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PASM's Wheels | Clio RS & BMW 330i - Update #9: New daily!
- Thread starter PASM
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I used Eurol Wheel Cleaner spray. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes, then wash with warm dish soap water. The front came out really well. I tried to clay one wheel with a part of clay that was still usable, but that I had already written off for painted body parts. That did not bring better results, in fact I believe I was putting in microscratches with it, so I ditched that idea. Threw the clay part in the bin
The insides of the wheels aren't near that clean. Maybe I will go one step heavier with some rubbing alcohol / brake cleaner / turpetine. Any advice on that? A spotless finish before plasti dipping would be awesome, even though the inside doesn't matter that much.
Last edited:
- 1,142
- Holland
- GTP_RikWrx
I'm not really a 'wheel' man,so can't help you with that,sorry.
Allways have the same feeling as in cleaning a bathroom,nice and shiny after it's done but please don't use it or it's gone
But for the clay part:9out of 10 there will be tiny scratches or 'marring' so allways polish after claying.
Depends how hard the paint is btw.
Allways have the same feeling as in cleaning a bathroom,nice and shiny after it's done but please don't use it or it's gone
But for the clay part:9out of 10 there will be tiny scratches or 'marring' so allways polish after claying.
Depends how hard the paint is btw.
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Update #4
Well, the temperatures are well down again! Today it didn't get above freezing.
The Laguna wheels have been fitted to "Pluto". They are 17x7J ET50. The stock wheels are 17x7,5J ET68. This means that the Laguna wheels stick out a bit more. It's not extreme, the slightly narrower build means the tire is a bit more rounded. In theory this should give a little more compliance over bumps and vaguer steering. Of course the tires I went for are more suited to winter driving and therefor more comfortable and softer anyway.
I went with the Michelin CrossClimate+ in 215/45R17 91W. That's an all-season tire that's been developed from a summer tire base. Why not an all out winter tire? Well, winters aren't too snowy in the Netherlands. Most we get is cold, rainy days. Also some dry warmer days too. And where a winter tire would be compromised in warmer days, these all-seasons are not. In dry braking they match a dedicated touring summer tire, while matching a dedicated winter tyre in wet braking. This means I can run this set for most of the year and save the Yokohama AD08R's for what they are designed for: a right spanking on trackdays.
I didn't plastidip the wheels yet. I will once the weather improves and I will receive the yellow plastidip. This is my plan:
While I was changing the wheels anyway, I had a good look around in the wheel arches, checking suspension, brakes and such. At one point the neighbor thought someone stole my wheels
Brakes are in great condition. Optically there is some surface rust on the hubs and lip. The caliper paint isn't in the best state, but not bad. One handbrake cable was a different color than the other. I can now confirm my suspension setup is not tampered with. It still has the correct spec dampers and springs, as the documents suggested, but it is nice to know. You can see this from the orange marker on the struts and the yellow and blue markings on the springs.
I then gave the wheel wells a good clean and protected them for winter road grime.
End result:
Then I decided to get rid of the advertising on the number plate holder by simply overspraying with some bumper spray paint. No photo of the end result:
If you're still reading, congrats, but I was not done yet! Many Clio 3 RS owners recommended I'd clean the scuttle panel ASAP. Under the panel cover is an area that will deal with rain water dripping down from the windscreen and holds the wiper mechanism and motor. This area has 2 drains, which commonly get blocked by leaves and dirt gathering over the years. In order to gain access, you have to remove the wiper arms. I bought a tool to do this job, that made it really easy.
Lucky for me, my scuttle area was very clean. I only found a slight layer of grime on the panel itself and near the drain. The drains themselves were completely clear. The only dirty parts were near the bonnet hinges and strut covers.
Cleaned as much dirt away as my fingers could manage.
