Megane Ricardo's Budget Track 225

[Ricardo]

Wow - this is absolutley brilliant work @Ricardo !

"and it took me an hour" FLOL when I read that, this would of taken me 3 weeks haha.

But seriously, hats off to you, and fantastic to see this all documented in a great amount of detail for others to benefit from in years to come!

This is now one of the best megane threads out there I've read

Wow, thank you very much, that's really kind of you to say. I really appreciate the comments and you taking the time to read through the thread. It's weird as it feels like all I've done is just buy everything, then it just happens. Like the coilovers and wheels, then collating all the parts building up to this Saturday when everything will be fitted. It seems like it's just small conversations to order parts but it's all these parts that will bring this car together all of a sudden in one weekend. Since I've bought the Megane I think i've driven it 3-4 times, knowing what the end result is going to be like, having the plan in my head then making it happen.

It all started with the Sabelt seat, I thought if I can buy that seat then I'll start a project, I don't know what car it was going in but I had to buy that seat, and that's how the Megane project came about. The seat was bought before the car, it gave me the inspiration and the push to get back into doing another project, I've had 5 Renaultsport Clios and every single one has been worked on by me and other people I'm fortunate to know do very good work on Renaults. Luckily the Megane came about at the right time, cheap for what it is.

I then had the vision to theoretically see that seat inside and make a Megane look every inch the trackday car, there was inspiration from seeing your Megane @papps. Massive help and the knowledge from this forum mas made choosing the right parts along the way easy to do. 25 years being a carpenter and being in the building industry has also helped me, altering the seat bracket, drilling the holes, working things out. Making that one cruise control bracket from an idea in my head which has turned that in itself into a sideline.

It feels like so much has happened but I feel like I haven't grafted to or actually done anything myself to get it to where it is. I cannot wait for this weekend to happen as that's where we see the biggest change, and that's when I'll feel like for the first time it's the car I want to get in and drive it, and drive it to it's full potential. Not just getting in it to move it around, like sit in that seat, buckle up and take it out for a decent drive out. Go to some meets, book a trackday. I'm also now thinking of heading over to the Nurburgring, a place I haven't been to for over 3 years.

 

[andybond]

You are not hanging around with this mate. Top marks for progress !

 

[papps]

Its a great story indeed Ricardo!!, loved the background behind it!

Its funny how you say it all kind of happens by accident, exactly the same with mine, I wasn't even going to mod mine initially believe it or not! haha, then its all just kind of snowballed and fell into place when I tracked it for the first time.

Those RenaultSport Sabelt seats certainly are the piste de resistance and no better home than in a mk2 meg .

Really nice to see your brackets being offered on the clio groups today as well - hope that works out for you - genuinely meant what I said the other day, I wasn't going to get an aftermarket wheel until I saw the prototype you knocked up of the bracket and literally was sold on the spot haha

You're going to love it when you get strapped in once the coilovers are on - plans for meets and trackdays and a ring trip all sound like great tributes to the car, and to all the hard work you've put into it!!!

I really have to get mine over the belgium and germany, I may never own a car better suited to it!

 

[DaveL485]

Will you two get a room, FFS

 

[Ricardo]

Will you two get a room, FFS

Mutual respect between fellow Megane owners

 

[Ricardo]

Megane disc set number 2 has arrived. Decent service from George. Ordered them yesterday lunchtime and arrived 24hrs later. Just need to pick up the pins from Royal Mail then that's everything I have ready for tomorrow.

 

[Ricardo]

AND...... The final piece in the jigsaw. The 4 pot pins bought from our very own Turborenault shop were sitting in the local sorting office so I've just picked them up. A big thanks for the service chaps. Talk about impeccable timing, all the parts required for tomorrow all ordered this week and all here, my bedroom looks like a parts department!

Tomorrow morning it will all be loaded into the Meg and off up to Alex.

 

[Ricardo]

 

[Ricardo]

So, Saturday morning I load up the Megane for the drive up to Alex to drop it off and leave it with him for the day.

To do list:
Fit new rear discs and pads, I actually ordered the right size ones! 25mm bearings not the 30mm. Now I know 100% which ones for future reference and at £114 a right bargain for a pair of genuine OE discs with bearings for a Megane 225.

Fit new front discs and pads, Brembo HC discs and Ferodo DS1.11 pads. replace OE 4 pot pins with the higher spec pins. The old pins apparently weren't actually that bad to take out, talk of grinding off and punching out pins had been mentioned on other calipers.

Replace brake fluid with Motul

Fit new track rod ends

Fit the BC coilovers and set the geometry, the coilovers were already set at a decent ride height from the previous owner so for now it actually sits alright. I'll give it a week or so to see how it all settles but for now it looks so much better. Geometry is 2 degrees negative on camber and 10 minutes toe out.

Airbag light and tyre pressure sensor switched off with CLIP.

New to do list for next time:
All exhaust hangers need changing
ABS sensor fault so no abs/esp, he ran out of time sorting it
New swivel bearings
Caliper dust seals will need looking at soon.
Engine mount on the drivers side needs changing.

I get the text at 7pm last night to say the car is ready.

My god.... Oh... My god!! Love it, absolutely love it. Night and day..... It's like a completely different car, now I see why people buy them. Well in my case with what I've had done it's completely transformed the Megane. Those DS1.11 pads are immense, with a car that weighty I imagine to stop it at speed you need something a bit meaty to slow you down. Well these pads seem to work effortlessly, for run of the mill stopping you only have to lean on them gently and they work so much better than a conventional pad. To brake from a ridiculous speed it scrubs off so much speed you can obviously leave the braking much later, either way depending on driving style those pads will definitely work for you no problems. I've had DS2500 pads and even Carbon Lorraine RC5 in the Clio, I'd say the DS1 is a step above the CL, a big step up obviously from the DS2500. With the new fluid and the 4 pots coupled with the HC and the DS1.11's, next level.

