BMC CDA Carbon Fibre Intake Air Filter

This arrived today. Very nice. It has a large carbon fibre cylindrical airbox, with vortex style internals. It also has a cotton gauze style filter. I have read very good reviews about this system and look forward to installing and testing. The kit also comes with the brackets needed to fit into the engine bay. This system will unrestrict the airflow whilst keeping the air cool. I can expect better throttle response, and of course a better noise!

The best bit is the imprinted warning saying 'NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE'!!!! Im sure that only affects the yanks!

Here is the impressive part. Power wise I can expect around upto 10bhp gains and 16NMs of torque!

From www.bmcairfilters.com :-

CDA filtering system, now available in the second step EVO 2, is connected to an air intake in the front of the car through a black alloy ducting. Thanks to the dynamic air intake you have a true supercharging system that conveys cold air at a speed and capacity much bigger than with traditional systems. The airflow entering through the dynamic intake is still further accelerated due to the conical flow variator inside the carbon dynamic air box. Finally, dynamic overboosting, greater airflow, higher pressure and colder air are the elements assuring a considerable increase in engine performance in power and torque. Thus demonstrated by several tests on a Dyno.







Dyno Results For a Clio 172 Renaultsport:-



  


And some pics of my system:-



  

  

  

  




  

Satin Black Speedline Corsa Turini's + Toyo Proxes T1-Rs = :-D

Just got them back from my local tyre fitters. They have done an excellent job, not a mark in sight!

I have to admit they look stunning - I cant wait to put them on the 172. Just need to fit the coilovers first!!!

Oh and I haven't decided what colour to spray the Renault logo....


Some pics:- [haven't had time to clean them up]



  

  

  

Tyres, Subframe Adapters, and Harnesses.

I've had some deliveries today!

Toyo's

I'm impressed as ever with Camskill. I ordered 4 x T1-Rs yesterday at 3:30pm and they were on my doorstep today! They are nice and light and have a very low profile sidewall.

I measured the 40 profile sidewall on my new T1-R's then compared them to the current 45 profiles that are on the car at the moment:-

Std 45's:- 60mm
Toyo T1-R's:- 45mm

That's a 30mm overall decrease in measurement. This means that my 16" Turnini's will be the same size as a set 15" rims, improving performance fantastically.

I will get them fitted on my black Speedline Turini's tomorrow.

Here are some pics:-



  

  

  


Cobra Subframe Adapters

These also arrived. These enable Cobra subframes with runners allow the Cobra Imola S side mounted bucket seats to be fitted. You can however get the 'low profile' subframes that allow the seats to be bolted directly to the subframe. My subrames with runners and additional adaption bars will increase the seat height considerably. I didn't know about the ultra low subframes - but all is not lost!

I am going to remove the runners and use the spacers supplied to fit the adaption bars directly to the subframes. This should solve the height issue.

Here are some pics:-



  

  



Cobra Harnesses

These are some Cobra harnesses. They do what they say - harness you in! I opted for bolt in harnesses. They also come with the road legal belt clip, so I can take out all seatbelts and keep the car road legal.

Some pics:-



  

  

An Update of My Spending.

I have spent quite alot of money today!

Through research on Cliosport and advice from both Fred from Yozzasport and Miles from the MLOC I have come tho the assumption that the center section of my std exhaust is shot. So to fix the problem I have bought a Blueflame Stainless Steel Cat Back Exhaust System. It should be delivered soonish. I cant wait to get rid of that annoying noise!

I have also bought a BMC Carbon Fibre Intake with foam cone filter, this will help the 172 breathe more easily.

Cobra has also had another call from me to order some black 3 point harnesses, to go with my sexy seats.

I have spoken to my old VX220 supplier Camskill [see links] to buy some Toyo T1-R tyres for my refurbed Speedline Turini's. I think the Toyo T1-R's are like Marmite - you either love them or hate them. I loved them on my VX, they totally transformed the car from its std Bridgestone Potenza's. I thought that once scrubbed in [takes ages - about 500 miles] they stuck like glue in the wet as well as the dry. They are softish tyres that last about 8/10,000 miles driving normally [which I wont!] I bought some ultra low profile tyres to accommodate my lower stance from the coilovers and to eradicate the sidewall flex that T1-R's are famous for. Tyre size = 195/40/R16. They should be delivered tomorrow.