Bring on spring 2018
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@Mike Rotch Thanks! I would not have come with the idea to look for those if it weren't for many Brits having them on their Clios in all sorts of colors. They also use them as track wheels. I would prefer my track wheels a little lighter and closer to OE spec ET value. The further the wheels poke out, the worse the suspension kinematics get. I think if you would go past ET40, you would notice the torque steer on a track. But by then the tires would also rub 
The summer tires are the same size, 215/45R17. 205/45R17 sounds really uncommon indeed. If you are being smart about it, changing the size a bit should not be a danger and could even be an improvement. That said, some countries you could get in trouble with insurance, roadworthiness and such. I'm glad the Netherlands aren't too strict about it. The previous German owner had to carry a certificate of conformity for the rear muffler at all times in case he got stopped by the police! No such nonsense here
The Yoko's are awesome. For a more street oriented tire the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 is very good. There are loads of options....
The summer tires are the same size, 215/45R17. 205/45R17 sounds really uncommon indeed. If you are being smart about it, changing the size a bit should not be a danger and could even be an improvement. That said, some countries you could get in trouble with insurance, roadworthiness and such. I'm glad the Netherlands aren't too strict about it. The previous German owner had to carry a certificate of conformity for the rear muffler at all times in case he got stopped by the police! No such nonsense here
The Yoko's are awesome. For a more street oriented tire the new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 is very good. There are loads of options....
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Update #5
Pluto got some chrome accessories, blinking away nicely now
Before
After
After
Tomorrow is a big day, I will go do a trackday for the first time. I will go to my local track, TT Circuit Assen. If you know Moto GP, you know the track. I've been on the Nordschleife before, on tourist drives. @GTP_Dutchy @Gravitron and @GTP_Patrick1 know how touristic and leisurely those were
I'm a bit worried about the other people on track, because there is absolutely no liability claim and I have no clue who will turn up. I'm just going to trust my own ability and be defensive while close to others. Otherwise, I will enjoy the hell out of it 
I'll keep you guys posted.
- 1,142
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- GTP_RikWrx
Good luck Bart and most of all have fun.
But beware...we all know the vids of the Ring when things don't turn out very right,even when it's not your fault.
Maybe you should aproach this as a daily event at GTSport and consider all the rest on track is trying to kill you
But beware...we all know the vids of the Ring when things don't turn out very right,even when it's not your fault.
Maybe you should aproach this as a daily event at GTSport and consider all the rest on track is trying to kill you
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Update #6
So, it was finally in sight. The day I'd drive my own car around my local track: TT Circuit Assen. I grew up about 10 minutes away from there, so I visited many times. I have seen the track evolve, getting much more modern the last 10 years. Of late, the infrastructure around the track got updated, so access is sorted out very well.
I started to prepare on Friday. I fitted the OEM wheels with the Yokohama AD08R's, gave the car a checkup: fluids, suspension, brakes. I wanted to wash the car, but the ground temperature was below freezing so I didn't want to create a bobsleigh track on the drive. Drove into Assen to brim the tank with V Power, check tire pressures and get a liter of 5W-40 just in case.
The next morning after a good breakfast and feeling confident, we headed out to the track. The Yoko's are a little stiffer, especially at these cold temperatures. We arrived nice and early and got tickets. The trackday was organized by renowned Race School www.rsz.nl. From 12:00 til 16:00 every hour would host three 20 minute sessions. First session would be Tour, second Sport Medium, third Sport Fast. From 16:00 til 17:00 would be two 30 minute sessions. The last 30 minutes would be Sport Medium and Fast combined.
The nice thing is that you can decide which sessions to get tickets for, provided they are still available. It is of course still early in the race season and the paddock didn't look overly crowded. I decided to go with 12:20 Sport Medium and 16:30 Sport M+F. Depending how it went I was planning on doing one or two sessions in between.
I had my parents with me. They were excited for me to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams, at the same time worried something would happen to me or my prized possession: Pluto. My dad is no racer at all. Moreover I know he would not enjoy a passenger ride at all. My mom on the other hand would, but I was unsure if she would dare to go. Lucky she could rent a helmet with RSZ and she decided to go with.
There I was, in the staging area, waiting to go on track. I had TrackAddict enabled on my phone, so I could get lap times determined by GPS and an OBD2 scanner go log car parameters from the ECU. Driving to the end of the pitlane, I went in concentration mode. I didn't feel fear or worries luckily, I was just excited to get underway.
