RenaultSport Clio 182 Trophy

[SharkyUK]

July 2014 - (Further) Update

Wednesday 16-Jul-2014 and time to find a new home for the pink shed...

So, things took another step forward today thanks to the combined efforts of Fred@BTM, Chi and RSTuning. Fred for a cracking engine and gearbox build (and last spanner check), RS Tuning for taking in my car at short notice and Chi for being a bl00dy legend. In fact, I can't thank Chi enough for kindly offering his time and trailer to ship my car from Birmingham to Leeds with only a day or so notice. Thanks mate, I am very grateful and in your debt!

Thanks to Chi for the update photos as well (I might have Photoshopped them a bit).

The pink shed bids a fond farewell to BTM Performance. Fred, out of shot, was very sad to see it leave and offered his goodbyes with a two-fingered salute. At least I think that was what he was doing...

The shed's new home until Paul and the team at RS Tuning have chance to run it in and then map it. Exciting times indeed.

It might be a short while until it's done due to Paul's workload and schedule, but I thank them all the same for taking the car in and holding it for me in the meantime. Thanks guys.

 

[SharkyUK]

July 2014 - Home at last!

Friday 26-Jul-2014 and my beloved pink shed is finally back home.

After a year-and-a-half of trials and tribulations, ups and downs, blood, sweat and tears... (that''s just Fred!) I'm happy to say that my Trophy is finally home. This update will just attempt to pull together the last few days and also show the pictures that everyone REALLY wants to see. Yep, the dyno plot. I'm sure it will raise some debate. Boosted boys/girls... you can just move along! LOL!

So yes, jumping back a couple of days to the 24th and Paul at RS Tuning had time to turn his attention to my car. Fred popped up as well (for moral support?) and the car was run-in and mapping completed. An image showing that this car of mine did actually exist was also released on a popular social media site...

More importantly, the car was shown on the rollers and in one piece; with a pleasant lack of flames and debris. This, I was assured, was a good sign. I was sat at my workstation in work when I got the call that day to say that it hadn't gone bang and that it was ready for collecting. I won't lie, I was pretty excited. I wasn't expecting the call for a while so being ready so quickly was a pleasant surprise and very much a bonus. Now, my long-suffering boss has pretty much ridden the ups-and-downs of the last 18 months with me so I think this call also came as a relief to him. Before I'd put the phone down he had already nodded his agreement insofar that I could take the next day (Friday) off to collect it! He's a good boss like that

Arriving home Thursday evening I excitedly got a few bits together (including tax disc) ready for an early start on the Friday morning.

Friday 25th rolled around and I was up bright and early and off to catch the train. I wasn't looking forward to the journey in all truth as I'd had a bad night due to an upset stomach. But nothing was going to stop me collecting the damn thing!

Naturally, things didn't go so well. Whilst it was a day of excitement there's also a not so pleasant side due to said stomach upset. But I won't dwell on that too much! Suffice to say, a late train caused my first missed connection of the day and I had to get off the next train twice to find toilets. I hadn't even made it out of Wales by this point. In the end my timetable and train journey was out the window so I made it up as I went along. F**k it, the ticket had cost me £130 so I was going to make the most of it! Ultimately this meant I arrived in Leeds around 2pm instead of midday as I had hoped. After getting the keys from Paul and settling the bill I (admittedly nervously) got into the car and made my way home. Only 200 yards down the road I had to join the main road traffic and it was BUSY! After a few minutes waiting for a gap I finally spied one and went for it. As I had a certain amount of lock on and had to give it a few beans to get out it was immediately brought to my attention that I had indeed had a diff installed. LOL! It took me by surprise.

The rest is pretty boring so I'll spare the details. Basically I hit the M1 and it was a 7 hour journey before I finally rolled into my driveway. The Friday traffic was an absolute nightmare. On a couple of occasions I did have to lane-hop a bit to keep airflow over the rad as it got hot after a while in standing M1 traffic jams. Overall though, she did fine. No word of a lie, I probably didn't get above 50mph until after I passed Nottingham. It was that bad. The M42 wasn't great either but I hopped off to pop into Fred's to drop some bits off and to let him have a nosey. I know he's grown to love it and can't get enough of it... After a chat, a handshake and thanks for his efforts and I was on my way. Traffic was still sh!te.

Thankfully, things did get much better once I got onto the M50 and roads closer to home. That bit of the journey was good. Very good. Special even Especially the tunnels! It drove beautifully and - even with damper settings all over the place - I loved it. That alone made it all worthwhile.

So... we then roll into today (Saturday 26th). The car needed a clean as it was filthy. But it also needs miles put on the engine. No brainer. I called my mate John down in Weston-Super-Mare and agreed to pop over to see him. In hindsight, it might have been a mistake...

I hadn't even made it to the M4 and I got pulled by the police! No, I wasn't speeding and I hadn't given any reason for being pulled. I was quite literally pootling along and waiting for the engine to get up to temperature. Still, I got pulled over and the first line from the Officer was along the lines of, "...interesting sounding car you have here..." To be fair, I think he was expecting someone a bit younger than me and I think my advanced years probably threw him somewhat! LOL! I did think about playing the Damon Hill card but thought better of it... There followed a check of the lights, tyres, tread, and so forth. I jokingly said to the officer that I hope I wasn't going to get nicked as I'd only just got the car back! The only problem was the tax disc. It had the old tax disc on that expired a looong time ago. However, I did have the new tax disc in the glovebox with my licence but it wasn't on display. I hadn't put it in the tax disc holder as yet because I couldn't find a small enough Allen key. I was warned that it should be on display and to get it on display as soon as possible. And I was then on my way.

Hitting the M5 I realised that it was a stupid idea to head to Weston on a Saturday when the weather is good. The stop / start traffic was a pain (again) and I popped off early at the Nailsea junction just to go around the roundabout a few times to keep the car cool!

