Sideshowfreds Ultra Red 200 -- Fully Caged Track Toy

[Sideshowfred]

Been on here since i got my Clio in October but never planned on doing that much to it. Looking at threads on here soon turned into a habit and before i knew it plans were zooming round my head so thought i'd start a thread on my car. It's got the Cup chassis, black Speedline wheels and most importantly to me factory fitted Racaro's 8) I bought it with just over 21k on the clock and she's now on 34k and i've loved every bouncy (and initially uncomfortable) bit of it. Few pics of how it looked when i picked it up

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on day 3 of ownership my other half and i went down to Kent for the final BTCC rounds. I have to say the driving experience was a bit of an eye opener having come from a MK5 Golf GTI but it helped me get used to how the cup suspension dealt with all the bumps and lumps.

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The first thing that needing sorting was some floor mats. I do'nt know i it ever had any in the first lace but the lack of them was already getting on my nerves. So i found some genuine renaultsport ones on ebay and am glad i paid the extra for them

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Nothing really happened for while but i eventually decided i wanted it to sound a bit more 'sporty' so set about looking for an exhaust upgrade. Didn't take long on here before i found a K-tec system and headed off to collect it from Jamz72

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A few days later it was fitted and my god was i happy with the noise. Building upp the revs just made it get louder and the crackles on gear changes still bring a huge smile to my face. It wasn't long after this i finally decided which spoiler i wanted to go on. As much as i like the Sprint i just felt it was to subtle for the car so i bought a Cup one. I know it's not to everyones taste but i really think it finishes the back end off. Some of you may notice it's not quite the right colour. I mixed the paint up myself at work and as there were to shades i risked the lighter one. Big mistake! Plan is to get it done in either the darker shade that wiill match or gloss black but for now it can stay as it is

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Nothing really happened then until July when i went on joined Evo magazine at one of there Bedford Track Evenings. As my first time on track i was fairly nervous, not helped by the fact i had the third least powerful car there, but the way it goes round the corners really opened up my eyes to just how good a car this is. I couldn't help but buy some pics afterwards on me in action

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The only mistake i made was i assumed the track would destroy my already well worn tyres. I was dissapointed that they hardly wore at all but i was all booked in for 4 new Goodyear Eagle F1's in a 225/45 size. Having now sampled how well the car handles when pushing it i was fairly excited for my trip to Wales a couple of weeks later. This is the first time i've really gone somewhere to drive some specific roads but the Evo Triangle and surrounding roads really were fantastic. One of the Evo team had told me the Clio would be perfect for them and he wasn't wrong

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then next thing to happen is an Ultra Racing boot brace that should be turning up this week. Plans for the future are Decat, Coilovers, New steering wheel (either standard re-trimmed in alcantara or an OMP suede), maybe some spacers and definitely more track time! Although i'm sure i'll pick a few ideas u off here on the way :d

 

[Yiannis197]

Nice pics mate. You got to love these cars..

 

[Matt W]

Looks just like mine except the spoiler. Very nice indeed

 

[The ANT]

I like the car, they do look good in red I think. It definitely needs that cup spoiler in my opinion. I've always thought it's as if they designed it to have it but then took it off. Without one there appears to be something missing. I hate to be giving you ideas to spend money but I would be thinking about painting the blade on the front red too. Nice car.



Alcantara and suede don't last long on steering wheels, especially if you are driving with bare hands. Race cars use them because with the gloves you get a superior grip and are only do a few hundred miles a year. If I were you I would get leather as it will last for years. The suede rubs away over time and oils, grease and sweat soaks in, Alcantara has similar issues. After 4 years of racing about 7-8 meetings a year my dads kit car omp wheel has been replaced. Just advice.

 

[Chris]

Looking great, love a clean red car, I had one before my 197.

What coilies you going for?

 

[Sideshowfred]

Thanks guys, just fancy something other than leather for the steering wheel. My current one is starting to 'melt so just looking at my options for now.

As for coilies, current thoughts are either H&R or Bilstien. Was originally going to get springs but not sure they'll make it sit how I want it to

 

[Sideshowfred]

Well I managed to get this fitted this morning. Took a couple of hours and lots of swearing but I think it looks good

I start a new job at the beginning of September so will be doing a lot less miles in the car so hopefully I can start saving up for some coilovers now [emoji4]

 

[Sideshowfred]

Not a huge update but slowly getting things ready for the trackday at Bedford on the 27th Feb. Found myself a cheap set of wheels to run on track as my old tyres still have a fair bit if tread on them. Decided to paint them white because in my eyes atleast it makes it look more like a race car [emoji12]

Also got my fire extinguisher fitted which I've been meaning to do for a while



Nothing else really to do until the trackday other than wait and buy a few spare bits

 

[Russell]

Looking good mate, see u on the 27th

 

[G8RSH]

Look forward to seeing more

 

[john_walker74]

Looking good. What tyres are you getting for the track wheels? I'm going to Bedford on the 27th as well so with look out for you.