Add the suspension along with the geometry set up with that negative camber and toe out and it gives you so much confidence. It's really brought the car alive, completely changed how it is. It's exceeded how I thought it was going to be, one of the reasons why I saved all the parts up to have them fitted all at the same time. Now it's a car I'm eager to have a drive in, so now it's time to get that bucket seat fitted, a job for me to do one evening next week.

I have to say a really big thank you to Alex for all the work along with @Sash. Yep Sash helped out. So reassuring knowing someone that can do all this work, really appreciate everything been done.

Once the seat is in i'll take some half decent photos.

 

[andybond]

Looks spot on ! Times like this I regret selling my meg ..

 

[Ricardo]

Looks spot on ! Times like this I regret selling my meg ..

And the funny this is..... Now the wheels sit in the aches better it's completely changed the look of the whole car, now I like them on. Amazing what a suspension drop and visible negative camber can do to the look of a car.

 

[andybond]

And the funny this is..... Now the wheels sit in the aches better it's completely changed the look of the whole car, now I like them on. Amazing what a suspension drop and visible negative camber can do to the look of a car.

See , you needed to trust me.

Take a peek at @bbaxby car .

 

[Big Steve - Raider]

:at: < Green with Jelousy...

Pleased to read your happy with it Ricardo!

 

[Sash]

Brakes now work a little too well eh... :ap: *cough* elevens *cough* haha!
Glad you're happy with it dude, I know how much of adidference the DS2500's have made to mine and as you say just need such little effort to work well!

You know me, I love to get stuck in and dirty!
Doing the rear brakes on that blue convertible was more of a chore!

Xx

 

[Chris Smith]

Looking good ric.

 

[Ricardo]

Brakes now work a little too well eh... :ap: *cough* elevens *cough* haha!
Glad you're happy with it dude, I know how much of adidference the DS2500's have made to mine and as you say just need such little effort to work well!

You know me, I love to get stuck in and dirty!
Doing the rear brakes on that blue convertible was more of a chore!

Xx

View attachment 14305

That was soo funny, a car pulled out towards me behind those cars and spotted it last minute hence the lockup. Literally seconds later you text me saying you could hear it! I'm gonna need harnesses to hold me in place, Negative G FTW!

 

[DaveL485]

FFS Ricardo, now i'm shopping for Meganes. I hate you.

 

[papps]

Happy Days Ricardo!! - does look brilliant with the Black .R wheels also!!

We're going to need more pics I'm afraid haha

 

[Ricardo]

Teaser pic, done quite a bit this evening

 

[Ricardo]

I had a job booked in for today that saw me finished around lunchtime, what else do you do with all that free time and the days becoming longer? Get working on the car to sort the interior out. I must say a big thanks to my sister and her boyfriend first, they let me use their driveway every time I need to work on the car. That's the use of everything from power, the hoover, the whole driveway, hose reel, and makes me dinner too, absolute stars.

So, the plan in my head for this evening, take out the trusty pov spec seat, fit the Sabelt, fit the harness, wash the car.

Turns out there was quite a few in between jobs but the end result is an interior just the way I like it. So the pov spec seat comes out, next job is to hoover the carpet as it's absolutely minging. The previous owner had a dog and the hair was everywhere, the carpet scrubbed up well. Thankfully everything behind the seat was being stripped out so I didn't have to hoover the inner boot carpet and sides but I still hovered it all out. All the loose wires like the rear speakers and rear seat belt connectors were taped alongside the rear loom to tidy it up.

The Sabelt seat goes in, the bolts all fit perfectly in place. I can reach the pedals no problem, it's so much lower compared to OE seats, much lower. My eye line is about 2" above the top of steering wheel so we have a decent low centre of gravity. The harness goes in but I'm stuck on needing 2 eye bolts as I need the smaller threaded ones in 2 locations, the other ones fit and they're 8,8 so I need to source 2 more. I've done a temporary fix just to keep them in place but definitely need 2 eye bolts.

Stripping out the rear, so that's doorcards, parcel shelf and brackets, boot carpet, ALL seat belt related parts so that's the reels, bolts, EVERYTHING. I weighed the bag of bits stripped out and that little lot came to 6.2kgs, that doesn't include the boot floor mat, parcel shelf, mats. Then take into consideration I have no rear bench seat and no passenger seat, it wouldn't surprise me if I've lost 50kgs all in.

The interior is now looking the business, everything up front is left as you'd find the cabin bar a decent bucket and 4 point harness. On previous projects I went way too far but I wanted this Megane to retain it's OE look but with a track twist. Everything behind it comes out, nothing too hardcore, in my opinion it still looks tidy but stripped out. Fairly sensible but will definitely do the job.

Tools packed away, all parts stripped out parts in binbags, I give it a wash (one bucket) have my dinner then head out to take a few photos. I'm absolutely over the moon with the look now, this is just how I wanted it in my head so I'm pleased that reality has exceeded the theory.

It doesn't stop there, mechanically there's the bits to do listed above. I still have the Sabelt steering wheel to fit, clear ALL the lights with CLIP, I also have a cheeky idea where the double din stereo should be but I'll keep it to myself for now I have the carbon R26R spoiler coming soon. Again I have a couple more ideas for the Megane up my sleeve but that won't happen for a few weeks. But for now it's like ALMOST where I want it to be.