It took a while but I eventually made it to my mate's place. He was sat waiting along with @marc1330 and his awesome ITB's 172 Cup. It was a tidy little Clio meet, the only difference being that we actually talked to each other and had a few laughs... As said above, I was more interested in driving than cleaning it... but jon13s was disgusted and got his cleaning gear out! I didn't have to lift a finger whilst he snow-foamed and shampoo'd it for me. What an absolute star. He's now my official cleaning b!tch. Thanks mate!

I also cheekily made use of his trolley jack and set the dampers back to sensible settings. It just wasn't working having one set soft and the other quite firm! A drive later on confirmed that things were again set up nicely.

Ok, I think you've probably read enough waffle by now so let's get the dyno graph up. I don't have many other pics yet but they will be coming in a future update when I've put some miles on the car. Hopefully better quality pics, too! A smidgeon more torque would have been nice (it's a bit low for the spec really) but, judging by the way it drives, it's not too shabby! It was also 38 degrees in the dyno booth and I had no Lambda sensor so it will need mapping again properly at some point. With only 30 miles or so on the engine it's still incredibly tight though!

Before:

After:

Someone asked what it was like at idle once warmed up... but I can't remember who?!?! All I have so far is this video of my exhaust that I took just before going out earlier. It's a crap vid but it's all I've got for now; runs quite nicely I think (but the video doesn't do it justice).

[video=youtube;doK-J6_cv8U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doK-J6_cv8U[/video]

It sounds quite purposeful on the move.

I have a list of things to get for the car now, and things to do, and this will be happening over the next month or so. Happy days! Over the moon!

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Mini update

So... over the last 8-9 days I've put 600 miles on the Trophy. Obviously it still feels a little tight but it's running flawlessly and with zero problems. I was expecting to have to top up the coolant and add a splash of oil here and there but, so far, I've only used ~100 ml of oil (which is nothing). Likewise, I've had no problems with overheating but I've not had any problems with standing traffic either so airflow hasn't been a problem. To be fair, the only issue I have is one of 'respect' for my neighbours. It's not the quietest of things from cold start and sounds like a bag of spanners! LOL! You certainly notices the vibration through the cabin as well with the uprated mounts. Jeez... the steering wheel shakes and forget looking through the rear view mirror. Everything is blurred! LOL!

So yes, I'm enjoying putting the miles on it. It really drives beautifully once warmed up. Whilst the Quaiffe "isn't a proper diff" (amazing how many people like to keep reminding me about that one!) it does make a significant difference and perfectly complements the Trophy suspension. Well, now that I've set the Sachs up correctly. I never realised they had 36 clicks of adjustability?!?!?!?! I just have to resist the temptation to throw the car into the corners when I've got passengers in as I don't have harnesses fitted.

Obviously the bulk of the work is done but there are just a few minor things that are left to do.

Firstly I bought a Mocal catch tank along with some brake fluid and Millers oil.

Fred recommended the Millers and a change to 10w60 with regards to the higher compression. I have some Ferodo DS2500's that will be fitted very shortly to replace what I am currently running (I think they are Brembo as my old pads crumbled). The Brembo's are in good condition so will be kept.

The Mocal will be added in the next week or so as well (thanks to a friendly pair of hands) and a bit of fabrication work to lower the position of the GEN90 ECU. This will then allow me to add another item I've ordered - Pure Motorsport Top Mounts and strut.

I've also been talking to a lad who does some rather nice welding and fabrication of alloy radiators, catch tanks, and so forth. Come next pay day I'll be paying him a visit to get a proper rad solution in place.

At this moment in time I don't really have much more to add. I've got a pre-cat Lambda sensor coming that needs fitting and my insurance is also due in the next few days. Ouch, it's been an expensive month! LOL!

I'll hopefully get some more updates soon (and some videos all being well).

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Mini update #2

Nothing is ever simple with this cursed car, is it? FFS...

As I mentioned in an update a couple of pages back, I had ordered a few more parts and today they were being fitted (along with a bit of fabrication work in the engine bay). I was on an airport run for a friend and, being in the Somerset area initially, I naturally dropped the car with Dan at SJM. The plans were to:

• drop the ECU as it sat too high in the engine bay
• add a MOCAL oil catch tank into the mix
• new brake pads to be fitted, obviously with fresh brake fluid
• new pre-cat lambda sensor
• fitting of Pure Motorsport top mounts and strut

To be honest, it was actually Dan's fault as he made the mistake of saying that it was a fairly straight forward job and shouldn't take too long... As you'd probably expect (or Fred would know!) that's never quite the case with this f'ing car. If I just roll back an hour or so...

Setting off from Wales we hit torrential rain as we crossed the Severn estuary and I'm still not sure how my good lady and I made it down the M49 and M5. The wipers couldn't cope with the deluge, the motorways flooded as they couldn't copy with the deluge and I almost had my better half hanging out the car as we struggled to identify where the edge of the roads / lanes actually were! It was ridiculous. Thankfully it didn't last too long and another 10 miles down the M5 and we were back on dry tarmac and blue skies! But, strangely, I had thought that the suspension felt a little crashy. I was not 100% sure though; I hadn't driven the car for a long time and was swapping between a few different cars from one day to the next. I thought I maybe wasn't used to it again and the fact it was feeling different due to the addition on the diff. I thought nothing of it and carried on; the roads were generally good and it was handling fine.

Having arrived at Dan's workshop, I handed him the keys and parts I'd sourced and discussed plans for the engine bay. It looked straightforward enough to modify the ECU bracket and to fit the MOCAL catch tank so no problems were envisaged. Hence, I carried on my way and left the man to do his magic.

It wasn't long before I got a message that something wasn't quite right. Dan asked if I'd noticed anything weird regarding the handling; specifically on the drivers side (front). I mentioned the crash-ness and was then told that there was an issue with the Sachs damper. Basically it was f**ked! It was simply moving in/out and offering zero damping whatsoever. No amount of priming or fiddling could temporarily sort it so... yep. Rebuild time. This was a bit unexpected and money is tight at the moment. On top of paying for the recent work, today's work, MOT, tax and insurance (due this week) I'm also moving from my old house to a new one (and currently having to pay for both). Pay day can't come quick enough this month! LOL! Of course I was annoyed but, given the story of the car, it perhaps shouldn't have come as a surprise! My initial thought was one of dismay as it was yet another setback; and I just want to get out and drive/enjoy it. My second thought was also one of dismay. As I have no chance of getting the Sachs rebuilt in the near future it threw into doubt the forthcoming Llandow track day, my first visit to Clio Sport Saturday and a week's driving holiday I've organised in Scotland in a few weeks time. You could say I was a bit pi$$ed.

