight through WILL decrease power...

induction will make little difference.

It may be better to get it, drive it, critique it, then consider options..

you are going to get zilch fro the exhaust apart from reduce power, and the induction (with proper fueling mods !!!) can be worth 3-6 at top whack.

you are starting with about 160-165 bhp, so to get another 25.. to take it to 190... will cost you a lot of dosh..

slarty bangs head on table.... slowly

Joe...

 

[BenR]

the std exhaust when i look at it, especially the headers!, are a work of art!....the whole system is.
but im fittig the cliocup system because its track tested and has the looks to help sell cars.....a sporty car with no tailpipe....in HK, are you mad!!!

 

[BenR]

capt...i think this is along the lines!

http://www.thesoulgirl.com/Smilies/Keyboard.gif
or this
http://www.thesoulgirl.com/Smilies/banghead.gif


hehe

 

[Simon]

Hmmmm, well my personal gut feeling is that my mods. have increased BHP and torque on what I had as std. Captain if you say a std. car is knocking out 165 then my car is knocking out 175 which means Ive gain around 10 BHP from putting in an induction kit and free flowing exhaust.

I reckon 185 BHP can be achieved through proper mapping with a chip, induction and exhaust for about £1000. So that is £50 per BHP.

Also if you want cheaper BHP then stick on a 100 BHP NOS kit. Wont give you an extra 100 BHP but will certainly make a big difference in performance. If youve got a chip such as a Unichip then this can be programmed to activated the NOS at a certain RPM. e.g. bring it in at say 4500 RPM.

So for about £1600 you could have somewhere between 230 and 250 BHP with the NOS.

 

[Captain Slarty]

ah, but nos is not real power ..

Joe..

 

[Tim Lennox]

Would a richbrook carbon fibre tax disc holder give me 3-5 BHP in the midrange. Somebody said it would but I reckon its increasing weight therefore decrteasing Power to weight.....hehe

 

[BenR]

well, the darc coulour of teh carbon absorbs heat better, this increasing the ambient temp inside the car. This, relative to the outside temp is higher...which helps to decrease the weight of the car, as we all know, hot air is lighter than cold!
so, you would actually be a better bhp/ton number!
all simple science!

 

[Tim Lennox]

lolOlOlolololololololo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Craggy]

lmao, smart arse!

 

[RSTDL]

Whats a smart arse - is it some sort of new artificial intelliarse that uve developed?

 

[Craggy]

very good

 

[RSTDL]

Craggy - would u ever consider selling your willy?

 

[Craggy]

originality, i like it, you interested like?

 

[RSTDL]

Well, I fancy getting together a xcollection of all the fast renaults - already got the alpine, 5 GT turbo monte carlo edition, williams 2 and 3 , V^ chrome edition, 172 MK1 and 2 and Mk1 exclusive and the cups on its way - all I need is a Williams 1!

 

[RSTDL]

Ben R - where did u get the cliocup exhaust - from Orbisound?

 

[JillyB]

I want Craggys willy!

 

[M.C.]

Nen, whilst on the subject of colour, the idea of painting ones car comes to mind.

Black cars are fastest. Dark colours absorb more heat. The hotter surface will warm the air surrounding it, reducing pressure and density, therefore the air will move faster over this warm surface and your car will slip through the air more easily.

 

[BenR]

MC correct!!
but vasaline on a silver car will do the same!

I found out that the Dutch Cliocup series has a much more stringent sound regulations...and i found out who made the systems....conviniently! it was jetex!!!
they systems only cost 175 quid too!!!
Im testing as soon as it arrives in HK off the plane!! ill take pics and give a report as its goin with the SC and viper...well see how much it gains.


also, ill ask David if we can setup a cliosport.net discount as i got 15% off so its coting m 140 odd quid!!! for a sully lifetime gauranteed s/s cat back system!!!! top!

Ching@iamwasted.com for more info!

 

[Slugger]

What does the tailpipe look like Ben?
Go for the club discount too.

Wayne

 

[BenR]

http://jetex.co.uk/Jetexwebsite/images/CUPRACER.jpg

The claims are a bit bull, sayin it incresed the cup racers power from 185 to 215bhp.......um no.
but i questioned him on this and its poetic licence and non defined, but i does increase power, but i will be dyno running it soon, so i will post results.

 

[Slugger]

Cheers for the pic Ben.

 

[HongKongClioman]

"well, the darc coulour of teh carbon absorbs heat better......which helps to decrease the weight of the car........ you would actually be a better bhp/ton number! all simple science!"

So we now know why Minardi was black.

 

[BenR]

yeah, linton told me he has to anchor his car on really hot sunny days!

 

[RSTDL]

Is it worth fitting a BMC/Pipercross sealed induction kit and jetex cup racer exhaust system to my new cup when I get it? Superchips also claim an increse in revs to 8000rpm and a peak horse power reading of 184 (I think) - would this be a good thing to get done! Dont really want to mess with anything to much but we all know what happens - were never happy withn the car as standard!!!

 

[Captain Slarty]

Superchips certainly are the most knowlegable at the mo..

if the 8000 rev limit is proven on the cup series (which run the same unit as the public cup or 172) then kewl..

there is no reason why the power cannot be increased by 10 - 15 with a properly designed and tested induction, exhaust and mapping.

If I was you, which I am not lol... I would run it for 3-4 months.. learn its foibles and idiosynchrasies, learn how it reacts, both handling, and power wise.. then, and only then, consider what YOU would like to change... top end power is crap if it zaps mid range.. unless you are on a race track... handling kits that suit one dood can be the pits for another !!.... the standard handling may suit some.. I think its pretty sh^t really.. and could really benefit from some sensible mods.. but thats just me lol..

I want adjustable camber / castor / dampening / r/height adjustable fronts, stiffer AR bar, lowered about 1.5 inches... coilovers at the rear . fully adjustable... rear tracking and camber setting, and corner weights optimising fir 1 and 2 adults... (Upsets - or can upset - the ride heights, but who gives a stuff lol ! ? )

After that... a set of lighter alloys - 16"... then I will consider tyres...

Joe.. have fun.

 

[RSTDL]

What about 17s on a 172. Ive driven 17s for years on numerous cars but they just cause more hassle than they are worth - do you agree?

 

[BenR]

yes.

capt....you read my post about the coilovers?