Thread: Renault 5 Gt turbo

what do you guys think...

10 years ago, decent-ish

5 years ago Chav ****

now - Almost extinct - thank God!

Fast but as reliable and sturdy as a dog turd.

Come on you lot! harp up about how you used to own one!

A blunt instrument next to the 205GTI...

Great fun to borrow, and hand back before even more **** fell off it...

Trust your talking about the 1.9GTI there. the 1.6 was the one you bought but yet somehow wished you'd had the 1.9

Nope, not necessarily...the 1.6 was in many ways a better drivers car..
Closer ratio gearbox, lighter feel to it and not enough power to get into bother...point to point no slower than a 1.9 and mostly more entertaining.

The 1.9 was perceived to be faster (in reality, it wasn't really...) had a crap half leather interior with really nasty French leather and the rear discs did no more work...but looked better.
The 1.9 wheels were much prettier though...

The 1.6 was a purer drive, in my vierw. It made you work harder for your reward.

R5 turbo - worst excuse for a sports car ive ever been in, like a suicide bomber on wheels, - ready to blow up at any minuite!. ideal chavs car, saves em having to glue ill fitting fibreglass **** all over 1.4 vauxhall astras.

Death machines

I looked at these when buying my 205 gti and as an image cognisant tw@t I didn't like them! Plus it felt like everything would fall off if you used it. I know the 205 was made out of tin foil but the R5 just felt the cheaper of the two!

Nearly 20 years on, 'they're alright'.

A definite eighties icon, and back then a decent drive what I've read. A guy I work with bought a very clean G-reg Raider version for £1000, after someone was spending ages trying to sell it, and then six months later I helped him list it on eBay. We sold it for £1500 ...

I've always quite liked these cars (but then anything with a bit of rally heritage gets me going).


Crazy-ass looking, a bit mental and probably responsible for the timely demise of some chavs. Also, would there have been a Clio Williams without it?

However, there's always When Renault 5 Turbos Go Wrong

utter french crap!

In standard form they look OK. Early 90's they were owned by boy racers (most of my pals!) everywhere.

For handling they are pants, they need dropping a fair bit via the rear torsion bars and a decent set of springs up front with Konis all round and they defo need a strut brace.

The only one worth having nowadays is the Raider.

I like em.

I don't think they are 'Cool' as a car, but they are a hoot to drive!

I got a new one in 1991 one 'H plate' was one of the best around at the time. Chose it from Nova GTE and XR2i. Didn't like the 205, a mate had a 1.9, and there was not much else around at the time that did 0-60 in 7.1 and handled as well for 11k.

Did 110,000 miles in it over 5 years and nothing fell off, only had to change a clutch and a few wheel bearings.

I think most of the people who answered the poll, or stated that it's crap above were thinking about the chavved up rust buckets that are driving around now, not what it was like in the old days.

This was one of the first cars that i wanted. Unfortunatly i never got one. Trying to find an untouched non-expensive example proved to be diffucult. I think they should bring a upto date version.

Classic hot hatch - in their day, loved driving and being driven in them when tuned, but would never have owned or wanted to pay to run one.
Typical French (crap) build quality and everything seemed to be bolted top the bloody heater matrix!
Uno turbo, far better imho, injection for a start, excellent engines with fewer problems, good handling but typical (crap) Italian build quality!
LOL
Got to love 80's cars though!

Quick enough in its day, but i never could get used to the hideous dash, and the turbo made out of a biscuit tin.

A deffo classic!! Fastest in its day. Everything I owned and tuned up, was benchmarked agains the R5GTT! never owned one, convinced myslef I was better with ford and VW etc, (had a 16 205gti and it was dogslow, but handled well enough)..But the 5's out there were always "problems" when you met them out on the roads!!!

My personal experience was that the 205 handled better - but due to the R5 being so easy to don a bleed valve and scorpion 4" it sounded and went alot better, but then i like turbo cars so i'm biased. I have had alot of fun behind the wheel of an R5 - A proper classic hot hatch in my eyes.
My mate still has one tips that balance @ just over 200bhp - Weighs as much as my electric seat, hence goes rather well - 1/4"s 13.8.

Loved them both to bits. The original POCKET ROCKET...

shame that the build quality is so ****e, rust spots a plenty. Awfull electrics , cheap plastic tacky dash board and pannels.Instruments all failed. Weak gear box's , crappy clutch's ....so expensive to repair clutch or box... Engine out job as no room to work in the engine bay.
Massive overheating probelms standard. seats where comfy but broke so easy. Tiny tiny inside....
but i still would have another one.

