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Megane R26 - Standard to Track
- Thread starter papps
- Start date
papps
Well-Known Member
Once I had read the article and both me and my bro looked at the classifieds we couldn't believe what value the R26 offered, especially to similar performance cars.......searching Youtube for footage of how they handled and performed sealed the deal and the hunt began....
Within 48 hours of searching it was becoming clear that a trip to Manchester / South Wales may be in order as they are few and far between north of the border..
However, a totally standard 08 Black r26 with decals got listed on gumtree only 30 miles away from me, went to view and test with my brother, and after some heavy discounting I was very happy to agree the price and deposit and return the following day to collect!
The car was on 62k and hadn't had belts done, also the MOT indicated the discs as an advisory so knew some bills were coming but apart from that the car was great.
Picked up on the 4th September 2014 and had the best drive back of my life..here's me when I just got home with my new pride and joy...
It needed the belts doing: Rentec in Edinburgh are the goto RS specialist in Scotland and its the only place I take the car...
Once the belts were done it was time to take some pics on some nice roads near where I am...
Within 48 hours of searching it was becoming clear that a trip to Manchester / South Wales may be in order as they are few and far between north of the border..
However, a totally standard 08 Black r26 with decals got listed on gumtree only 30 miles away from me, went to view and test with my brother, and after some heavy discounting I was very happy to agree the price and deposit and return the following day to collect!
The car was on 62k and hadn't had belts done, also the MOT indicated the discs as an advisory so knew some bills were coming but apart from that the car was great.
Picked up on the 4th September 2014 and had the best drive back of my life..here's me when I just got home with my new pride and joy...
It needed the belts doing: Rentec in Edinburgh are the goto RS specialist in Scotland and its the only place I take the car...
Once the belts were done it was time to take some pics on some nice roads near where I am...
I was driving the car in the second image , and was a spotter when Jetro was doing the two wheel clio thing , and Dickie Meaden doing it in my meg.September 2014
My bro (big petrolhead himself) came across an article in an old EVO mag, and this is when the love affair started.....it featured a GW R26 owned by a certain member on here..here's the article.....looking at the best hot hatches of the 2000s
What a couple of days that was !
Got these for free as well , which was a very nice touch .
papps
Well-Known Member
October - November 2014
This is when the modding starts - purely cosmetic to begin with.....
OEM floor mats, decals for the seat mounts, de-badging the rear boot and getting an R26.R spoiler painted and fitted - the result - a lot of fun and the bug for modding the car starting to be planted perhaps...
This is when the modding starts - purely cosmetic to begin with.....
OEM floor mats, decals for the seat mounts, de-badging the rear boot and getting an R26.R spoiler painted and fitted - the result - a lot of fun and the bug for modding the car starting to be planted perhaps...
papps
Well-Known Member
December 2014
Now the fun begins.......
After driving around for the last 2 months with the rear seat bench perm folded down for the noise it frees up from the std backbox it was time to take them out - it may only be in the region of a 25kgs weight saving - but it was unbelievably noticeable and kind of stressed the importance of this for performance..
Next was the short-shifter - a raved about mod on the forums, I was a little unlucky with my timing meaning a member couldn't just machine my existing linkage for me - instead having to pay the 240 from ktec - F it - still worth every penny, a mod that truly transforms the std woolly feeling gear change
The car had new discs and pads all round, a full service, the short shifter and a Milltek Cat Back exahust system fitted, again all done by RS Specialists Rentec in Edinburgh....
Here's the gratuitous exhaust video......
Now the fun begins.......
After driving around for the last 2 months with the rear seat bench perm folded down for the noise it frees up from the std backbox it was time to take them out - it may only be in the region of a 25kgs weight saving - but it was unbelievably noticeable and kind of stressed the importance of this for performance..
Next was the short-shifter - a raved about mod on the forums, I was a little unlucky with my timing meaning a member couldn't just machine my existing linkage for me - instead having to pay the 240 from ktec - F it - still worth every penny, a mod that truly transforms the std woolly feeling gear change
The car had new discs and pads all round, a full service, the short shifter and a Milltek Cat Back exahust system fitted, again all done by RS Specialists Rentec in Edinburgh....
Here's the gratuitous exhaust video......
papps
Well-Known Member
Feb 2015
and time to think about the remap.....
Something I've considered from day 1, but to be honest I felt like the car was enough of an animal when I first got it, but the more I got used to it, and the more I read about how a remap changed the car the more I wanted it done.
Having read the feedback given from renowned MK2 tuners RS Tuning it seemed like it was a no brainer to opt for them....I had looked into the remote map option, but paying so much for a non custom map seemed a little pointless..
Me and my bro made the pilgrimage down to Leeds and did the trip in 1 day...the std engine was weak and only made 222 - here's the graph after the remap...
and time to think about the remap.....
Something I've considered from day 1, but to be honest I felt like the car was enough of an animal when I first got it, but the more I got used to it, and the more I read about how a remap changed the car the more I wanted it done.
