Glacier White FF 250 CUP

Hi all,

Now its my second attempt to be a proud owner of Meg3 RS. I thought its smart to do a car thread under this section as im planning to improve my car in future. About the first car, I did a horrible crash with it after 2 months ownership, but I got so positive feelings of the RS I thought I have to buy it again if possible. As the injurance company fuc*ed me with the money, I didnt get the chance to buy a new one before collecting some money. In the meantime I was looking for Megane RS cars for sale every day, until I found the one I own now. As my first one was also Full Fat 250 Cup I really wanted the same spec car, except the alloy wheels and didnt have the favour about the colour.
This is the car I had bad luck with:



And now about the new one, its coloured white as mentioned in the title, its having two set of 18" alloys like I wanted. All the things like leather Recaro Sportsters, full keyless, RS-monitor, bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights etc. It also haves the Antrachite package like my last one so pretty much perfect for my likings. I brought the car from Austria (2400km away from my home), so had to took a plain to get there. But man I dont regret it at all, this car is in so good condition its unbelievable for that mileage. It was the cheapers and with the highest mileage for sale in Europe, but I think its in better condition than the most cars are. So really big thanks to the last owner who took so much care of his car, thank you Clemens!
About the mods, he is already done the mid box delete and installed leds to parking lights and number plate lights, thats great, also there is a tuning box on the car, its installed at Nürburgring, but im going to remove it as I like the custom mapping better. My own plans are to decat the car with new downpipe and install some bigger intercooler, along with the custom map to suit all the mods. Also want some more track suited rubber to one set of alloys, maybe some even lighter alloys also, then its pretty much enough. For now the car is still with the export-numberplates, going to register it to my country in couple of weeks.
Here are some pictures I took when we was driving back to home, mountain roads was so much fun.

Was waiting for me in top detailed condition:



And couple of pictures from the trip:




And one sound clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SowggPG6H5s&feature=youtu.be

 

Tuning box is removed now and the car is back in stock condition.

 

Because of the extra vibration on idle and not that great gear shifting sometimes, I looked out the engine torque link mounting and it seems its busted/loosen. As it is common fault on these cars im going to order the Vibra Technics one and hope my issues goes away.

 

Removed Megane logo from the boot, changed the wheels and tyres for summer ones and installed one "very important" sticker under the bonnet. Have to take some proper pictures.

Teasers:

 

Won a eBay auction for the new Cobra downpipe (with only £60), cant wait to be catless now along with the custom mapping. Anybody using the Cobra dp and can compare the quality with others? From the prices, they all seem to cost somewhere in the same, so cant take it from there.

 

Decided to bought the OEM engine torque link mounting, as I didnt feel to like the extra vibration that the aftermarket upgrade can cause. Have to install it to see if it improves the idle vibration and the gear shift.
As I have the static movement of the temperature gauge needle, I will install a new temperature sensor to see if it solves that issue, as suggested on the other thread.

 

Gearbox oil change done along with the engine torque link mounting, hoped to get the gear shift better in cold, but no luck with that. Have to remove the battery etc., so i can check the gearbox mount/bolt for its condition.

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Checked out the gearbox mounting and bolts, all of them looks fine and stiff. Messed up one pin from the injector ECU and the car was idling really rough, luckily managed to fix it and all seems good now.

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Actually it IS better now from cold, before the oil change it was hard to get it to 1-2 and reverse gear but now it is much much better. But as i changed the torque link at the same time i cant be shure if it was only the oil change or the mount also that cured the thing.

 

Got the Cobra catless downpipe, have to install it now and get the custom software tune on the dyno.

 

Cobra catless downpipe installed, needed some modification to fit. Havent drive properly yet but was a bit louder on idle with the cold engine. I guess the engine management light comes on after the first proper drive? As it wasnt came on yet.
Also found some issues along with that job. First off, one exhaust manifold bolt was loosen, i guess they are turning themselves out with the vibration? And also there are gearbox oil leak from the box side driveshaft seal, have to sort it out as soon as possible. Are those common issues on Meganes??

