Joining the club, a few questions

[Rishi]

Hey all, im going to be trading in my 1.6 clio3 for a 197 very soon, i've found a 2008 beauty in racing blue although the wet pics look more like metallic blue to me
The icing on the cake is it has anthracite wheels, red brembo calipers & only a few thousand miles on the clock. :w00t:

Needless to say i am ecstatic about getting my much needed upgrade
I fell in love with the idea of owning a 197 years ago but the possibility of getting one just wasn't feasable so made do with my 1.6, now my 1.6 has one month on the agreement left so its the perfect time...

I have a couple questions that im sure have been asked before, the first is how suprised am i going to be getting in & putting my foot down for the first time? Make me :drool:
I'm well used to a lowered 1.6 clio3 so im feeling the potential, im hoping the 197 fullills that

My next question is do the renaultsport seats hold you tightly & are they comfy enough? or does an upgrade to a sportster CS really feel that much better?
I heard the CS is really firm & can be uncomfortable on long journeys, loving every bump in the road intimately.
Im all for feeling your grip but you need some balance or your spine will turn to dust driving a few decades on london roads.

Tiff Needell says go for the recaros so i guess that answers my question, but it's not an original option as im buying it used, im mostly worried that buying a direct from recaro sporsterCS means it wont have height adjustment as im 6,4" & need my seat low, i already have a recaro subframe for a clio 3 its a bit too high & definitely not height adjustable unless your a welder

Thanks in advance for any replies

:hug:

 

[Curley]

In my opinion you won't be toooo overwhelmed when you put your foot down... But keep it above 5k for a few minutes spirited driving and you won't stop smiling for a week. Not to mention the handling capabilities but make sure you know your limit and get used to your new car.

The standard seats hold me in the same as my recaros in my old 182 so not bad at all, the sportsters are a brilliant seat but will wear and be a pain in the arse if you don't get them re done in leather or something.

 

[St7ckz]

Cant answer your question in full as i havent sat in the recaro's. But when I was looking at buying a 197 I had my heart set on getting a car with them fitted and I ended up getting a car without and to be honest I think the normal seats are fab they are more than supportive enough and are really comfy.

I had the intention of buying a set at a later date and fitting them to the car myself yes i know they are expensive but you will always get that back when you come to sell the car anyway you wanna take a look at the price the recaro's for the Golf GTI are going for £1.5k+:w00t: But to be honest after having the car for 2 weeks now i dont think i'll bother as im more than happy with the normal seats:biggrin:

Plus I dont think I could handle putting up with the delicate side bolsters and cloth on the Recaro's

Hope that helps

Ben

 

[Ed...]

The rs seats are great mate. All i can say is buy 1 with recaros as they are like rocking horse poo.

 

[Foxspeed]

welcome fella :thumbup:

 

[ado]

I had a 197 with standard seats and now a 200 with Recaros.

The recaros sits higher so make sure you fit in them before you commit. As for comfort I found no difference, the recaro seems to provide better lumbar support. I also use mine on track and the recaros hold me in much better but I have a small ass.lol

 

[Rishi]

Im sure after 5 years of the isofix seats in my 1.6 that the renaultsport seats will be amazing for at least a while, i remember from when the 197 first came out & i read in the options/spec (which i read a lot back then!) that the renaultsport seats in the 197 are 1.5" lower than the standard clio3 seats, that would be perfect

I still intend to replace the drivers side with the recaro at some point, but no way ifit means sitting higher, i guess i should just look out for people selling the originals with height adjustment

Im sure someone must have bought the seats direct from renault?

Everyone is so happy with their 197 either way, im so excited!

 

[chappo]

welcome to the site mate,

 

[Rishi]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, im a bit colour blind especially when a car is wet, but is this the light turqoisesque racing blue (like chappo above has) or the darker metallic blue?

 

[Mike]

:welcome: to the site sir

 

[GlassJaw]

That's Albi blue mate. The racing blue is flatter, matte.

 

[Roy]

:welcome:mate,enjoy

 

[Arran]

Ye, that's Albi, metallic with the cup pack (adds anthracite wheels and red Brembos plus suspension lower, stiffer etc.). The Recaros are amazing, but the standard seats do the job great. And from being on here, most people say the Recaros sit higher than standard seats, so you might be best sticking to them for that reason anyway.

 

[197-F1]

Welcome! Recaros are awesome, and I find them very comfortable indeed! They look amazing too (which is more important!) lol

 

[Curley]

Just to add to my post.. If I could get a set of recaros for under £800 then I'd snap them up. Couple of times this week I've wanted more support in corners.

 

[Rishi]

Ye, that's Albi, metallic with the cup pack (adds anthracite wheels and red Brembos plus suspension lower, stiffer etc.). The Recaros are amazing, but the standard seats do the job great. And from being on here, most people say the Recaros sit higher than standard seats, so you might be best sticking to them for that reason anyway.

Awesome but it doesn't show as cup pack on the registration search with insurance companies so thats good...

I just realized how much im gonna be forking out every month for financing this low mileage 197 & the insurance on top so i might opt for a cheaper 197 with more miles on the clock & save a bit of money, anyone got some good recommendations for insurance companies? im 27 :nope:

Do you guys think its worth it to stick it out & get a low mileage cup pack one over a standard 197 with a few miles?
This one im looking at has a touch over 4000 miles/cup pack, the other one has 20000/no cup pack, lovely racing blue tho
I am going for pure driving pleasure, driving is one of my most favourite things so i don't mind forking out a hefty wedge for my car, im just wondering whether that low mileage/cup pack is worth the extra £100 p/m

 

[chappo]

yes thats deffo the Albi blue one mate,

 

[Gromb200]

Welcome fella

 

[tiababy]

Awesome but it doesn't show as cup pack on the registration search with insurance companies so thats good...

I just realized how much im gonna be forking out every month for financing this low mileage 197 & the insurance on top so i might opt for a cheaper 197 with more miles on the clock & save a bit of money, anyone got some good recommendations for insurance companies? im 27 :nope:

Do you guys think its worth it to stick it out & get a low mileage cup pack one over a standard 197 with a few miles?
This one im looking at has a touch over 4000 miles/cup pack, the other one has 20000/no cup pack, lovely racing blue tho
I am going for pure driving pleasure, driving is one of my most favourite things so i don't mind forking out a hefty wedge for my car, im just wondering whether that low mileage/cup pack is worth the extra £100 p/m

it's personal choice. the cup pack can probably be closely replicated by a set of coilovers on a standard 197.
it's more the mileage and is the 16k difference in mileage ultimately worth 100 extra a month to you.
I've just brought an albi blue on 24k mileage but it has a full service history and in good condition considering it's 4 years old now.
what swung me from a cup at the same price (before haggle) to the ff (no cup pack) model was the sunroof and keyless entry, go for what your heart wants (and your wallet can stretch to)

 

[Arran]

TBH, people have said on the 197 the difference between cup/cup pack and ff is minimal. I haven't driven a cup/cup pack car, so don't know, but on the 200 they made the difference bigger. So really it comes down to if you want red brembos and anthracite wheels. My answer is yes, but they can be done for £350 anyway, so isn't too much if you want to buy a normal ff and get it done. So I guess what I'm saying is, it's not really worth IMO to pay extra for a cup pack over a similar car without that is less.