First laps on track were bonkers. I had people trying to warm their tires, drifting. I knew the track well, but noticed small road cambers I had not noticed that well in the sim. Once things spread out more, I could explore the car a little more. This Clio is so capable. Quick enough in the straight line, but by no means the quickest on the straights. The brakes inspire a lot of confidence. The lack of understeer was staggering. Only in some corners when pushed beyond the ideal entry speed, or the off camber "Mandeveen". Also not a lot of power understeer or torque steer. The only second gear corner is "Strubben". The fronts are traction limited there. Towards the end of the session I started exploring a bit more. I had traction control kicking in out of "Strubben". I was braking a bit later, starting to get a feel for trail braking. The rear then becomes really mobile, which I noticed when the tail kicked out at the on camber entry of "De Bult". I felt it was not going to spin round, but enough for me to want to correct the steering to the center for a fraction and at the same time the stability system applied some brakes in a subtle way. It didn't spook me, but gave me an idea of how much leeway the system gives before taking control. It also didn't make me go wide. It did scare my mom a bit. It gave be a big grin on my face, haha. A lap later the session was at an end. A half inlap and a short drive through the paddock to cool the car, I parked up again next to my parents' BMW.
Ecstatically I got out of the car. This car proves you don't need RWD to have fun. A well honed FWD chassis is just as mobile and pointy as a good RWD. My mom enjoyed it too. She was very impressed by how capable the car is, how quick the car is through the corners. I was complimenting her on hanging in for 20 minutes, as I was prepared to head into pit lane after about 10 minutes or so to drop her off if needed. After a short talk, it was still well below freezing, I checked the wheel bolts with the torque wrench and we went inside the restaurant to warm up.
Seeing as the car stood up well and I felt confident enough that Sport Medium was about my speed, I decided to buy two more tickets for the 14:20 and 15:20 group. I had also invited some friends, two of them couldn't make it because of being ill. @Nolinar arrived a bit later because of having to go by public transport. He made it to the track and took a break together in the restaurant.
The 14:20 session went well. As I was fairly confident I knew the characteristics of the Clio, I switched off the traction and stability systems. In "Strubben" that meant I had to control the throttle, but in most corners I would get more drive out. I was more precise with the brakes so I didn't get the rear to step out too much. Braking into "Geert Timmer bocht" required more precise steering. As I was right behind a Peugeot 106, I got a black flag and went into the pits. Turned out my transponder wasn't working. By the time the marshal was done with me, the session was over.
In the 15:20 I wanted to find some pace. I was braking sharper. Trying to maximize the exits. I was finding the gearbox to be the most limiting factor of the car. Ratios are well chosen and not bad suited to Assen. But the shift is very notchy and won't go into the next gear quick enough when upshifting. So I'm going to change the gearbox oil for a high performance oil. I dropped off @Nolinar half way and went out again. I had a few laps more and the heat was done.
@Nolinar chose to sit out the final heat, so I had 30 minutes with the lightest the car had been all day. I had 40% fuel. I also noticed how the paddock was already less crowded than before, a lot of the drivers already heading home. Apart from the opening 2 or 3 laps, which was a traffic jam. I had a clear track for the whole session. Pluto still going strong, no brake fade, tires still gripping the same, coolant temperature rock solid at normal operating temperature. Such fun. I don't think 2 laps were the same though as I was still exploring the track. The lap times were quite consistent though. 6 minutes left in the session, a loud beep in the interior. The fuel light has come on! I look at the onboard computer and it tells me I got 18 km range left. Hmmm, this might stretch to the end of the session. Knowing there is a petrol station right at the edge of the paddock, I decide to risk it and press on. As I am on the back straight going into "Ramshoek" the computer shows "-------" range. But I see the checkered flag coming on the start/finish straight and cruise for half a lap back to the track exit after "Veenslang" and make it back. Filling up I noticed that I could only get 45 liters in, so I still had 13 liters left. The fuel sender is probably not coping with this kind of use.
