Considering purchase...mind nearly made up!

[Ben Thompson]

Hello all

As per title...I am coming from a divorce and loss of vRS Octavia Mk1 to wanting a weekend toy. Looking at 197 as they are sensibly priced and seem pretty strong. Whilst the handling is going to a be step up from the Octavia (although it was fully Eibach equipped and Superpro bushed), I am a bit worried about being down on power. Mine was stage 2 mapped to about 230/235 and that turbo kick was always addictive...

Question is am I just being daft or will I hanker for a 225 engine conversion quite quickly?

Cheers all and thanks for looking.

 

[nutnutwelshman]

Welcome to the Family @Pav can you help this young man please

 

[Ben Thompson]

Cheers @nutnutwelshman . Also forgot to ask...SRS in Nuneaton, does anyone know these guys/hard work done by them?

 

[Dystant]

If you want power these cars aren't that great, the flat spot is painful in the lower revs.

From a remap were talking about 5bhp, but drivability is increased a lot and flatspot is removed.

Having said that they are a hell of a lot of fun to drive, and the chassis is it's best feature making corners so much fun.

The engine is already tuned to near its limits from stock, so squeezing extra power is difficult (and expensive).

To me it sounds like you'll probably want to Meg it fairly quickly, but just go and test drive a few that's the only way you'll be able to tell if the power is enough for you

 

[matt9566]

Hi Ben

In my opinion I'd try and see if you can get a half decent test drive somewhere and see how you feel after it.
For me I came from a 1.4 206 and my Clio felt so fast when I got it, but fast forward a few years and it feels relatively slow now but everytime I consider swapping it for something faster I take it on some great twisty B roads and fall back in love with it all over again..you just can't beat the sound of this N/A engine.

I've seen people buy them, love the N/A engine, how well the car handles and are more that happy with stock bhp & on the other hand i've seen people buy them and start considering a meg conversion almost straight away - quite a majority of those people have come from bigger bhp turbo cars too.

Just give one a test drive and see what you think - Try not to get in thinking 'This car will be a lot slower than my old one'

Matt

 

[Ben Thompson]

Hello @matt9566 and @Dystant both great advice thank you! It is the twisty road pace I am after. The Skoda was more straight line speed and maintenance of said speed into the corners using the throttle.

BTW what suspension do you guys run? DO most of you keep it stock or go for performance springs...or the whole hog and go the coilover route?

 

[matt9566]

Hello @matt9566 and @Dystant both great advice thank you! It is the twisty road pace I am after. The Skoda was more straight line speed and maintenance of said speed into the corners using the throttle.

BTW what suspension do you guys run? DO most of you keep it stock or go for performance springs...or the whole hog and go the coilover route?

I just run the standard suspension that came with the R27 models and i'm more than happy with it, however I want to keep this car as standard as possible or i'd be going down the coilover route. There are plenty of people on here running aftermarket springs and an increasing number of people with coilovers, bilstein b14's being a popular choice.

 

[Dystant]

Hello @matt9566 and @Dystant both great advice thank you! It is the twisty road pace I am after. The Skoda was more straight line speed and maintenance of said speed into the corners using the throttle.

BTW what suspension do you guys run? DO most of you keep it stock or go for performance springs...or the whole hog and go the coilover route?

If you get the CUP edition (like myself) it has a stiffer chassis and stiffer/slightly lower suspension anyway so I personally saw no reason to change.

I can't comment on non CUP chassis/suspension though so perhaps others can input

 

[Micah]

I have a 200 non-Cup and have Eibach Pro springs fitted and it drives very well.
More to the point, what is your budget? If it's speed/power you want, I would advise getting a Megane 225 or 230 F1 - cracking cars so I've heard.

 

[nutnutwelshman]

I have a 200 non-Cup and have Eibach Pro springs fitted and it drives very well.
More to the point, what is your budget? If it's speed/power you want, I would advise getting a Megane 225 or 230 F1 - cracking cars so I've heard.

250FF car @Micah

 

[youngarthur]

Perhaps the R26 might suit you. Similar power to your Skoda, and easy to tune.

 

[Micah]

250FF car @Micah

Slowly coming down in price Kev

 

[///M]

Hi Ben.

First thing to know is, these are NOT powerful cars and if that's what you're after I'd suggest looking at something else. Or accept you'll be needing to chuck a few grand at an engine conversion. Trying to tune them as they are is a waste of money. Certainly.

