Hey all, So figured i would introduce myself. New RenaultSport owner. First Renault. I am loving life. My car is a 2007 F1 r26 in Mercury Silver. She has just shy of 76k on the shell and looks good for a daily driver. Headline figures i guess is what people what will want to know. She runs 325hp and 341 ft/lbs torque on a 2016 RS275 engine. Full Mod list RS275 Engine RS275 Turbo RS275 Front Brembo's RS275 Fuel System 630cc Injectors 95mm Airtec Intercooler BC Racing Coilovers Miltek Turbo Back Exhaust Micheline PS4 Tyres Sabelt 330mm Steering Wheel ITG Induction Kit PBS Brake Pads Brembo Discs Lots of new parts underneath - bushes/arms etc. In terms of what is next, i can't do much power wise without forging the engine and running a hybrid turbo and i'm not after more power. I think that it is more than quick enough. I just want to improve driveability so next steps are - Change PBS Pads - These have a tendency to just not give the cold bite i am after. Have to get a lot of heat into them for them to perform brilliantly and its a road car not a track car so i want something with a sharper bite and aid pedal feel, especially when cold. My plan is PFC Z-rated pads. I will also be upgrading the discs from Brembo's as i've had some issue with these disc's and pads and pad build up uneven across teh disc and given a wobble - this needed to be really burnt off before it was what i'd say is up to scratch. SMF - I want to fit a single mass flywheel so that it removes some weight and lets the engine rev that bit easier. I think should help improve acceleration and driveability. Wheels - While i like the stock look 18's. I fancy fitting a set of Bola B12 alloys. I like the look and the colour in Matt gunmetal really match the gunmetal accents of the f1 mirrors and graphics. Other than that. I'm just enjoying the car. Here are some pics of the vehicle. Can't wait to get it on a track (although its my daily, i really want to see what its like on track).
Just to add to the above. What i love about the car 1. Driving it - I had heard and read and researched them so hard before buying but i couldn't have imagined just how GOOD they are. ally are. For the money, i don't think i could have come close to the enjoyment and "wow" factor that this thing gives. It really is a very sorted car. 2. Flying under the radar - No one pays any attention to it. I get the odd nod off someone but compared to my previous car this really goes without any notice. I go to Caffeine and Machine alot and i love that i can just park up and it be left alone. Everyone just sees a Renault. It gets nowhere near the attention the RS2** gets or even Clio's when they turn up. She just sits happy and quietly unassuming. 3. Reliability - i've only had it since June and its not long at all i realise. But i've driven it over 6000 miles since then and hard and its not skipped a beat. Its very robust and a testament to its build and previous owners. I only hope that continues. But honestly, its easy to work on which i read elsewhere that it was "nightmare" but then i'm used to 400hp + JDM cars - trust me, in comparison. This thing is bombproof. 4. Driving - can't not say this again. It drives brilliantly. Hope to meet and chat to more of you as i spend more time around the forum. Have to say very helpful and friendly so far.
Great spec Steve and nice looking car, but please can you straighten up the horn badge it’d drive me nuts lol What tracks are you planning on doing or what’s local to you?
Yeah. I'll give it a go. Got to keep the fans happy you know. I'm in the Midlands so tbh i can get to most. Just such a PITA to get one booked at the moment. All booked up and prices seem to have stacked up too. I quite fancy anglesea tbh. Heard good things. I like technical driving.
Hi and welcome Steve Anglesey is a great circuit, but if you want technical then its Oulton Park, i'm there on Wednesday, really like the track, i booked it months ago. I'm also at Anglesey on the 1st of November, its been a quite year for me this year, Oulton will be my 3rd this year normally i would have done at least 10 0or 12 by now. I had a 225 with a 250 engine was running 320hp and 360ftlb of torque was such good fun till the hybrid exploded.
I’m midlands too, near Burton on Trent. As Ian says Oulton is a great track, we regularly do Donington and Cadwell park is also a great technical circuit.
Hi mate. I'm in the process of engine build on my r26. Can I ask how much roughly did it cost for the engine dropped and set up ? I'm in 2 minds of going down this route or engine dynamics stage 2 build . I need to uprate my clutch, cooler turbo and injectors ontop of the build. Its turning into over 6k so far. Should be bomb proof but alot of money for an extra 80+Bhp
If you can find a complete engine, loom, turbo and add the intercooler, fuel system and the brakes for a complete package, its probably much cheaper. The block itself was less than £2000. So it may very well be a route to go down. Obviously need to do the mapping, clutch, fitting etc. Took a lot of time, though it wasn't me doing it. I think it would be something you could definitely look into as a route to save money.
