Red 197 going to the Isle of Man

[Igwabo]

Afternoon everyone,

After spending the last 3 days driving up and down the country I’ve managed to swap some cash for this beautiful beast!





The previous owner was very sad to see her go and after driving it for over an hour I really understand why. You just don’t get cars that look this good and go so well anymore. It was on song all the way!!!! Even with 90k on the clock it pulled through every gear with each change tight and sweet like ...... (enter your own analogy). I got back and just wanted to take it out again!

It came with full history and belt changes when appropriate, decent set of rubber on all four corners, ss manifold and full K-tec exhaust which sounds awesome (albeit would get a bit annoying travelling on motorways a lot but luckily there aren’t any on the IOM). Previous owner has done it proud and really appreciate his efforts.

Was considering the 182 to begin with but thought that the improvements on the 197 were well worth the extra money and yep, definitely. Previously I’ve been a Rallye man with both a series 1 and series 2 but this is seriously on a different planet.

The plan now is to get it back to the island and hand it over to my mechanic to give it a once over just to make sure nothing is going to fall off it before I really give it some around the TT course . Don’t think it will be long before wanting to add a few bits and get it on the dyno to get properly set up - what are people seeing 12 years down the line in terms of horses / torque and does this improve with some tweaking by the experts?

Anyway, thanks for checking it out and I’ll post some updates when I can.

Take it easy guys!

 

[Big Ben]

Glad you’ve found a good car. Hope she treats you well.

You might be lucky and see 190hp as is. Very few make factory quoted figures. With a map and few breathing mods 198-205hp are common figures. Best bet would be weight loss rather than throwing big money at power gains.
Good luck. Looking forward to your progress

 

[LOCKE]

Nice find mate. Enjoy. Now coming from the IOM what bike do you own?

 

[Igwabo]

Nice find mate. Enjoy. Now coming from the IOM what bike do you own?

Cheers bud but it’s 4 wheels only for me. Maybe get a bike in a few years!

 

[LOCKE]

Cheers bud but it’s 4 wheels only for me. Maybe get a bike in a few years!

I that it was the law you had to own a bike on the IOM

 

[Igwabo]

Evening guys, thought I’d put a little update following the purchase some months ago and unfortunately it’s not quite going to plan!

Within a week or so of having the thing the clutch started slipping so I’ve not been able to drive it properly since (due in at the end of the month to be replaced). Had the brakes done and replaced a snapped rear spring (got a good deal on a full set given they had a lifetime guarantee but only to the person buying them) which allowed it to go through the local test first time so it could be registered here on the island. Did get a bit concerned on the day of the test though as the ABS/ESP light flashes up on the dash that morning and the fucking radiator starts leaking. Neither were noted nor seen again for over a month until I get the engine overheating warning light on the dash with an empty radiator. Mechanic (a good friend) tells me that the fan hadn’t been fitted properly and has been rubbing through the rad (will post a pic when I get it replaced). So need to get that sorted now. Has anyone needed a replacement? Found this which seems like a great deal:

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/42mm-UNIVE...RADIATOR-RAD-/152611049687?_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1

Anyone seen it / got one?

I’ll also be ordering the K-tec de-cat pipe, a steering wheel boss for my new Momo wheel that I’ve had for years without a car to put it on as well as replacing the belts before I get it on the track.

It’s all going to cost a few quid but it’s such a great car but will be worth it when flying round the track. Looking at wheel options as well, doesn’t seem to be much choice though.

Will post again when the work is all done

 

[Pav]

Fingers crossed it's all done soon and you can enjoy your car again..

 

[Doogle]

Welcome and great looking car! They are a very engaging drive and have a personality about them that I haven't felt in German cars.

Clutch going is a pain but gives you the chance to replace the dreaded slave cylinder which has been known to split on higher mileage cars.

Ive never seen that radiator, Id always stick to OEM but seems they make some decent claims about cooling. Although, see my comment below regarding the thermostats. With regard to the fan, they mount on two clips at the bottom but it is helped kept in place by an acoustic box which is attached to part of the intake. Ive removed mine and means the fan can flap around a little.

