First Renault cup 197

[CupTricky]

New here and new to Renault. 2008 clio cup 197, 82,000 miles. FSH belt done at 72k and new tyres, battery and brake pads just before I purchased it. Im not sure if it’s been lowered or not. I plan to colour code the door handles, wing mirrors and plastic trim. Order Renault sport mats, put in LED rear number plate lights, side lights and upgrade the headlights and fog lights to bright white bulbs, 3d gel plates and tint the rear 3 windows. Few questions I have



1.)what spacers should I buy to improve the stance
2.) what induction kit to improve the sound and possibly performance
3.) is a air filter required if so which?
4.) I can’t afford an aka exhaust. I want to increase the sound of the exhaust am I best to get a full system if so which? Or should I take the cat out of the current one and get an aka box welded in

 

[turkie172]

So your in N.Ireland same as me I would drive the car for a while and make sure the basics gearbox, suspension, electrics etc. are good before going mad changing things. I would change the headlights to projectors, There is a Ktec airbox for sale on here you might need to become a member to buy that or look through the for sale section the exhaust is a very sensitive thing on these cars a small hole or change can have a big affect on how the car drives and normally runs do all the basic things like check the scuttle bays for blocked drain holes, totally strip down and make sure the brakes a and handbrake cables are free moving are a big thing will stop you warping discs or when the bake drags pushing up the fuel consumption, don't wind the rear calipers all the way in hard as it will damage the internal hand brake adjustment mechanism and the piston can stick because of corrosion around the neck but can be cleaned up and put back together. I have an extensive amount of wheels and spares collected through the last few years so keep in touch. The exhaust thing I have an Akra Evo fitted which is very good and not very loud which I like but does not need mapped and does improve the performance.

 

[suj]

1.)what spacers should I buy to improve the stance

If you meant size, then people go from 15mm to 25mm on standard wheels, I run 21mm.
If you mean brand, there are loads to pick from, I run Pure-Motorsports 21mm
Also it's worth looking into studs, here's a post of the sizes you need (with a discount code) for running roughly 20mm spacers:

Stud / Nut Conversion

Use high temp stud lock when fitting the studs We used TRS nuts, with the lengths quoted you will get a couple of threads visible when the nut is tight yup, loctite 272. Thanks lads, yep I've got some Locktite 272 already, so that's good to go. So the lengths are definitely 82mm front and...

clio197.net

2.) what induction kit to improve the sound and possibly performance

Most induction kits like KTEC add in heatsoak, so gains are negligible / mainly for extra noise, the proven intake is the V6 airbox (but needs a battery moving / relocation).

3.) is a air filter required if so which?

People run aftermarket filters in their standard airboxes with good results, I would do this to start with.

4.) I can’t afford an aka exhaust. I want to increase the sound of the exhaust am I best to get a full system if so which? Or should I take the cat out of the current one and get an aka box welded in

I assume you meant Akra? Yes unless you got deep pockets there are loads of systems. Have a look in this thread:

The Definitive What Exhaust Do You Have Thread...

Morning all!!! Seens as the Exhaust seems to be a fairly hot topic of conversation, especially recently, I thought it'd be interesting to see exactly who has what. So please post your vote on the Poll and if you've any positive/negative comments about performance/build quality of the Exhaust...

clio197.net

Noise is subjective, so listen to as many as you can.

 

[CupTricky]

So your in N.Ireland same as me I would drive the car for a while and make sure the basics gearbox, suspension, electrics etc. are good before going mad changing things. I would change the headlights to projectors, There is a Ktec airbox for sale on here you might need to become a member to buy that or look through the for sale section the exhaust is a very sensitive thing on these cars a small hole or change can have a big affect on how the car drives and normally runs do all the basic things like check the scuttle bays for blocked drain holes, totally strip down and make sure the brakes a and handbrake cables are free moving are a big thing will stop you warping discs or when the bake drags pushing up the fuel consumption, don't wind the rear calipers all the way in hard as it will damage the internal hand brake adjustment mechanism and the piston can stick because of corrosion around the neck but can be cleaned up and put back together. I have an extensive amount of wheels and spares collected through the last few years so keep in touch. The exhaust thing I have an Akra Evo fitted which is very good and not very loud which I like but does not need mapped and does improve the performance.

my brother in law is a used car salesman who collects some cars for himself. He initially bought the car to keep but he has too many so sold me it at trade price. He put in a new battery, hand brake cable, new pads and 4 new tyres all round plus a recent service.
I agree with the headlights as the standard yellow look terrible. How much are projectors. I think do need to become a member and pay £6 to see the classifieds section. How much is the k tec induction kit. I would def be interested in that. They seem the most popular.

thanks for the help. It’s a bonus you’re in Northern Ireland so any parts you may have for sale I would surely be interested in.