Just loving the megane. Had very few issues. Mainly consumables. But it's running great. I've been unfortunate that I haven't been able to put it on track. However, i have managed to get use of a private run off this last couple of weeks. Been giving it a blast with a gps speed /track timer. I'm mightily impressed. Loving megane life. It's just so much fun to drive and use. Best car I've ever bought.
Soooo. Lockdown has given me time to mull over ideas regarding next steps for the r26. She is running 330hp at the moment on a stock 275 block. It has all the correct supporting mods - Rs275 fuelling system. Rs275 engine/turbo 630cc injectors 95mm airtec intercooler. Turbo back exhaust. But I feel the car can handle more power and I feel the need to add more. Perhaps stupidly. What boost/power/torque levels can the stock rs275 take? I feel a hybrid turbo and bigger injectors are the next step for the 350+ mark. What are the best turbos for these? I noted rs tuning had kits for 4k but ktr does a hybrid for 1700 ish fitted. Seemingly for similar power?? Not sure that's right?? What routes have others taken??
Stock 275 engine should be fine at 350-360hp, the turbo is the limiting factor, the 275 injectors will run more power than the stock 225/R26 injectors, not really sure what the limit is but i doubt it will be far off 350. I went for a hybrid turbo on my 225 (250 engine) and that went bang at Snetterton (2nd trackday) so i went for a Borg Warner 6758 twin scroll turbo on my 265, supposed to be good for 450hp, mine was running 388hp with the standard fuel system. Looking at buying another now for my R26 build.
Thanks for the reply @ianplymouth appreciated. I'm running the uprated 630cc injectors and i haven't found anything to say what the max output is for these, but, i'm guessing at the 330hp i run now, they may well be nearer the top of their duty cycle. Kev at KAM has a set of 875cc injectors which i think would be my next stop before getting the hybrid. Did you run the v-band adaptor for the Borg Warner or did you modify the downpipe? I think my next step is going to be a stage 2 hybrid from KTEC and with mapping i would hope to see a figure around the 360+ mark, though i'm really interested to see what the torque looks like.
630cc injectors with the right fuel supply,( ie rising rate fuel setup) are good for 450hp, mine topped out at 399.8 as the standard 265 fuel pump was maxed out, so 875cc are not required, i fitted a DW65c but never got it mapped with that fitted. Are you still running the standard (prv) pressure relief valve in the fuel tank ??? I did a write up about all this on my 225 thread, but if you need any more info just ask. The Borg Warner was a twin scroll on a T4 with a V band exhaust, i had a decat pipe modified, it had to be lengthened by about an inch and then a V band collar welded on. When i had mine mapped he pushed the power figures, but i wanted a smooth torque curve and when it was done it dri=ove really great, would pull right from 2k rpm in 6th right through
I saw that KAM racing was offering a billet vband adaptor plate that meant you didn't need to modify the downpipe. For only £180 it seemed worthwhile doing if i was looking at a wider range of turbo offerings. So maybe something i buy and keep for when i do start looking. As for the fuelling, i've got the stock 275 unit in the tank that sends a constant 5bar pressure to the rail and a FPR on the rail that then delivers 3.5 bar from there. I am not sure about the PRV in the system itself but assume its stock. I will look at the pump upgrade as i've run out of fuelling before on my old stroked impreza build and it caused no end of issues. I'll go back to reading your build thread in the meantime :thumbsup:
@SteveKozy Do you have a link ??? for the Kam Racing part. Im thinking its the same as Ktec are selling, its for mounting a single scroll V band turbo to the original exhaust manifold. I made mine, to take the twin scroll turbo, there is a company making these now and it looks better than the one i made I have ordered one, but its coming from the USA so not sure how long its going to take. Did you put the whole unit from the 275 into your fuel tank, if you have then i would suggest getting a 22/R26 one as its a lot lot easier to fit the DW65c pump, the PRV is in the fuel pump unit, it's a 5.5bar one fitted, you will need that if you are going to fit the 225/R25 unit, there isn't another in the system apart from the one on the fuel rail.
Sorry i got it wrong. It was another page i was looking at and it seems a very similar item to the KTR one. It was being sold by Laurent Motors - and it would be shipped from abroad too. My bad, apologies for getting your hopes up.