Of course, there was also another slight hiccup. Again - nothing major - but enough to give Dan a headache! (Sorry mate!) In removing the old strut to make way for the new PMS kit, the strut cross threaded. Hence Dan had to run a die up and down it. Sadly this meant he had to go out and chase up various people until he could find what he needed. After a few dead-ends he thankfully found what he needed Plenty of M12 when what you really want is M14... I was grateful for him running around and sourcing the part so happy days and many thanks

Moving on a few hours to when I went to collect it...

Yep. The damper is f**ked alright. Absolutely nothing working with it! On a quick test drive that Dan had taken, it was now obvious that the damper was screwed. The addition of the excellent PMS kit highlighted the issue as it just caused knocking over anything but the slightest undulation in the road surface. Dammit. On the plus side, the new kit looked great

To facilitate the fitting of the PMS kit, Dan dropped my ECU by 35mm so as not to foul the strut. It now sits at a much more pleasing level in the engine bay. He also added the MOCAL catch tank flush with my existing setup and I was able to retain the battery cover. I was expecting to lose it but, now it's being kept, I will get it polished up and/or sprayed to match the rest of the bay. All I need now is to replace the horrible blue pipe with red and to fit a filter to the other outlet from the catch tank. This will be happening very soon. Sorry for the poor mobile phone pics.

Another minor issue was with the brakes. The fronts were binding a bit (maybe from having been stood so long) so I'm keeping an eye on that. It wasn't too bad on the way home so we'll see how that goes.

To finish up, a fellow Clio enthusiast turned up at Dan's for a quick spin in the Trophy (wanting to see what the ITB's were like). I think he liked them

As of this moment in time, I'm trying to get something sorted so that I can take the Trophy out at Llandow a week on Wednesday, so that I can attend Clio Sport Saturday and so that I can take my T on the Scotland holiday / drive that my car club has organised. I really don't want to miss out on these events. I'm gagging to drive and enjoy the car now. Fingers crossed!

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Mini update #3

Today was... interesting. It didn't quite pan out as I'd expected. It was a day of lost tempers, Recaro-fuelled violence and a dash light telling me to STOP. It did end on an relative high, though. You have to take these positives when and where you can. Oh, my insurance renewal was good, too. Sure, it costs money but Dan at Greenlight was able to offer a great package so that's most definitely a positive in my eyes.

I'm currently in the middle of moving from one house to another so, late last night, I dropped the rear seats in the Trophy, loaded up a few bits and pieces and ferried them over to the new pad. It was the first time I'd ventured to the new place at night and I was struck by just how quiet the area is. How quiet it was. Whilst not silly-loud, the Trophy does have a somewhat distinctive sound now and attempting to drive slowly onto my new driveway quite simply didn't work. Especially as the revs rose to combat the somewhat steep ascents and descents that frequent the area around the place I will soon be calling home. Sure enough, security lights popped on here and there; a few curtains twitched. But no dramas. Even so, I did the courteous thing and turned off my headlights. I'm still not sure if this was an attempt to become 'stealthier' or simply a misguided belief that switching off the lights would actually result in a quieter car... but I digress.

My main point is that, on both the journey to the new pad and the return journey to my current pad, the car was driving beautifully. Despite the knackered shock. I was able to get a better idea of what the car is like now that the work has been carried out and how it differs compared to the old setup. Hence, an enthusiastic drive home was enjoyed and I went to sleep happy. Fast forward to this morning...

I pulled into the work car park and, as I came to a stop in the bay, the car cut out. I got a brief flash of dash lights but was unable to determine which symbols had been illuminated. With a fresh turn of the key I noticed that the STOP light was illuminated, as was the battery charge warning light. A further turn of the key made no difference as the car quite simply refused to kick into life. Opening up the bonnet I took a quick look in the engine bay but was unable to see anything immediately obvious. It would have to wait until lunch time as I had to be in work and my frustration was starting to build. Closing the bonnet I returned to the passenger door, opened it up and slid the Recaro Trendline seat forward (to access my jacket and bits for work). And then it jammed. The damn seat would not move on the rail. It would not tilt. It wouldn't do anything and no amount of swearing could budge it. As daft as it sounds, I flipped. I locked up the car and went into the office in a very bad mood. My (very understanding) boss picked up on this. Perhaps it wasn't wise giving him a kick in the shins as I went past him, but he knew immediately it was car related.

Joking aside, today was the first day I actually felt like throwing in the towel. Despite the time scales, the setbacks, etc. only today did I honestly feel like getting the car crushed and cubed. I'm naturally a very laid back person but this actually affected my whole day! I basically wrote the working day off, apologised to my boss and my team, and agreed to make up the hours over the rest of the week. I spoke to a friend who works with me and he agreed to meet me in the car park at lunch time with tools!

Whilst waiting for him, I decided to tackle the Recaro problem. It was still stuck fast so I quite simply put the boot in. I kicked it a few times. Real hard I'm not proud... but it worked! LOL! And it works fine again now. The only downer is that I scuffed it a little where I landed a particularly hefty blow, but it came out later with some TLC. My friend turned up shortly to lend a hand. It didn't take long to find the problem. Alternator. The connection to the alternator had completely snapped off. This had resulted in a discharged battery and, obviously, no recharging of the battery.

