drove a 172 yesterday

[LeeM]

must say i was unimpressed! gearbox was horrible and i couldnt find 2nd, seating position was very high and the steering wheel felt unnatural, AND understeered like a bitch! went round a roundabout that id done in the vtr 10 minutes earlier and nearly didnt make it round!
gonna try another different one next weekend and if thats the same i think imight just get a vts!

[Karl]

Gearbox is better than S, driving position is high, steering wheel is big.
Handling is bettter than a Saxo out the box.

[Jazz]

must say i was unimpressed! gearbox was horrible and i couldnt find 2nd, seating position was very high and the steering wheel felt unnatural, AND understeered like a bitch! went round a roundabout that id done in the vtr 10 minutes earlier and nearly didnt make it round!
gonna try another different one next weekend and if thats the same i think imight just get a vts!

lol, this is bound to upset the Clio brigade. I'd suggest you try another one Lee, you may just not have driven a particularly good one.

[LeeM]

i was hoping i'd driven a bad one, but it was a 52 reg with 2 owners 40k and full service history, including 12 month mot!
i dont intend to upset anyone i understand theyre good cars i just wanst a fan! im sure a vts on billsteins would be better than a standard 172? i just got out of the 172 and into my saxo and loved the saxo even more!

[AlexR]

That and the full fat 172 isn't really that great...

[Mieran]

They're all the same.

Disclaimer: I've never driven a 172 before. :P

[Ryan]

lol, this is bound to upset the Clio brigade.

nah were not jap owners, we dont think we drive the best cars in the world ;)

on a side note, it sounds rogered tbh, the driving position takes a little bit of getting used to after a saxo for a while. Is more comfortable in the end for a bigger person imo, the pedals are offset the other way to a saxo.

[LeeM]

was a full fat one i tried alex.
also it was fast and i knew it was, but it just didnt feel anywhere near as fast as it was, pretty boring tbh.
will a cup be much better?

[Ferg]

I also thought the driving position was quite high and the steering wheel was a tad big.
But the Gearbox was epic compared to a Saxo and the handling was great also.

[Vinny_VSX]

was a full fat one i tried alex.
also it was fast and i knew it was, but it just didnt feel anywhere near as fast as it was, pretty boring tbh.
will a cup be much better?

The cup has a totally different front subframe, it is 10 (or so)mm wider so it will handle much better than a lower model 172. Also the cup is lighter which always helps with performance

[LeeM]

im gonna have to drive a cup i think. im really annoyed because i love the clios and was all set to buy this one yesterday!

[AlexR]

The cup has wider tyres(did the one you drove have michelins still, if not that's part of the reason) the cup also has harder lower springs, less weight, wider track, lighter wheels etc

Then the 182 cup packs & trophy are wider still!

[LeeM]

i cant stretch to a 182, unfortunately my budget has been significantly lowered to the £3.5-4k mark.
the one i drove, i didnt check the brand of the tyres just that they had decnet tread and they looked almost new. considering my saxo is on almost illegal budgets (gettin changed tomorrow) it understeered a lot less

[V5J]

my s is for sale.


;) ;) ;)

[Peejous]

Steering wheel feels odd but you kind of get used to it.
Buy a cup, then get some better springs / coilovers. Throw it round everything.

[Danr]

but it just didnt feel anywhere near as fast as it was, pretty boring tbh.

That's what it feels like to drive a better built car! Went out in an m3 about a year ago, he planted it. Yeah it felt quick but not as quick as we were actually going. Can't wait to get a well built car lol!

[craigy_87]

That's what it feels like to drive a better built car! Went out in an m3 about a year ago, he planted it. Yeah it felt quick but not as quick as we were actually going. Can't wait to get a well built car lol!

that was the first thing i noticed when i went for it in the 306 (know its hardly a bigger an better built car but was compared to the vtr lol)
i stuck my foot down an only realised how fast i was going when i looked at the clock :oops:

p.s below the speed limit though

[VTR_Craig]

Main problem with them is that if its even slightly moist, wheels just spin through 1st and 2nd

i personally think they are awesome cars for the spec and price and equipment there isn't really a decent equivalent

[Danr]

that was the first thing i noticed when i went for it in the 306 (know its hardly a bigger an better built car but was compared to the vtr lol)
i stuck my foot down an only realised how fast i was going when i looked at the clock :oops:

p.s below the speed limit though

Obviously below the limit. It's the same when i went from the saxo to the 206. Can be happily cruising at 90 and it doesn't feel quick at all.

[Mike_08]

your use to driving a saxo tho ent you???