I opted out of getting ultra sticky tyres such as Yoko A048/Toyo R888/Slicks as hot hatches have a tendency to flip and roll when highly gripped. Im not tracking for timed runs, but for some fun so my T1-R's should suffice!

Andrew at Yozzasport was also very helpful and assisted my order for brakes. I bought seme Brembo brake disks and Ferrodo DS2500 pads suitable for the track. This should make a marked improvement over my current worn setup.

I visited my local boy racer mecca - Halfords - this meant that I bought everything I needed to give the 172 its first mini service by me! Oil filter, chain wrench, 8mm sump key, sump washer, 7 Litres of 10-40 oil, plugs, etc.

I quick browse on Ebay and I found my bank account £60 lighter after ordering some track decals... Shameful I know!

Your probably thinking that I have not done much to the car yet and that I have a million things to sort out. Your right! I have been in work everyday so havent been able to get any jobs done, so I am starting the seats Saturday and have booked off Monday, Thursday, and Friday next week for some good progress.

Hopefully I can update this with some more goodies soon!

PS. Miles from the MLOC has given me a good tip on getting rid of the airbag light - so I will give it a try when I get chance!

OMP Superquadro Steering Wheel Fitted!

Whilst the battery was disconnected I thought I might as well crack on and get my OMP steering wheel fitted. This is what I did to get it done:-

1] Disconnect battery
2] Unclip the clips holding the airbag on at rear of wheel using a flat head screwdriver
3] Pull airbag out
4] Unclip the 2 x airbag connectors and the horn connector
5] Loosen the torx bolt in the middle of the wheel [didn't take it fully off]
6] Pull wheel out and take the torx screw out
7] Fit 3.3 Ohm resistors into the 2 x airbag connectors
8] Fit new OMP Boss and pull wires through
9] Tighten torx bolt
10] Secure wires with electrical tape
11] Fit new wheel onto the boss
12] Attach horn wires to the OMP horn unit
13] Clip horn unit to wheel

The 320mm wheel makes so much difference to the driving experience. It now feels like I'm driving a hot hatch - not a hot bus!!!! The suede is really grippy and the leather yellow band is quite appropriate. Due to the smaller circumference turn in is so much more responsive and your palms slot into the contours.

I have come into a spot of bother after reconnecting the battery. The resistors do not seem to be doing their job in turning off the airbag warning light, the method I used is tried and tested so I am baffled why its not worked. I am not bothered though because I will get Renault to plug their clip computer into the car and disable all warning lights.

Oh and another problem.... When 'testing' the car I have found an annoying loud noise! There is a vibrating / loose vibration sound when I accelerate and hit around 5.5-6k+ rpm, then if I drop down the box at high rpm [heel and toe] decelerating it happens too.
It doesn't happen when accelerating/decelerating upto about 4krpm. Or driving normally.
I think it might be the exhaust or the heat-shield vibrating on something as it is coming from directly below me/slightly behind.
It has a std exhaust - however...
I noticed when looking under the car that the previous owner had changed parts of the exhaust as the exhaust should be just one piece from backbox to near the cat, mine is in two parts which has a join by the rear beam.
Im not too worried if its the exhaust as I'm getting the Yozza Rag Exhaust fitted soonish.

Anyway! Here are some pics of my progress on the wheel:-



  

  

  

  




  

  



  

  

  

Good Bye Tow Bar!

The first thing I had to do to the new addition was remove that horrid Tow Bar!

It was not as hard as I though it would be really, but was fiddly.

I had to do the following to get it off:-

1] Jack up the car
2] Remove drivers side wheel
3] Remove all arch liner bolts and the liners
4] Undo all bolts under the arch that the bumper is connected with
5] Undo torx screws that attaches the bumper to the boot/subframe
6] Unclip the Reg plate light
7] Pull off the rear bumper
8] Undo all rusty 17mm bolts that attach the tow bar to the rear subrame
9] It's bloody heavy so drop carefully
10] Disconnect the battery
11] Snip the tow bar power cables and insulate whats left

Then fit everything in reverse.