I stripped everthing out of my second one ... except the front seats and dash. changed everything i possibly could that would make it quicker. stage 2 hybrid tubro, full exaust system, dump valve , incar boost control, bigger intercooler. lowered springs shocks front , torsion adjust in the rear. 15 in wheels - had to roll arches....any way so none of the bad above ended up effecting me.. so rapid.if i had pictures id post them, but some ...kant nicked my computer about 8 years ago.

I liked the a body, flared arches and big bumpers.. side skirts.
Cheap and effective modding.
Isnt that what a hothatch is all about.
totally chavtastic
anyone got one they looking to scrap...

Originally Posted by wellsy

I got a new one in 1991 one 'H plate' was one of the best around at the time. Chose it from Nova GTE and XR2i. Didn't like the 205, a mate had a 1.9, and there was not much else around at the time that did 0-60 in 7.1 and handled as well for 11k.

Did 110,000 miles in it over 5 years and nothing fell off, only had to change a clutch and a few wheel bearings.

I think most of the people who answered the poll, or stated that it's crap above were thinking about the chavved up rust buckets that are driving around now, not what it was like in the old days.

100% Agree. In their day no other 'hot hatch' could touch a 5 GT in a straight line. The Pug' may have had a better chassis but that didn't matter because you'd left him behind at the last set of lights.....

It's all too easy to criticise the build quality now 20 years later (first ones on a C plate) but name a better built supermini of the era. They only blew up because the average idiot owner didn’t know the meaning of mechanical sympathy, think highly strung 2 stroke motorcycle and you won't be far off.

The Renault 5GT Turbo , a classic.

I was after a cheap runaround a few years back and a brummie at work said get a renault 5 because if you ever need parts the scrappies are full of 'em

Originally Posted by bubstar

It's all too easy to criticise the build quality now 20 years later (first ones on a C plate) but name a better built supermini of the era.

CRX with a B16 v-tec engine in it....

A friend of a friend from Nuneaton had a seriously modded one, gold paint with cromed three spokes, this was in the early days of Max Power and before chavs came into existance...today it would be considered chavtastic but back then it was pretty cool.

i think that some of you are right in the respect that they are unreliable, build quality is crap..but if they are well looked after they can be quite good and when they work......ul never have more fun.if you never been in one you dont know what ur missing.i put a gtt engine in a clio mk1 and it had 170bhp and honestly scared the **** out of me

By today's standards a Supermarket trolley ...

But in it's time .. the Renault 5GT Turbo was a classic and drooled over by many who are now us 45-50+'s sad bu##gers!!!!

i had a raider g plate, wish i had it stashed in garage, garret turbo and lowered, loved it. 205 1.6 had 2, but always hankered for the 1.9, had one for 3 years, if i could track it down id buy it back, love to have it or the 5 in the garage,wee toy for myself....................

If we are talking classics ... what about the Ford Capri 2.8i? (in White)

An old love of mine!

French ****e that loved blowing up!

Originally Posted by wigginer

If we are talking classics ... what about the Ford Capri 2.8i? (in White)

An old love of mine!

Classic?
I think not...one of the worst cars ever made...bloody awful!

capri nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo way, my mate had a white one with red n blue stripes, he thought it was the dogs cock, but we all knew who the cock was .....

Originally Posted by unkle

CRX with a B16 v-tec engine in it....

A friend of a friend from Nuneaton had a seriously modded one, gold paint with cromed three spokes, this was in the early days of Max Power and before chavs came into existance...today it would be considered chavtastic but back then it was pretty cool.

I agree. I passed my test in a '89 Civic 1.4 16v GL. Very well built little cars in their day.

The CRX still wouldn't hold a candle to the 5GT though.......... It was only the later ones that had the VTEC lumps. The early ones were dog slow. Still a great little car though.

Originally Posted by wigginer

If we are talking classics ... what about the Ford Capri 2.8i? (in White)

An old love of mine!

Time for a new thread I think........................

BUB

Originally Posted by bubstar

Time for a new thread I think........................

BUB

Apologies, it is ...

... so best not say anything about the Vectra Mk1 2.5 V6 GSi then ... for fear of being 'Hung, drawn and quartered' :-)

I'd say. But if you'd like to talk RS4's I'm all ears

BUB

Give me a month or so and you will not be able to shut me up about the RS4 ...

Originally Posted by batwad

I've always quite liked these cars (but then anything with a bit of rally heritage gets me going).


Crazy-ass looking, a bit mental and probably responsible for the timely demise of some chavs. Also, would there have been a Clio Williams without it?

However, there's always When Renault 5 Turbos Go Wrong

Please do not mention the Renault 5 Turbo and Renault 5 Turbo 2 in the same thread as the crappy Renault 5 GT Turbo! Totally different animals.

