scalpelboy Posted 2, October 2012 Report Share Posted 2, October 2012 Hey Chaps. I'm an almost owner of a Renault Megane 265. I am coming out of a BMW 135i and have some reservations about letting go of some creature comforts - leather seats, sunroof, iDrive etc - and the cracking pace of the twin-turbo. But I have to head back to Uni for a bit and simply cannot afford to keep bleeding money into the Bavarian. Anyway! I did the usual thing of looking at VW. Scirocco seems like a car for the middle-aged guy pretending he wants something to drive hard. Golf R seems overpriced and, with features like traction that cannot be turned off - has something of the faker about it. So, Renaultsport it is...... I am looking at a Lunar Grey or Black RS 265 in the cheapest option ie Cup. Here are the questions: 1. Is it true that the Cup seats are more comfortable than the Recaros? 2. When I track the car, which will only happen once every few months, do the standard seats fare well enough when pushing the car hard? 3. Is the ride on 18"s compromised compared to 19"s? 4. How much can you extend the warranty? How much have peeps paid? 5. How many kms to break in an engine on the RS? Am guessing about 2000? 6. Anything that would sway me towards the 8:08 ($7000 more) or Trophy ($4400 more)? Again, money is tight next year. Really appreciate the help. Looking forward to getting to know other RS enthusiasts (and hopefully getting past a couple of you on the track). Cheers, Prav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve11 Posted 2, October 2012 Report Share Posted 2, October 2012 Hi & welcome, IMO if you are seriously intent on regularly tracking the car & can stretch the extra $s the 808 is the car to buy. The Recaros (leather in 808) are super comfy & obviously more suitable for track days. The tyres on the 808 are more track orientated unless you intend to buy a 2nd set of dedicated wheels/semi slicks. I would expect the 18's of the 'cup' to be slightly more ride compliant (comfy) than the 19's but not enough to be a deciding factor. The other benefit IMO to the 808 is the 2 paint finishes (LY & PW). However if you like the Lunar Grey & are more concerned with daily usage than the odd track day then save a few $'s buy the cup & enjoy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpelboy Posted 2, October 2012 Author Report Share Posted 2, October 2012 Thanks Steve. I think I might let the practicality in me win (it seldom does) and go with the options that make the car usable 95% of the time ie normal seats and 18"s. I like your point regarding the wheels though - might get a second set for the track. Cheers, Prav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemz Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 Welcome Prav! Sounds like the Cup is the car for you. Standard seats will be more than adequate for an occasional track day, while remaining more usable on the road (by that, I mean easier to get in and out off). However, the Recaros are amazingly comfortable. If you decide on a second set of track rims, a member in here - ace, bought some OZ Allegeritas (spelling...) which worked great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffyn Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 Welcome. If money's tight, 18s will help. The standard seats are just fine for tracking (and have always been good on Renaults since the 60s). The RS engines seem to take about 7k to open up fully, and keep getting better to around 15k, then level out. Break in method and length are still hotly debated here. Hope to see lots of photos when you do put your cash where your mouth is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBH58 Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 Don't know what your 135i was like, but the Megane RS has a healthy appetite for expensive tyres. I've never owned a car that was so heavy on them. 18's will help on costs and if you have any intention of doing track days, separate track day wheels/tyres are an absolute must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apex Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 IMHO the Cup seats are better than the Recaro's, they are manufactured to a higher quality with better materials and are more comfortable. They allow you to cary back seat passengers without having to jack the seat up and forward as so said passengers can fit their feet behind and under them, this is a seriously embarrassing design flaw in the Recaro's. I have tracked cars with both and would not rate one over the other, both were adequate. Would rate the 18" option as a good one and the OEM Michelins should perform as well as the 19" options and return better millage. The only option I rate on the Trophy is the proximity key. Cars do not need running in, well not cars manufactured in the last 20 odd years, it is a common misconception that they do and funnily enough a very commonly asked question around here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBH58 Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 IMHO the Cup seats are better than the Recaro's, they are manufactured to a higher quality with better materials and are more comfortable. They allow you to cary back seat passengers without having to jack the seat up and forward as so said passengers can fit their feet behind and under them, this is a seriously embarrassing design flaw in the Recaro's. I find the Recaros very comfortable for a seat that has so few adjustment options, but the stupid bar that impedes the rear foot room is an unforgiveable design fault. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crownleyian Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 Very interesting topic to be honest Recaro's vs RS CUP seats. I like the Recaros simply because they hold you better and they seem to give you better feel of the cars balance and look great. I had a test drive in a RS250 with RS seats and they felt magnificent for my structure and did hold me in magnificently. But CUP RS's in leather do make you slide around a little. I do prefer the RS CUP Seats because the interior is red while the Recaros get the yellow interior. One thing I say is the Recaros won't make you go faster. If you do go Lunar Grey for the Cup think really hard about the 18"s they look magnificent on the Black but not to sure about the Lunar Grey they look strange, but that is my opinion. But those 18" are weird they look crap on photos but look magnificent up in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 IMHO the Cup seats are better than the Recaro's, they are manufactured to a higher quality with better materials and are more comfortable. They allow you to cary back seat passengers without having to jack the seat up and forward as so said passengers can fit their feet behind and under them, this is a seriously embarrassing design flaw in the Recaro's. I find the Recaros very comfortable for a seat that has so few adjustment options, but the stupid bar that impedes the rear foot room is an unforgiveable design fault. Recaros have more leg room in the back than the regular cup seats. Obviously you have to jack them up, but once you've jacked them up high enough for people to put their feet, the leg room is better (because the regular cup seats are so thick- ie. Both seats 3 notches forward- the recaros have more leg room as they are thinner). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apex Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 Really? I have not found that the case at all. I am not very tall, 184cm, and I find the position the seat needs to be in to allow for adults to sit in the back extremely embarrassing and uncomfortable, I feel like I am jacked up to the roof and pushed all the way forward, I would not offer to passenger anyone more than say 20km. It’s another reason the Megane III really fails ergonomically compared to the brilliant Megane II that could comfortably seat 4 adults. A modern car the size of a Megane should be able to seat four adults in relative comfort. Its not just the position, the seats themselves are of a poor quality, the plastics don't match the rest of the interior nor does the rubbish material they are made out of match the back seat, and for these reason's I would take the regular seats over the Recaro's if I was buying again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBH58 Posted 3, October 2012 Report Share Posted 3, October 2012 Really? I have not found that the case at all. I am not very tall, 184cm, and I find the position the seat needs to be in to allow for adults to sit in the back extremely embarrassing and uncomfortable, I feel like I am jacked up to the roof and pushed all the way forward, I would not offer to passenger anyone more than say 20km. It’s another reason the Megane III really fails ergonomically compared to the brilliant Megane II that could comfortably seat 4 adults. A modern car the size of a Megane should be able to seat four adults in relative comfort. Its not just the position, the seats themselves are of a poor quality, the plastics don't match the rest of the interior nor does the rubbish material they are made out of match the back seat, and for these reason's I would take the regular seats over the Recaro's if I was buying again. I don't regret the Recaros from a purely selfish drivers perspective, but the rear seat foot room issue could/should have been avoided and jacking up the seat, because the seat pivots from the front, means you not only wind up sitting too high, but also loose thigh support. I find the driving position (even when I get it as good as I can get it) less than ideal on the Meg III anyway. I do generally agree with you on the Meg II to Meg III ergonomics though Apex. They went backwards in a number of areas. But a coupe (which the Megane III RS sort of is) can sort of been forgiven for not entirely looking after rear passengers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted 7, February 2013 Report Share Posted 7, February 2013 Hi Prav, Hope it went well for you. Cheers, WOLF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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