Whilst its all out and you are servicing/getting things sorted theres three things I would check/replace: Gearbox oil, thermostat and rear ABS mounts. Gearboxes are known to be made from chocolate and cheese and are a pain in the winter when its cold after first starting up. The thermostats likewise are poo, often only getting i 50-60 degrees. Stock thermostats are 75 degrees, some people fit 182 thermostats as they are 90 degrees but in heat (such as summer traffic) these engines get fairly hot and retard the ignition making the car feel very flat. For me, 197 stat in the summer and 182 in the winter would be ideal but its hassle. Lastly, the rear ABS sensors are held on to a steel ring which rusts. Eventually this expands and can press on the ABS pickup ring on the disc causing damage and needing new discs. Whilst its off the road, take the disc off and look to see if the ring is badly corroded/needs replacing. The ABS mounting rings cant be bought from Renault seperately and I havent found anyone else who supplies them. A new stub axle is best part of £200 plus decent discs and pads (pair) another £200-250.

 

[adam thomas]

I had the same thing with my radiator . one of the plastic clips at the bottom were missing . hope you get it sorted soon

 

[Igwabo]

Apologies for the radio silence but as is the case with life, one thing after another resulted in no progress on the car until just recently!

Got the radiator above delivered which looked trick but turned out to be way off in terms of fitment so sent it back and got a pretty standard replacement which has actually performed very well since.

After missing out on a number of track days and recent hill climb event I booked myself (in March) onto a track day last weekend which gave me a deadline for the clutch to get sorted, a few other bits to be ordered and fitted and then get it on the dyno for an initial power run.

So clutch and slave cylinder replaced along with an ITG panel filter, KTEC racing de-cat pipe fitted and gear box oil change has resulted in the car becoming track ready just in time. Whilst at higher revs the car was singing and on point but there seemed to be a distinct lack of pick up before 5k revs which was found to be the case on the power run with the local dyno expert.

As you can see from the graph its making the expected power and the maximum torque is available from 5k revs as observed before the dyno run. The chap running the dyno thinks that it would benefit from a custom map but is aware that there are plug and play options available in the UK specific for 197's. What do you guys make of the drop in torque and what do you think is the best option for improvement? He also mentioned the possibility of increasing the limiter because the power keeps coming up to the limit (obviously need to consider the extra strain if doing this). Has anyone done this before?







So, with a track ready car there is only one thing to do! GET IT ON THE TRACK............


Civic was supercharged so was a little bit faster!



Awesome weather and great backdrop.



That ass.



The only fault I had all day was my lack of driving ability. The car didn't miss a beat and sung beyond 5k revs to the limit all day (its already had the full KTEC system on but the de-cat added a more raw roar beyond 5k revs that just sounds incredible - if I can figure out how to get a video on I'll post the dyno run and a bit from the track day!), through the corners it handled exceptionally with full feeling of whats happening at all times and even when it was going to the limit it was easy to counter and respond without concern. By the end of the day I was so much faster and more confident it was unreal, just wish the day could have continued but all good things inevitably come to an end. Luckily for me they were taking bookings for the next event in July which is a timed sprint event at the same location doing 4 timed runs clockwise and then another 4 runs anti-clockwise in the morning with an open pit lane in the afternoon so signed up straight away.

New brakes and some sticky tires on the shopping list before the next event! Any recommendations on either which should be able to go on the road as well, I'm not at the stage of having a separate set of track tires although I can imagine it won't be long before I'm one of the guys there with fuel going in for each time I go out to keep weight down, with a full tool chest and 40 wheels just in case.

Love the car, why would you want anything else If you read all the way, much appreciated and say hey!

 

[Cullen]

Yokohama ad08r tyres good wear rate sticky on track and decent in wet conditions best all rounder i would say.

Brakes

Get some solid brembo hc discs dont worry about drilled grooved etc

Mintex f2r pads or some carbon lorraine if your doing alot of trackdays (lots of choices and opinions on these its trial and error really til you find the right ones for you)

If its mainly road car with the odd trackday a lesser ferrodo ds2500 might be better for you

 

[Big Ben]

AD08R for tyres if it’s still used on road.
I’d go ds1.11 pads or Winmax W5. You pay for what you get.

Great write up. Enjoyed reading

 

[rSilva]

wouldn't the de-cat withouot a remap cause it to be down on torque in the mid range?

 

[Doogle]

It'll be the decat causing the drop in torque. They have a natural flatspot between 3-4 anyway, a decent map should improve this no end although wont solve it. Decatting is a trade off between losing torque down low and gaining HP higher up.

As for pads, I like PBS pads so far however I haven't had it on track with these yet, just some fast road use. The Civic guys love them however.