Awesome day, what an experience. Can't wait until the next one
. I did not get much usable footage or pictures of me on track. It was too cold and my co only had phones with them. However, there was a professional photographer around. I managed to track down his photos, enjoy:
- 2,648
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- GTP_Dutchy
Nice write up mate. Glad everything went well!Update #6
So, it was finally in sight. The day I'd drive my own car around my local track: TT Circuit Assen. I grew up about 10 minutes away from there, so I visited many times. I have seen the track evolve, getting much more modern the last 10 years. Of late, the infrastructure around the track got updated, so access is sorted out very well.
I started to prepare on Friday. I fitted the OEM wheels with the Yokohama AD08R's, gave the car a checkup: fluids, suspension, brakes. I wanted to wash the car, but the ground temperature was below freezing so I didn't want to create a bobsleigh track on the drive. Drove into Assen to brim the tank with V Power, check tire pressures and get a liter of 5W-40 just in case.
The next morning after a good breakfast and feeling confident, we headed out to the track. The Yoko's are a little stiffer, especially at these cold temperatures. We arrived nice and early and got tickets. The trackday was organized by renowned Race School www.rsz.nl. From 12:00 til 16:00 every hour would host three 20 minute sessions. First session would be Tour, second Sport Medium, third Sport Fast. From 16:00 til 17:00 would be two 30 minute sessions. The last 30 minutes would be Sport Medium and Fast combined.
The nice thing is that you can decide which sessions to get tickets for, provided they are still available. It is of course still early in the race season and the paddock didn't look overly crowded. I decided to go with 12:20 Sport Medium and 16:30 Sport M+F. Depending how it went I was planning on doing one or two sessions in between.
I had my parents with me. They were excited for me to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams, at the same time worried something would happen to me or my prized possession: Pluto. My dad is no racer at all. Moreover I know he would not enjoy a passenger ride at all. My mom on the other hand would, but I was unsure if she would dare to go. Lucky she could rent a helmet with RSZ and she decided to go with.
There I was, in the staging area, waiting to go on track. I had TrackAddict enabled on my phone, so I could get lap times determined by GPS and an OBD2 scanner go log car parameters from the ECU. Driving to the end of the pitlane, I went in concentration mode. I didn't feel fear or worries luckily, I was just excited to get underway.
First laps on track were bonkers. I had people trying to warm their tires, drifting. I knew the track well, but notices small road cambers I had not noticed that well in the sim. Once things spread out more, I could explore the car a little more. This Clio is so capable. Quick enough in the straight line, but by no means the quickest on the straights. The brakes inspire a lot of confidence. The lack of understeer was staggering. Only in some corners when pushed beyond the ideal entry speed, or the off camber "Mandeveen". Also not a lot of power understeer or torque steer. The only second gear corner is "Strubben". The fronts are traction limited there. Towards the end of the session I started exploring a bit more. I had traction control kicking in out of "Strubben". I was braking a bit later, starting to get a feel for trail braking. The rear then becomes really mobile, which I noticed when the tail kicked out at the on camber entry of "De Bult". I felt it was not going to spin round, but enough for me to want to correct the steering to the center for a fraction and at the same time the stability system applied some brakes in a subtle way. It didn't spook me, but gave me an idea of how much leeway the system gives before taking control. It also didn't make me go wide. It did scare my mom a bit. It gave be a big grin on my face, haha. A lap later the session was at an end. A half inlap and a short drive through the paddock to cool the car, I parked up again next to my parents' BMW.
Ecstatically I got out of the car. This car proves you don't need RWD to have fun. A well honed FWD chassis is just as mobile and pointy as a good RWD. My mom enjoyed it too. She was very impressed by how capable the car is, how quick the car is through the corners. I was complimenting her on hanging in for 20 minutes, as I was prepared to head into pit lane after about 10 minutes or so to drop her off if needed. After a short talk, it was still well below freezing, I checked the wheel bolts with the torque wrench and we went inside the restaurant to warm up.
Seeing as the car stood up well and I felt confident enough that Sport Medium was about my speed, I decided to buy two more tickets for the 14:20 and 15:20 group. I had also invited some friends, two of them couldn't make it because of being ill. @Nolinar arrived a bit later because of having to go by public transport. He made it to the track and took a break together in the restaurant.