With luck, I did manage to jump in the car and got it to turn over. Immediately in doing so I got my friend to follow me home so that I could get the car on my driveway before it completely packed up. It was only a 10 mile journey or so and thankfully I made it. With it parked on my drive, I returned to work in my friends Subaru and with frustrations at an all time high. I contacted my local auto-electrician (0.5 miles away from my house) but they would not fix it. They wanted to recover it to their workshop first... no chance! It was shortly after that I received a message from another friend who offered to pop over with some tools and lend a hand in re-attaching the wire. Whilst I worked the end of my day (and arranged for my better half to pick me up) my friend spent about an hour trying to find somewhere selling the required 49p terminal connector. Nowhere local had one! Oh well, temporary job it would be for now then... And, as good as his word, Sean turned up and kindly connected things back up. After another trip home, Sean returned to my place again with his jump leads and Le Clio B**tard Rouge came to life. It was only fair that I take Sean for a quick spin, so I did! All in the name of recharging the battery...

A short while later, another friend turned up in his RS2'd Trophy and I naturally took him for a spin as well. More battery charge was needed...

Whilst discussing the woes of the car, and how addictive the ITB sound is, attention turned to the knackered damper. As luck would have it, Sean also had a couple of sets of 182 Cup shocks available so they will be going on in the coming days... It looks like I will now be making the track day, ClioSport Saturday and my Scottish driving holiday. The Sachs dampers will be sent off and rebuilt when next payday rolls around. Or maybe the payday after that! LOL! Again, I can't thank all those who offered help (again) enough. The support has been incredible. Offers of time, help, tools and even loaning of cars. I'm genuinely overwhelmed and grateful. Thanks to each and every person; you know who you are

Gratuitous bwaaaarpage.

Enough waffle. I'm knackered.

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Update

Trackday prep... getting ready for a shakedown!

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Mini update #5

It's not much of an update really but I thought I'd post up a couple of vids I made today (well, yesterday). As you may have read in a recent update, one of my dampers quite spectacularly failed. Thankfully a local friend (cheers, Sean!) popped round to my place with a spare set of 182 Cup dampers and also gave up his lunchtime to fit them for me. Naturally I'm extremely grateful as this now means I can venture out at Llandow, get along to ClioSport Saturday and enjoy my driving holiday in Scotland.

Hmmm, yes. The damper. The following video I made shows just how bad it was. Absolutely no damping whatsoever (apart from maybe the last 3mm of travel). The confusing thing is that I've not noticed any leaks or problems. It just became very crashy having got it back after the engine build and now I know why. Dan (SJM) did say it was in a bit of a state and he wasn't wrong...

[video=youtube;ZCWJQCizSEE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCWJQCizSEE[/video]

I'd also like to thank Tim for sending me the read silicone hosing! I am now free of that nasty blue thing and the engine bay is looking a lot better for it. Many thanks Tim, you are a gentleman and fwend. Having fitted the hose, I took the liberty to grab a quick video of the car at idle. I didn't want to rev the nuts off it because my neighbour had just come home from working a double-shift at the hospital...

[video=youtube;DwgBC6VBygc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwgBC6VBygc[/video]

EDIT: My smartphone doesn't do the sound justice to be fair.

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Mini update #6

Blah...Just a small update to keep things moving along whilst the minor niggles and finer points on the car are sorted out...

Last Wednesday saw the arrival of the infamous BurpSpeed track day at Llandow; arguably the highlight of my track day calendar! The arrival of the track day also served to bring some good people closer to this great place we call Wales. Either that or the social gathering at the nearby Travelodge / Harvester the evening before...

Knowing that a bunch of good mates were staying over at the Travelodge, and more were due to arrive over the evening, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. A flick of the mouse and Windows was soon shutting down... which was timed to coincide nicely with that point in the day when my boss takes his late afternoon toilet break. Purely coincidental. Honest. So yes, I bailed out of work, went straight home, got changed and made the short journey over to Pencoed. Pulling into the Harvester car park some 30 minutes later I was soon greeted by familiar faces. I think they may have heard the car entering the car park to be honest (even though I tried to be as discreet as possible). I was soon lubed up with J2O's finest pear juice and chewing the fat with Cub, Tim, JP83, Christopher, Euan95, Pete and others (apologies for not mentioning you by name but I can't be ar$ed digging out all the usernames. Rest assured, it was properly lovely to see you all x)

I'd managed about half of the J2O when attentions turned to the Trophy and I offered to take Oli out for a spin. It would have been rude not to. After all, she was warm and the mileage was helping loosen her up nicely (the Trophy, not Oli). Handily the dual carriageway wasn't too far away so I could happily blast up and down that at 69.9mph. It's hard to describe the sound it makes. It's definitely ITB-like. It's a kinda barking growl that increases in volume the further you push the loud pedal. Or something like that. Regardless, it was/is immensely addictive and I enjoyed the blast up and down the carriageway (at 69.9mph). I think/hope Oli enjoyed it, too.

On arrival back at the pub car park I was met by Chris (or was it Tim? My ageing memory fails me...) Hence we were straight back out on the dual carriageway for another gentle drive. And so the trend continued. Each time I returned to the car park another one of the lads were waiting in line to go for a spin! I think it was a good half hour before I got back to finish the remainder of my J2O... That said, I thoroughly enjoyed it (especially under the motorway bridges) and luckily the police rapid response vehicle was clearly after somebody else. <clench> Phew. </unclench>

After the arrival of Jay, Tony, Matt and others I enjoyed a bite to eat, a bit of banter and had to head home. Naturally I took the scenic route home and - ooft - the T really loves that crisp, cold night air.

Wednesday morning arrived and I left early to meet a few guys at Cardiff West Services; from there we would head in to Llandow together. Eventually we got Gavin out of bed and the convoy rolled forth. The traffic wasn't so bad but being stuck behind an articulated truck meant we couldn't enjoy the country road leading to the venue as much as we perhaps could have done otherwise. Still, we were at the circuit a half hour later and soon enjoying the breakfast and briefing. And... get this... it was dry and warm! DRY AND WARM! Rejoice, the God of track days was smiling down on Llandow for once.

