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Shoudnt the 172 feel quicker than this?



  Clio 172
Hi guys, i bought a clio 172 about a week ago. i should say that i also own a BMW 320d 163bhp model for daily driving, however the clio is not much quicker on acceleration.
now i know its only a 2 litre but at half the weight and more power i thought the clio would have a noticeable difference. The car idles well and drives amazingly but i feel that it should have more power.
Am i missing something?

thanks
 

JamesBryan

ClioSport Club Member
  Titanium 182
Torque makes the difference to how fast a car feels.

The BMW will probably have double the torque of a Clio, delivered instantly as well.

Clio should pick up high in the rev range, 5k+
 
  Clio 172
Thanks Frayz, i see where your coming from. ive just completed my automotive and motorsport engineering degree, so bought as a hill climb / track car.
the car handles great and it will out maneuver the BMW, its just under the power to weight logic it should be / feel faster. I do however give the diesel one death and havn't took the Clio past 5k RPM ( so used to diesels). thanks for the fast responses. to be fair im scared of braking the engine as they just seem fragile.
 

JamesBryan

ClioSport Club Member
  Titanium 182
Not that fragile if you stay off the limiter.

They tend to not like limiter bashing.
 

botfch

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio 182
It won't break, just requires a different driving style if your used to driving turbo cars.
Doesn't really come alive until 5k+ revs.
 
  Clio 172
Ill get the car back out today and give it another go, this time with more enthusiasm :) .
so the power band is between 5k and 7k RPM, thats actually quite interesting as i was tempted to calculate the optimum length and diameter of the inlet and exhaust to see if theres any improvement. i did the whole pulse tuning thing on the BMW and gained around 5BHP for one of the uni projects.

im sure somebody will have done this on here, so ill have a search around in the forums this morning, it would be interesting to see if the torque curve could be moved slightly or if there could be small few hidden horses.
 

frayz

ClioSport Club Member
Ill get the car back out today and give it another go, this time with more enthusiasm :) .
so the power band is between 5k and 7k RPM, thats actually quite interesting as i was tempted to calculate the optimum length and diameter of the inlet and exhaust to see if theres any improvement. i did the whole pulse tuning thing on the BMW and gained around 5BHP for one of the uni projects.

im sure somebody will have done this on here, so ill have a search around in the forums this morning, it would be interesting to see if the torque curve could be moved slightly or if there could be small few hidden horses.

The torque curve can be moved quite well with the addition of retiming the cams to group n specs and a subsequent remap.
 

Darren S

ClioSport Club Member
Ill get the car back out today and give it another go, this time with more enthusiasm :) .
so the power band is between 5k and 7k RPM, thats actually quite interesting as i was tempted to calculate the optimum length and diameter of the inlet and exhaust to see if theres any improvement. i did the whole pulse tuning thing on the BMW and gained around 5BHP for one of the uni projects.

im sure somebody will have done this on here, so ill have a search around in the forums this morning, it would be interesting to see if the torque curve could be moved slightly or if there could be small few hidden horses.
I had a large amount of work done to mine recently and across the board, I can feel a change in the available torque. Not a neck-snapping change, but one where simply pulling out of junction and mildly accelerating when you pickup 2nd and then 3rd gear - it's certainly there.

However, as others, the transformation is further up the range. North of 4.5k it's a totally differently delivery and very eager to keep going. I've not hit the limiter since the rebuild and I don't really intend to - but the upper rev ranges now are a much more enjoyable place to be and don't seemingly get out of breath like the standard 182 setup did.
 
  Swift Sport
Unlike most diesel cars, the Clio rewards you more the harder you drive it. In the right conditions the Clio will be significantly quicker.
 

TheEvilGiraffe

South East - Essex
ClioSport Area Rep
Am i missing something?

thanks
Yeah, as mentioned.. about 200Nm of torque :LOL:

If you've just finished a Motorsport BEng you should know that torque wins races.

I've driven plenty of Clios, and currently got a Mini with the same engine as your BMW, and 30-70, the Clio wouldn't stand a chance with that mid range / real world torque.

Round a track, the Clio would be faster as it handles better and you're not often under 50mph.

Not sure where you're based, but do ensure the timing has been done properly. No tipex for example... When was it last done and by whom ?
 
