Sport Spider Mods

Can any of you other spider guys out there recommend any decent performance mods/enhancements? I've tried all the usual contacts, but no one seems to be particularly interested

The car looks like it should actually go twice as fast as it does and I just can't go through another summer of getting my ass' whipped by all these common elises and vx220's... please help.

Lee, you'll need a pipe and air box and possibly a remap on the ECU if it is possible.
Otherwise I know nothing. I have a race one which runs 190hp totally reliably.
Keep an eye on renaultspider.co.uk
Graham Saul's site will soon be updated and should provide a lot of help.
Cheers

I guess Andyh will let you know a thing or 2 as he has to race cars and a road car he races about in daily.

Thanks Simon, it's true can use it everyday here in Alpine France!.......

when we don't have the odd thunderstorm though!

Lee,
I've been a spider owner since the day they were launched in Jan 1997 when I proudly collected my first car from the williams F1 factory on the Launch day.

the road Spider is a slightly different beast to the racer but there are things you can do.....

1) Air filter remove original and fit a K + N 57i induction Kit for a Megane 2.0 16v (1997) F7R710 engine

2) new exhaust and manifold there ar a couple of types the best and most expensive is Spider Trophy which comes as a full sytem only ( i am in the process of having some copies made whcih will do the same job as the original but at a more reasonable cost.

3) camshaft change this will give you the most power but is no good without the 2 above mods to complement it! several choices from fast road to balls out race level,

4) ECU mod
as the road car has a different electrical loom than that of the race car it has a sealed ECU but can be modified or changed.

5) 6 speed Sequential Gearbox , has much closer ratios and gives very quick acceleration as Rupert will clarify as a fellow race car owner and i have proved track daying the car around Spa Francorchamps with Elises and exiges in my wake!
.
Or

you could just buy a Race car and then convert it to be road legal LHD mind you and you will have all of the above already!

Let me know if you need any more help or info or parts sourcing.

as Rupert also says above keep an eye on Graham's site as he has informed me today it will be updated in the next couple of days

Are you going to Donington

regards Andy

when my dad had his he nearly got it turbo charged by bb tuning they wanted to see the car as they have never turboed a spider and wanted to know how much space there was.he had full prima racing exhaust,green cotton airfilter,cat replacement pipe i think it was making 160+bhp

There have been a few turbo conversions done on these cars, Prima Racing offered it here, as did Van Aaken but it was only a low boost standard bottom end arrangement, I believe Elia offered a similar conversion on the continent. Not ideal to turbo cars like the Spider in my opinion, makes them tricky to drive on the track and on the limit in general unless its a very smooth transition to boost. The engines can make big power when properly turboed judging by the Clios I've seen in tuning mags - 270-280 bhp no problem. Anybody tried throttle bodies with cams and exhaust?

Our R19 16v track car ran 40mm tb's, 270deg cams with verniers, 4 branch and a remap, good, but not great. Bogged down alot low down and was very peaky. It made 188bhp @ 6610.

Thanks for the replies guys, I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for renaultspider.co.uk.

I'm looking to keep the spider normally aspirated and I want to try to keep the car as 'road friendly' and reliable as possible. So, I think in the first instance i'll go the air filter, exhaust, cam change route and take it from there.

Andyh.... it would make life a bit easier (come MOT time) if I can retain the cat, do you know if the Trophy system will remove it? also, if it does retain the cat, I may need to take up your offer of helping source one(please).

I did see a spider at GDI not so long ago. It was owned by a guy called Ben and it was half-way through a clio 172 engine conversion!! It looked like a right pain though and things seemed to be progressing very slowly!!!

Oh and i'll be taking the spider to Donnington (weather permitting).

Lee, unfortunately the Trophy system has no facility for a cat, but I have another system which i run on my road car that includes the original cat which can be removed and replaced with a bypasss and then reinserted for the MOT, which was sourced from Germany, Prima used to sell the same system, but i don't think it's availble any more, but it's possible to copy it it won't give you the power of the trophy system but it's more MOT Friendly unless you know a nice MOT tester.

172 conversion hmmm??? big grind. I knew of a guy who attempted it in Denmark and had lots of problems.... as you have to change all the loom for a start, a lot of hassle for 22 horses when a cam change which takes about 3 hrs will give the same effect!

if you send me an email address on PM I will send you a few photos of the exhausts so you can see what they look like, I also have photos of our cam change mod on the road car also.

I'm bringing one of my race cars to Donington and I think Graham S is Bringing 2 so you can see the differences between the road and race cars in the flesh.

Andy