Clio Renault Sport
Encyclopedia
The Renault Clio Renault Sport or Clio RS is a hot hatch
produced since 1999 by Renault Sport
, the high-performance division of French
automaker Renault
. It is based on the Clio
supermini
.
The engine has remained the same since the first Clio RS, a 2.0-litre straight-4
petrol engine
, with an FF layout
and a three-door hatchback
body style.
and Clio Williams
. Renault presented the Clio RS in 1999. They used the body of the original Clio II from 1998 and added sportive features such as wider arches, different bumpers, side skirts and 15 inch OZ alloy wheels. it was powered by the F4R730 engine, a 2.0 litre 16valve with a VVT system via a dephaser on the intake camshaft pulley. The engine was not an evolution of the Williams one, called F7R. Instead, it was a new engine used in other Renault models, like the Laguna or the Espace, but optimized by mecachrome, with an output of 169 PS.
A limited edition model called the Clio 172 Exclusive was produced and was limited to 172 units. All models were green, had BBS alloy wheels and featured a full leather interior as opposed to half leather and alcantara.
The interior and exterior of the Clio II were facelifted in 2001, and the Clio RS followed shortly after. Engine wise, the accelerator throttle was changed for an electronic one, minor design revisions were made to the cylinder head, it received a new airbox and filter, a cheaper and poor designed one, and instead of having 2 catalytic converters (like phase 1 had), it only has one larger with 2 Lambda sonds. These changes with the addition of some weight made this a little slower in comparison with Phase 1. The gear ratios were changed for a more closed ones to mend this. The exterior adopted the new design in the bumpers and lights.
The equipment included automatic xenon headlights with washers, six-disc changer, four airbags, revised leather seats (with a "Renaultsport" logo) and 16 inches (406.4 mm) alloy wheels.
In 2002 Renault Released the 172 Cup which bore the chassis code CB1N and was known by Renault as the "Sport lightweight version"
The vast majority of cars were produced in Mondial Blue (metallic) with a handful of the cars being Iceburg Silver (Metallic).
The 172 Cup did not have many of the luxuries of the regular 172 such as Leather/Alcantara Seats, Automatic Xenon Headlights, Rain sensitive wipers or solar reflective coated windscreen. However it did boast lightweight 16 inch Speedline Turini Alloy wheels and a ABS plastic front splitter to increase downforce and a restyled rear spoiler. The interior also had the usual silver plastic trims painted body coloured blue.
The car had significant weight reduction with much of the sound deadening being removed and apparently thinner glass to reduce weight even further.
Early models had no air conditioning and thus no climate control and typically produce more power as the engine has less ancillaries to drive, there is also a significant weight saving. However on a handful of the later cars, air conditioning and digital climate control was fitted.
It is regarded by enthusiasts as a more hardcore hot hatch as it had no ABS brakes and also had revised suspension geometry in order to increase steering response which gives the car a tendency to oversteer.
The brake bias is fixed by means of disconnecting the rear axle compensator, which typically fails a UK MOT test for low braking effort on the rear wheels.
Cruise control and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) were now standard equipment.
The Clio RS changed a lot more than the regular Clio. The engine was upgraded to 178 PS with the addition of a twin exit exhaust tail pipes, a 4-2-1 manifold and a high flow 200 cell sports catalytic converter. The spare wheel was removed and replaced with a flat floor in the boot compartment to accommodate the new exhaust tailpipes.
The interior received minor revisions with the perforated texture of the alcantara on the seats now having white dots and Recaro Trendline reclining bucket seats being available as a £800 optional extra in Cup models and a £500 optional extra in regular 182 models.
A new option that appeared was the Extreme/Cup add-on pack which included a ABS plastic front splitter, a restyled spoiler (the same one Renault fitted to the 172 Cup) and a strengthened hub with 60mm spacing on the strut bot holes (previously 54mm), lowered suspension and revised damper rates, a thicker/stiffer front anti roll bar and anthracite alloy wheels, which were rumoured to be lighter however they were in fact the same wheels which had two part numbers stamped on the back (one for silver and one for anthracite).