I can't beleive how many torx fittings that Renault use! After refitting the rear now looks much better.

Whilst being under the car I have found that the previous onwer has fitted brand new braided brake hoses, petrol tank tubes, and other tubing! Good!

Here are some pics of my progress.



  

  

  

  

I Finally Picked Up The 172 !!!

After a 200 mile trip I finally bought my Renaultsport Clio 172!

It is a great looking example with 12 months MOT, and 62,000 miles. The brake disks are good, although both pads and disks will be changed. The exhaust is good, suspension is good, the tyres look new [although I will be changing with my new Turini's], the bodywork is good with just some stone chips and a ding in the bonnet [nothing a carbon fibre one cant sort out!]. The interior is absolutely mint, with all switchgear working fine - it will be a shame stripping it out.

It also came with some mods:-

Speedline Turini's [Yes I have 2 sets!!!]
Renaultsport Cup Spoiler
Some lowering spring suspension [I had a look under the car and they were definitely aftermarket]
Silver colour coding on the grille

It also came with an unwanted mod!

A tow bar!!!!

I will be removing that ASAP... The bolts are currently being soaked in WD40, If you want it - let me know!


The 172 drove brilliantly! Pulling really hard at 5krpm all the way upto the limiter. Brakes are very good. But compared to my Honda Civic Type R the suspension is too soft, something I wont have to worry about when my coilovers are installed. The clutch was also heavier than the CTR, not a problem though.

It was great driving the 172 in convoy with my CTR. The girlfriend was driving the CTR and said she found it really hard to keep up with me when I was gunning it.

I cant wait to get my grubby hands on her... She looks and drives fantastic now but will be transformed over time to something much more formidable.

Im finally getting somewhere.


I took a couple of very quick snaps.








  

  


Oh no - A towing bar!!!!



  

Im A Naughty Boy - have Bought Some Cobra Imola S Bucket Seats!

Have you ever bought something that in your mind was second best.... then after you bought it you wish you had just spent all you money on the 'best' thing...?

Well that's what I did with the bucket seats I bought earlier [see previous entry]. Even though the seats look fantastic - they never really cut the mustard in my eyes - and I couldn't forget about it. They were too wide and would be hard to fit into the Clio effectively, plus I would love it if they were lighter.

So the solution? Buy some Cobra Imola S bucket seats that have the uprated shell manufactured from a composite Kevlar material.

You can see the full specs on the Cobra Imola S on the following website:-

http://www.cobraseats.com/

I picked them up today.... Wow! Cobra are renowned for their high quality and attention to detail, and that is evident here. Everything is perfect the stitching, the fit, the weave in the shell, the little sticker under the seat giving the date and name of the person who carried out each stage of making the seat, etc.

The most striking thing about the seats are the weight, they weigh hardly anything! Around 5-6kgs!!! The seats are trimmed in my favourite colour - Black with Silver stitching. They really are worth the extra money... as they say "You get what you pay for".

I needed some Cobra sidemounts to fit the seats to the subframes. I had the uprated 5mm Alu sidemounts for extra stability and rigidity. Again Cobra's workmanship is shown here.

However I did run into a problem. I bought the Cobra Clio specific subframes a while ago [see previous entry] which were designed for the Imola S. Although when mating the seats up with the subframes they were about 100mm out!!!! Shocked I rang Cobra who said I needed the adaption bars to fit a sidemounted seat to a subframe - I wish I got told that before! I was still impressed with cobra because they only charged me £40 for them instead of the RRP of at least £60 - Thanks Cobra!


Some blurb from Cobra's website:-

Cobra's composite technology is unsurpassed in providing a seat with unparalleled strength at an unbelievably light weight. The Imola has a five or six point harness facility, Suede Tec grip system, high quality rock fabric and the choice of Diolen or Kevlar shell in two widths, each with a black gel coat finish as standard. This hugely successful seat has attained new levels of specification. All this with Cobra's legendary quality and strength - there are no alternative.