Having read the feedback given from renowned MK2 tuners RS Tuning it seemed like it was a no brainer to opt for them....I had looked into the remote map option, but paying so much for a non custom map seemed a little pointless..
Me and my bro made the pilgrimage down to Leeds and did the trip in 1 day...the std engine was weak and only made 222 - here's the graph after the remap...
papps
Well-Known Member
March / April 2015
Picked up a rear strut bar thats a direct copy of the R26.R one and the rear Sabelt safety net - to return some of the functionality back to the rear of the car....Fashioned a rear mat and false floor out of some plywood and acoustic carpeting and it turned out quite well...
The temps were getting up from the winter lows in Scotland so it was time for some nice drives again - this alerted me to an oversight....my intercooler - the power fade was a joke and VERY noticable, a Corsa VXR left me for dead and when I plugged in my ODB my intake temps were +40 above ambient.....
So an Airtec IC was ordered and fitted - the temps don't go more than 2 degrees above ambient now - its a lot heavier than OEM though.......
Picked up a rear strut bar thats a direct copy of the R26.R one and the rear Sabelt safety net - to return some of the functionality back to the rear of the car....Fashioned a rear mat and false floor out of some plywood and acoustic carpeting and it turned out quite well...
The temps were getting up from the winter lows in Scotland so it was time for some nice drives again - this alerted me to an oversight....my intercooler - the power fade was a joke and VERY noticable, a Corsa VXR left me for dead and when I plugged in my ODB my intake temps were +40 above ambient.....
So an Airtec IC was ordered and fitted - the temps don't go more than 2 degrees above ambient now - its a lot heavier than OEM though.......
papps
Well-Known Member
May 2015
You'll notice I had decided to get rid of a lot of the decals - leaving only the door and door checks.........half of me prefers it - half of me regrets it lol
The car was treated to a 3 day paint enhancement detail at Dominion Detailing in Edinburgh - finsihed off with a Gyeon MHOS ceramic coating - very happy with the value this offered actually...
You'll notice I had decided to get rid of a lot of the decals - leaving only the door and door checks.........half of me prefers it - half of me regrets it lol
The car was treated to a 3 day paint enhancement detail at Dominion Detailing in Edinburgh - finsihed off with a Gyeon MHOS ceramic coating - very happy with the value this offered actually...
papps
Well-Known Member
June 2016
Suspension was the next order of business - with the car on 75k or so I wanted a re-fresh and after a lot of considering the various options I opted for BC Coilovers in the street (7Kg / 4Kg) spring rates.
Got these from Track Focus Direct and had them fitted at Rentec in Edinburgh....
Suspension was the next order of business - with the car on 75k or so I wanted a re-fresh and after a lot of considering the various options I opted for BC Coilovers in the street (7Kg / 4Kg) spring rates.
Got these from Track Focus Direct and had them fitted at Rentec in Edinburgh....
papps
Well-Known Member
Those pics look amazing - plus the memories are priceless...
It was a very good road test - it opened up my eyes a lot - guess you could say I totally hand't considered renaultsport's before.
Think they did something similar-ish this year as well which a few people attribute to the higher prices this year than last - I paid 5950 in Sept 14 with 62k on the clock
papps
Well-Known Member
July 2015 - 1st Trackday
Had the ride height and the geometry done on the coilovers - Ride height set at 650mm front & 660mm rear (measured from the ground to the centre of the wheel arch through the centre of the alloy).
I had 0 toe with this set-up which you'll see makes it a lot more under-steer bias on the exits.
Booked a 2 hour track evening at Knockhill (luckily only around 20 miles from me) and even though I knew my std pads weren't up to the job it was now or never as the summer only lasts around 3 to 4 days in Scotland.
I had the road Pilot Super Sports on for this and they weren't too bad at all - lasting around 8-10 minutes before they go off through heat.
I was lifting off at 100 and engine braking to 80 so I didn't cook the brakes and had to sit out the remainder.
There's so much to take in on your 1st track day, pressures, wheel bolts, not to mention the restricted hearing and vision that having a helmet on gives you - all with trying to warm up and cool down the turbo properly........I did leave with my cheeks hurting so much with how much I smiled though....and it gave me the big BIGTIME.
If you ever are worried about how much your RenaultSport is costing you in servicing or daily fuel costs - get it on track, in an instant it made all the cash I spent on the meg worthwhile...
Here's a little clip of 3 hot laps (if you can call them that) with me getting to grips with things......
Had the ride height and the geometry done on the coilovers - Ride height set at 650mm front & 660mm rear (measured from the ground to the centre of the wheel arch through the centre of the alloy).
I had 0 toe with this set-up which you'll see makes it a lot more under-steer bias on the exits.
Booked a 2 hour track evening at Knockhill (luckily only around 20 miles from me) and even though I knew my std pads weren't up to the job it was now or never as the summer only lasts around 3 to 4 days in Scotland.
I had the road Pilot Super Sports on for this and they weren't too bad at all - lasting around 8-10 minutes before they go off through heat.
I was lifting off at 100 and engine braking to 80 so I didn't cook the brakes and had to sit out the remainder.
