Spend a little or save the lot?? (modify)

[daveypower]

I have a ph2 02 iceberg 172, its completely standard apart form some after market stainless cat back and a back box with an oval tip which is bigish and not to my liking. Im wanting buy coilovers (400euro), k-tec ones, yes there budget i know, but better than my tired old standard springs and would make a world of difference, also i was thinking about the k-tec 182 look exhaust for the 172 (570euro), or the recessed one (500euro), i have a 1000euro here to spend but i dont know weather to bite the bullet or just keep my money and eventually sell the clio, Ive owned the car for 4months now and its been faultless, i dont mind if something goes wrong as im not to bad with the spanners.

Is it worth the money????? thanks.

 

[cliokid182]

depends on if you can spare the money or not, i wouldnt be asking people on here how to spend my money, if you want them done then do it if you can afford it, if you cant save up and then do it :/

 

[Dave Hester]

In short. NO

Basically you plan to spend what your car is worth modifying it.

It will be far cheaper to sell your car and buy another (maybe a cup this time) with the mods already done

 

[daveypower]

depends on if you can spare the money or not, i wouldnt be asking people on here how to spend my money, if you want them done then do it if you can afford it, if you cant save up and then do it :/

well the moneys there like, just doing nothing lol,

In short. NO

Basically you plan to spend what your car is worth modifying it.

It will be far cheaper to sell your car and buy another (maybe a cup this time) with the mods already done

maybe so man, but 172s dont come up for sale to often over here, cups and 182s are very rare in ireland. plus its hard to beat new parts. i dont know ill make my mind up eventully, just have a wonder in my head how nice the 172 will handle with the coilovers. i know its stupid to pump money into a car but im chatting 1500euro max, thats suspension, exhaust, 2nd hand alloys and a few small bits.

 

[MartinR]

just put new standard suspension on it will be loads better than the k-tec coilovers

 

[suckmykiss]

As said.. Sell it buy a 182

 

[daveypower]

just put new standard suspension on it will be loads better than the k-tec coilovers

probably so man, not really into modding cars anymore, getting old and all, considering a diesel to, wont get much if i sell the car though, and if i do sell it i wont get another performance car like this that isint a honda which are near uninsurable over this part of the world, only ones worth having are the jap imports.

 

[Adam G]

If you only use it on the road then you really aren't going to see any performance increase really. Just less comfort.

 

[cliokid182]

youl see a massive difference with a set of k tec coil overs, i think the standard set up for these cars are rubbish on the handling.

 

[Adam G]

I think standard is far better than you REALLY need for the road. TBH.

 

[sbridgey]

youl see a massive difference with a set of k tec coil overs, i think the standard set up for these cars are rubbish on the handling.

Are you for real?

Standard suspension is way better than any of that Ktec crap.

 

[...]

I think standard is far better than you REALLY need for the road. TBH.

agreed , anyone who says they don't handle as standard either has a broken car , or has no idea , or can't drive , the setup is very very good , and alot of coilover setups etc i see posted on here certainly wouldn't improve a laptime on a handling circuit .

 

[cliokid182]

Are you for real?

Standard suspension is way better than any of that Ktec crap.

Yes i am for real, i hated the body roll i use to get from my car with the standard suspension set up .........

 

[cliokid182]

agreed , anyone who says they don't handle as standard either has a broken car , or has no idea , or can't drive , the setup is very very good , and alot of coilover setups etc i see posted on here certainly wouldn't improve a laptime on a handling circuit .

i never said anything about improving laptimes or anything like this, in my opionion i hated the way my car use to handle with its standard set up ........ i havent got coil overs tho i went for some eibachs and replaced the shocks with some new originals, handles alright now.

 

[CrippsCorner]

You're not talking a crazy amount of money...

Personally I would modify, because that's what I enjoy doing. My car was £1,850 and I just spent £1,400 at K-Tec lol, but it's completely changed the way I feel about the car now. Proper proud of it and can't wait to get in and have a drive!

Also, the K-Tec coilovers are much better than standard suspension.

I had TEIN coilovers on my Impreza that set me back £900 and tbh they're on par with them, proper impressed.

 

[LaurenB]

On a 2 grand car, it's not worth the money. Cheap coilovers are crap. I hear that stock dampers are not that expensive. Why not refresh the suspension? If your's is tired it will make the world of difference.

I've got an 03 172. I love it. But I'm not going to spend any unnecessary money on it, but I'll maintain with OEM parts. I've got the 172 whilst I save for the car I really want.

 

[sbridgey]

All you Ktec bummers are deluded, Renault sport spent thousands on the clio suspension set up to get it right, and you think your cheap as chips coilovers are going to be better, I think not.

 

[2Damnsly Andy]

:lolup: Go Si.

 

[Dave Hester]

All you Ktec bummers are deluded, Renault sport spent thousands on the clio suspension set up to get it right, and you think your cheap as chips coilovers are going to be better, I think not.

Nail. Head.

 

[MartinR]

i never said anything about improving laptimes or anything like this, in my opionion i hated the way my car use to handle with its standard set up ........ i havent got coil overs tho i went for some eibachs and replaced the shocks with some new originals, handles alright now.

