intro and few questions;)

hi

im new to the renault world and currently looking for a weekend toy/track car but am not sure what route to take, ive had m3's before which were epic when stripped etc however my friend has made me think about the renault options

has any one had a m3 and changed for a clio/megane etc

whats the better/quicker package

clio 197 cup
megane 225
172/182 cup
megane 250

not sure what mods are needed to be done and reliability on all the above, can the renaults compare to a e46 m3?

thanks
 
Do you want to "win" at track days, or are you just interested in having fun? The more powerful/heavy a car, the faster it will eat consumables. I swapped my Z4M roadster for a Caterham earlier in the year, and have replaced my daily with a 197. I didn't do much track stuff in the BMW, and the few bits that I did destroyed rear tyres, pads and fuel. I've not had the clio on track, but observations are:
- handling/ride is superior in the Clio by far
- Probably corners better than the BMW - certainly you can lean on the chassis more, and it seems more benign when the Z was snappy on the limit.
- Nothing beats the howl of a BMW straight 6 at high rpm :001_wub:
- You can't powerslide a FWD car (if drifting/sliding matters to you).

In a straight line obviously the BMW will run away, but on a twisty circuit I'd suspect there's not much in it. I'll leave you with the thought that with my weight in both cars, my 135bhp Caterham has an identical power-to-weight ratio as the Z4M, but as it weight nothing it costs peanuts to run in comparison :lol:
 
To be honest with you the M3 is always going to be more fun than pretty much any Renaultsport. I just sold my E46 which I used as a daily and did a couple of track days in. In comparison to my Megane it was just as much fun in pretty much standard road form. If you're set on going the Renault route than I would suggest going with a Megane 225/R26 or even a 250. I've just bought a Clio 197 and whilst its a great car its pretty underpowered, but they're different cars so its not a fair comparison. I would say that running/maintaining a Renault is so much better in terms of cost, as you probably know BMW parts aren't that cheap! Go with a 250, stick and intercooler on it, and some decent track tyres like Dunlop DZ03G. Then go for a remap, I think you can safely achieve 300bhp and you've then got yourself a pretty sorted track car.
 
Gio has it spot on :wink: I would definitely go for a megane R26 (has an LSD) or 250 with cup pack.

The Clio is a capable car, but just needs a bit more power which is very expensive to achieve.
 
Gio has it spot on :wink: I would definitely go for a megane R26 (has an LSD) or 250 with cup pack.

The Clio is a capable car, but just needs a bit more power which is very expensive to achieve.

Alright John, hows it going! Enjoying the 200 still? Are you looking forward to Oulton? Would have liked to have gone but all places have been taken!
 
Alright John, hows it going! Enjoying the 200 still? Are you looking forward to Oulton? Would have liked to have gone but all places have been taken!

All good Gio! Clio is still going well, but I have the urge for a bit more power. Mega looking forward to Oulton and showing G how to corner properly as he can't complain about the car now!

I need to make my mind up about a turbo conversion or just get a megane which will be the cheaper option. How are you finding the clio?
 
All good Gio! Clio is still going well, but I have the urge for a bit more power. Mega looking forward to Oulton and showing G how to corner properly as he can't complain about the car now!

I need to make my mind up about a turbo conversion or just get a megane which will be the cheaper option. How are you finding the clio?

Problem is with doing trackdays is you always want more power! If I had the money I'd consider going the turbo route with a clio. 250 engine with 280-300bhp would be a weapon, but its having the time to put it all together. Oulton should be a laugh, gutted I couldn't get a spot, will be interesting to see how you and G get on on track with each other! Love the Clio, its great for the road and serves me well, bit of change from the M3 but I've got my track toy so cant complain, will be taking it on track though, that's what it was built for!
 
Go for a megane 250 (With cup pack)
If you have a look at the 'ring carpark you'll see millions of meganes lining up and there's a good reason for that :smile:
 
Depends on what your budget is.
You can pick up track prepared 172/182 for peanuts now days.
Or if you have the budget to stretch a Megane R26R would be a vary good choice.
 
172 cup

strip out
race seat
mark fish koni set up
camber shims
Set of cooksports
uprated disks & pads
rear arb
sticky tyres

done

all in 2.5k tops.
wont be far off a megane.
 
What's the thoughts on a 197 with 225 tweaked and remapped engine?

Surely if you're going to go that route just grab a 225 and start modding it? No real point to swapping it onto a Clio?

As someone suggested early on R26 F1 with LSD
 
Personally from what I've seen.
If you want to have Megane power stick with a Megane.
Otherwise buying a 197 and converting it will prove to be expensive.
Where you could use the money to buy a Megane and track prepare it.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, I looked at the 225's but thought they are pretty unreliable, think I am going to go for a 182 cup already set up/stripped etc - what's the best tyres for them 888's? Also anyone run slicks ?
 
Thanks for all the input guys, I looked at the 225's but thought they are pretty unreliable, think I am going to go for a 182 cup already set up/stripped etc - what's the best tyres for them 888's? Also anyone run slicks ?

You cant wrong with Dunlop DZ03G, far better and more durable tyre than the 888. Have you thought of something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171900734356?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Its all been done, might want a few quid spending sorting bits out if its needed.
 

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