Full Kevlar composite construction lightweight shell
Suede Tec grip system on cushions and wear points
Suitable for all competition use
Full 5/6 point harness facility
Adjustable / removable centre cushions
Upholstered as standard in high quality rock fabric
Outline embroidered badge in Silver on headpad
Sidemounted only to Cobra alloy side mounts
Optional colour coded back (paint code required)
Fully hans compatible


And here are the pics:-



  

  

  

  




  

  

  

Nuts n' Blots n' Resistors!

Trident Racing Supplies have come up trumps as all nuts, bolts, and washers arrived this morning! Nice work and high quality bolts.

Whilst I was in Birmingham city centre I popped in Maplin and bought some 3.3 Ohm resistors, well 20 of them to be safe! The were only 13p each. These will be used to mask the alarm for the seat belt pretensioners, seat airbags, steering wheel airbags, etc. I also bought some more cable ties [can never have enough!!!]

"THE GALLERY"

I have created an extra link called "THE GALLERY" under the 'Links' section to the right of the website.

This is where I will be storing any photo's, snippets, images, video's, etc for you to view.

Feel free to browse it.

Any problems click on the 'Contact Me' link and let me know.


Thanks.

Bucket Seats - Now We're Talking!!!!

Even though the Clio 172's seat is very nice, its not really what I want for this car, so I have bought some bucket seats. I got them from a supplier in Nottingham. They are not unlike the Corbeau, Cobra Evolution bucket seats, and have been re-trimmed in a hard-wearing but comfortable blue rock material. The bolstering/padding/cladding is also very substantial which makes sitting in it very snug. They also come with adjustable/replaceable centre cushions. It fits me like a glove - I am medium, toned, build so it could be interesting getting in and out if I was a little bigger! The seats are also designed with side head restraints. They are very light weighing in at around 9kgs each.

To fit these seats I had to buy some Cobra/Corbeau subframes as the Clio 172 does not accept universal subframes due to the unusual floor pan layout. They are made to order and took 2 weeks to arrive, but the quality is unbelievable. The subframes are very sturdy made from thick steel. I also had runners attached which were also very heavy duty and ensure that I can get a perfect driving position. You can however specify for the runners not to be attached so that you can get an ultra low position.

In order to fit the seats safely I need ultra strong nuts and bolts, definitely no B&Q jobbies! After researching on Cliosport I found that Fred from Yozzasport [see links] recommended Trident Racing Supplies for the job [again see links]. So I have just got off the phone from Nick Appleton - TRS's Director, who has just taken my order. They were ultra helpful and very inexpensive. Here is what I ordered:-

8 x Aircraft Standard M8 x 50mm - SKT Cap - 12.9 Grade Strength Bolts - Black.
8 x Nuts.
16 x Washers.

They should do the job nicely!!!

Anyway until next time here's some pics of the seats and subframes. I think they will suit a silver Clio 172!!!??? We'll soon see.

Steering Wheel

I have another little component for the 172! I have to say this is my favourite so far.

I have bought a OMP Superquadro suede steering wheel with anodised black detailing. I also bought a Clio specific boss so that it will fit straight on. Its really ergonomic to feel in the hand, and very chunky. It is very well made featuring some very nice suede, and nice anodised black metal work in the middle. It came with a horn and OMP sticker to fit in the middle.

If anyone is contemplating changing to an aftermarket steering wheel I would have to suggest getting harnesses with it due to safety reasons.... because you will be ditching the airbag!

That raises another point - airbags. I will need to somehow mask the fact that the car has no airbags as the car will show a light on the dash. There are 2 x ways of doing this:-

1] Take it to a Renault dealer and pay £10 for them to plug a clip computer into the ECU to cancel the error message.

2] Plug a resistor [between 1.8 to 4 ohms]on each of the two airbag wires found in the connector.

I will probably do option 2.

I also need to buy some torx tools as most components inside the Clio are fastened by these including the steering wheel.

Here are some pics:-