There's so much to take in on your 1st track day, pressures, wheel bolts, not to mention the restricted hearing and vision that having a helmet on gives you - all with trying to warm up and cool down the turbo properly........I did leave with my cheeks hurting so much with how much I smiled though....and it gave me the big BIGTIME.
If you ever are worried about how much your RenaultSport is costing you in servicing or daily fuel costs - get it on track, in an instant it made all the cash I spent on the meg worthwhile...
Here's a little clip of 3 hot laps (if you can call them that) with me getting to grips with things......
papps
Well-Known Member
August 2015
After that 1st taste of track driving it was time to spend very little in the grand scheme of things and get the brakes up to scratch.
I was lucky enough to have a pax stint in the orange exige above which had Nitrons, Lighter 2 piece discs and a racing compund on them with R888s -it gave me a taste of what a proper braking set-up felt like on track.
I ordered DS1.11 front pads, HEL lines and RBF600 fluid...........
The car had a full service and the brakes done, all again by RS Specialists Rentec in Edinburgh.
Next was a 2nd set of alloys, which I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up with R888s on them already, albeit 2mm or so for £500 - bargain.....and them test fitted.....
We were now ready for the 2nd little 2 hour track evening.....
It was much busier this time and quite a few red flags meant I only managed around 25 laps or so all night - my clutch overheated with around 30 mins to spare, and although it returned to normal within 5 mins, I decided to quit while I was ahead as I'd already had a great night. Time to get the clutch bled. The coilovers were set harder this time at 16 Front and 10 Rear (vs 10 Front and 8 Rear for 1st TD)
The extra confidence the new braking set-up gave me was night and day - really do put your head through the windscreen - couldn't get the pedal to go long either - fluid definitely up to the job also.
The R888s helped out a lot also - not in terms of outright grip (which of course was streets ahead of the PSS), but more for the increased steering feel they give you - it reverses the trend of shutting off senses that the helmet caused for me.
Here's a clip from the evening which you'll see my clutch failing in as the ST finally lets me past. - which happened to also just happen during a separate non related red flag.
Audio gets a lot better after 40 seconds when I close the window.....
After that 1st taste of track driving it was time to spend very little in the grand scheme of things and get the brakes up to scratch.
I was lucky enough to have a pax stint in the orange exige above which had Nitrons, Lighter 2 piece discs and a racing compund on them with R888s -it gave me a taste of what a proper braking set-up felt like on track.
I ordered DS1.11 front pads, HEL lines and RBF600 fluid...........
The car had a full service and the brakes done, all again by RS Specialists Rentec in Edinburgh.
Next was a 2nd set of alloys, which I was fortunate enough to be able to pick up with R888s on them already, albeit 2mm or so for £500 - bargain.....and them test fitted.....
We were now ready for the 2nd little 2 hour track evening.....
It was much busier this time and quite a few red flags meant I only managed around 25 laps or so all night - my clutch overheated with around 30 mins to spare, and although it returned to normal within 5 mins, I decided to quit while I was ahead as I'd already had a great night. Time to get the clutch bled. The coilovers were set harder this time at 16 Front and 10 Rear (vs 10 Front and 8 Rear for 1st TD)
The extra confidence the new braking set-up gave me was night and day - really do put your head through the windscreen - couldn't get the pedal to go long either - fluid definitely up to the job also.
The R888s helped out a lot also - not in terms of outright grip (which of course was streets ahead of the PSS), but more for the increased steering feel they give you - it reverses the trend of shutting off senses that the helmet caused for me.
Here's a clip from the evening which you'll see my clutch failing in as the ST finally lets me past. - which happened to also just happen during a separate non related red flag.
Audio gets a lot better after 40 seconds when I close the window.....
If only I had written one !
DaveL485
Staff member
So now theres a choice!
papps
Well-Known Member
Cheers mate!
They're a lot firmer than the std R26 Cup set-up to start with - however I felt they offered great value and do make the car more track focused - it really has increased the cornering limits of the car, not to mention increased cornering stability - the car feels like its on rails.
The car is less twitchy under breaking and also less twitchy at putting the power down.
The fact they are fully adjustable with the top mounts as well is great, lots of fun tweaking to be had, but also means that you'll get a little annoyed when things aren't quite on point which you'll be able to feel...
The biggest downside of these for me (perhaps coilovers in general) is that they dramatically increase the limit of the car, and its up to an you if thats going to affect the quality of your spirited drives - for me, as soon as I tracked it, it all fell into place.
A lot of megane guys run them, and we've yet to encounter any kind of technical difficulties with them or that.
In terms of the daily ride, its a lot worse, but totally manageable - I do find myself trying to avoid drain covers a lot more etc.
I'm pretty happy with the geometry I actually run now (a little different from the above in the thread so far) - and thinking about turning it up to 11 in the spring and potentially paying for a more expensive corner weighting set up once I know the car's weight isnt going to change much.
Hope this helps a bit mate
A Winning Thread!! Car looks great on the 26R Wheels! 
