Gearbox help and opinions please

[Little dave]

hi all I'm new to the clio world and have just purchased a ff200 with I think every option except leather with 3rd and 4th gear crunch.needless to say the car was dirt cheap so happy to take a gearbox repair on the chin.
So I'm looking to repair the gearbox my question is

Can the synchro issue be sorted ? Upgrade or so on
Second I plan to track the car from time to time is a uprated diff worth the extra effort
Thirdly light weight flywheels make much difference for the better.

And looking to make a bit more noise so what's the best route airbox upgrade ? Exhaust cat back only or full exhaust

Lastly suggestions in things to prep for track use


Thanks in advance

 

[Northloopcup]

Hello mate,

Well the synchro rings are a common fault on these boxes unfortunately! Renault have already improved the synchro rings, but there's nothing else available I'm afraid.

If you were tracking the car all the time I'd say a diff is worth it, but for time to time I'm not so sure personally. Lightweight flywheels aren't really used on the 197/200's either it seems, but you'll definitely get some improvements in engine response.

Airbox wise the ktec induction kit seems to give the most noise/performance improvements. You could fit a carbon R3 maxi replica airbox, but you'd need to relocate the battery. Personally, it's not worth the hassle if you haven't got cams.

Loads of exhaust options out there to suit your budget really. I've got the akrapovic evolution full system, and it sounds like a cup racer at full throttle, but civilised enough for my 8 month olds little ears when driving normally. Scorpion seems to be a popular choice amongst the guys n gals on here.

If you're wanting a box let me know as I've started offering the TL4 as a service exchange item. Drop me a pm if it sounds like something that you'd be interested in.

 

[nutnutwelshman]

Change the oil to start

 

[Little dave]

I have had a variety of cars in the last 5 years and different things seems to work better on a variety of cars I know on some they say a lightweight flywheel does more bad than good
But yes I plan to use the car for road and track so noise wise I don't need stupidly loud and with these mods do I need to remap?
Or can I just fit and forget.

Also why do the synchro go? To small? To close? If this could be awnsered I have family who can make these things from scratch so could get a custom faultless box if we could pin point the issue

 

[Little dave]

Change the oil to start

One thing I have noticed is oil residue on the gearbox input shaft on the passenger side. Could low oil make this problem worse

 

[nutnutwelshman]

I have had a variety of cars in the last 5 years and different things seems to work better on a variety of cars I know on some they say a lightweight flywheel does more bad than good
But yes I plan to use the car for road and track so noise wise I don't need stupidly loud and with these mods do I need to remap?
Or can I just fit and forget.

Also why do the synchro go? To small? To close? If this could be awnsered I have family who can make these things from scratch so could get a custom faultless box if we could pin point the issue

@Big Ben

 

[nutnutwelshman]

I know that guys that have done a oil change have seen a big improvement in the box my MK3 days are over

 

[Little dave]

May give that a go

 

[Northloopcup]

The synchro rings on 3rd and 4th gear are a strange design. They have a fibre friction surface that's glued on to the steel ring. The fibre either wears or breaks up making them ineffective.

I've done some improved synchro rings for the jc5's as I rebuild a lot of those as well.

 

[Little dave]

Do you think if they was made out of steel only or say ali could this resolve the issue ? Like I say I can have things made very easily and could try and resolve the issue my cousin is a machinist for f1 teams and other high end things and keeps telling me he love a challenge haha

 

[Big Ben]

Did a recent gearbox oil change that helped my gearbox loads Dave. Had a slight crunch in 3rd and 4th coming down the box but this has disappeared. Must be worth a try?

Have a Ktec induction kit that I can highly recommend. Noise is unparalleled and possibly the only induction kit to make extra power?

Cat back Scorpion also makes a deeper exhaust note. Sounds great coupled with the Ktec induction.

Good luck with everything

 

[Northloopcup]

Do you think if they was made out of steel only or say ali could this resolve the issue ? Like I say I can have things made very easily and could try and resolve the issue my cousin is a machinist for f1 teams and other high end things and keeps telling me he love a challenge haha

Well the original rings are made from steel with the fibre insert glued/bonded on to the inside of them. The rest of the synchros are made of brass/bronze, so there must be underlying reasons as to why renault designed them this way. You could try and get them made in brass/bronze, but I can't say how well they'll work or how long they'll last.

I can have the synchro rings improved, but this would only be in terms of lifespan.

 

[Yellow Clio]

I've just had an exchange box from K-Tec due to 3rd/4th synchro trouble and had a quaife diff fitted at the same time. The diff is an awesome upgrade, I can now turn off the traction control in the wet and boot it out of 90deg corners and it just powers through. I'd say to try the t/c off without a diff, but if you do be VERY careful not to understear into a hedge!!
I also had a lightweight flywheel fitted when I had my clutch replaced earlier in the year. Not a huge difference but it does spin up a bit quicker than it used to. I'd say if you're having a clutch done and you have the spare cash then it's worth considering.
My car is a daily driver and neither mod has had any negative impact, they've just made my awesome little car even better

 

[Yellow Clio]

Only thing I would recommend initially for track use is a harness if you have the Recarro seats. I bought an e-bay harness, and a reasonable sized d-shackle then went to a scrap yard and bought 2 seatbelt tongues (things that clips into the seatbelt buckle).
D-shackle goes on the seatbelt rail next to the drivers door which the harness then clips onto, the other side has a seabelt tongue that clips into the seatbelt buckle and the rear straps attach to the rear seat seatbelt buckle via the other seatbelt tongue.
I now have an easy to install harness for track use, which makes a huge difference as it stops you having to hold on to stop sliding out of your seat whilst on track.

 

[Pav]

@tombate911 may be able to shed some more light on this...