Renault Sport Megane Trophy vs. Acura NSX LM GT2
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Firstly I was not really looking forward to this, That Megane is going to be some Front wheeldrive cup car... but as usual, Ryk is totally wrong. A Mid engined car that only shares badges and front and rear light clusters and a few other trivial parts - The engine is not Megane it came form the Vel Satis, which got it as a hand me down from the Nissan Fairlady ... Body Panels? Custom Made to give the illusion that it is a road going hot hatch. So a racing Mid engined Nissan 350Z with a bit of French va va voom?
Acura NSX LM...
Bity of a Mystery car in the dealership - no power figures, no dimensions, Spooky!
Acura vs Renault America vs the Republique de Francais ... Or is it?
I prefer to think of this as a Honda vs Nissan fist fight as they do the Engines, What does the Renault Megane Road car actually supply to this ... the head lamps and the rearlamp clusters... That is like thinnking an ASL Garaiya is really an Alfa Romeo because it has the 147's rear lights! - Yeah right!
So a Japan vs Japan fight -
Dunlop vs Michelin (Tyres)
Honda vs Nissan (V6 Engine )
Castrol vs Elf (Organic Superlube)
Alcon vs AP Racing (Brakes)
*** I know the feeling, It is the Wheel thing ***
One thing to note with these cars are the wheel nuts.... the NSX has a singlenut the same sort of deal as you get in Formula 1 and other big boy racing series. The Megane has APP forged wheels held onto the hub by 5 individual lugnuts - So if you are planning a "Racing pit stop" then the NSX will have a massive advantage - Even if the Renault fields a crack pit crew from North Carolina, the single nut Hondacura will have all the advantages.
*** Fill me up ***
The Megane has a Standard Racing dual input refueller - but it is mounted on the right hand side - great for most circuit racing but a bit of a pain it you run an Oval or end up at Apricot Hill, Imola, Trial Mountain, Interlagos,....or my chosen test track.
The NSX has basic refuellers on both sides of the cars - Great for any circuit or if you like to fly into the pitlane backwards, just like me!
What other issues have you got Ryk? Well the NSX is broadly a road car turned into a racer - the Megane is a race car - that has been dressed up to look like it started off life as a Road car - that just isn't cricket!
*** Round 1 *** Looks ***
What is not to like about these two? - Gullwing doors, Pop up Headlamps, Big Gran Turismo sun strip, Flared wheel arches, Roll Cages, lashings of carbon fibre, big Silly bolt on wings, Huge Slick tyres, Kenny G on the stereo, no carpets, no leather seats no walnut dash...
These are both racing cars, The NSX has much more road car DNA on show than the Fake Megane, The NSX has pop up headlamps, so looks pretty sleek at the front - It is tough to compare the looks as they are race cars and are built to exploit the regulations and dimensions, But the Megane has
GULL WING DOORS - great but this sort of trick means the mass of the door is high - and on a race car you want the weight as
low as you can get - sticking a couple of hulking door hinges above the drivers head is not the optimal solution, but you have to admit that it is cool.
I am a bit old fashioned and the NSX ticks alot of style boxes and with its long wide low lines, you can see it is an evolution of a real car. The Mid engined Renault 350Z is very burly and boxey, it has those terrible looking rear overhangs on the rear wheels. That probably reflacts more on the Regulations than the car but it sure is ugly.
After spending a few hours with both cars the Renault 350Z is looking nicer than when I first opened up the garage,but the Hondacura is just better. in Looksand inhow it gets to those looks.
Nissan 7 Honda 10
*** Round 2 *** Sound ***
The Hondacura is nice enough raspy V6 with a deep clout to it. Not the best engine note I've heard but a good honest sound.
The Nissan Megane MR cup car has bigger V6 so you would expect a slightly deeper note from the pipes... But the car is all Transmission whine with the V6 hidden behind this high pitched note.
Sorry but the NSX is much easier to enjoy the drive, The Endless whine from Megane takes it straight to losers lane.
Nissan 8 (15) Honda 10 (20)
*** Round 3 *** Stock test ***
Next bit is really about how good the cars are. I Ran a 10 lap shakedown at Daytona Beach doing times That I have already forgotten but I know the NSX was faster after my Set up chops were put to the test.
So let's run each car stock at everyones Favourite Japanese track; Not a Nissan track nor a Honda track, not even a Toyota track. This is a Kawasaki track - Otoporisu... 2.9 miles of ups and downs run at high altitude on Kyushu (My personal favourite of Japan's islands! - In your face Shikoku!)
オートポリス
Megane Trophy - 1m51.896 (8 Laps)
NSX LM - GT2 - 1m51.754 (3 Laps)
The Megane Trophy was good fun, just the right amount of Oversteer to make every lap keep your attention. High speed understeer and low speed power oversteer were issues that you had to adapt to.
The NSX went second and was on the pace right out of the box... and I didn't really have to do much to breeze past the PB of the Renault.
Nissan 9 (24) Honda 10(40)
*** Round 4 *** Tuning up! ***
This was a run with the stock car tuned without adding any bits, just adjusting whatever it has. So the Engine is untouched and nothing has been bought for the car. (Save a piece of paper and my old slide ruler for me to work out the gear ratios...
A few things stood out.
The Megane has a fixed Front Aero setting...
The Hondacura has a stock Differential - so if you want some major handling tweaks you have to go the suspension route. - Fortunaly I am fine with the NSX's basic pointy handling. (Or you could stump up the credits and by a custom adjustable LSD.)
I ran the NSX first and only 3 laps-
It was more "smooth" and I set a time of
NSX LM - GT2 - 1m50.371
The Megane was more slidy but if you could four wheel drift into corners and balance it on the exit it was a good match with the NSX, however for whatever reason the uphillpart of the track let the NSX pull away ....
Megane Trophy - 1m50.968 (8 laps- Best)
So again the Hondacura shows the Nissan how it is done.
Nissan 9(33) Honda 10(40)
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I don't really feel like going on more.
The Hondacura NSX GT2 - has to win this.
The one thing the Renault has going for it is the Nissan engine behind the driver! And maybe the cool doors - or the Much closer to the centre line of the car seating position...
So that age old question has finally been answered, Which is better Gull wing doors or Pop-up Headlamps...
Pop-Up Headlamps win due to the Rule of Cool.
(In case you were not sure, the Track that I ran at was
Autopolis.)
--- And the Megane doesn't really have proper gull wing doors - just ones canted upward so you can get in due to the pretty high door sill.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/89788/renault-megane-renault-sport-250-review/