Test drive by Renault Clio 5 doors 2001 - 2006 hatchback

Clio for "Highlander"

What can be squeezed out of little Renault
 
While in Russia there were always a lot of honor and, probably, there will be sedans, the cult of a hot hatchback flourishes in civilized Europe. He was born from the natural needs of people living in constrained conditions - a rare metropolis of the Old World does not pose a problem for traffic jams on the first position on the agenda. Where there is enough space for only one Maybach, two Golf or three Corsa will easily fit. Of course, small cars cannot be seen such popularity, if not for the complete absence of a desire for a window dressing among the peoples inhabiting this part of the land. Well, these people don’t want to understand why you need to buy a 15 -meter army SUV, paint it white and give your wife plus to everything, Europe has many mountain massifs on its geographical map, around which the so -called highlanders live - people with hot temperament , great ambitions and small opportunities. Moreover, the highlander is not a nationality or even a definition at the place of residence. The highlander lives at the foot of Kilimanjaro, but it can also be found on the Paris Rue Lafonten, which has a natural slope of 2.5 %. The highlander is an individual psychological characteristic, the quintessence of which consists in two words - faster and stronger. Above - no.
 




Bacillus GTI
 
Small three -door cars originally designed for families with a limited budget are ideal for requests from highlanders. Once upon a time, Volkswagen engineers decided to experiment, putting a serious motor and normal brakes in the very first Golf. They infected Europe Bacillus GTI, giving everyone hope that a good drive is possible even for little money. Along the way, competitors also infected-Peugeot from the 205th and 306th, Ford C Escort, Opel C Astra GSI. As it turned out, such a combination does not look even cooler not on class C machines, but on those that are even smaller, from class V. About such they say - a jacket on wheels, put on and went. Small dimensions allow you to instantly feel the dimensions of the machine, which gives confidence in urban slalom. The small body says for himself: not to transport more than two people. Well, the lightness of the body seems to add horsepower to him - after all, one of the most important parameters of the car is precisely the ratio of weight to power. It is easy to teach a small and lightweight car - perhaps that is why punctures are so rare in small classes in terms of controllability.
 
Renault Clio 172 - From that breed of stallions that the highlanders are very respected. The French, like recognized masters Italians, were always valued for the ability to create small automobile masterpieces. Remember at least Peugeot 205 again - a legend from the world of rally and a very capable road car. Renault Clio is that a muse for those who like to drive. At different times, the French made interesting versions of this, at first glance boring, hatchback. Clio Williams was considered very driver, created in honor of cooperation with a formula team and still chasing sprints and amateur competitions. Clio V6 is a monster reminiscent of the passed times of the rally group B. Then Renault 5 did not represent a formidable force, and could not compete with monsters with the average engineer layout. The mistake was corrected now, but it makes no sense to consider this machine something more than the technological Tour de Force. The hot road versions of Clio 172 are much more interesting and the Clio 182 model has been replaced. Digital index - designation of the power of the in -line four -cylinder engine. Want to know the weight in order to draw the right conclusions? Just look at this car carefully and you will understand that it simply cannot weigh more than a ton with a little. So, there is an opportunity to get ahead of anyone who begins to bully. Or get great male pleasure from communicating with a good unit. True, sometimes I want to bring this communication to a different, more advanced level. In general, tuning
 
After tuning
 
Before us is an example of the very Clio that I have very much benefited from such communication. The owner of the car is an avid lover to disperse the longing on the racing asphalt, so there were three options before buying - Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic Type R or Clio 172. The choice fell on the last car after long test drives and comparison of the characteristics. The chosen Clio did not remain standard for too long, because for a demanding driver the standard equipment of the car is just an occasion to build ambitious plans. The car discs gave way to forged wheels in the production of aircraft technology - they are obviously easier and stronger than factory ones. Having left them for two years, the owner was able to complain only to the paint peeling places - what is not the best advertisement for a domestic manufacturer? By the way, having tried to travel to R15, the owner still preferred the R16, on which the car behaves better.
 
The factory suspension did not work out for long - the racks went to the shelf, and the car received a real handmade - unique shock absorbers produced by athletes for athletes. From there the same are the springs. All soft compounds are replaced by polyurethane, which are more reliable and serve in harsh conditions longer.
 
The engine of the car received a new blocking of the block head - its lower thickness made it possible to increase the degree of compression. New titanium valves appeared, inlet and exhaust channels in the head were polished. Cans were replaced, and in the future, the owner wants to install a four -legged injection on the car. Which in fact will turn the road car into almost sports.
 
The 4-in-1 graduation collector ordered on Renault Sport-from the Clio Cup model, the next, almost racing reincarnation of a small hatchback. After this replacement, the entire exhaust system was subjected to a resonator with a catalyst, the pipes deprived of internal seams appeared, most carefully manufactured and processed in order to reduce the resistance to outgoing gases. After that, not only the decibel level increased seriously, but also the mass of thirty kilograms decreased according to the owner’s calculations.
 
The finalization of the gearbox contained the replacement of the main pair with a shorter (4.68) and the purchase of new rows. This reduced the maximum speed, but gave it more dynamics at city speeds.
 
The most interesting thing is that the brakes did not require modernization after finalizing the engine - according to the owner, they are enough, and the branded pads work even better than tuning. The appearance has not changed too much - only tinting and overlays on the headlights demonstrate the enthusiasm of the owner with tuning.
 
The motor of this Clio has a new programmable control unit. Thanks to him, in real time, you can reprogram the operation of the injection system - for example, under the racing 102nd gasoline. In normal mode, the owner travels on a more suitable fuel for calm movement, but when the competition begins, it switches to an exclusive spectrol or ELF burner.
 
In the cabin, everything is very simple and ascetic - a sports bucket that is absent for the sake of a smaller mass is a second seat, a simple rally steering wheel. No additional devices built along the front rack in the last fashion - and this is also a sip of fresh air.
 
In motion, the machine resembles a clot of energy. The painful motor is good both below and at the top, allowing you to enjoy the dynamics in any gear. The suspension is also configured for pleasure - despite its clamping, the car perceives road troubles without hysteria, showing sufficient energy intensity.
 
But the main thing is handling. Clio in motion is not even a shell, but a nucleus. A small car changes the direction of movement with implausible lightness. And you can only regret one thing - that we still have too few such cars.
 
Text: Sergey Semenov
 

Source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 8 (76), 2005]