However, I own another car that is significantly faster and drives extremely well and it's a tough call between the two which gives more smiles per miles.

The Clio 3, especially with Cup chassis is just a fantastic drive. Once in the sweet spot, there is plenty of go to keep it very entertaining. Just be clear that you're coming from a turbo car with a little more power, the way you need to drive the Clio to get the best out of it is very different. It will feel fairly pedestrian and lacking in low down torque at first. But get it out on the twisties and wring its neck and it's a thrilling car to drive. A-B along a winding country road and the vRS wouldn't keep up.

Loads of suspension options if you want to take it further but the Cup set up is very good indeed. Plus you can pick the dampers and springs up pretty cheaply if you wanted to add them to a non Cup car.

It's down to budget and what you want out of the car really. Just bear in mind, you need to drive it like you stole it to get the best out of it, but when you do, it's a very rewarding car to drive. It loves revs!

Good luck on the search.

 

[Christopher]

Coming from being used to the BAM engine's delivery, a Mk3 Clio RS will feel gutless.

You need to cane the rings off them to keep them on the boil. That said, IMO this is how a good hot hatch, and a good drivers' car should be.

You're never going to be chasing huge numbers, but some sticky tyres, some weight reduction and suspension mods and you'll be having the most fun out there on a trackday.

 

[Johnny 99]

I'm in agreement with much of the above posts. You'll probably find if it a bit gutless at first, but change your mindset & get used to revving the naturally aspirated engine & after a short period of acclimatisation you'll start to have a ball. The "grabbing it by the scruff of the neck" & revving it driving style on a quiet twisty road is great fun & addictive. The cup chassis I have is sublime, & great if you intend to track the car though some find it a tad harsh on bouncy B roads. That's not an issue I have. Bilstein B14s are a popular upgrade, & whilst I've not experienced them myself they're supposed to be great with good handling & a suppleness absent from the cup chassis. Just try & get a longish test drive on some country lanes. Good luck in your search for the right car.

 

[Ben Thompson]

Cheers all!!! Megane...I do like them but not really what I am after. I do want that high revving, 4 wheeled motorbike feel...I was considering EP3 too TBH, but I'm not a fan of Japanese cars.

I'm not about top speeds and I have my company car for motorway/high speed stuff (Focus ST Estate diesel - mapped)

It would be for tinkering and fast B road weekend blasts. I would mod it slowly but leave the engine alone...would uprate the exhaust though to something like a Scorpion Sports Cat and back.

I'll let you know how I get one but most likely going to take a look at this one soon as a starter... http://bit.ly/2nRNZOv thoughts anyone?

 

[Jimmy]

Welcome to the forum Ben! Loads of good feedback already so I can't really offer anything different in terms of what you can expect from the Clio, other than that I agree they are huge fun on the twisties an exhaust is a great mod and I can definitely recommend a Scorpion!

The one you've linked looks like a decent one and does say that the cambelt has been done - make sure it has the paperwork to prove this, as well as the rest of the service history being up to date/complete. Looks to be a non-Cup spec. Have a read of the forum Buyers Guide to, unless you already have.

 

[Ben Thompson]

Hi @Jimmy I believe it to be non Cup too. Most likely I will go down the route of Eibach Pro Kit or Bilstein B14 coil overs. to uprate the handling a touch given its non cup status

 

[Jimmy]

Hi @Jimmy I believe it to be non Cup too. Most likely I will go down the route of Eibach Pro Kit or Bilstein B14 coil overs. to uprate the handling a touch given its non cup status

As you'll have read, those suspension options are popular upgrades the non-cup chassis is still very good in the handling department and definitely not night and day compared to the Cup - you'll be impressed either way!

Good luck with the search and let us know if you need any more input on any others you find - we're all really happy to help!

 

[kevlar]

I can only echo all above said, mines 'slightly' modified and yes it feels quicker than standard its not a really fast car, but compared to the Octavia it will handle superbly. I have a Mk 3 Octavia VRS TDI currently and while thats a very nice and quick car to drive, its quite big and heavy - as said above the clios are what a hot hatch should be, if you really want power why not just go to a Megane F1 R26 I had one and it was really quick and was a joy to own plus can be modified for extra poweerrrrrrr.