This is the crux of the X84 Renaultsport Megane’s appeal. The original 2004-on 225 models felt a little vague in their handling, but Renault sorted this with 25 per cent stiffer front springs and 77 per cent firmer rear springs, along with revised damping, for the Trophy and Cup models. These are the cars to seek out if your budget doesn’t extend to an R26 model. The R26.R boasted a 4mm wider track and stiffer lower arm bushes to give added cornering stability and to make to the most of the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres in 235/40 R18 size on unique alloy wheels.
225 Cup got significantly stiffer springs and dampers
Buyers of the R26.R also had the option of Toyo Proxes R888 tyres in 225/40 R18 size that came as part of a £700 pack that included the rear roll cage. The F1 Team Special Edition had gloss black-painted wheels to contrast with its Ultra Blue paintwork and Dunlop SP Sportmaxx 235/40 R18 tyres.
The basic suspension set-up is the same across the range, with a double axis design with MacPherson strut front and anti-roll bar. At the back is a torsion bar arrangement with coil springs. This suspension design has proved to be very tough and all you need to look out for are worn bushes, which tend to show up at the 60,000-mile mark and are easy to replace. If you want to use the car on track, uprated poly bushes help sharpen the handling and steering feel of the standard non-Cup models.
Standard brakes can wear very quickly
More of a concern when looking at a Renaultsport Megane 2 are the brakes. Renault fitted very hard pads originally to gain longevity and consistent brake feel that did not fade, even when the ABS anti-lock kicked in. However, these pads chew through discs more quickly than with many of the Megane’s rivals, so you may have to budget for new discs every 20,000 miles.
Early Meganes had standard discs, but from the Trophy model onwards Brembo discs and calipers offer even better stopping power. The front discs are 312mm cross-drilled fronts and 300mm rear items in the mainstream models, but the R26.R swapped to grooved discs for greater heat dissipation. For track day users, specialists such as Backdraft Motorsport and K-Tec can supply uprated discs and pads.
PHer's view:
"My R26 is great on track and pretty easy to live with daily, though I avoid too many motorway trips. Better pads and discs help on track but they squeal too much in town, which is annoying. Toyos were great on track, but they wear too quickly on the road, so Michelins are a better all-round choice."
Chi Li
Buying guide contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling Chassis
Body
Interior