Being on photography duty for the morning (thanks to Jay and Tony asking me along again - something I am always happy to do) I spent the time grabbing shots of folks enjoying themselves over the rather grippy and abrasive surface that comprises Llandow's short, but sweet, layout. The weather made it a pleasure and it was good to see people enjoying themselves, their cars and the venue. Both track drivers new and experienced were flying around in no time. Happy days

During the lunch break I took the opportunity to head out on the local roads with Marc (owner of the ITB's 172 Cup) to get the Trophy warmed up a little. A few miles of driving and I returned to the circuit, strapped the helmet on and went out for what was effectively a shakedown! LOL! After a few warmup and familiarisation laps I decided to ramp things up a bit and started to use that loud pedal more. It was awesome. It was awesome for a few hundred metres. The revs suddenly rose sharply and, realising I wasn't in third gear, I slotted the shifter back into third. Alas, the same thing happened again a couple of corners later... And so this continued for the rest of the day. I just got not keep it in third gear and, unsurprisingly, third gear is quite useful at Llandow. *sigh*

Thankfully the problem does not seem, or feel, serious. And it only affects 3rd gear, too. There is no clanging, no banging and the gearbox is otherwise spot-on. It was getting very warm but this may be due to the fact that it is probably due a fluid change and the fact that it's running on semi-synthetic stuff used to run in the gearbox. As I wasn't too concerned I continued to take a few people out over the course of the day but didn't really have use of that 3rd gear. It made chasing people down difficult whilst conversely allowed people to easily get by. Pah! But it was still immense fun! By this time, the gear had started to slip out of 3rd under hard acceleration, braking and cornering. As a result, I headed in and allowed everything to cool down before heading out for a handful of laps right at the end of the day. And that's when it happened... I got things warmed up and then was able to enjoy TWO full-on hot laps without any incident at all. And she flew. Those two laps made it all worthwhile and what a car; it all came together so well and it was a genuine joy to drive.

The next lap naturally saw the gear slide out again so I dived in and called it a day. I was a bit frustrated but still had enjoyed the day immensely. Filters even managed to catch a bit of a flyby on his phone... thanks mate! You might need to turn the sound up a bit as it's a tad quiet...

[video=youtube;zVt3HBzhino]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVt3HBzhino[/video]

As ClioSport Saturday is tomorrow I am still looking to head over in the Trophy. Jay Payne has kindly free'd up his evening for me and I am heading over there later to change the gearbox fluid and to get a closer look at the gearbox linkage. A massive thanks to Jay - it is very much appreciated and I have this here Carling stuff for you... Hopefully we might get a result tonight (ooer) or at least be able to rule a couple of things out. As I said, I'm not too concerned as it seems a very minor niggle and I'd be happy to drive to CSS without 3rd gear if necessary!

 

[SharkyUK]

August 2014 - Update from ClioSport Saturday

Just a quick pic as it's not everyday I get to park next to RenaultSport's own Trophy #001 of 500

 

[SharkyUK]

September 2014 - Dammit update

So yeah... pretty much f**ked off with the car at the moment. I'm sick of the sight of it. It now also looks like a bearing or two are on the way out and then this happened today as well. Just give me a break!!!!

 

[SharkyUK]

October 2014 - Update #1

Just a quick update to say that the components for my new radiator / fan setup have arrived and I'll soon be getting them fitted (all being well). A big thanks to Scott Morgan for his handiwork and fabrication skills Oh, and for the photos. Ignore the fact that the pictured Clio is blue... it's just the radiator setup I'm having but obviously shown on another customer's car!

All being well I shouldn't have overheating problems again.

 

[SharkyUK]

October 2014 - Update #2

Over the last few days I decided to remove my grille and refurbish it. After years of abuse the once-black grille had become somewhat grey-ish in colour. Things didn't quite go to plan when I accidentally broke the top of the grille when removing it. Whilst trying to be firm yet careful, I was a little too firm... Oh well, those top two clips didn't do much to hold it in place anyway!

With the front grille removed I got a good view of the crappy radiator than will soon be replaced (with the item shown in my previous update). I can't wait to be rid of it; too much of a liability.

With the grille removed, I set about sanding it down and cleaning it thoroughly. I then cheekily used the good lady's hair dryer to ensure it was fully dry before applying any paint. I simply used a spray can of Halford's primer and gradually built up 3-4 layers over the evening.

Having left the grille overnight to dry I began to apply the paint; again I simply used a spray can of Halford's satin black and gradually built up the layers over time. After 4-5 layers over the day I was happy with the finish.

Earlier today I took advantage of the decent weather and went to fit the grille back on to the car.

And here are a few more pics of the final result. I'm quite happy with how it's turned out.

Perhaps I should have added a couple of layers of lacquer for extra protection though. Oh well, maybe next time! And I really need to get the carbon fibre splitter sorted now...

 

[SharkyUK]

November 2014 - Update #1

Time for a quick update...

As mentioned in a previous post I had a problem with one of my brake calipers a while back. Thankfully George came forward and kindly sent me his old set, and these did the job nicely. At that time, a rather kind gent by the (user)name Phase1sr also offered to refurb my old calipers for me (including new seal kit, etc). I was more than happy to accept his generous offer and I'm happy to report that I have now received them back and they are looking good. A big thanks to both George and Scott for their time and efforts.

My intention was to post up some pics of the newly rebuilt / refurbed calipers but - alas - my DSLR has thrown a wobbly and the only thing I can get out of it is error codes so... they'll have to wait until another update. In the meantime, here are a few pics that Scott kindly sent me.

The old (and faulty) set as he received them.

After a quick wash in the tank.

You can see the scoring on the piston.

The new seal / piston kit that Scott sourced and fitted for me.

At this point I'd normally post the pics of the reassembled items but - due to the camera fail - they'll have to wait...

So, in other news I decided to treat the Trophy to it's winter coat and protection today. I'd also opted to get the paintwork colour corrected but the Welsh weather wasn't playing ball so it's been postponed until another time. However, it did get a thorough clean inside and out and a good old polish, wax and seal. I would like to say I worked tirelessly on it... but I would be telling porkies. Being extremely busy at the moment I decided to ask a friend of mine (who just happens to be a professional valeter and detailer) to come over and do it. Considering the awful conditions he did a great job. Here are a few pics courtesy of Sean at Pure Auto Valeting.