So the next phase in the r26 build has begun. The Mk3 RS engine let go a couple of weeks ago - ringland failure. Unknown as to why. So. Whilst that is a bit of a conundrum. The MK3 engine is getting a full rebuild. Bottom up. New Turbo. Depending on some further investigation, maybe new injectors (currently running 630cc) and all the bells and whistles. The work is being done by RS Four Ashes - truly can't recommend Floyd enough. He really knows his stuff. The spec of the engine is as follows - Wossner pistons H-beam PEC rods ARP 2000 bolts ACL Big end bearings ACL main bearings Hybrid Stage 2 20t TD04 As well as all ancillaries, gaskets, etc. etc. It will be a completely brand new engine. I'll keep you all posted on progress and pics and eventual finished article.
So. The R26 build is finally completed and was mapped two weeks ago by Chris at EFI tuning. The build including a fully forged MK3 rs250 engine. Billet flywheel and 250 clutch. Stage 2 hybrid td04 and a completely redesigned return fuel system around a walbro pump to deal with the fuelling needs. The final result was near enough makes no difference 350bhp/358 ft/lbs. It's an animal. It will spin a little in 3rd if it's anything but dry and the process it makes is quite something to feel/witness. It Revs out so much quicker with new lightweight fly. The turbo pulls hard all the way to redline if that's your thing. But really it's the mid range. 3rd gear is absolutely awesome. Just pulls and pulls and pulls. I highly recommend and commend the work of Floyd at RS Four Ashes. Really worth the trip of you're local or not, if you've got a Renault. Likewise Chris at EFI. Good chat with him about all things tuning, drag racing and old skool Renaults.
It runs the rs250 clutch to keep it driveable. No slippage and holds the power just fine. I had the r26 clutch in there before and that was coping with over 300hp admirably so don't think it would have been an issue, just swapped as it was relatively old and a bit worn.
Well the Megane is pretty much finished now as a project. Over the last two years of ownership i've painstakingly and lovingly spent every spare bit of money putting things right and getting this car into great shape. I mean there are always niggles and things - it's French but ultimately. Bar a few light touches here and there she's done. To celebrate (not really) me and a few friends took our cars up to scotland to partake in the joys of the NC500 route. My god. For those of you that don't know or haven't been. I totally recommend it. It's a driving delight. The roads are not perfect by any means, its a tough drive in some places and not for the feint hearted. You can't drive excessively fast but that is NOT what it is about at all. I've posted some pics up of the cars and and the meg on its journey. As for the car as i guess people will be wondering on the now completed spec. Here it is - Engine Forged Mk3 RS250/265/275 engine block Wossner Pistons PEC H Beam Rods ARP Bolts ACL Big End/Main Bearings Bore Honed Hybrid TD04 20T Turbo Dyno - 343hp / 350 ft/lbs - (wastegate adjusted since to slightly increase boost) - circa 350-360hp. Single Billet Fly/MK3 Clutch 95mm Airtec Intercooler Miltek 3" exhaust mated to K-tec 3" downpipe Fuelling 630 CC injectors Mk 3 Fuelling System inc. Walbro 255 Pump Suspension BC Racing BR Coilovers Camber Adjustable Top Mounts Powerflex Road Series Front Lower Arms - Caster Adjustable Powerflex Anti Rollbar Bushes Powerflex Rear Axle Bushes Powerflex fast road lower torque mount Brakes Mk3 Brembo Calipers Godspeed 2 Piece G-hook 355mm Front Discs Goodspeed G-Hook Rear Discs Front PFC Zrated Pads Rear Mintex ds2500 Braided Lines Appearance Maxton Front Splitter - Gloss Black Maxton Rear Diffuser - Gloss Black Clio 197 Renaultsport Aero Sideskirts (genuine) Private Plate On top of that. She's had both front hubs replaced. New Steering Rack. New keys etc. etc. As for what is next. I am not sure. My heart says to keep her but my head says there are so many cars out there to try that it would be crazy not to sell her for what will be strong money and then move onto something new. But i'm not sure i could part with a car i've spent so much blood sweat and tears on. When the next owner could likely scrap it if anything went wrong cus its just not easy to fix these days. Anyway. Enjoy some of our NC500 photos
Sadly the camera lens / mirror were damage hence the weird marks on the pictures. Apologies for that.
