RenaultSport Megane dCi 175

Interesting!
I emailed them and didn't get a reply. Then phoned them and the guy couldn't tell me their and then and said he would need to speak to Dieppe but was more than happy to do it. Said it could take up to five days. Well the very same day just a few hours later he rang me back with all the info.

Then about a week after that I got an email from RUK answering my initial email request stating they couldn't get that information until September and I would need to recontact them then.

The chap I spoke to was called Lee Prater. He was extremely helpful and professional. Took great care in handling this as if I had a rare Ferrari or something. He advised me of the official RUK RS forum and discussed track days with me. He was also interested to make sure I had all the documents for the car like the manuals and other information. He was interested without being geeky.

 

Ok here's my experience after 12 months:




"Cup:
Everyone says that, paradocically, the ride in the Cup is better than the non-Cup, and that it handles better - so I'd want a cup"

- I got a non cup because the car was a great example. One owner Lux. I'd have to drive a cup against my car to make a judgement but I can't say that the standard sport setup is lacking. I do 80 miles a day. It's compliant and fluid and my car has 130k on it with original springs and dampers. I drive it fast and 3/4 hard most of the time. It relishes it. I'm in Scotland and apart from the motorways most of the roads here are a pile of rubble so I have to say the Sport suspension is very good. Do I want cup suspension? Yes. For the same reason you do. Everyone says its so much better.

I'm not sure if this can be really underwritten as fact though. According to RUK only 189 RS175s made it into the country. From that only cup cars were tested by the industry (car magazine, evo etc). They didn't ever test a standard Sport. How many people do you think ever owned both? So where has this well accepted notion that the cup is so much better than the standard Sport come from? Evo tested the cup car and had one as a long termer. They loved it and said they'd pay the £400 premium for cup spec but again didn't ever compare it to the Sport. The cup is said to be stiffer so I'm not sure how that would make the ride better? In all cases I've ever known a stiff car, it is a less comfortable car over a distance. Compliance gives comfort especially on britains broken roads unless your black top is silky smooth. The other time a stiff car can be better is if you are really motoring along and have high frequency undulations with continued bump/rebound. That's when a stiff damper works best. Maybe this is what folk mean? Turn in will definitely be better and the roll centres moved further away thanks to the chassis drop.


"Is there a list of all the things that changed in terms of the suspension - is it just springs and dampers (which will probably get replaced in my ownership), or is bushes, arms, track etc."

- just springs and dampers. The springs are 10mm lower, I assume have a stiffer spring rate and the dampers are stiffer to compensate, allegedly 37% stiffer again on the back. I think this is where the car gets its excellent dynamics from. A planted rear end and minimal torque steering nose.
Don't forget Renault raided the parts bin with the 175, putting R26 rear brakes/hub and rear axles in place as standard!
I've looked at doing a refresh on mine with cup dampers and springs. £640 plus postage and that's with 40% savings over RRP on dampers from RPD. They are manufactured by KYB. At present Im still keen but not so keen as to want to spend that much especially as mine are still functioning great on 130k. You'll see I'm after used cup springs (£110 each RRP new) and then I might get the dampers new to suit.

I have read that the CUP 175 has the same springs and dampers as the R26. This may be total BS and I suspect it would be given the extra mass of the M9R. Cookpsorts allegedly destroy usability. All these reasons make me want to plump for fresh OE cup parts. I need to get some part numbers really but my version of dialogys doesn't give the 175 with anything but GT150 suspension which was standard Megane stuff. I have looked up my front Sport damper part number from taking it off the car and Google lists it as a Dacia part.

"The only way to tell a Cup vs non-Cup is grey wheels and mirror covers."

- plus you got red front callipers on a cup. Although if you have a CUP Lux you get body coloured mirrors




"Lux:
In my understanding, this is:
Leather
Keyless
18" wheels
Climate"

- cruise and speed limiter and xenons as standard plus Carbasse Auditorium audio and I think a pano sunroof or that might be a further option. My car has all that stuff. Keyless is great but can be a PITA when microswitches get sensitive or damaged, as can the key card.


"Although I want a lux, I could be flexible - but I want leather. Is the leather interior from (say) a 225 a straight swap?"

- yes but the later leather is nicer. Early 225 stuff is the same as Clios.

 

They were an option on the R26, definitely - £500 IIRC.

 

I've got a Pano roof on both cars. Novelty soon wears off when it rattles at idle. I've sorted both mine out now. New bushes (£6 off eBay) and plenty of grease in the right places. It'll be heavier too I'd imagine and possibly lower torsional stiffness. That said when I lift one front wheel off the ground with the trolley jack, the rear is too!

 

So in the car magazine article are they saying they have or haven't driven the cup? They state it's not available at the time of writing? I dunno.

But either way get a cup if you can. We both agree here.

In terms of finding the right spec, well firstly you don't see many. Think I've seen about 7 come up in 12 months. All bar one were cup chassi'd cars and they all had leather, some full recaros. So I wouldn't worry about finding a non cup car or one with cloth. They are still rare though!

One last point, unless you get the original bill of sale, go in with your eyes wide open on the spec as I don't think it states on the V5 of its a cup.

 

It's the springs and dampers I'm struggling with.

In your position you can go out and buy a Cup. I on the other hand am faced with nigh on £700 worth of parts or finding another approach.

I've been thinking about what I said regards the 175Cup springs being the same as the R26 springs. I read this on another forum about ten months ago so maybe it was the 230F1 springs? I don't know but it was disputed at the time anyway. The subject was cooksport springs going on a 175.

I'm tempted to take a punt on some used R26 springs and dampers. If I could by some good used ones for sensible money it might be worth an experiment. If indeed the springs are stiffer on the R26 compared to the 175Cup then at least I know the car won't crash out. Wether the R26 dampers would be up to controlling the extra mass of the 175 is another matter.

 

My car came with dealer brochures. I'll have another look.....

 

Not helpful, the brochure is a 2007 and doesn't have the 175.

However it does have the following which helps to understand the range a little better:

-225 Sport
-225 Sport + Cup (aka Cup with Lux
-225 Cup
-230 RSF1 Team II R26

-225 Sport

225 spec sheet showing the Lux options as labelled [to core options] and Cup chassis. Note in cup options lost it shows red callipers front and rear and addition of "revised stiffened electrically assisted power steering". Something we haven't mentioned. Also it states pano roof not compatible with sport chassis!!!


-225 Cup, note confusingly with body colour mirrors:


Spec sheet basically the same as 225 Sport + Cup

Confusingly again the pure cup car showing cross drilled discs, anthracite alloys but silver callipers despite lusting them as red:


-230

 

230


230 spec sheet showing additions above 225 Cup, including steering map, master cylinder bigger, different dampers, different springs (maybe this is where the 175 Cup/R26 thing comes from?), new rear axle (same as 175), increased Front ARB, specific exhaust:



Also the lower interior shot seems to be a 175 (redline starting at 4750 RPM!)


So all in all gives some idea of how it worked on the petrols and you'd expect the same to apply to the dervs to some extent.

 

Pretty much the same as mine from what I can see, although mine has the Carbasse upgrade stereo.
Should have auto dip rear view mirror and electrically folding mirrors.

Still holding the money then!

 

As I said above from the brochure extract, they wouldn't do a pano roof and cup chassis from the factory!

 

Just about to put all new cup parts on my car with swivel bearings too.

Not sure how long I'll be keeping it now I've got a son to move about. It's ok for now but may have to go five doors in the next six months.