Safe Speed Forums

Hiya

Please bare with me I was introduced to this idea the other night but had thought of doing it before that, I'm driving a Clio 1.2 8V yeah pretty slow and have been chatting about putting either a 1.6 or 1.8 in it, I'm fairly sure this is possible but if anyone has any advice or has attempted something similar guidance would be appreciated.

I've searched on Ebay for Engines but Im slightly unsure on a couple of issues:

If I buy a 1.6, once the engine is ready to be removed can I simply replace with the 1.6 and do all the nitty gritty and have a new engine? or Dya reckon I'll have to clear space in the bonnet (somehow)

Also I was told that my 1.2 Engine didn't contain an ECU so I couldn't do any tuning, me myself can't confirm that but does anyone here know if Clio 1.2s have ECU's

Regards

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Eu quis ajudar, para ajudar destruir o mundo que eu quis ser aquele, para ser essa menina especial

Personaly I would forget the transplant. Sell the car and get a Clio RSi or 1.8 16V. You can pick them up for around a grand and it is already full loaded. You also get better brakes, better wheels and better interior.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Absolutely.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Probably cheaper to insure than a modded car too.

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

I can't really sell it as its fairly new atm, so this isn't reccommended then? I really want to get some extra speed out of it cause it's slow as, I knew I shudda got the sport but the payments were too much! Is there anyway I can get additional power by tweaking the engine thats in there now?

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Eu quis ajudar, para ajudar destruir o mundo que eu quis ser aquele, para ser essa menina especial

The problem is that if you want more power you need better brakes and suspension first really.

I have not driven a Clio but they are supposed to be one of the better ones in that class when it comes to handling and feel. My suggestion would be to spend your money on driver coaching that way it will be you that is fast not the car. As the above comment about brakes and suspension though make sure a chunk of the money and effort goes on being safe as well as fast.

I spent a day with Don Palmer earlier this year and his coaching took 4 seconds off the best time (just over a minute) I could get even after quite a few practice runs of his training layout.

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

I like the look of the course in Anglesey some decent straights (my clio might actually hit a tonne on there ) , wouldn't mind having ablast down there, this clio would be the first modded car i've driven and you're right they do handle well, when driven right, i'm not a boy racer I just get annoyed with the performance of the clio cause it doesn't give me anything even when shifting down to 3rd at 60ish!

I will be tuning it up at some point but realise as you've pointed out need to deal with the suspension also! I think the first step is getting an air filter then maybe a nice little boost valve!

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Eu quis ajudar, para ajudar destruir o mundo que eu quis ser aquele, para ser essa menina especial

With modern engines you need exactly the right ECU to go with the engine. You can't just change the engine and plug in the existing electronics. Even if you try to swap the same type of engine you can run into problems as the manufacturers tweak bits from time to time.

It is much easier with carburettors and distributers than with modern stuff.

Tuning is a good way to spend a lot of money to eke out a mere one or two additional HP from an engine. You would be better off saving your money and buying a better car in a year or two.

Is your Clio turbocharged? What purpose will a boost valve serve?

Be careful, sounds like you are becoming a boy racer. Remember, a basic car with loads of mods is still just a basic car, no matter if it looks like a spaceship and makes booming, roaring and hissing noises.

Hail, fellow Clio owner!

These people will know.

Or do what I did, and get one of these.

Have to agree with the others here. Tuning a 1.2 Clio is pretty pointless as you wont get any significant improvement. In the real world, you wont notice an increase of 5-10bhp, and most of those bolt on mods that claim a 15bhp increase do not actually give you such an increase.

You will also put your insurance up since once you start going down such a route you will automatically be lumped into the "high risk" category with all the chav idiots who have modified their Clios.

As already stated doing an engine swap will likely cost you more than just buying the higher powered car, and you really do need the rest of the gear from said car otherwise you wont be able to make any use of the increased power. (well, ok technically you will, but you wont be able to stop or corner. If you're planning to take your Clio to Santa Pod then go for it, I guess)

I agree with most of other posters. Tuning a car is serious business which has to done "of a piece". It is also expensive - I once spent nearly two grand "tuning" a Ford Crossflow engine (I ended up with 150bhp in a Dutton Phaeton weighing very little).

