Pav
Moderator
Clio 220 Trophy
- Thread starter CallorFold
- Start date
Pav
Moderator
CallorFold
Platinum Member
Not much in the way of 'progress'... it's only been a week and a half after all 
.. but a necessary purchase for me - some Thule Roof bars. After some totting up of various discounts I was able to pick up a new set of Black Wing bars, with the feet and fitting kit, along with a ProRide 598 bike carrier for ~£200. It was too cheap to ignore so out came the credit card and I grabbed them while I had the chance.
I was always planing to leave these on the car, however after seeing how easily they fit (no more than an allen key on each corner) there's a good chance I'll take them on and off as required. When I helped one of my mates fit his on his Fiesta ST, he had to have a short-roof fitting kit which effectively made it one big rigid square frame on top of the car, rather than 2 singular bars making it much more difficult to take on and off. Suddenly having 5 doors is making the little things more practical
I wont be fitting them to the car just yet, but sometime in the next few weeks they'll go on when I take the bike out somewhere.
Next up date will hopefully be the center silencer delete in a few weeks time (need pay day to come first)!
.. but a necessary purchase for me - some Thule Roof bars. After some totting up of various discounts I was able to pick up a new set of Black Wing bars, with the feet and fitting kit, along with a ProRide 598 bike carrier for ~£200. It was too cheap to ignore so out came the credit card and I grabbed them while I had the chance.I was always planing to leave these on the car, however after seeing how easily they fit (no more than an allen key on each corner) there's a good chance I'll take them on and off as required. When I helped one of my mates fit his on his Fiesta ST, he had to have a short-roof fitting kit which effectively made it one big rigid square frame on top of the car, rather than 2 singular bars making it much more difficult to take on and off. Suddenly having 5 doors is making the little things more practical
I wont be fitting them to the car just yet, but sometime in the next few weeks they'll go on when I take the bike out somewhere.
Next up date will hopefully be the center silencer delete in a few weeks time (need pay day to come first)!
Not much in the way of 'progress'... it's only been a week and a half after all
I was always planing to leave these on the car, however after seeing how easily they fit (no more than an allen key on each corner) there's a good chance I'll take them on and off as required. When I helped one of my mates fit his on his Fiesta ST, he had to have a short-roof fitting kit which effectively made it one big rigid square frame on top of the car, rather than 2 singular bars making it much more difficult to take on and off. Suddenly having 5 doors is making the little things more practical
I wont be fitting them to the car just yet, but sometime in the next few weeks they'll go on when I take the bike out somewhere.
View attachment 122185
View attachment 122186
Next up date will hopefully be the center silencer delete in a few weeks time (need pay day to come first)!
You could always leave the rear one on and use it as a spoiler
Pav
Moderator
i was thinking the sameYou could always leave the rear one on and use it as a spoiler
CallorFold
Platinum Member
The new roof bars were almost called into service for the first time over the weekend however after a last minute issue of finding my friends bike carrier was missing the correct bolts for the wing bars, we ended up having to go in his car instead - for now, they're still sitting box fresh! Forest of Dean was good fun though, some great Downhill trails and despite only being a blue, the Verderers' Trail was fast and flowy.
Saturday morning I was booked in for the mid-silencer delete with Longlife Birmingham (looks like the place is actually called Tiburon Automotive). Owner was great, clearly experienced and passionate about cars and has done a very tidy job with the silencer delete;
The difference is beautifully subtle - exactly what I was after. Being light on the throttle doesn't yield much extra cabin noise, certainly nothing intrusive. Once the system has warmed up there's some lovely little rumbles and pops on downshifts. The most noticeable 'usable' difference is in the mid range, 3-5K rpm really comes alive under acceleration and downshifts, the lift off pops are properly addictive. This is really where I was hoping to gain some character and it hasn't failed to deliver. Had chance to do a few motorway junctions cruising at 70 and there's zero drone, in fact I don't think there's any difference at all to the exhaust tone/volume - big win there. For a grand total of £72, I don't imagine any mod will come close to this for value-for-money. Big thanks to @Micah as always for being the fountain of all Trophy knowledge and suggesting this mod
Another little win for the Trophy over the weekend - standing start "drag" against friends Fiesta ST-3. Sport mode enabled, no launch-control, just foot to the floor when the lights went green. Cleared the Fiesta by a good couple of car lengths to about 70. He did hit the limiter at the top of 2nd which didn't help but it just couldn't compete traction wise off the line, or the speed the EDC shifts. Bit of wheel spin for the Fiesta in 1st and 2nd while the Clio just kept pulling - I'm totally convinced it could do this 100% of the time due to the "idiot proof" gearbox - all you have to do is hold on! A Mountuned Fiesta might be a more competitive opponent once the power figures are more evenly matched.