  BMW M4; S1000 RR
If you measure it, the Clio should be markedly quicker to 100 than the 320d, but it probably won't feel quicker from the drivers seat.
 

DrR

ClioSport Club Member
  VW Golf GTD
Not taken above 5k!!!! When I had mine and was on it I didn’t let it go below that!
 
  Clio 172
Hi guys, been out and its a different car above 5k, but i dont think it'll be driven like that all the time. I can see where the hype is with these cars now!
Has anyone had a look at inlet and exhaust lengths to see if theres a noticeable difference?
thanks for the replies and ill try not to drive it like a pussy lol
 

frayz

ClioSport Club Member
Hi guys, been out and its a different car above 5k, but i dont think it'll be driven like that all the time. I can see where the hype is with these cars now!
Has anyone had a look at inlet and exhaust lengths to see if theres a noticeable difference?
thanks for the replies and ill try not to drive it like a pussy lol

You'll read about short runner intake called an RS2. This adds bhp up top but flatlines at 150/155lbsft and is reluctant to make anymore.
 
TBH any gains from NA tuning are fairly marginal and will never make the car feel anything like a turbo. Best to learn to enjoy it for what it is - a high-revving NA experience.
 
  Clio 172
True, as I said in the original post I bought it for trackdays and hillclimb and a bit of fast road so once its stripped out it might be a bit better. Wasnt the rs2 originally built for the formula Renault's?
 

Clio182mike

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio 182
I remember the first time I gave my old 172 a hard drive and the grin factor it gives. Hadn't had that feeling since I had my old 1301cc mini (still better Imo 😉) on the road.
 

BoatNonce

ClioSport Club Member
The Clio is like a go-kart. And not one you care about, I mean some rental at your local crash'n'bash. Throw it into corners and generally drive it with that mindset, and it will come alive.

There are gains to be had from the engine without forced induction, but generally the options are very expensive for very little gain. Generally speaking it's better to just leave the engine as is unless you strap a turbo to it.
 

497adam

ClioSport Club Member
  clio 172 phase 2
Group n gives impressive gains especially on a strong engine. It transforms everyday driving


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Crayola

ClioSport Club Member
My dad didn't think much to my 172 until I told him to stop being a pussy and actually let it rev over 5 grand

He said "the feeling that you can die anytime" in a Clio will always haunt him 😂 My brother and his mates all went very quiet when I dropped them off at the pub once, can't imagine why
 

Louis

I Park Like a C**t
ClioSport Club Member
My dad didn't think much to my 172 until I told him to stop being a pussy and actually let it rev over 5 grand

He said "the feeling that you can die anytime" in a Clio will always haunt him 😂 My brother and his mates all went very quiet when I dropped them off at the pub once, can't imagine why
They do about 5mph in 2nd when you're more than 1 person up
 

Crayola

ClioSport Club Member
Not like they have loads of torque to lug everyone around
Don't need torque when you just give it a clutch drop at 6k and 1 tyre fire all the way down the road on limiter

My brother and his mates are built like you, proper Japanese racings snakes 😂

Not a problem with two seats in 👌🏻
I love only having 2 seats, "can I have a lift to..." NOOOO f**k OFF!!!
 

Kev@KAM

ClioSport Trader
  Badass Toyota
Compared to a modern car its not fast.
I have a modern turbo BMW and quite frankly I get in to the Clio and am initially disappointed. I hate the VVT characteristics and lack of excitment engine wise.
Then I have a brain reset and realise its not about accelerating fast but maintaining speed. The car has a good spread of torque so you can pedal it fast without easily getting caught out with a wrong gear. The chassis is sharp enough to attack the corners but not too nervous that its snapping at the back. Basically keep the fluidity of motion through the corners and the car will reward.
 

Greeny.

ClioSport Club Member
  440i + 182
Great on track, not sure I would want one as a daily these days though unless I had decent roads to abuse on the way to/back from work. Driving to and from track my little 182 feels so small these days.
 

Greeny.

ClioSport Club Member
  440i + 182
We live in the Carwow generation now, where most people just want a prestige automatic that does an 11 second 1/4 mile. Sad times for people who like an involving drive.

Which is mainly only good for bragging rights rather than actually using the power for 90% of the time lol. One of the reasons I got rid of my M135i tbh, no where to safely use the power, I much prefer my mapped E91 330d on the roads, although I’m sure this is also partly due to me growing up/getting old.
 


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