The mid-engined rally bred Turbo and Turbo 2 are icons of an era especially in maxi trim. Respect for the 300bhp 1.4 road legal egg carton!

OT,
Anyone push their 205 a little too hard and found the backend has a tendancy to just break away on the extreme limit and leave you spinning toward oncoming? Arh, those were the days!

1.9 talbot in ****ty white with worsed quality leather than S-line Audi's, pull out caged radio (under the seat usually) and somehow I loved it.

How come we got a thread about R5 GT turbos and no-one's mentioned the anti-percolation fans then ?

Chris.

fragile under developed pieces of **** with sales riding on the back of rally heritage to wich there were no resemblance,warped heads lifted liners and destroyed gearboxes the norm and body shels made of tin foil absolutely awful,its french and thats no excuse for making a substandard product but they still made them and the sheep and lemmings still bought them.put a decent cammed up 4age lump kent 1604s with a seven rib block on 45s in a starlet and then see whos laughing

Good in their day. Crap now!!

A couple of my mates had them so i ended up with 2x 205 1.9GTi & a 309 1.6 XSi before i got fed up with French rubbish build quality & moved onto a mk2 CRX VTEC


Craig

These cars are seriously more fun than any audi.

Yeah there are a few chav spec'd examples but ive owned two of these now and they were both quicker than my boring s3 and handelled considerably better.

You must take it for what it is, of course they arent cool, but with some wilwoods, coilovers and a bit of engine work they are awesome. I ran mine day in day out for about 2 years @ 25psi with no engine faults at all. And i certainly embarresed a few classier cars....like a porsche gt3.

5GT Turbo, a fun car in its day but certainly pipped by a 205GTI (1.6 or 1.9) for all round enjoyment, I should know as i've had all three

True, if you fettle a 5GT it certainly is quicker in a straight line, but if you shove an Mi16 or GTi6 lump in a 205 then its a different ball game entirely. Also round a track a fettled 205 with a capable driver will munch 5GT's all day.

A good friend of mine has an mi16 205 and it is awesome, almost 200bhp now, goes really well, handles nicely etc..

Imo though the gt-turbo has the x-factor, setting it above the rest.

Renault 5 GT Turbo was built baddly and was amasingly flimsy and when pushed hard was skittish. But as they are now so rare they are kinda cool

Originally Posted by bubstar

100% Agree. In their day no other 'hot hatch' could touch a 5 GT in a straight line. The Pug' may have had a better chassis but that didn't matter because you'd left him behind at the last set of lights.....

but then the pug would overtake the R5 on the outside of the 1st bend whilst the driver was changing his tape and lighting a fag

In response to the R5 being the fastest hot hatch in a straight line I have 3 words - Lancia Delta Integrale.

I thought that one of the biggest problems with the R5 (non gordini) was that Renault decided it would be great idea to run the fuel line over the top of the turbo, resulting in at best the fuel vapourising before it hit the injectors or at worst an under bonner fireball.

I had 2 of these R5's back in the day and I loved them, Still like them now but of course wouldnt have one. Mine was Pearlecent 'anything' I had more flips in mine than the dreamcoat itself. Slammed 80mm rear, 100mm front, extremely low and loved every head jerking, jaw banging minute of it. 170-ish BHP and I was wrapping it round the country side no probs. Had some interesting plays with the 'Astra GTE 8v and the 16v. Underestimated in their days.
Chavvy now maybe but noway chavvy back then.

..but back in them days no one cared about how ridiculous your ride looked, Whether you was driving a turd or classic, aslong as it had 15" alloys on it!!

Fragile, quirky money pits, but I loved mine!

First one was a pup but bought more wisely with the 2nd and it didnt break down too much (honest).

So its not not everyones cup of tea, 205 1.9 was another favourite but too pricey to tune. Stick a £40 bleed valve on a R5 and youve more bang for your buck than the other hot-hatches of its day.

Had a string of Pugs, GTEs, Gtis etc etc and none was as much of a laugh as the R5T.

Def a classic symbol of hot hatch back in the day. The 1st turbo'd car I ever went in, and since then owned nothing but turbo'd cars thanks to that thrash in my mates R5. So I have this motor to thank for that!

This was my intro into turbo'd cars too! And it made my thraot go dry and my balls tighten up no end! Seriously cool!!

Was never a huge fan of the R5GTs, but I did have a soft spot for the 5 Turbo Raider editions - they looked pretty cool back then with their dark metallic paint.

Quite ominous cars back then, because you never knew how much power they were packing. If you wanted to race one you just had to hope that it would blow up before overtaking you.

GT Tuning used to build 300 bhp versions - lord knows how they squeezed that much out of the 1.4.

N