Whipping up the lather.

Giving the belts (seat, not cam) some love.

Looking a bit nicer...

Despite not being able to colour correct the paintwork I'm still more than happy with the job. It looks superb and was sorely needed (remembering that this was the first proper clean in almost two years!) The paintwork felt like sandpaper, now it feels silky smooth. And the beading is back as opposed to the clumping! Happy days Thanks to the boys at Pure Auto Valeting for another quality job.

Of course, as nice as it is to have a clean car these cars are all about fun. And I decided to take it out for a blast the other weekend. Thankfully the weather was dry and cool, the roads were empty and a route to a favourite cafe was plotted. And it was... ok. It's come to light that there appears to be an issue with the mapping. I suspect this is due to the fact (maybe?) that the new engine was mapped on a faulty lambda sensor and now that I have a new one the map is off a little (especially lower down the rev range). At higher speeds the car drives nicely but, sadly, those speeds are too much for the public roads. There seems to be issues around the 2.1k and 3k marks with flat spots and misfires. The rear end of the car is also covered in black soot and fumes are rather... strong! It's just another thing to add to the list of outstanding issues I guess *sigh*.

I'm hoping to get the following done over the coming months:

• New radiator (still waiting due to radiator core being on backorder)
• Gearbox (still no third gear when enjoying a spirited drive / trackday)
• Map tweaks (to try and address the flatspots and misfires)
• Sachs dampers (to be rebuilt as one has completely failed, and will be re-fitted after winter)

I think that will do for now. Cheers!

 

[SharkyUK]

November 2014 - Update #2

Newly rebuilt and refurbed calipers...

005 by scottieraven, on Flickr

011 by scottieraven, on Flickr

006 by scottieraven, on Flickr

 

[SharkyUK]

November 2014 - Update #3

Another quickie..

Not that much to report at the moment, apart from the fact that I threw my toys out the pram again after a few more issues with the Trophy. Sure, they are only small issues (and, as suggested by a friend or two, I should "man up") but after almost two years now of not being able to enjoy this car it has worn me right down to the point where I'm close to snapping! Hahaha!

Thankfully a good mate calmed me down (the dulcet tones of a certain Mr Clark, without an 'e') and the love affair is on again. Possibly. She's a cruel mistress though.

So - this week I have a couple of things planned. Firstly I will be getting the map looked at on Wednesday night to see if / what the issues may be in the lower realms of the rev range. The Trophy is producing a LOT of black crap (all over it's immaculately detailed ass), is averaging around 18-19mpg regardless of how steady I drive, is struggling with flat spots and a misfire below 3k and is struggling to start in a morning. I'm currently having to sit with the gas pedal in and the needle at around 3k rpm for a few minutes each morning to stop it spluttering and cutting out. My neighbours aren't impressed. And it's not even got to the coldest of nights yet (although last night was a chiller).

Secondly, I received the news earlier today that the core for my new rad setup has finally arrived. Everything is being welded and fabricated tomorrow and then I am off to Hereford to get it fitted on Saturday morning. Finally! I can't wait to be honest.

Talking of last night being a chiller, I had another issue this morning whereby the inside of my car windscreen and side windows were frozen solid. I couldn't get the heaters on because the car wouldn't start and I couldn't easily clear the inside due to no engine running and no heat... catch-22! I checked the seals later in the day and all appears waterproof and airtight. I think the issue maybe due to the fact I had the whole interior washed and shampoo'd last week when it was detailed. With the weather turning so poor, it's not fully dried out and I think that's where the moisture is coming from (seats, carpets, headliner).

 

[SharkyUK]

November 2014 - Update #4

A few things have happened over the last couple of days that have resulted in an elevation in my mood! Apart from the bit where I'm expecting the first points on my licence... s**t!

Anyways, I was able to make use of a dongle, software and laptop to hook into the GEN90 ECU the other night. The plan was to take a look at what the ECU was seeing in terms of sensor readings and, most importantly, to stay WELL clear of anything that didn't make sense... Such as the mapping tables! LOL! To cut a long story short, the sensors were looking spot on and certainly returning what appeared to be valid results. But... the lambda/oxygen sensor was disabled. No wonder fitting a new sensor recently hadn't made any difference... The new sensor was simply enabled and - well - the difference was noticeable. No more issues around 2k and no more issues around 3k either. It's now a LOT smoother and civilised and I can drive around at 30mph in 5th without the engine stuttering, kangarooing and stalling. My mpg has also improved somewhat. It was around 18-20mpg. Now I'm hovering around the 30mpg mark when driving steady. That makes me happy

Another good piece of news is that the cold start is improved, too. Just a single little blip to get her started and she idles fine now and warms up nicely. It sounds like a bag of spanners admittedly (cold forged components!) and rather lumpy, but no stalling and no drastic rpm drops leading to stalls.

The only downside of recent days is that I got caught speeding on the M5 motorway My first ever points. With roadworks closing my normal route home, I was diverted along a section of the motorway I don't know and carried on at my 80mph cruising speed... bad idea. I got caught by an overhead gantry camera The annoying thing is that I might have got away with it (and a talking to) if a police patrol had pulled me, but a camera on an empty motorway at 1am in the morning doesn't issue warnings! I think I was literally on the camera's trigger speed as my TomTom audible speed alert was set at 80mph and hadn't sounded. Oh well, I'm expecting a letter through the door very soon...

But I don't want to end on a sour note so I'm happy to report that Scott contacted me yesterday with pics of my new purchases. A new custom rad/fan setup and header tank. The radiator is being fitted tomorrow and the header tank will be fitted as soon as the cap arrives for it. Here are a few pics of my items waiting for me...

By the way, that second Clio rad (same spec as mine) is also for sale if anyone is interested... the quality is outstanding!