Clio II RS models could now be ordered in "Cup" specification which restricted the choice of colour to just two colours, J45 Racing Blue and Inferno Orange but meant the Extreme/Cup add-on pack came as standard.
Cup models also lacked: Xenon headlights and headlamp washer jets, Climate Control (heater vents for rear footwells also removed) , illuminated sun visors, Solar Reflective Windscreen, Automatic headlights and rain sensitive wipers, leather / alcantara seats/door cards (rear bench also downgraded to a single piece item with no headrests), Engine cover, Sill plates with "Renault Sport" logos and Steering Wheel was downgraded to an item with no Renault Sport logo or rubber thumb grips. The carpet and headlining was also downgraded to a basic specification (even the document wallet was downgraded from faux leather to cloth). Sound deadening was also reduced, along with several fabric deflector pads present in the front wheelarch/engine bay gaps and one in the left rear wheel arch being removed from specification. The horn was downgraded from a twin unit to a single unit and the interior light was downgraded to a unit with no map reading function.
The rarest option seems to be the factory fitted Carminat Sat-Nav, probably due to the high cost and rumoured poor performance in comparison to aftermarket units.
However, the final Clio II RS ("Trophy" - of which 550 were made worldwide) were based on Cup models and included suspension revisions such as Sachs remote-reservoir dampers and eibach springs on the front (which lowered front ride height by 10mm) and revised dampers on the rear, lightweight Speedline Turini 16" Anthracite wheels, spoiler from the Clio 255 V6, Recaro
Trendline seats and exclusive Capsicum red paint with Trophy decals on the sills and an individually numbered plaque on the driver's seat base. 500 went to the UK, while a further 50 (with subtle differences) went to Switzerland. The Trophy has been heralded as one of the best hot hatches of all time and won 'Evo' magazine's People's Performance Car of The Year, 2005, beating rivals such as the Lamborghini Gallardo and other exotica in the process.
200 Cup features a stiffer and lighter chassis, quicker steering and a lower ride height and has a lower equipment level than the standard Clio Renaultsport 200.
Hot hatch
Hot hatch was originally an informal automotive industry term, shortened from hot hatchback, initially coined by the British motoring press in 1984, for a high-performance derivative of a car body style consisting of a three- or five-door hatchback automobile.Vehicles of this class are based on...
produced since 1999 by Renault Sport
Renault Sport
Renault Sport Technologies is the France motorsport division of Renault. Renault Sport was responsible for Renault's sports car racing entries during the 1970s, including their win at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans race with the Renault Alpine A442.Actual Renault's Formula One team, Renault F1 in...
, the high-performance division of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
automaker Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
. It is based on the Clio
Renault Clio
The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
supermini
Supermini car
A supermini is a British term that describes automobiles larger than a city car but smaller than a small family car. This car class is also known as the B-segment across Europe, and as subcompact in North America....
.
The engine has remained the same since the first Clio RS, a 2.0-litre straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
petrol engine
Petrol engine
A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
, with an FF layout
FF layout
In automotive design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front-wheel drive layout places both the internal combustion engine and driven roadwheels at the front of the vehicle.-Usage implications:...
and a three-door hatchback
Hatchback
A Hatchback is a car body style incorporating a shared passenger and cargo volume, with rearmost accessibility via a rear third or fifth door, typically a top-hinged liftgate—and features such as fold-down rear seats to enable flexibility within the shared passenger/cargo volume. As a two-box...
body style.
Clio II RS (172)
The first Clio RS followed as the third Clio from Renaultsport division after the Clio 16VRenault Clio
The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
and Clio Williams
Renault Clio
The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
. Renault presented the Clio RS in 1999. They used the body of the original Clio II from 1998 and added sportive features such as wider arches, different bumpers, side skirts and 15 inch OZ alloy wheels. it was powered by the F4R730 engine, a 2.0 litre 16valve with a VVT system via a dephaser on the intake camshaft pulley. The engine was not an evolution of the Williams one, called F7R. Instead, it was a new engine used in other Renault models, like the Laguna or the Espace, but optimized by mecachrome, with an output of 169 PS.
