Supercharged Clio...

[SteveS Cup]

Anyone got one who lives in Surrey?

I'll give petrol money for a passenger ride!

Few questions though...

1) Power delivery... is this like the std delivery just more savage? ie, there's no lag and then kick like a turbo?

2) Do you feel the extra power has made the wee Clio feel weak / prone to breaking something?

I'm really interested in the kit and yes I can appreciate the best people to speak to are the likes of KTEC but I'd like owners opinions rather than be sold the kit!

I've owned a few high powered fwd hatches, one in particular was my polo which had the 20vt lump put in it... it felt so fragile I was always worried about giving it proper stick which made it pointless.

The other thread was locked before I got a chance to post! Please don't turn this into a slanging match etc.

 

[SnapMonkey]

1) Power delivery... is this like the std delivery just more savage? ie, there's no lag and then kick like a turbo?

Superchargers give a smooth, linear power curve. Meaning, they don't 'kick in' in the same manner a turbo does. Because its driven directly off the crank, the power is always available at all revs.
Usually, Superchargers work better on lower revving, torquey engines (eg Merc V8 Kompressor etc). The fact the Clios rev to 7.5k may not suit the charger, but I'm sure with correct pulley sizing and mapping, this could be overcome.

2) Do you feel the extra power has made the wee Clio feel weak / prone to breaking something?

The increased power / torque will have knock on effects. Clutch, gearbox, driveshafts for starters. If subtlety done you might be ok. If you want silly power figures, you better have a big wallet.

Hope this helps.

 

[DanFreemanPhoto]

I drove the KTEC SC 172. It just feels like a much bigger engine is powering it. No turbo 'kick' of any kind.

 

[mso]

I've had my done by ktec 5 months ago with no problems what's so ever to clutch gearbox or anything else.Power comes in smoothly from tick over to the red line with no torque steer.It turns these cars into a seriously fast car and great fun to drive, you will not be disappointed.

 

[Andyman]

I got taken a spin in RS tunings one when it was 270 brake. Kin el it was quick!!

 

[SteveS Cup]

The position I'm in is this...

My 172 is probably worth £3000. A sc kit and brakes will cost about £4000.

So for £7000 I'd have my dream of a seriously good handling hatch and performance to shame most hot hatches (I'd only want to run it at about 220bhp as I'd want it to remain drivable).

There's nothing for £7000 that's taking my fancy, in fact I'm going to be looking at £10k+ for something like a DC5, mk1 FRS... both of which my friends have got / had or about £12k for a nice hawk eye sti.

All of the above I think a sc Clio would be more fun than plus I've had loads of turbos and really want something supercharged.

I just don't want to make another exteremely expensive mistake like my polo was!

 

[The Boosh!]

There's nothing for £7000 that's taking my fancy, in fact I'm going to be looking at £10k+ for something like a DC5, mk1 FRS... both of which my friends have got / had or about £12k for a nice hawk eye sti.

All of the above I think a sc Clio would be more fun than plus I've had loads of turbos and really want something supercharged.

I just don't want to make another exteremely expensive mistake like my polo was!

Valid reasons, but a DC5 & all the other mentioned cars are going to retain their money. A supercharged cup is going to drop in value like a stone.

 

[T.Trophy]

Mate I was in exactly the same position 18 months ago, I had a mint condition Trophy which I'd owned from new, I did the same calculations as you and drew the same conclusion that I'd be better off sticking with what I had rather than buying something which had bee thrashed to death and neglected.

The only difference is SC kits were still yet to be released so I opted for the turbo route. A clio with 250bhp is nothing short of a weapon on both roads and track. As much as I love the VW scene they really dont handle very well at all, a clio copes easily with the power upgrade and retains it's full handling characteristics. People massively underestimate clios in standard guise, in a boosted form it makes humbling most so called hot hatches/super saloons very easy and satisfying

 

[Andyman]

Budget for well over the cost of a conversion. Something else always ends up going wrong when you mod a car at any level