hi all, i'm thinking of swapping my clio 172 cup for a fab vrs,

but as you may or may not know, the clio is flippin' excellent in the corners, chuck it in at allmost any speed and it just goes round, and if it wants to understeer just liftoff and it tucks itself in nicely.

however now i have a hankering for some derv torque (and allround cheaper running costs to boot) but i'm concerned that the handling and composure of a fab.

so i was wondering what is a tried as tested spring/spring&damper/mid-range coilover setup, to give it decent handling but not necessarily go-kart like.

i've also been reading up on the braking and brake fade/inadequacy. are there any in house up grades available on a resonable budget?

cheers in advance, chris

Mines not a VRS, but boy does she stick to corners... however she probably comes into the "go-kart like" category you speak of as my damping is soooo hard it bounces off itself and doesnt damp as such. If I had the chance again I would spend more on my coilovers I think although the SPAX ones I have arent exactly budget. I've upgraded the front and rear ARB's... and also fitted a front strut. My OH used to have a rear strut in his VRS Combi which added a nice touch.

Most cars lean into a corner, mine could probably corner with a spirit level on her roof with it staying flat (Apd007 on here can vouch for that!!!)

The most done brake upgrade I think is the 312mm one but I am sure the ones on the combi were more than that and vented... (I am only a female you see my knowledge only goes as far as Oooo its pretty)

Its definitely a good swap though

I got 312mm brakes from a tt/octy/golf mk4 etc, soon sorted the brake feel issue. As for suspension, decent coilover setup and a rear arb and it becomes much more fun

Matt

Few days late to reply, But for the record I swapped my clio 172 (lowered on coilovers) for a standard fabia vrs last Saturday.

I have to say it doesn't handle anywhere near as well as the clio and feels a bit heavier and more ponderous. Having said that, it is comfortable, quieter (I had a K-tec stealth exhaust too) and sips fuel.

The clio as standard when i got it handled really well and then became even better when I fitted new suspension. I think with a full suspension setup and anti roll bar as people seem to like on these forums the fabia vrs would be a very usable fast road car.

One other thing I will say is that the power delivery is so different it takes some getting used to. Not as responsive as a revvy petrol, but effortless torque on the motorway. It doesn't feel as fast as the speedo tells me it is.

Few days late to reply, But for the record I swapped my clio 172 (lowered on coilovers) for a standard fabia vrs last Saturday.

I have to say it doesn't handle anywhere near as well as the clio and feels a bit heavier and more ponderous. Having said that, it is comfortable, quieter (I had a K-tec stealth exhaust too) and sips fuel.

The clio as standard when i got it handled really well and then became even better when I fitted new suspension. I think with a full suspension setup and anti roll bar as people seem to like on these forums the fabia vrs would be a very usable fast road car.

One other thing I will say is that the power delivery is so different it takes some getting used to. Not as responsive as a revvy petrol, but effortless torque on the motorway. It doesn't feel as fast as the speedo tells me it is.

yeah it does take a white to get used too , i often race my mates 182 and its is very much a like in performance terms ,

i have a miltec and a remap ,