I'm currently organising having my Saab tuned by Saab Specialist using a Swedish (MapTun) remapped ecu. Tuning turbos is "easy and cheap)" in terms of power (I'm going from 205 bhp to 270 bhp and 370Nm torque) BUT it also then requires suspension mods, exhaust changes (including a special catalyst), a new air filter etc (I'm already running on special brake pads - which cost a multiple of the price of Saab ones). ALSO you need to be sure the rest of drive train will take the increased power - my car is an auto - I had to check that the power delivery pattern (and peak torque) was within the rating of the auto box - it is rated at 400Nm for example. Cost? Surprise! Another two grand! - BUT achieving the same on a normally aspirated car nowadays would be a LOT more than that!

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

Other than the drivetrain needing to handle the torque, why would suspension and brakes need uprating? The vehicle will not weigh significantly more, and won't be driving any faster or needing to stop any quicker.

you could go out and buy a 172 like I did, then sell it when baby arrived and get a sensible car.....ho hum (trying to convince missus that a type r is a familly car).
The best mods you can do for speed are:

Make it breath better with a forced air induction kit and sports exhaust

Chip it ( a proper one!)

After that it gets expensive, and in reality pointless given your engine. Ford are soon going to be doing a 1.6 turbo for fiesta and focus....which is nice.

Whatever you do your insurance company will hit you for it, if you dont declare it and get pulled then your car can be seized.

Buying a fast car is better than buying a slow one and making it fast.

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

A tuned car may well be accelerating faster, that impacts on handling and braking requirements.

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

First things first indeed Clio drivers are the greatest Hail

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Eu quis ajudar, para ajudar destruir o mundo que eu quis ser aquele, para ser essa menina especial

Quote Lum - ". Tuning a 1.2 Clio is pretty pointless as you wont get any significant improvement"

I did think that there was no point as It is a 1.2 but was getting curious to whether some sort of either modding or engine replacement could take place just too give it a boost, which it can i guess, after reading the replys *gratefully received* this clio will be staying as standard!

Quote Lum - "You will also put your insurance up since once you start going down such a route you will automatically be lumped into the "high risk" category with all the chav idiots who have modified their Clios.

I've considered the cost on the insurance defo not worth it for this car, lol I aint gunna "chav" up my clio, If I was to add a filter and straight through exhaust how much d'ya reckon this would pump my insurance up by? (if any) and would I need to adjust any other features to compensate, like brakes?

quote - velocityraptor - "Chip it ( a proper one!)" - I don't suppose anyone knows if there is an ECU chip in 1.2s? I was told there wasn't but I'm still slightly dubious, if that could be tuned will I get the equiv of a 1.4 maybe?

A 1.8 would def be better to tune, gunna have to pay this snail off first though

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Eu quis ajudar, para ajudar destruir o mundo que eu quis ser aquele, para ser essa menina especial

Chipping isn't usually something for normally aspirated cars unless you make significant other modifications.

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I won't slave for beggar's pay,
likewise gold and jewels,
but I would slave to learn the way
to sink your ship of fools

Unfortunately, you have a car which is popular with chav idiots. I appreciate that you aren't going to bolt on a gigantic gillette spoiler and non-functional bonnet scoop, and wont be ending up on barryboys.co.uk

Unfortunately the insurance wont see it that way, they will see it as: young bloke(presumably) with a modified 1.2 clio == idiot who is going to have a crash and cost us money.

Also, a straight through exhaust wont necessarily help you on a non-turbo car. Your engine needs a little bit of backpressure, and a well made car will have an exhaust designed to do this. It's not like turbos where the turbo provides all the backpressure you need and then some, so just slap a length of drainpipe onto the end of the turbo and away you go.
Though really it depends on the car, slapping on a better exhaust certainly made a difference to my old Mk4 1.6 Escort, but then that was hardly a well made car

Well you could look for the ECU. The ones I have seen have been a reasonably sized 'black box' tucked away near the battery with a pile of wires coming out of it.

If the accelerator is connected directly to the engine does that mean there is no ECU?
If you can look at the engine (switched off) while pressing the accelerator pedal you might see the end of the cable pulling and turning... something... attached directly to the engine. (you see how far my knowledge of car engines goes there?)
If it is connected like this then there is probably no ECU. Or am I talking nonsense?

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Andrew.