Saturday morning I was booked in for the mid-silencer delete with Longlife Birmingham (looks like the place is actually called Tiburon Automotive). Owner was great, clearly experienced and passionate about cars and has done a very tidy job with the silencer delete;
The difference is beautifully subtle - exactly what I was after. Being light on the throttle doesn't yield much extra cabin noise, certainly nothing intrusive. Once the system has warmed up there's some lovely little rumbles and pops on downshifts. The most noticeable 'usable' difference is in the mid range, 3-5K rpm really comes alive under acceleration and downshifts, the lift off pops are properly addictive. This is really where I was hoping to gain some character and it hasn't failed to deliver. Had chance to do a few motorway junctions cruising at 70 and there's zero drone, in fact I don't think there's any difference at all to the exhaust tone/volume - big win there. For a grand total of £72, I don't imagine any mod will come close to this for value-for-money. Big thanks to @Micah as always for being the fountain of all Trophy knowledge and suggesting this mod
Another little win for the Trophy over the weekend - standing start "drag" against friends Fiesta ST-3. Sport mode enabled, no launch-control, just foot to the floor when the lights went green. Cleared the Fiesta by a good couple of car lengths to about 70. He did hit the limiter at the top of 2nd which didn't help but it just couldn't compete traction wise off the line, or the speed the EDC shifts. Bit of wheel spin for the Fiesta in 1st and 2nd while the Clio just kept pulling - I'm totally convinced it could do this 100% of the time due to the "idiot proof" gearbox - all you have to do is hold on! A Mountuned Fiesta might be a more competitive opponent once the power figures are more evenly matched.
The new roof bars were almost called into service for the first time over the weekend however after a last minute issue of finding my friends bike carrier was missing the correct bolts for the wing bars, we ended up having to go in his car instead - for now, they're still sitting box fresh! Forest of Dean was good fun though, some great Downhill trails and despite only being a blue, the Verderers' Trail was fast and flowy.
Saturday morning I was booked in for the mid-silencer delete with Longlife Birmingham (looks like the place is actually called Tiburon Automotive). Owner was great, clearly experienced and passionate about cars and has done a very tidy job with the silencer delete;
The difference is beautifully subtle - exactly what I was after. Being light on the throttle doesn't yield much extra cabin noise, certainly nothing intrusive. Once the system has warmed up there's some lovely little rumbles and pops on downshifts. The most noticeable 'usable' difference is in the mid range, 3-5K rpm really comes alive under acceleration and downshifts, the lift off pops are properly addictive. This is really where I was hoping to gain some character and it hasn't failed to deliver. Had chance to do a few motorway junctions cruising at 70 and there's zero drone, in fact I don't think there's any difference at all to the exhaust tone/volume - big win there. For a grand total of £72, I don't imagine any mod will come close to this for value-for-money. Big thanks to @Micah as always for being the fountain of all Trophy knowledge and suggesting this mod
Another little win for the Trophy over the weekend - standing start "drag" against friends Fiesta ST-3. Sport mode enabled, no launch-control, just foot to the floor when the lights went green. Cleared the Fiesta by a good couple of car lengths to about 70. He did hit the limiter at the top of 2nd which didn't help but it just couldn't compete traction wise off the line, or the speed the EDC shifts. Bit of wheel spin for the Fiesta in 1st and 2nd while the Clio just kept pulling - I'm totally convinced it could do this 100% of the time due to the "idiot proof" gearbox - all you have to do is hold on! A Mountuned Fiesta might be a more competitive opponent once the power figures are more evenly matched.
View attachment 123334
Brilliant to hear you’re liking the Silencer delete!!
I’ve found after 1/2k miles it’s ‘bedded’ in and really does make a big difference to the sound.
CallorFold
Platinum Member
When the mechanic first started the car up after the work was done, I couldn't hear any difference at all - was really worried it was a total waste of time. After a minute or 2 as the system warmed up, suddenly the difference was apparent. Noticed even after just a couple of days and 50 or so miles it's gotten a little more "rumbly" so if there's more to bed in then even better
Glad you bit the bullet and got it done. I still absolutely love it! Do you find it barks a bit more in Sport mode on the upshift, or is that just me?