^^Flol near enough exactly the same setup as standard!! The eibachs are very good but do not change the way the car rides imo..

And What Sbridgey said flol

 

[...]

that's the right thing to do as the standard damping is very good , body roll is controlled by anti roll bars though so maybe had you fitted a rear anti roll bar you may have found a far better solution ...... and maybe a stiffer anti roll bar ....

lecturing aside , people go about changing the way things feel without a basic understanding of what is the right way to do it .......


if you looked at the spring rates of a lotus elise or exige you would find them quite soft and the anti roll bars stiffer than normal , thus giving you a compliant ride with less body roll .

something Audi could learn to do alot better than they do ...... bmw and mercedes on the other hand do this very well .


again its another reason why 15" wheels and higher profile tyres work better as you can add a dimension of compliance into the damping with sidewall flex from the tyre , thus taking away some of the harsh ride ......

Have to say though , i don't think a standard RS rolls excessively .

 

[cliokid182]

hmmmm i am getting a whiteline rear arb but it has DEFINATLEY taking alot of body roll away uprating the springs and changing the dampers .......

And to the idiot that was going on about the renault spending thousands ect ect, i think its horses for courses just becuase you might be happy with there set up doesnt mean every body else is :/

 

[sbridgey]

hmmmm i am getting a whiteline rear arb but it has DEFINATLEY taking alot of body roll away uprating the springs and changing the dampers .......

And to the idiot that was going on about the renault spending thousands ect ect, i think its horses for courses just becuase you might be happy with there set up doesnt mean every body else is :/

Hang on a minute, you are running stock dampers and uprated Eibach springs, the set best set up you can get without spending over £1k on coilovers and you're calling me an idiot... You have just agreed with me.

The Whiteline R-ARB is the best thing you can buy for these cars handling wise, they stiffen the rear end a noticeable amount without making the ride awfully unbearable.

 

[daveypower]

dont be falling out lads , I do feel abit of body roll alright but i also know this isnint a bad thing as to hard of a setup will be skittish on the road. I think maybe yous lads are right though might just leave it the way it is, sell it and buy a run around and save up for something else, but then again i could just end up buying stuff tomorrow lol.

 

[MartinR]

hmmmm i am getting a whiteline rear arb but it has DEFINATLEY taking alot of body roll away uprating the springs and changing the dampers .......

And to the idiot that was going on about the renault spending thousands ect ect, i think its horses for courses just becuase you might be happy with there set up doesnt mean every body else is :/

Talk about shoot yourself in the foot

 

[danh90]

In short. NO

Basically you plan to spend what your car is worth modifying it.

It will be far cheaper to sell your car and buy another (maybe a cup this time) with the mods already done

Anyone can do that but it's much more enjoyable doing mods yourself than just buying a car already with them as you'll never experience the difference things have made.. I've spent way more than my cars worth but I don't think that's pointless

 

[Adam G]

Spend away if you use it on track though Dan, at least you can justify it by actually taking advantage of the mods. Anyone that thinks they need to improve an RS Clio for purely road use is just trying to apply for CS Hero status. Also as Simon said, Renault spend thousands/millions on R&D for what gives the best compromise for road use. I bet most people's average speed is in the 30mph area (mine is) why the hell do you need to spend hundreds for that.

 

[danh90]

Your right Adam yes..

tbh I've not read all the posts so if it is just road use I don't think I'd change a thing on a 1*2

Good cars as standard

 

[CrippsCorner]

All you Ktec bummers are deluded, Renault sport spent thousands on the clio suspension set up to get it right, and you think your cheap as chips coilovers are going to be better, I think not.

I've had 2 182' on standard suspension (1 cup packed, the other not) and now I'm on K-Tec coilovers... prefer them by far

You say Renault spend loads, I'm sure they do... but is that on going low and the kind of handling for track days? Not so sure.

 

[sbridgey]

See you on track then

 

[...]

Id be interested to compare lap times on a fresh cup packed car and one on coilovers .....

 

[Adam G]

I'd be interested to compare laptimes between Ktec and decent coilovers.

 

[sbridgey]

Id be interested to compare lap times on a fresh cup packed car and one on coilovers .....

Proper or cheap coilovers?

 

[...]

Proper or cheap coilovers?

Midrange but on standard road tyres .... I know all about maximising setups to gain time ... but take non adjustable coilovers and back to back

 

[CrippsCorner]

That would be interesting actually! Maybe we can get in touch with a magazine and tell them to do it

 

[...]

i have managed to find an article from the usa where they do just that on a 993 porsche , but they do admit , street coilovers are no gain , and to gain 2 seconds a lap cost them a set of $3500 clubsport KW's so nearly a full race setup .........

http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/proven/epcp_1006_kw_suspension_clubsport_coilovers/viewall.html


in summary , most coilover setups i see banded about here won't gain ,and i wouldn't mind betting alot loose comfort and no doubt laptime (and hence do not handle better) but a back to back clio test would be the only way to tell .

AND and its a big AND are you truly capable of driving the standard setup to its limits

 

[sbridgey]

I will happily try driving mine to its limits on this day.

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/show...y-Bedford-16th-Feb-139-open-pit-lane-full-day