How reliable is a conversion?

[FatRS]

Sorry if this had been covered before but I was wondering how reliable these conversions are?

It appears an R26 engine and box and LSD fits but is it any less reliable than a Megane R26?

Also, I’d the LSD pretty useable or is a 225 box just as good?

Currently have a Meg 250 running 300 BHP.

 

[DarrenR27]

Keep the 250. The 225/230 engine is a bit of a lottery. Yours has far stronger rods and better feeling.

R26 is limited on torque by the rods to 300lb/ft and fueling kills pistons.

Never Megged a Clio. But had a 225 Trophy and 2x R26s.

 

[Sean197]

Mine had a 225 engine and standard non-lsd box. Ran 278bhp and 285lb ft and had no issues, even hammering round Spa. The engine is still going strong in another clio. As long as the cooling is done properly there are no issues.
Only thing I was advised to do is when on track keep the fuel tank no less than half full due to the fuel rail feed placement, but that's remedied with a mk3 megane fuel rail. Clio with megane engine is hard to fault. @Pav @Big Ben @trackspec197

 

[Big Ben]

Sorry if this had been covered before but I was wondering how reliable these conversions are?

It appears an R26 engine and box and LSD fits but is it any less reliable than a Megane R26?

Also, I’d the LSD pretty useable or is a 225 box just as good?

Currently have a Meg 250 running 300 BHP.

Reliability all depends on the quality of conversion and donor engine. No reason to have any more/less reliability than meg 225/230.

The LSD from an R26 box I guess you’re referring to? In my own car I’m not exactly wowed by it. Not aggressive enough for my liking but would still rather have it than not

 

[FatRS]

Yes. LSD from R26 box. I would have thought it would be a major bonus in this kind of car?

Coming from previous Clio 172's and seeing so many stories of turbo conversions going wrong I wondered whether these were better. They appear to be from initial looking but I still had question marks. I guess with the mk3 all you're doing it transferring a different engine in whereas a 172 you're converting the original engine.

225/230 engines are pretty reliable though? And gearboxes? More so than the 197/200 boxes?

 

[Sean197]

Speak to Paul at RS Tuning, their r26r ran near-500 bhp and as far as I'm aware the gearbox was ok. They're certainly more reliable than clio boxes.

 

[Big Ben]

Yes. LSD from R26 box. I would have thought it would be a major bonus in this kind of car?

Coming from previous Clio 172's and seeing so many stories of turbo conversions going wrong I wondered whether these were better. They appear to be from initial looking but I still had question marks. I guess with the mk3 all you're doing it transferring a different engine in whereas a 172 you're converting the original engine.

225/230 engines are pretty reliable though? And gearboxes? More so than the 197/200 boxes?

I personally wouldn’t put it in the Major bonus category. It’s not aggressive enough imo for trackdays or mine is knackered!!

Having read about LSD’s literally pulling you round the corner I was hoping for more. Apply too much throttle mid corner and the turbo spools up and out wide you go.
I am running quite a bit more torque than standard so maybe that’s the issue? Or just heavy footed!
N/A Clio was much easier to balance on the the throttle

 

[trackspec197]

Yes. LSD from R26 box. I would have thought it would be a major bonus in this kind of car?

Coming from previous Clio 172's and seeing so many stories of turbo conversions going wrong I wondered whether these were better. They appear to be from initial looking but I still had question marks. I guess with the mk3 all you're doing it transferring a different engine in whereas a 172 you're converting the original engine.

225/230 engines are pretty reliable though? And gearboxes? More so than the 197/200 boxes?

Most 172/182 turbo conversions are generally converting the N/A motor and there are many considerations often overlooked between the two types. The Megane conversion couldn’t be easier for the Mk3 Clio since it slots straight in and the electronics aren’t too different compared to that of a 172/182.

I’m running Sean’s old motor mentioned above but am running it with a Clio gearbox. I’ve given that motor death on track and honestly it’s held up well and so has the gearbox despite some of the stories you hear. The key is not to rush the TL4. I don’t boot it from a standing start and try to be a little more sympathetic on the transmission vecause you simply don’t need to “Smooth is fast”

As long as you don’t go chasing power figures and keep these motors in the safe zone from what I’ve seen they can be pretty bullet proof, try and put too much power through it and it will bend a rod, blow a hole in a piston or destroy the valve train.

 

[DarrenR27]

Coming from a Megane background these engines are showing their age. Three blew in one week on the Meganesport Facebook group recently.

My R26 has ringland failure at 250bhp - a basic map on a standard engine.

Personally I’d only fit one if it was forged. Or, I’d fit a 250 engine.

And, as above, the diff is good but no infalable. Had another R26 running similar power, both could light up both wheels and send you out wide very quickly if you were too aggressive for the conditions.

IMO - money is better spent on ASTs and a 250 brake setup.

 

[Pav]

as above mate..my is spot on..i would defo go for an LSD if you can as I,unlike Ben above,have found that a massive advantage when cornering..even an occasional spirited drive around our country lanes shows you how much more turn in you can have..
my donor engine was from ebay and it sat at 57k miles..had it inspected and it was all clean without any signs of failure..but again its always a lottery when buying a second hand engine/box etc..
most of my engine parts were brand new or nearly new so no issues on that front..
hope that helps..if anything just give us a shout

 

[Mark_L]

Having done the conversion myself it isn't too bad a job.

Do your research, a 250 engine would be a better shout unless you forge the 225 but the 225 is pretty good if you don't chase power figures as Matt said.

Ringland failure is caused due to a lack of fuel pressure. So keep this in mind as said mk3 fuel rail or a custom rail with a regulator and return line. I believe you can use a ph1 172 rail with regulator and return aswell. Hard to come by these days though.

A Quaife for the meg box is around £800, similar price to an r26 box these days so I'm planning on one in the future.