CallorFold
Platinum Member
Yeah definitely more in Sport mode, rather than just a single 'pap', its a 'pap plus a bit'
There's something about the lift off from 3rd down to 2nd too that seems more vocal than between the other gears. Keep smiling each time I hear a few little pops. Somewhat surprised it didn't leave the factory leaning more that way than stock as it adds so much character - then again they'd probably have a hard time justifying the Akra option...
Pav
Moderator
happy days mate..know how Micah kept telling us all about this..hey listen,we all need more noise in our life..happy for you 
CallorFold
Platinum Member
Somewhat interestingly, my old 197 that I traded in is now up for sale with a £2000 mark-up at a dealer just an hour up North! They obviously weren't hanging around getting that auctioned off and tarted up. Looks like they've cleaned it up nicely, interior, exterior and engine bay all look spotless and looks like they've given all 4 wheels a refurb. Not totally convinced it'll go for what they're asking for with the cam belt being due but I'll be keeping an eye on it they've removed the PistonHeads sticker from the back window but left the 197.net forum stickers on the rear side glass.
they've removed the PistonHeads sticker from the back window but left the 197.net forum stickers on the rear side glass.
CallorFold
Platinum Member
2 months in and the bike carrier was finally called into service for the first time - it worked brilliantly. "Officially" according to the Renault RS-specific handbook, the RS Models list roof loading as 'prohibited' but with little logic or explanation as to why not (standard 1.2 model is listed as 80KG) so I've basically chosen to ignore it... after all the mounting points are where they should be, and the Thule rack was chosen after a Reg compatibility search.
MPG took quite a hit - to be expected with the additional drag I guess, but wind noise was surprisingly unnoticeable! The MK4 is considerably more insulated than my 197 was.
With the bikes out of the way on the roof the interior stayed clean and tidy, although the roof was nicely covered in dusty mud and trail debris from the tyres - I'm really starting to loathe white (maybe an excuse to wrap the roof black here!)
Exhaust mid-silencer delete is still the only modification I've made so far, and I'm still over the moon with it. It's bedding in nicely but has left me pondering a full cat-back system. A couple of the guys over on the 200T/220T FB group have recently been up to RSTuning with their 220T's and left with 250bhp after nothing more than a panel filter change and a map! That's some serious power for a little hatch but my head keeps telling me to wait until closer to the warranty period is over.
MPG took quite a hit - to be expected with the additional drag I guess, but wind noise was surprisingly unnoticeable! The MK4 is considerably more insulated than my 197 was.
With the bikes out of the way on the roof the interior stayed clean and tidy, although the roof was nicely covered in dusty mud and trail debris from the tyres - I'm really starting to loathe white (maybe an excuse to wrap the roof black here!)
Exhaust mid-silencer delete is still the only modification I've made so far, and I'm still over the moon with it. It's bedding in nicely but has left me pondering a full cat-back system. A couple of the guys over on the 200T/220T FB group have recently been up to RSTuning with their 220T's and left with 250bhp after nothing more than a panel filter change and a map! That's some serious power for a little hatch but my head keeps telling me to wait until closer to the warranty period is over.
CallorFold
Platinum Member
Very little (nothing in fact...) going on with the Clio recently. Daily duties, commuting, the occasional heavy foot off a traffic light - I really need to make more of an effort to get out for a proper drive. Attention has been swayed somewhat towards a new toy - a little Honda CBF125. Both frustrated with sitting in traffic daily my GF and I decided to do our CBT and see what this bike thing was all about. Her Dad is a keen biker and was able to find us a little CBF125, '65 reg with only 3,000 miles on it for £1200 - with our CBT complete we're both now sharing the bike and learning the ropes. All being well I'll go the full licence route sometime next year.
It's really quite shocking how little the CBT teaches you about bike control, and even more concerning about how to drive on the road. A few hours on a car park (mostly spent watching) and 45minutes on the road and away you go... having being driving for 8-9 years now it's not particularly daunting but there was a much younger lad than me on the course, never driven a car, and now he's out on the road..
Anyway, here she is;
It's really quite shocking how little the CBT teaches you about bike control, and even more concerning about how to drive on the road. A few hours on a car park (mostly spent watching) and 45minutes on the road and away you go... having being driving for 8-9 years now it's not particularly daunting but there was a much younger lad than me on the course, never driven a car, and now he's out on the road..
Anyway, here she is;
