I don't know where this is going to end up...

So, is your conversion all done now?

Are you coming to Croft in May with your Meglio?

Croft is a bit far from us, so dithered around and missed the opportunity… also didn’t know if car would be ready!

There’s always room for (expensive) improvement, but I think I’m happy with conversion for now. Apparently the Forge actuator’s the weakest point in the setup, and is causing the power to drop off slightly at the top end. If I was being picky I’d swap it out, but I’m not!

Need to plan a few trackdays more locally over the summer - nothing booked yet.
 
No updates on the Clio other than taking it for a few short drives where it’s been great fun!

In other news I chopped in the family SUV for a slightly less practical Kia Stinger. Took a trip to Devon over the weekend and it’s been super comfy and surprisingly quick… love it!

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My best mate had a Kia Stinger GTS and it was amazing...until it got nicked, he then got a non-GTS one as he loved it so much, good choice.
 
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My best mate had a Kia Stinger GTS and it was amazing...until it got nicked, he then got a non-GTS one as he loved it so much, good choice.

Totally get it after a couple of long journeys - I went for the facelift which had a couple of interior tweaks… it’s a lovely place to be, the engine is a bonus.

Hadn’t really thought about them attracting thieves - insurance premium was lower than my 2015 X3, so assumed there was less risk of being stolen. Might have to beef up security!
 
Totally get it after a couple of long journeys - I went for the facelift which had a couple of interior tweaks… it’s a lovely place to be, the engine is a bonus.

Hadn’t really thought about them attracting thieves - insurance premium was lower than my 2015 X3, so assumed there was less risk of being stolen. Might have to beef up security!

Yeah it's so well equipped for the money, of course the GTS was rapid, he took it on track too which it was a hoot.

Yeah he didn't expect it to be nicked, they boosted the signal and drove off with it, he had all 3 keys in the house, so definitely worth looking into something like a Faraday bag to block the signal etc. Don't know much about the Kias unfortunately to give any more info.
Sorry to scare you, but hopefully it helps you protect it!
 
So I think the Clio’s done… it’s a really odd feeling, but I don’t want to do anything else to it.

Really happy with where the performance has landed, and enjoying the comfort and practicality of the full interior with the leather recaros.

Only problem is I don’t trust myself to drive it on public roads, so I need to wait for the next track day at Castle Combe to give it a proper blast!

So this is where it ended up… thread closed…? for now!!!
 
It’s been a cheap year with no mods happening!

It passed it’s MOT in July, just renewed the insurance, and had a service with AWMotorworks - car got a clean bill of health ahead of Bedford next month.

Car’s so much fun to drive - just hope weather’s ok so that I can stretch its legs round Bedford.

I‘m not doing any more mods on the car so have a Battery + Relocation kit, and Airtek induction that I won’t be using.
 
I swear this f*%king car is doing it on purpose!

Took it for a spin ahead of Bedford and funny gearbox noises ahoy… plus it felt like the LSD locked up at one point. So off to Alex for a gearbox oil check and it’s full of floaty bits of metal - argh!

I’ve had one track day and about 2,000 miles out of it… money down the drain.

I’m sure BeanieSport would do the right thing if I contacted Chris, but I don’t have the patience for all that palava again so going to pay Alex to give it a proper sorting out.

The silver lining is I’m not prepared to miss out on the track day so taking the Stinger instead. Going to take it easy, but it’s an itch I’m going to enjoy scratching!
 
Jeez you’ve had some rough luck mate. Alex will hopefully do the business and you’ll get back on the road/track shortly.
 
Stinger saved the day for Bedford - had so much more fun than I expected and made me totally forget the Clio problems!
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Only span out once… on the first corner out of the pits on cold tyres! What followed was a very slow and cautious rest of lap, holding everything up, and back into the pits to be laughed at by the Javelin crew before going back out again!
 
The Clio is now in Alex’s capable hands - I’m confident he’ll do a bullet proof job so already planning a trip to Spa and Nordschleife in May!

A couple of chaps followed me into Alex’s in an alien green Clio… turns out they’d been at Bedford when I was there with the Stinger… small world!
 
The Clio is now in Alex’s capable hands - I’m confident he’ll do a bullet proof job so already planning a trip to Spa and Nordschleife in May!

A couple of chaps followed me into Alex’s in an alien green Clio… turns out they’d been at Bedford when I was there with the Stinger… small world!
Had Alex rebuild my box last year, solid job and had no issues with it!
 
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Alex did a sterling job as always, gearbox was kaput so have a fresh gearbox and diff.

He also diagnosed and fixed a minor and persistent oil leak while the box was off, which BeanieSport kindly paid him to rectify.

Not all good news though, driving home I noticed the clutch slipping a couple of times in 4th then in 5th… revs went from 2K to 6K with no increase in speed… too many torques! I pulled over for a bit, and when I set off it didn’t do it again for the rest of the journey, but I think a new clutch is needed before committing to any big road trips or track dates.

It’s been an expensive start to the year, but once the clutch is done I’m hoping the car will behave itself for a while.
 
So an interesting morning at AW Motorsport… we discovered the reason the clutch had failed so quickly!

What I thought was a lightly used R26.R clutch and SMF, was in fact a 225 Clutch and DMF… which is not really compatible with whopping great lumps of torque.

I’m going to write a separate thread about my experience of a professional Meglio conversion, so the short story is my wallets lighter again but my car is sporting a brand new R26.R clutch and SMF!

The good news is the car feels awesome to drive now, and Alex’s work is always solid, so I’ve got the peace of mind of new parts and quality workmanship.

In other news… Alex said he’s coming to Cadwell on the 18th! Dibs on a trailer ride home if my car packs in!

Also gave the car some TLC and washed it for the first time about a year.

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