Lowering help

[liam92]

Hey everyone,

Ive just read through 8 pages worth of suspension related posts which have made me more confused about what I need haha.

I have recently bought a FRB 197 clio. Im absolutely in love with the car all bar its slightly high ride height at the moment. I regularly drive secluded ruralish roads to get into town, and mountain passes to get to Uni so its safe to say my driving at times can be alittle 'spirited'.

I love the handling as is, the heavy steering but sharp snappy go cart like handling is everything I want so my biggest worry lowering the car would be losing this. The stiffness isnt a worry either, I dont want a softer suspension setup I quite like it firm.

So avoiding issues of bump steer ect whats the best setup (Maybe 1-2 trackdays a year) H&R springs, KWvar1, KWvar3, H&R coilovers?

Sorry about the long post! And thankyou in advance for your advice!

Cheers Liam

 

[ben_r1]

Depends on your budget my friend.

But from the sounds of it i'd go for the H&R springs, they do a very good job for the price.

KW's are king, especially the V3 due to its adjustability options, but you'll pay the premium.

 

[liam92]

Also what are the implications on camber ect? Are new camber pins required?

 

[liam92]

Thanks for the reply!

Without sounding like a :whatever:'er Im not overly bothered about cost, sure there comes a limit but the 1200 quid or so it costs for the V3 Id pay. I figure Ive got a nice car I plan to keep for awhile so the few hundred quid extra could be worthwhile if that would be the best option for me

 

[ben_r1]

Unless your a hardcore trackday goer or know the basics of adjusting bump/rebound independantly between axles i'd go for the V1s then, V3s are overkill for most.

 

[Adamm]

V1's.

Bumpsteer.....whats that?

The car handles so much better on the v1's than standard!

 

[N0ddie]

If KW are king why are H & R more expensive? For the V1 KWs anyway?

 

[Adamm]

If KW are king why are H & R more expensive? For the V1 KWs anyway?

KW sell that many they dont need crazy prices? H&R don't sell as much thus they need high prices?

 

[N0ddie]

KW sell that many they dont need crazy prices? H&R don't sell as much thus they need high prices?

Think am gonna settle for the H&Rs as they are little bit stiffer than the KWs so slightly better for the track.

How easy is it to adjust the height on your coilovers Adam? DO you think you could drive to the track at your current height then lower it down (A wee bit) for the track, then raise again? Or is it too much hassle?

I've only ever changed springs on any of my cars so far so not too clued up on coilovers etc.

 

[Adamm]

Think am gonna settle for the H&Rs as they are little bit stiffer than the KWs so slightly better for the track.

How easy is it to adjust the height on your coilovers Adam? DO you think you could drive to the track at your current height then lower it down (A wee bit) for the track, then raise again? Or is it too much hassle?

I've only ever changed springs on any of my cars so far so not too clued up on coilovers etc.

Suppose it wouldn't be too hard, maybe 10 minutes a corner - just do it while the wheels are off, as long as you have where to wind it to marked clearly enough!

The clios have a ton of space in the arches though!

 

[Adamm]

Also the KW's are inox - no rusting.

This is why I went for them over anything else. H&R's might be harder to adjust as they wont cope as well with dirty roads!

 

[Ed...]

V3 all day long mate. Been on them for a while now n not looked back once. The adjustability is key. They have gone up with vat so now nearly 1300 brand new. If u cud wait 6 months mine will be up for grabs.

 

[liam92]

I wont be paying VAT as Im out of the UK... Im leaning towrads the V3's or the H&R's, Im worried the V1's are going to be alot softer than the stock setup

 

[N0ddie]

I wont be paying VAT as Im out of the UK... Im leaning towrads the V3's or the H&R's, Im worried the V1's are going to be alot softer than the stock setup

Not the case:

197 Standard Springs

Front: 170 lb/in 29.8 n/mm
Rear: 230 lb/in 40.3 n/mm

Going from what RenaultSport say the others are uprated by you can roughly work out the rest. 197 Cup 15% stiffer springs than standard. 200 Sport 15% softer than 197 Sport and 200 cup 15% stiffer than 197 Cup.

197 Cup Springs

Front: 195.5 lb/in 34.2 n/mm
Rear: 245 lb/in 42.9 n/mm

200 Standard Springs

Front: 144.5 lb/in 25.3 n/mm
Rear: 215 lb/in 37.6 n/mm

200 Cup Springs

Front: 224.8 lb/in 39.4 n/mm
Rear: 260 lb/in 45.5 n/mm

KW V1 & V3

Front: 50 n/mm
Rear: 50 n/mm

H&R Coilovers

Front: 80 n/mm
Rear: 80 n/mm

AST Sportline II, track set-up

Front: 100 n/mm
Rear: 110 n/mm

 

[Ed...]

V1 arent softer mate. Kw invented the coilover stick with them lol