 

[SharkyUK]

November 2014 - Update #5

As alluded to in my update yesterday, I took a road trip this morning to see ScottRallye in order to get the new radiator/fan fitted and to pick up the header tank (sadly the header tank will have to be fitted at a later date as I need to get hold of a suitable cap first). Scott was kind enough to take time out of his day to fit the radiator for me whilst I generally got in the way and had a nosey at some of the other beautifully fabricated and welded items that he and Matt have produced (pics to follow). Naturally I am grateful for his time, help and expertise and extend my thanks to him.

Please excuse the not-so-good quality of the mobile phone photos because, like an idiot, I didn't take my camera with my as I had intended to. Suffice to say, the quality of the radiator (and header tank) is superb. Functional and good to look at; beautifully fabricated and welded. These items most certainly are NOT like the cr*p you can get off e-bay and consequently aren't the cheapest. BUT, they are worth every penny (in my opinion) and if you are investing a significant chunk of money on your car/engine then it makes sense to also have an adequate cooling system. I'm in no way affiliated to where Scott works but would highly recommend you give him a shout if you are serious about getting a proper radiator setup done (or indeed header tank, catch tank, custom pipework, etc.) I'll post up a few pics as I go along...

To start with, here's a side-by-side comparison of the new radiator and the old Polo rad that I was running. Obviously the new radiator is running a considerably more efficient cooling core and is double the thickness.

With regards to the radiator, it was/is a breeze to fit. Simply take the old one off, drill an additional hold for a securing bolt and drop in the new radiator. It fits like a glove. It was designed specifically for these cars hence offers this nice drop-in ease of fitting. My radiator also has the SPAL VA07 PULL fan that is PROPERLY fitted and sealed against the radiator core. Rather than sitting a short distance away from the core and pulling through surrounding air, this is sat flush against the rad and also sealed to ensure that all air pulled through it actually comes through the rad (and naturally offers maximum possible cooling).

You can just see in the photo above where you need to drill an additional hole for securing the rad via the mm perfect bracket. Damn it looks good! The picture below also gives you some idea as to the room in the engine bay that this setup has afforded me (and, again, where you need to drill that hole for the bracket).

All back together! It's a shame that it's hidden because I just want to show it off...

As mentioned above, I had a bit of a nosey around the storeroom and shelves whilst Scott wrestled with removing the bumper. I'm sure he won't mind if I post a few pics showing off their handiwork...

I guess the quality of products speak for themselves when your client-base included WRC and F1 teams

 

[SharkyUK]

January 2015 - Update #1

It's been a little while since I've updated this thread (and a few people have been asking where things are currently at) so I thought I'd take a moment to bring you lovely people up to speed. But first a warning... it's been kinda quiet, a bit boring in fact, and many of the niggles still haven't been sorted for one reason or another.

A few days after Christmas my good lady and I made our way to a local pub / restaurant to have a meal with my sister's boyfriend and his family. It was a very cold and icy night and, upon arriving at the restaurant, we parked up in the middle; well away from anyone (although there were only two or three cars in the entire place). I must add, we were in the Type-R on this occasion. To cut a long story short it was towards the end of the and I noticed a flurry of lights in the car park, followed by a crash and the tell-tale signs of a car alarm going off; the Type-R's. Despite a pretty much empty car park a young guy (a chef at the restaurant) had managed to crash his car into it. Maybe if he'd cleared his windows before setting off and tried to keep it at a sensible speed it wouldn't have happened... I shot out just in case he had decided to make a run for it but he had stopped and details were exchanged. Despite a rather hefty bump that knocked it out the parking space, the suspension was fine (later verified at a garage) and it was just panel damage that needed attention. Being a young lad he decided not to go through his insurance (he already had a fault claim against him) and wanted to simply for repairs. As I type this, the Type-R is being repaired at a local bodyshop. So, not a good end to the year nor the start of a new one.

Thankfully, the Trophy remained safe ...at least until the next day. My parents were staying over for a few days and - unfortunately - my mother hadn't put the handbrake on. The result was their car rolling down the drive into the Trophy. Admittedly it's not a huge slope by any means but I was worried about my brand new radiator setup and the front bumper was hanging lower than it should. I was too p***ed off to check it so I uncoupled the cars and left it to the next day. Luckily there didn't seem to be any damage apart from a few scuffs, but the bumper is now a bit loose and sits lower than normal. *sigh*

Even so, with it being New Year's Eve, I decided to break out the washing gear and give the Trophy and Type-R some love. A few shots (sorry they are driveway shots; I've not had much chance to get out recently).

Here you can clearly see the damage on the Type-R (I managed to pop some of it out myself).

As mentioned an update or two back, my Trophy had started getting very damp inside and the windows would be frozen inside on the colder, icy mornings. It wasn't obvious why this was happening as the seals, etc. seemed fine. Fast forwarding to a couple of weeks ago I now know the reason why... I discovered a puddle of water in my passenger footwell There's obviously a leak somewhere so it needed to be found and sorted out.

Having spoken to a few people it seems most likely that there is a blocked drain somewhere at the foot of the windscreen, possibly the central drain. Water appears to be collecting somewhere and then entering the car through the heater matrix. Sadly though I'm still carrying an injury and that makes working on the car quite tricky at the moment. Thankfully the driver side drain is easy enough to check so I decided to have a look at that side and to make sure it was clear... and it was. BUT, I was surprised at how loose the scuttle panel was and even more surprised when it literally just pulled off with little to no resistance! On closer inspection it became obvious why. It seems the clips are not in great condition and the plastic screw (I'm assuming it was plastic) is no longer holding down the panel. You can see the missing screw in the picture below. It looks like the head has snapped off basically. New panel needed I think.

I was hoping to get some help from one or two friends but sadly poor health and this...

...has hampered efforts. It doesn't help that the Trophy is not garaged and thus feeling the full force of the crap weather. I'm just attempting to keep the footwell as dry as possible until I can get it sorted. Heated driveways FTW...

The ongoing gearbox problem still hasn't been looked at as I haven't been able to get the car over to Fred's at BTM. I am hoping to get this done in the next fortnight or so but continuing to drive the car in the meantime. It's all good apart from the 3rd gear... so I miss it out when I'm pushing on Talking of driving it, that brings me on to the next problem.