The 14:20 session went well. As I was fairly confident I knew the characteristics of the Clio, I switched off the traction and stability systems. In "Strubben" that meant I had to control the throttle, but in most corners I would get more drive out. I was more precise with the brakes so I didn't get the rear to step out too much. Braking into "Geert Timmer bocht" required more precise steering. As I was right behind a Peugeot 106, I got a black flag and went into the pits. Turned out my transponder wasn't working. By the time the marshal was done with me, the session was over.
In the 15:20 I wanted to find some pace. I was braking sharper. Trying to maximize the exits. I was finding the gearbox to be the most limiting factor of the car. Ratios are well chosen and not bad suited to Assen. But the shift is very notchy and won't go into the next gear quick enough when upshifting. So I'm going to change the gearbox oil for a high performance oil. I dropped off @Nolinar half way and went out again. I had a few laps more and the heat was done.
@Nolinar chose to sit out the final heat, so I had 30 minutes with the lightest the car had been all day. I had 40% fuel. I also noticed how the paddock was already less crowded than before, a lot of the drivers already heading home. Apart from the opening 2 or 3 laps, which was a traffic jam. I had a clear track for the whole session. Pluto still going strong, no brake fade, tires still gripping the same, coolant temperature rock solid at normal operating temperature. Such fun. I don't think 2 laps were the same though as I was still exploring the track. The lap times were quite consistent though. 6 minutes left in the session, a loud beep in the interior. The fuel light has come on! I look at the onboard computer and it tells me I got 18 km range left. Hmmm, this might stretch to the end of the session. Knowing there is a petrol station right at the edge of the paddock, I decide to risk it and press on. As I am on the back straight going into "Ramshoek" the computer shows "-------" range. But I see the checkered flag coming on the start/finish straight and cruise for half a lap back to the track exit after "Veenslang" and make it back. Filling up I noticed that I could only get 45 liters in, so I still had 13 liters left. The fuel sender is probably not coping with this kind of use.
Awesome day, what an experience. Can't wait until the next one
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Nice write up, thanks for taking the time 
.
I am very jealous - the track is the only place to explore the limits and I'm very interested in trying one out, but am hesitant due to wear n tear and stuff like that. Probably irrational, and might change over time!
Very interesting to hear the gearbox of all things is what was feeling like a drawback (in terms of preventing more flow and overall fluidity). Keen to hear if you go for another gearbox oil and if it makes a difference. Solid to hear the brakes held up well too 👍
.I am very jealous - the track is the only place to explore the limits and I'm very interested in trying one out, but am hesitant due to wear n tear and stuff like that. Probably irrational, and might change over time!
Very interesting to hear the gearbox of all things is what was feeling like a drawback (in terms of preventing more flow and overall fluidity). Keen to hear if you go for another gearbox oil and if it makes a difference. Solid to hear the brakes held up well too 👍
- 10,828
- Belgium
- bramturismo
Awesome stuff Bart!
Are you planning on perhaps going to Zolder for a trackday?
I'm probably going on a circuit experience course in April or May, which is an entire day of both driving theory, and driving behind the pace car and with an instructor at Zolder circuit. Got my helmet ready!
Maybe some day we'll meet at a track! 👍
Are you planning on perhaps going to Zolder for a trackday?
I'm probably going on a circuit experience course in April or May, which is an entire day of both driving theory, and driving behind the pace car and with an instructor at Zolder circuit. Got my helmet ready!
Maybe some day we'll meet at a track! 👍
- 2,648
- Somewhere in the cloud
- GTP_Dutchy
We had some fun in good old pluto this weekend...
- 2,648
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- GTP_Dutchy
pluto pic 5 is back this time without productnumber
- 4,602
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Nice write up, thanks for taking the time
I am very jealous - the track is the only place to explore the limits and I'm very interested in trying one out, but am hesitant due to wear n tear and stuff like that. Probably irrational, and might change over time!
Very interesting to hear the gearbox of all things is what was feeling like a drawback (in terms of preventing more flow and overall fluidity). Keen to hear if you go for another gearbox oil and if it makes a difference. Solid to hear the brakes held up well too 👍
Thanks Mike
I can understand that, I have just accepted that my car will not be perfect. And what might happen with wear and tear could be restored.
