So I am new to the forum, so first of all HI. i have just bought an S3 and the more I dig the more I find that I may have just bought the wrong car. I am part of a driving club, so a drivers car is a must. i bought the S3 to meet all my company car requirements, but now finding that work is not that strict. i am finding, with the S3 that I now need; better brakes ARB lowering springs air filter re-map. at this point it will become a "drivers car". now the question I have, if I were to get a Megan RS, would I need to do the same with the RS? cheers in advance arthur
Short answer, No. RS cars are great out the box, Regardless if they are "down" on power compared to their rivals. They are all about handling and chassis balance though.
No, get an RS cup, they're amazing, I love my 265 cup having owned all sorts of sports /hatches I work in the motor trade so get to everything and put these at the top of the "drivers cars "
The S3 brakes are shite. The only good thing about them is that they are `safe`. They go well, but no where near as much fun as a Megane. My other half will strongly disagree with me on that as she liked the safe feel of the S3. Dont ask me about Audi dealers mind!!!!!
The S3, looks great but when giving it the beans you start noticing the down sides. It's a quick car, but when pushed it gets a tad wobbly.
Great all rounder. Driven three of them now 2 225's and a 265. Rapid cars and only good when pushing on in straight line on a flat surface....other than that they are boring and very bouncy! Megane RS you won't need to touch a thing on it.
rs megs are great drivers cars straight form the showroom but don't expect it to be quick over your s3. It will be slower in a drag
You've bought the wrong car. My 265 was standard and it was an absolute weapon out the box, RenaultSport really know what they're doing!
I find my 250 the brakes suck compared to the golf gti I had before. I asked Renault to check and they said it seemed fine yet the little 1.4 clio loan car they gave me had way better brakes..... >_> Would love to drive another to see if mine are bad or not.
Got to agree on the brakes I took my mothers fiesta to the car wash for her and as soon as I came to touching the brakes it was like I'd just thrown an anchor out of the window ;good job a car wasn't behind me haha
It's nothing to do with the calipers, it's to do with braking assistance in the car. You either have low assistance and high feel or high assistance and low feel. They stop just as well and certainly more consistently than anything a lot of manufacturers use, it's just that they don't feel really strong because you don't get that initial bite you get with overly assisted brakes like those on pretty much all VAG cars.
I really don't like brakes that almost lock up as soon as you look at the pedal.. in that respect, the progressive feel of the meg rs brakes suits me well..
I always prefer the less-assisted feel, trying to control the brakes in big stops with lots of servo assistance is a bit unsettling imo
i think for me it more because when i bought the car it had been sat in a lockup for a couple of months and the car just didn't stop at all. It is a lot better now though.
The brakes on the 250 are fantastic, but they are a world away from the over servoed rubbish on many other cars. I'd much rather have brakes that I can progressively push without them jolting me forward in my seat at the slightest touch.
That's fine but the trouble with this approach is it gives little or no confidence. Initial bite is crucial IMHO. I agree that as standard the Megane RS (all types) brakes are poor. I understand what you're saying above, but they are poor. Clio RS brakes are vastly better, standard. In comparison to a new OEM setup in my R26, my Brembo HC front discs, Mintex M1144 pads & OEM rear set up in my ph1 172 was literally twice as good at slowing the car. Seriously half the distance to shed the same speed. Sure, that's a lighter car, but has smaller tyres and brakes as well. The Clio gave so much confidence that you could steam up to junctions or roundabouts at ridiculous speeds knowing that the car would stop before any dangerous situation occurred. It was much the same with the OEM brakes. This is the main reason I don't think a Megane is any faster than a Clio. (on road only) Same tyres (PS2's) same road, same conditions (bone dry), same speed, same driver - the Clio would trigger the ABS whilst you were lifted off the seat, against the taught seatbelt such was the brake 'power' - the Megane won't get near this. The 275 Trophy brakes are, I would say, a little more powerful than the R26 in that they will slow the car quicker, but they also fade more quickly, to the point that a couple of times I have missed junctions whilst pushing on. You could say I was going too fast or braked too late sure, but I will attest that the brakes are sub-par for the relative performance of the rest of the car, brake assistance not withstanding. What the Trophy will do however, which the Clio never did is rotate around from the rear under heavy braking. Quite good fun and helps the corner attitude a little, but fairly alarming the first time it happens. I think it's an area that the usual road car testers miss out on - the stopping power and repeat-ability of the brakes. I once read that a good performance road car brakes have the equivalent deceleration rate that 1,000bhp would provide in the opposite direction.
Each to their own of course, but for road use I've found the standard pads to be more than enough - however I will say that on track days the car greatly benefits from better fluid and some more aggressive pads. I used to visit Llandow regularly with my 250, which is hard on the brakes and not once had any fade issues once I'd changed the fluid - I'd suggest you do this if you are getting problems with them fading. Prior to that I did notice the pedal going soft after 10 minutes - Renault really need to put better brake fluid in these cars. (I've been using standard pads with better fluid for the last 3 years and found no reason to buy any other pads). The 250/265/275 has brilliant brakes on track. I was very surprised to find a 250 right on the rear of my 7 when I was braking into the hairpin at Pembrey last year! Other cars had to brake far sooner!
Now I will be sensible what I say here as its a RS forum. But my friend let me drive his 265 race trophy yesterday and it was a great car and the handerling and experience was like being in a sports car.... But is it a one horse pony?? As stated I have a S3 which is very good at lots of thing , but not amazing at everything. The RS is great as a sports car, but how do people find them as a car? Putting the kids and wife in example? Many thanks
No problem, that's one of the things, you can (and I do) have the family in the car, it's perfectly good to do the weekly shop in and then have a blast later. It's a great car..
OP - one trick pony - just sayin' Only you can truly answer that question. Yeah the Megane is not as practical as the competition, nor as good quality, doesn't keeps higher residuals or has probably less rear headroom than a Focus. If any of this truly matters to you then the Renault RS brand probably isn't for you.
Totally agree. I drive to my parents house every fortnight. It's about 40 minutes away, and about 32 minutes of that is along dual carriageways and A roads. Any car would do a fine job of that section. Perhaps an Audi would be quieter or maybe an DCT box would make the journey easier. But the final 8 minutes is along the B4560 (you'll recognise the road from Chris Harris' videos, Top Gear and 5th Gear). For that short section of road, the Megane is better than everything else I've driven (yes, possibly even my Caterham, which is better suited to a smoother road). For those 8 minutes, on that piece of road, I'm always glad I chose the Megane. Forget the rest of the journey, a Corsa would get you there just as quickly, but on a really good road the Megane comes alive and totally justifies my decision to keep it.
