R26 Meggy this year's Trophy in EVO

[Steve]

I don't want to spoil this for anyone who hasn't got issue 99 yet, but the Renault 230 Megane Renaultsport F1 Alonso Special 2nd Win Team is shaping up very well indeed.

If I was looking for a large hatch this would be my choice, even over a Focus RS. I fucking hate the stickers though, as do EVO. I knew that slippy diff was going to be a winner.

 

[Cue]

yeh - spent allday sat reading it. They have summed up my thoughts on the 197 perfectly - the 230 lump and slippy diff in a clio would be a winner, plus abit of a diet.

 

[Steve]

To be honest though, if they stuck 230 bhp in the new Clio with the slippy diff, it would be faster than their Megane and the V6 by miles, there's no way they will do that. Shame, but I would rather see the Clio survive a bit longer without going the light pressure turbo route, The RS Clio should always be about lightning responses and deftness in my opinion, leaving the Meggy to mop up the opposition in the big hatch class as it is now finally doing.

If Renault are clever they will make the 197 Cup a proper cup as with the 172 and stick an aluminium bonnet and thinner glass on it, really concentrating on weight reduction, but without ditching the proper seats - a big mistake. If they try and base it on the 197 Cup Racer but with a normal gearbox and rear bench they won't go far wrong.

Please Renault do the right thing and don't become the new Peugeot just as they are going to enter the game again, all it takes is a couple of good decisions from the marketing men - the Renaultsport engineers will sort the rest.

 

[Portland]

Linky for Meggy:

http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/roadcars/ ... /overview/

You can lose the F1 decals as a no cost option. A winner is you!

 

[Cue]

does look good in black with black wheels. it's taken a while but the shape of the meggy is growing on me bit like the 6-series beemer.

 

[Steve]

I'm still really unsure about the Meggy, it's the front lights that bother me as much as the rear, don't seem to go with the rest of the car, I did also notice how they've made the 197 look a lot more like the Megane than the old Clio, especially the front apron with the curved intake and round foglight apertures.

TBH I didn't much like the look of the Clio before owning one for a couple of weeks, the Trophy looked far better in the metal than the magazine pictures too, probably because every time it was in a magazine it was parked up next to Aston's and Ferrari's!

Interesting comment in the eCOTY about the R26 was "It's no Clio Trophy". Kind of put me off in one sentence that. :lol:

 

[oliie]

Dif in Clio would cause mega torque steer which is why I think they didn't bother (plus it would be quite expensive...)

O.

 

[Cue]

no different though that having it in a megane, surely?

 

[George K]

The right sort of diff should not cause torque steer - we would probably use a combined plate and viscous unit - but it would be too expensive and need a new housing. Note that Alfa have now fitted a Torsen, gear driven like the Quaife, but with much less aggressive characteristics and that also seems OK.

The Megane and Clio 197 (as well 407) have different front suspension from that fitted to the Trophy- one of the main objects of which is to get purer geometry and reduce torque steer.