It really doesn't seem to be running so good at the moment. It's verging on being undriveable on cold mornings and, even when warmed up, it's having real issues if the revs drop below 2.5k. I don't know what's going on so will be getting this looked at as soon as possible. It's fine above 4k rpm (or so it seems) but struggling otherwise. The mpg continues to decline... and this is driving steady!

I've not got much more to add at this moment as I want to get these outstanding issues sorted. I'm starting to get really frustrated again with the car at the moment as it's now been TWO YEARS TO THE DAY since I've been able to drive it properly! *sigh* Oh yeah, I still need to get the Sachs dampers rebuilt, new header tank fitted, new pin from Jenvey to replace the one that broke on my ITB throttle assembly, get a new steering wheel (or get it refurbed), sort the scuffs and dents on the bodywork, put my 'everyday' tyres on as the Fed 595 RSR's aren't great in the ice and snow, replace my centre console as the paint is flaking off, and a few other things as well.

Le Clio Bast*rd Rouge.

 

[SharkyUK]

January 2015 - Update #2

So... where to begin...

It's certainly been an emotional 7-odd years or so since I bought the Trophy; a car I instantly fell in love with simply due to the sheer fun and miles of smiles it afforded me. Those that have been daft enough to follow this thread will know the highs and the lows I've experienced, the emotional rollercoaster that has been my journey with this car. A car that is affectionately now known as Le CBR... Le Clio Bas***d Rouge (a name so deserved and fitting, courtesy of Fred at BTM). Through the often frustrating times and incredible lows I've experienced, I remember - in equal measure - those incredibly enjoyable moments I've had with it. Driving the length and breadth of the UK, around Europe; enjoying some of the best driving roads that this continent has to offer. Enjoying a few track days along the way, too. And - especially - the wonderful people I have met purely through Clio ownership.

And so, with a heavy heart and further tears, I have to officially announce that the Trophy will be staying in my possession forever. As stated many times before it is a keeper and I don't plan on getting rid of it. Yes, I know there will be more tears, more tantrums and more drama than your weekly soap omnibus... but it's my Trophy, it's got under my skin, and I'm keeping it. And I've spent far too much on it. It has NOT been sold. Even though Russ offered me TWO Mars Bar multi-packs I politely declined.

All I can say is that I hope you continue to follow my thread now and again, or dip in occasionally to see what particular issue I'm battling with at that particular time. My future dream is to be able to - one day - get out and enjoy this wonderful car. It will happen. I have to keep telling myself that...

Thanks for watching

And on a slightly more serious note, I would like to thank those that have kindly offered their help and support with the car recently - Filters, George182, Russ_16v, Phase1sr, Dan (SJM) and others. I am grateful and will give you a shout if there's something that you might be able to help with. Obviously give me a shout if there's anything in return I can help you with.

As for the time being, Russ kindly offered to take the Trophy into his care in a bid to fix some of the issues (starting with the leak!) As mentioned elsewhere (I think) I'm struggling with a neck/shoulder/bicep/elbow injury and cannot easily work on the car. During this downtime I have seen the car develop a leak and the footwells fill up with water. In addition to the other problems I've been growing more and more frustrated with it and yet been unable to do much about it. I think Russ thought he'd get in quick before I flipped and took it to the scrappies to be crushed! In a nutshell I have dumped, er, hadned the car to Russ along with the list of issues. He's a legend and is currently going through the list and fixing as many things as possible. I really cannot thank him enough. As I said to him yesterday... if I were single, female, 10 years younger and he was single... I'd be all over him like a rash! Hahahah!

So there you have it. That's where things are currently at. I'll finish this update by thanking again those that have helped and offered help, and especially Russ for having had the cursed car dumped in his garage!

 

[SharkyUK]

February 2015 - Update #1

Here are some pics and words that Russ kindly sent through whilst working on my car...

So, I took today off work to crack on with a few bits on it, and first job was to get the passenger seat out so I can look at the state of the carpets after the leak.

Once I had pulled the carpet up, as expected the underlay/soundproofing was soaked - I mean saturated, so it had to come out.

I chucked some rags in the footwell to soak up Lake Trophy, and while I waited for that I decided to get the rounded off screws that had annoyed Andy, and then remove all the crap that usually collects behind there.

By the time I had cleared all that out and put it all back together, Lake Trophy was all sucked up and I moved on to finding the leak.

I got the watering can out, and noticed quickly the trail of water running in from the N/S, close to the bonnet pull.

Next step was to get the scuttle panel off, and this is where I hit an issue as for love nor money could I find my wiper puller/ball joint breaker!


So I turned to using the most amazing stuff in the world:

This plus Gas was my granddads, and it must be 25 years old - and in can un-seize ANYTHING

So I left that to soak for a while and looked at a few other bits on my list - one thing was the grille is bending in slightly where it has lost it's integrity due to being cut for the ITB's, so I have an idea for a small bracket that I am going to make to give the grille it's shape back.


I then lubricated the bonnet catches, door hinges, boot hinges (Just reminded myself I need to look at the slow electric window) and I need to look at the gear linkage - Andy has noticed the car can, in effect, slide out of 3rd gear when pressing on - unfortunately on road test I couldn't get it to pop out, but by the feel of it I believe there is a linkage issue - the box feels good, but I can tell the shift isn't quite right, so a look at that is needed.


I then had to call it a day for today - it's my Dad's birthday today ,so had to help Claire get the place ready for the roast she cooked, so the Trophy is back in the garage with another dosage of Plus gas on, ready for the weekend to do more bits

And a couple days later...

Another issue was the link that attaches the jenvey return spring had snapped, and there is a split pin in there at the moment, but I have been onto Jenvey and there is a new pin on it's way to me, so that should be sorted by the weekend, so another thing crossed off the list

Aaaand look what turned up today!

Fair play to Jenvey, FOC as well

So there you have it. That's where things are currently at. I'll finish this update by thanking again those that have helped and offered help, and especially Russ for having had the cursed car dumped in his garage!