 

Driven about 350km now with the decat, i have to say that it feels a little too loud for me on everyday use (midbox chop done also). And the "Check anti-pollution system" error came on first time after this mileage, i was already hoping that im the lucky one without the yellow lights on the dashboard.
So im thinking of adding sport cat under the car, right after where the flexi-pipe is. This should take the noise quieter and then its not smelling that badly. Also its easier to MOT the car in future.
Dont feel any extra power from the decat without mapping, i guess the gains are too small just like that. But the banging and popping is so crazy like that, it feels like driving with a rally car on the streets. Cruising sound is really okay, almost as quiet as stock exhaust, but yes, as i mention already, if you hit the gas pedal it is loouuud. Have to try and throw some flames from the back in the dark tho.

 

My battery died and it looks like a one from the factory with the car, so its a miracle that it was holding for that long. There are some voltage still inside it but its not having enough power to turn the engine anymore. Have to buy a new one tomorrow and the driving can continue.

 

One crazy crackhead broke some car glasses with the metal pipe on the parking lot, sadly one car that got hit was mine. So now i have a hole inside my windshield and waiting for the new one. Luckily its free for me to change it but sadly i have to wait one week for the glass to arrive.

 

Windscreen changed out and rubber seal corners from rear quarter glasses was loosen (my last one had this issue also, seems common), so glued those back. Also waxed and detailed car along with the leather care, it looks so nice and clean now
Found out one downside also, as im going to have a blast on the weekend i thought ill check out the condition of the air filter, found out that its from 2011 and was reaalllly dirty, im wondering how the air got thru it at all :O
As i bought the car not that long time ago and the service book shows all the neccessary maintaince done, i didnt thought that it can be in that shape. Now ive ordered new OEM filter and also a cabin filter, as i think it looks the same. Also have to check out the spark plugs, service book shows they are done 30-40k km ago, but i cant be that shure now.
Also doing the engine oil service on Thursday, changing out both side seals from the diff as those are leaking, and one seal from the top of the engine also.

 

Diff seals changed out from both sides, there was quite a lot of leak on the left side. The problem is, that there is a wear on the inside of the driveshaft ends whats going inside the diff, so the seals are not holding the oil anymore. Now the driveshafts are moved a little so the new seal is not sitting exactly on the same weared out place, lets hope its not going to leak again, otherwise i have to buy new inside driveshaft ends. Oil leak on top of the engine is sealed also, thats good.
Also changed left side hub with the new bottom ball joint, cant believe how stiff the car is again with the new part, so much less torque steer and it drives much smoother on the potholes. It seems that i need to change the right side bottom ball joint also to be perfect. I think im ordering this sides ball joint separately from the eBay and change it out inside the old hub. From the right side it had new anti-rotation link also.
Also new engine oil went in along with the new gearbox oil (changed it couple of thousand km ago but its cheap to do anyway).
All in all car feels much better to drive again, im happy

Did some test-pulls with my friends B5 S4 (525hp/1320kg) yesterday, for tomorrows One Mile Challenge. If anyone thinks their car is fast, think again, i thought it also



You can see my car from the Audis left side wing mirror soon after pulling away, and i was pushing hard back there all the way

 

Did the One Mile Challenge just to see how the car is driving, but it feels like theres a cutting/power loss feeling from the 5th gear. Personal best was only 217km/h (135mph), as the Focus ST with the same power figures (and more weight?) did 226km/h (140mph) right before me, i think it can do a little better if the engine is running correctly. As ive seen the factory specs for that car somewhere and it was 207km/h (129mph) for the 1km, i did only 201km/h (125mph), so something is not running as it should. Also that same Focus ST to compare did the same 1km speed (125mph), but was much faster (+5,6mph) after that until the 1mile end. I know that this car is not made for the staight line but still, i just wanted to be sure is it running as it should and seems like not 100%.
So im going to change out the spark plugs and ignition coils, i think it can help me a little, at least it cant do any bad. Is there a place anyone can suggest to buy those? Cheapest place to buy spark plugs (NGK´s) is Opie Oils it seems, with the postage to Estonia its still almost 30EUR cheaper than in local places. But im not shure about the ignition coil yet, from the eBay?

