Why does my Clio only do 80mph?

U srs?

And you think that is causing an 2002 Clio to run at 80mph max?

Sometimes your head is screwed on just a little too tight Graham

Yes. If your car does not have enough power to pull away from 4th->5th then you have a problem.

It could be the early signs of a worn out engine (losing max hp), but granted, a good service (or lack of) is probably more likely.

Nah, the gearbox is just set up wrong, set up for cruising. The gear is far too high for the amount of torque the engine has and thus, a lower gear (4th) is more likely to reach top speed on small engines.

Try it, try and get to the red line in a 1.4 in 5th. You can't, you run out of torque, try it in 4th and you will probably get a higher top speed as you can reach the red line, worth trying either way, nothing to lose.

The chances of a 2002 correctly maintained engine wearing out are astronomically small unless something major has given way. In fact its unheard of as far as i know that such a new engine could wear out so easily. I think your just spoiling for an argument Graham.....

Your seriously deluded. The gearbox in a 1.2 Renault Clio is NOT set up for cruising, fair enough in a bentley or in a BINI with 6 gears.

You may very well not be able to hit the rev limiter in even a 1.4 in 5th, in fact i know you cant because my car is a healthy 100bhp 1.4 and it runs out at about 5500rpm. But thats still ALOT faster than flat out in 4th.

It's French anything could happen!

Im being serious Graham, youve just pissed me off again by making these stupid comments. You know the engine isnt worn out and if it was there would be something seriously wrong with. Please dont do this again.

Its worth a shot, especially with lower power and less torquey engines, honestly, it can make a big difference.

Sorry