Engine/Gearbox
64mm throttle body - Car responded earlier in the rev range which is a good thing. Only took 3 15 minute drives to settle the idle rev. Straight forward install and immediate response.
Would I do it again? No* 7/10 £75
V6 Airbox - A bit of faffing about getting it to fit with the Odyssey battery. The difference in sound is insane. I pulled over shortly after installing cause I thought it fell off, it really is that loud. Another improvement in response.
Would I do it again? Yes 8/10 £145
Odyssey PC680 battery
A necessity to have the battery fit in the engine bay with the giant airbox. Less weight but in hindsight I should have just gone for a lithium ion unit. Slightly more coin but much lighter. Still the Odyssey is reasonably priced and has powered the car without fault even with the extra juice required from the upgraded stereo.
Would I do it again? No (Only cause you can get a lighter battery with a smaller foot print for not much more money) 7/10 £150
Custom Map
Hell yes. When you're looking at the Dyno monitor and you see the tiny gain you can't help but feel a little disappointed. What was surprising was how much it improved the drive. The torque from low down improved noticeably which is sorely needed on the 197. The custom tune was by Henk from Fast Chip. An OzRS member organised for a few of us to get a tune so he flew out to Aus to map some RS's
Would I do it again? Yes 11/10 £200
Akrapovic Exhaust
Beautiful piece of kit. Noticeable performance increase and sound is amazing. This with the airbox give it an incredible sound.
Would I do it again? Yes 10/10 £1000
Map Sensor Mod
For such a simple little thing to do and the effect it has on the damping of the flat spot it's a no brainer. BE CAREFUL though, if there is no play DO NOT force it. It will snap! I was unfortunate enough to snap someone else's at a Dyno day. Fortunately there was a couple of lovely tech's who fixed it.
Would I do it again? Yes 9/10 £4? (tube of silicon isn't much)
Sprintbooster
Lovely little unit and a nice and easy install. After reading various opinions throughout the interweb I came to a 50/50 decision. Most on here like it, elsewhere it's not received very positively. I took the punt and it's worth the coin.
Would I do it again? Yes 10/10 £175
Light weight Flywheel
There is not (well not when I was considering the purchase anyway) a great deal of info and experience on here regarding a lightened flywheel so I didn't have a high expectation of performance increase. The Quaife dropped to the price I wanted and knew the flywheel would go well with it along with Raptor's lightened crank pulley. I was really pleased with how the car revved with the Engine Dynamics flywheel. I think this mod is kind of underestimated. Flywheel + crank pulley + Sprintbooster = Win! The car flies through the rev range now.
Would I do it again? Yes 9/10 £273
Quaife LSD
A diff on any car is a good thing and the Quaife is no different. You can feel it tightening your line mid corner and the slip is from the outside wheel not the inside when you're pushing the car. I now enter corners slightly slower than before so I can get on the power earlier giving me better mid corner and corner exit speed.
Would I do it again? Yes 10/10 £500
Chassis
197 cup shocks + H&R springs
My car came with these and never really gave them a second thought until I drove a stock 200. It had body roll in the corners which I was unfamiliar with.
Would I do it again? Maybe. Only if they were half the price of KW V1's 7/10 £?
DS2500 pads, braided lines & brake fluid
Had my first track day coming up and had seen this was a proven path. No fade on either track day. There was a small improvement in braking performance but it wasn't night and day. The stock set up is pretty good but perhaps not ideal for track days. Goodridge lines and Motul 600 fluid.
Would I do it again? Yes (only cause the car goes to the track, if not don't bother) 7/10 £290
Engine mounts, Right mount and transmission mount (Vibratechnics) + dogbone mount & light weight crank pulley (Raptor6767)
Another pleasant surprise in performance. I got all these done at the same time to I can't rate them individually. Together they provide a significant improvement in response. The vibration at idle was a little harsh to start with, I really thought I'd crossed the line on a daily but they've calmed down a bit and now the casual vibes of the mounts combined with the sub pulsing is kind of relaxing.
Would I do it again? Yes 8/10 £280 (Vibratechnics) £190 (Raptor6767)
Oz Ultraleggera
They just match the Clio so well! Lighter than stock with a nice low offset really makes the car look much more purposeful. I've always loved the line from the roof down the A & C pillar to the massively flared arches. The car looks like it's reaching out for more tarmac to grip. The correct offset wheel completes that look. You can actually feel the difference at first when you're turning the wheel with the slightly less unsprung weight.
Would I do it again? Yes 10/10 £350 (second hand)
200 diffuser and C L I O debadge
Cosmetic changes are subjective so it's hard to say if they are good changes really. Personally I never liked the 197 diffuser, it looks cheap in unfinished plastic so I was super happy to pick up an anthracite 200 diffuser to match my wheels.
I'm also a no badges guy. I would prefer none at all but the RenaultSport one is still on there. Maybe one day I'll finally get rid of it.
Would I do it again? Yes 10/10 £150 (diffuser second hand)
Interior
When I can't use that awesome chassis I do love me some beats so set a budget of roughly £150 per component. The sound is obviously way better than stock but in hindsight I should have done rear's and sound deadening in the doors. The sound is all front stage, not well balanced at all but I rarely get to turn it up so I've just kind of got used to it.
KCE-400BT, Bluetooth Module £100
Alpine Headunit - IDA-X305S £150
Stalk Adapter £75
Focal 130 A1 5.25" Splits £110
Pioneer TS-SWX251 Preloaded 10" TS-SW251 Shallow-Mount Subwoofer Enclosure Box £113
XDI804 ARC AUDIO AMP 4-Channel £200
Stinger wiring £110
Would I do it again? Yes 7/10 Total cost = £858 + install
There was also postage and install fees with most of these purchases so the total spend is a little scary but that's modding...don't look at the total figure. Spend what you can afford and enjoy it.
*I would go the Sprintbooster instead of the 64mm throttle body next time around.
EDIT: fixed some of the wording