 

[Sideshowfred]

Got continental sport contact 5's for the front and nexens on the rear. It's not a track set up atall but they held up fine on my last go on track and have a few mm left so gonna try and kill them on the 27th. I'll look at getting some proper tyres afterwards and am swaying towards federal rsr's as they seem good for the money

 

[rsevo]

Looks good bud, I'm also thinking about getting some eagle f1s my car same as Urs

 

[Sideshowfred]

Well the trackday went really well. Car performed nearly faultlessly all day with only a bit of brake wobble initially but after pushing though it the car just kept getting better and better. Definitely hooked on driving round a track now! This of course means I want to start looking at making the car a bit more suited to track.
On my list for now is a proper bucket seat for me and some stickier tyres. Oh, and more time out on track. Anyway, some pics from the day.

 

[Sideshowfred]

Thought I would do a quick update as its been a while. Had a few changes since which have made the car feel so much better to drive than I thought was possible.

First change was getting myself a proper bucket seat as on the trackday in February I kept finding myself falling out of the Recaro's. As good as they look they are just not supportive enough for me. So this was purchased




Initially it felt like it was too low bit i've got used to it now and it completely changes the way the car felt to drive. With more track time looming I decided to get myself a set of decat tyres. I was all set for some Federal RSR's but then a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups came up on here. I was a bit sceptical at first but after using them at Bedford the other night I am amazed at how much grip they had.



So onto Bedford Autodrome. My second year of attending an Evo track evening and what a night it was. After initial rain it dried up and I spent most of the night chasing much more exotic machinery through the corners and, to my surprise, keeping up or finding I was quicker!







I was hoping the last few details for the car would be ready for that night but they arrived on Monday morning. I know they're a bit 'marmite' but they're only for my track wheels and I think it makes it look a bit more like a cup racer. Nothing planned until my next outing at Rockingham on 11th July which I can't wait for





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[Sideshowfred]

So it's now been just over a month since the Rockingham trackday. If I'm honest the car really wasn't ideal for the track/other cars there. I spent 90% of the 120 miles I did off the racing line keeping out of the way of everything other than a Seat Leon. Car performed faultlessly though other than getting far to much pick up on the tyres.








So after a disappointing day it's put me off the car a bit. Having said that since going back onto my normal tyres I've found it more fun to drive on B roads than on the Michelin PS Cups. Next up for the car is a week in Scotland in a months time. I'm hoping the fantastic roads will make me fall back in love with how great I know this car really is.

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[Sideshowfred]

It's now been over a month since i got back from my small tour of Scotland. Before going i was really fed up of the car. It just wasn't feeling like an exiting car to drive anymore. Onto Scotland though, 1 week, 1600 miles and 4 tanks of fuel and i'm back in love with the Clio. Had some truly memorable drives which started with a blast up to the Hartside Cafe from Penrith at 8am on the morning on my way up. Other highlights were the old military road up through Glenshee and then from Balmorral through to Grantown-on-Spey.

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This trip gave me some motivation to keep this car but this means i will modify it further than i ever planned to. I want to create what seems like a common thing in these of a 'clubsport/r26.r' inspired car. So, plans are a second bucket seat, either a re-trimmed or aftermarket steering wheel, waving goodbye to the rear seats and putting a half cage in and some sort of false floor to neaten it up a bit. Outside looks will be staying much the same for now but only because i can't decide what i want to do! This will be a long term project so unlikely to be many big updates in one go but if it keeps me addicted to the car it'll be worth it.

Next up is a trackday on the Bedford GT circuit on the 5th November, so if anyone else is going it would be nice to put some faces to usernames

 

[Yiannis197]

Nice pictures mate and totally understand your frustration. These cars are meant to be driven on a b Road, this is where they excel. However that's not the case on a power circuit, they just feel slow. On a small handful track though they are not bad at all.
Bit of advice. Don't go mental with the upgrades thinking that the car will be night and day different. If you want the car predominantly for track days and it has already put you off in OEM trim it will do so after the upgrades as well, you'll just end up selling and wasting money.

Good luck with whatever you decide and make sure you update this thread

 

[sevenfourate]

Im not sure i've seen or payed much attention to any Red 200's before. But looking at your pics its striking me how good the 200 shape looks in Red. The colour and the shape go really-really well together.

I also really like the stance of your car. The third picture you've just posted - is EXACTLY how i'd want mine to sit.

Yea....."lovely" !

 

[Jimmy]

Great photos and as Yiannis says, there's nothing like a good blast on awesome roads to help you fall back in love with a car again. Scotland is a great place for it too, I loved the NC500 earlier this year.