A limited edition model called the Clio 172 Exclusive was produced and was limited to 172 units. All models were green, had BBS alloy wheels and featured a full leather interior as opposed to half leather and alcantara.
The interior and exterior of the Clio II were facelifted in 2001, and the Clio RS followed shortly after. Engine wise, the accelerator throttle was changed for an electronic one, minor design revisions were made to the cylinder head, it received a new airbox and filter, a cheaper and poor designed one, and instead of having 2 catalytic converters (like phase 1 had), it only has one larger with 2 Lambda sonds. These changes with the addition of some weight made this a little slower in comparison with Phase 1. The gear ratios were changed for a more closed ones to mend this. The exterior adopted the new design in the bumpers and lights.
The equipment included automatic xenon headlights with washers, six-disc changer, four airbags, revised leather seats (with a "Renaultsport" logo) and 16 inches (406.4 mm) alloy wheels.
In 2002 Renault Released the 172 Cup which bore the chassis code CB1N and was known by Renault as the "Sport lightweight version"
The vast majority of cars were produced in Mondial Blue (metallic) with a handful of the cars being Iceburg Silver (Metallic).
The 172 Cup did not have many of the luxuries of the regular 172 such as Leather/Alcantara Seats, Automatic Xenon Headlights, Rain sensitive wipers or solar reflective coated windscreen. However it did boast lightweight 16 inch Speedline Turini Alloy wheels and a ABS plastic front splitter to increase downforce and a restyled rear spoiler. The interior also had the usual silver plastic trims painted body coloured blue.
The car had significant weight reduction with much of the sound deadening being removed and apparently thinner glass to reduce weight even further.
Early models had no air conditioning and thus no climate control and typically produce more power as the engine has less ancillaries to drive, there is also a significant weight saving. However on a handful of the later cars, air conditioning and digital climate control was fitted.
It is regarded by enthusiasts as a more hardcore hot hatch as it had no ABS brakes and also had revised suspension geometry in order to increase steering response which gives the car a tendency to oversteer.
The brake bias is fixed by means of disconnecting the rear axle compensator, which typically fails a UK MOT test for low braking effort on the rear wheels.
Clio II RS (182)
In 2004, the Clio II was refreshed again. The black headlights were now grey, new 8 spoke wheels and more colour options were added (as well as some deleted), but the basic design stayed the same. The six-disc changer was dropped from the standard equipment but was still available as an optional extra.Cruise control and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) were now standard equipment.
The Clio RS changed a lot more than the regular Clio. The engine was upgraded to 178 PS with the addition of a twin exit exhaust tail pipes, a 4-2-1 manifold and a high flow 200 cell sports catalytic converter. The spare wheel was removed and replaced with a flat floor in the boot compartment to accommodate the new exhaust tailpipes.
The interior received minor revisions with the perforated texture of the alcantara on the seats now having white dots and Recaro Trendline reclining bucket seats being available as a £800 optional extra in Cup models and a £500 optional extra in regular 182 models.
A new option that appeared was the Extreme/Cup add-on pack which included a ABS plastic front splitter, a restyled spoiler (the same one Renault fitted to the 172 Cup) and a strengthened hub with 60mm spacing on the strut bot holes (previously 54mm), lowered suspension and revised damper rates, a thicker/stiffer front anti roll bar and anthracite alloy wheels, which were rumoured to be lighter however they were in fact the same wheels which had two part numbers stamped on the back (one for silver and one for anthracite).
Clio II RS models could now be ordered in "Cup" specification which restricted the choice of colour to just two colours, J45 Racing Blue and Inferno Orange but meant the Extreme/Cup add-on pack came as standard.