 

[burrellbloke]

1.)what spacers should I buy to improve the stance

I would say 21mm fill the arches nicely.

2.) what induction kit to improve the sound and possibly performance

The KTec kit makes a good noise but I think that there are mixed views on whether it increases performance. If you want induction noise then get the KTec kit.

3.) is a air filter required if so which? - If you go for a KTec induction kit you won't need a filter

4.) I can’t afford an aka exhaust. I want to increase the sound of the exhaust am I best to get a full system if so which? Or should I take the cat out of the current one and get an aka box welded in

Akra's are expensive but make, in my opinion, the perfect noise. A full Akrapovic Evolution system has the mid section through to the back box and gets rid of the main cat and just uses the pre-cat in the OEM manifold. If you buy or can find a used Akra back box you might be able to take out the main cat and still pass an emissions test - but I a not 100% sure on this point.

If I was starting on another Clio I would put on a good set of tyres like some Michelin PS4s, make sure the brake discs and pads were in good condition. Then ensure the suspension is in good order. From there make sure you have no knackered bushes. Check that your belts have been done within the past 5 years - but it sounds like they have if they were done 10,000 miles ago. From there you should have a good base to work from.

If you don't want to go to the expense of finding some projector headlights just use some Philips Crystal Vision bulbs so that you don't have the yellow hue from the headlights.

I went through a stage of wanting to have gloss black bump strips but now like that my Cup can be identified as a Cup because of the black plastic bump strips.

 

[CupTricky]

1.)what spacers should I buy to improve the stance

I would say 21mm fill the arches nicely.

2.) what induction kit to improve the sound and possibly performance

The KTec kit makes a good noise but I think that there are mixed views on whether it increases performance. If you want induction noise then get the KTec kit.

3.) is a air filter required if so which? - If you go for a KTec induction kit you won't need a filter

4.) I can’t afford an aka exhaust. I want to increase the sound of the exhaust am I best to get a full system if so which? Or should I take the cat out of the current one and get an aka box welded in

Akra's are expensive but make, in my opinion, the perfect noise. A full Akrapovic Evolution system has the mid section through to the back box and gets rid of the main cat and just uses the pre-cat in the OEM manifold. If you buy or can find a used Akra back box you might be able to take out the main cat and still pass an emissions test - but I a not 100% sure on this point.

If I was starting on another Clio I would put on a good set of tyres like some Michelin PS4s, make sure the brake discs and pads were in good condition. Then ensure the suspension is in good order. From there make sure you have no knackered bushes. Check that your belts have been done within the past 5 years - but it sounds like they have if they were done 10,000 miles ago. From there you should have a good base to work from.

If you don't want to go to the expense of finding some projector headlights just use some Philips Crystal Vision bulbs so that you don't have the yellow hue from the headlights.

I went through a stage of wanting to have gloss black bump strips but now like that my Cup can be identified as a Cup because of the black plastic bump strips.

Thanks for your reply. I’m def going to get the spacers and K tech induction kit. Seems well reviewed and I’ll be honest it’s the noise I’m after. Eventually would like a pop and bang when i have exhaust and a map.

I think I’ll get the front grill and rear diffuser removed and painted gloss black to freshen it up and look clean. I’m nearly certain I want to colour code the door handles, wing mirrors and door trim to white however by brother in law who sourced the car for himself before decided to let me have it he says it takes away from the cup looks and not to do them white. I feel they look quite faded and cheap currently like greyish plastic.

i would love the Akra evo but I’m not paying a third of what I paid for the car in a single mod.

the car has FSH with belts done 72k and currently on 82k. New tyres all round however only mid range but I’ll wait to these wear down before upgrading. I like the idea of braided brake lines and a overall of the current bremos

 

[burrellbloke]

Get some trim restorer for the grilles and plastics. Some GTechniq C4 is pretty effective and lasts 12 months.

 

[CupTricky]

Get some trim restorer for the grilles and plastics. Some GTechniq C4 is pretty effective and lasts 12 months.

Thanks. I may try this route first in order to keep it as original as possible. I’m weary I don’t want to put too much into it as I do plan to move onto a Rs 200 in a few years as I love the alien green or the racing blue when funds allow

 

[CupTricky]

Is this a good exhaust and worth upgrading too from
The standard unit. Plan is to add ktec induction kit too then in a few months remap

 

[suj]

You can get brand new one for not much more, also that is a non-resonated (aka no resonator in the midpipe, I think personally the non-res sound shit and chavvy too).