Random video from the start:

 

Feeling really excited as i have a time tomorrow morning for the remap
Going to post the figures and emotions here once its done, i really hope to get some good power gains.
Other than that, ive found a set of Kumho slick tyres for using on the track for sale in local forum, bought them and they should arrive tomorrow. The price was really silly, 190eur for the set of 4 18" slicks, those are done ~50 road miles, never been on the track and looks like new. Compared to about ~250eur a piece from new it really was a bargain of the century

 

Remap is done, all i can say is wow, it transformed the car really. Now its pulling much stronger through the rev range, you can really feel the extra torque. As we did the mapping on the streets, not on the rolling road, i dont have any dyno figures and i dont know how much power the car produces now. But i have a plan to go to the dyno and find it out someday
For the driveability, it feels better now to accelerate with the light throttle, as there are more power, pulling with much less stress on the engine and you dont have to apply the same amount of throttle.
Boost log was showing nice and smooth line with the 1,5bar of boost and lowering to 1,3bar in the end. Limiter was also raised to extra 500rpms, as it felt it can hold the boost until there. Also got rid of the fault code because of the catalytic remove, now its nice and warninglight-free on the dash.
As im going to put some track tyres under the car today/tomorrow, i can measure some acceleration with the RS-monitor to see how much better it is. Only tried once yesterday, standing start without the launch and it managed 6 seconds to 60mph.
Actually i dont really care about numbers, they are just for showing that everything is okay, but the most important is how the car feels and drives, and that is much better now!

Kumho tyres:

 

I was on the decent track for the very first time two days ago. I found out i am a real beginner, and my tyre choice didnt help me at all. Actually those tyres made for the wet track made it all much worse than i thought, so it was a waste of money, but sometimes you have to learn the hard way if you dont want to listen to others
Next time im going to use my day-to-day Dunlop tyres, it should perform much better on the track with them. My driving line was "all over the track" and i pissed my pants on the full-throttle bends, i think one of the reason was those melting tyres, but still it was epic fun and im waiting to go there again. Car performed really good and it pulls so well with the remap, never misses a beat, you really feel for what its made for when you are on the track, a weapon!

 

Yes, i ended up with the tyre made for wet circuit so it wasnt much fun, actually it felt terrible and i just destroyed the rubber without any great lap times. But have to be lucky that i got them so cheap, can forget that and go on

 

Installed new bottom ball joint to the right side also, massive difference compared with the old one. It was so warn that the cars steering wheel was more on the left side and now its exactly on the middle again with the new part. Also found out that the track rod ends are quite tyred so have to change them out also. And i need new front brake pads before going on the track again, what should i use if the main driving is on the streets? Ferodo DS2500 would be a good choice? At the moment, im using Brembo pads and im happy with them but they weared so quickly on the track, is it like that with all the pads?

 

Got new front brake pads, original ones, and also new track rod ends, have to install them asap. Bought mrpink Brembo pins also and now waiting for them, I hope that the calipers are in fine working orded and i dont need to change the pistons or seals there. Thinking of ordering Cooksport springs cause i just dont feel like spending some big $$$ for the coilovers (this car is 98% daily and 2% on the track), more because i bought new original shocks (Cup ones, front and rear both), because my old ones are driven 115k miles, high mileage car pleasures
As im hoping to sell my Cup alloy wheels im looking for the alloys with better ET, to get some better/wider look for the car, and i really like some 18" Autec Wizard alloys in Gunmetal colour. Lets hope for the best!

 

Changed out track rod ends along with the front brake pads, also using mrpink Brembo pins now. One of the original pin was so stuck, had to drill thatone out. Brake pad choice was TRW ones thistime, as it showed that those are also OEM ones, but the pad surface is much smaller than the Brembo ones, so pretty useless pads, have to choose some better ones.
All was good for a couple of days and now the front right wheel bearing started to make HORRIBLE noises, alloy wheel was all the way hot after some longer driving, so not touching the car before its changed out.
Bought GoPro and tested the quality, here is one exhaust video, car is on Sport mode all the time.



Edit:

It wasnt a wheel bearing, my driveshaft bearing is dead and making those noises.

 

Did some roadtrip, about 1200km in total, driveshaft bearing was noisy (from 60mph to 80mph) but didnt get any worse. Got 6.8L/100km for the total fuel consumption, so exactly what the Renault claims. But had some issues on full thottle a couple of times, especially with 3rd gear it was cutting out almost until the rev limiter. Now just changed out my spark plugs and the issue seems to be gone, at least for now. Have to test it more after some longer drive (like it did), to be shure, but the spark plug maintaince interval was almost over anyway. Bought them from Opie Oils, the price was unbeatable, thank you.

 

Added one more "very important" sticker.



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As the exhaust sometimes feels too loud for me and those exhaust fumes are getting me sick because of decat, i ordered 100cel sport catalytic from Germany.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401146899997?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Hope im satisfied once its installed and the car passes MOT like this in the future.

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