Cup models also lacked: Xenon headlights and headlamp washer jets, Climate Control (heater vents for rear footwells also removed) , illuminated sun visors, Solar Reflective Windscreen, Automatic headlights and rain sensitive wipers, leather / alcantara seats/door cards (rear bench also downgraded to a single piece item with no headrests), Engine cover, Sill plates with "Renault Sport" logos and Steering Wheel was downgraded to an item with no Renault Sport logo or rubber thumb grips. The carpet and headlining was also downgraded to a basic specification (even the document wallet was downgraded from faux leather to cloth). Sound deadening was also reduced, along with several fabric deflector pads present in the front wheelarch/engine bay gaps and one in the left rear wheel arch being removed from specification. The horn was downgraded from a twin unit to a single unit and the interior light was downgraded to a unit with no map reading function.
The rarest option seems to be the factory fitted Carminat Sat-Nav, probably due to the high cost and rumoured poor performance in comparison to aftermarket units.
However, the final Clio II RS ("Trophy" - of which 550 were made worldwide) were based on Cup models and included suspension revisions such as Sachs remote-reservoir dampers and eibach springs on the front (which lowered front ride height by 10mm) and revised dampers on the rear, lightweight Speedline Turini 16" Anthracite wheels, spoiler from the Clio 255 V6, Recaro
Recaro
RECARO GmbH & Co. KG, commonly known as Recaro, is a German company based in Kirchheim unter Teck in the vicinity of Stuttgart, known for their automobile bucket seats...
Trendline seats and exclusive Capsicum red paint with Trophy decals on the sills and an individually numbered plaque on the driver's seat base. 500 went to the UK, while a further 50 (with subtle differences) went to Switzerland. The Trophy has been heralded as one of the best hot hatches of all time and won 'Evo' magazine's People's Performance Car of The Year, 2005, beating rivals such as the Lamborghini Gallardo and other exotica in the process.
Clio III RS (197)
The new Clio III drew technology from Formula One, including a rear diffuser and brake cooling side vents, they upgraded the engine, now to 194 bhp. The car is heavier than its predecessor, but the acceleration figures are slightly improved due to a combination of more power, torque and the new six-speed gearbox with shorter gearing according to the official figures published on the Renaultsport website www.renaultsport.co.uk.Clio III RS (200)
The facelifted Clio III is further enhanced with the inclusion of a Formula One style front splitter and the engine now produces 197 bhp. This has been made possible by tweaks to the exhaust system, valve timing and ECU also stated to give a slight increase in fuel economy. Acceleration figures are expected to be slightly improved due to shorter gearing in 1, 2 and 3 and enhancements have been made to the cup chassis including making the steering rack more responsive. Cosmetic enhancements include the addition of larger tailpipes protruding slightly from the rear diffuser, i.d. coloured front bumper insert, wing mirror covers and rear diffuser and i.d. interior trim. Renault are also introducing a new i.d. paint option of Alien Green.| Model | Displacement | Power | Top speed | 0-100 km/h | Power/Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | 1998 cc | 169 PS | 139 mi/h | 7.3 sec | 160.38 bhp/tonne |
| 182 | 1998 cc | 178 PS | 139 mi/h | 7.1 sec | 161.46 bhp/tonne |
| 197 | 1998 cc | 197 PS | 134 mi/h | 6.9 sec | 158.88 bhp/tonne |
| 200 | 1998 cc | 200 PS | 141 mi/h | 6.9 sec | 161.34 bhp/tonne |
200 Cup features a stiffer and lighter chassis, quicker steering and a lower ride height and has a lower equipment level than the standard Clio Renaultsport 200.
See also
- Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport
- Renault Mégane Renault Sport
- Renault Clio CupRenault Clio CupThe Renault Clio Cup is a One-make racing series created and managed by Renault Sport. As the name suggests, Renault Clio cars are used, and are grouped in 15 national championships and an International Cup.-Championships:...