It's not the same situation with yours being so much newer, but honestly my paint still looks like a much younger car.
Liquid Yellow might be trickier to get right then Nimbus Grey. I'm just going to protect it as well as I can and the rest is just out of my control.
The more worrying part of driving on track are the other idiots IMHO. I am confident I can keep the car going where I want it to go. Assen is a great track for a first trackday too, with big runoff space.
Awesome stuff Bart!
Are you planning on perhaps going to Zolder for a trackday?
I'm probably going on a circuit experience course in April or May, which is an entire day of both driving theory, and driving behind the pace car and with an instructor at Zolder circuit. Got my helmet ready!
Maybe some day we'll meet at a track! 👍
Thanks Bram
There is a good chance I'll go to Zolder next year. But Zandvoort and Spa are higher on my list. Great to see that vrijrijden.nl also goes to Zolder this year. Good luck on your circuit experience, it's awesome great fun. I hope we'll meet too, keep me up to date on your track ventures.
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Update #7
Nürburgring.
Nordschleife.
There I was with Pluto.
Kingsday 2018, most Dutchies are out celebrating in the streets, or selling/hunting for old stuff nobody wants. Not me, I spend my days off at the racetrack if I can. I had good company in the form of @GTP_Dutchy and another friend. The Nordschleife was open from 17:15 till 19:30 (or so we thought), so we weren't in a hurry to get there. We cruised there and had a friendly sprint with a Clio 4 RS, which was fun. Nothing beats the Autobahn. But most of the time it was too busy with holiday traffic.Nürburgring.
Nordschleife.
There I was with Pluto.
We had lunch and a wander about before the track open. Well prepared, helmets on and cameras in place we went on the track. I took it easy in the first lap. I didn't have the trackday tires on, for a lack of time to fit them before the trip. But grip was still good, nothing to complain. Under heavy braking you could hear them being the limiting factor. I left the stability control on as I didn't know what to expect from the chassis in some of the very challenging corners. I thought this would be the safe thing to do.
Turns out... it wasn't. Going through Karussell everything was fine and dandy. Sure, the car was bouncing a bit over the concrete plates, but all tires remained in contact with the road at all times. The stability computer disagreed. I guess it may have detected a bit of wheelspin for a fraction an decided I was having an accident. So it braked hard. This made me go from about 75 kph to below 40 kph with a car closely behind where you normally don't brake! From the unexpected force, my hand hit the horn as well
Lucky I steered out of the banking and let the car behind through on the racing line and all was well. I finished the lap, satisfied with the chassis and brakes.
The party pooper was quickly switched off for the next laps. My friend also decided the back seat of the Clio was not Nordschleife proof, or at least not a comfortable environment so he got out and looked at the great selection of cars in the Nordschleife entrance parking lot. With Kevin still riding shotgun, we did 2 more laps.
In my third lap I had a lap long battle with a brand new BMW M3, which was funny. Lap 4 and 5 were disturbed a bit more by traffic and accidents/breakdowns.
During lap 4 and 5, a few nice pictures were taken of Pluto at the Brünchen complex:
Planning on doing a sixth lap, we were cut short in track time. It closed just after 19:00 to let a bunch of busses onto the track for the tourists who were too afraid of doing a lap themselves
.Still an awesome experience. By now it is almost traditional for me and Kevin, but we ended the evening with a nice dinner at the Pistenklause restaurant and drove home after that.
@GTP_Dutchy @Gravitron @EDK @MadMax @GTP_Patrick1 @GTP_Nail @Meister Fetz @Bleached @hasslemoff @Animera @Friday_GTRP @skyline1683 @suprajef @Kjeld Lund @mcsqueegy @roamer2629 @DTM @Sjaak @Rikson @Ealirendur @mr_lab_rat @Argon @Cobani @dranddad @Whitetail @DGiant2000 @DTM @Fastas @Mini Stiggy @Ph1sh @Speedy6543 @Ren @Mike Rotch @Punknoodle @homeforsummer @TB @lbpomg95 (I'm sure I forgot someone)
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