Xantia Winter In Norway

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 27 Aug 2006, 17:31

there is a visiual improvment on mothers v plated Xant over our n plated one, the lights are much brighter - maybe they fitted better looms on the ph2/3?

rabenson · Post by **rabenson** » 27 Aug 2006, 19:59

I can see how the dip lamp on a twin lamp setup can be HID (as dip lamps are on all the time) but how do they get around the warmup time on the mainbeam lamp? or has technology moved on and they now hit full brightness instantly?

Ron

PS I use Philips VisonPlus in my Xsara - major improvement over standard

KP · Post by KP » 28 Aug 2006, 14:34

If you wanted them as the main beam i think they still take a second or two to kick in. depends on the system but the coupe i drove with them was near instant kick from the lamps.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 28 Aug 2006, 20:09

Driving in the mainland Europe with boosted up UK RHD headlights will most likely cause you lots of grief.
All oncoming traffic will be dazzled and they will instantly dazzle you using their mainbeam as a revenge - and finally someone will call the highway patrol center from their cellphone to get you off the road. You are not exactly anonymous in a RHD with UK license plates ...

The highway patrols in DK, S & N are especially upset by cars with faulty lights - which includes illegal high wattage non CE approved bulbs/lamps.

The best advices so far in this thread are :
(in order of importance)
Find a pair of s/h LHD headlamps and fit them.
Upgrade the wiring to the headlamps using relays.
Uprate the light output using branded +50% output legal bulbs.

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 28 Aug 2006, 22:04

I'd get a pair of second hand ones as Malcolm and Anders suggest - it's the ideal solution to the requirement you have for driving safely at a time and place where I'd expect damned good lighting would be essential!

try:

http://tinyurl.com/z5rpw &

http://tinyurl.com/fnmpm

Andrew

PicassoPigeon · Post by **PicassoPigeon** » 29 Aug 2006, 10:16

Well thanks for everybodys help on this one.
Now i have another what about winter tyres in Norway does anybody know, i have been told i need them and told that I am ok with UK tyres

Thanks.

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 29 Aug 2006, 20:57

gav425 wrote:Well thanks for everybodys help on this one.
Now i have another what about winter tyres in Norway does anybody know, i have been told i need them and told that I am ok with UK tyres
Thanks.

I do remember a hilarious article Jeremy Clarkson wrote about road testing in Iceland where EVERYTHING is at sea on the ice. The crux was the studded tyres were seen as essential but on decent cleared tarmac the speed had to be kept down to prevent damge to both the road and the car. That's why snowchains aren't especially liked as they too damage the road. Doesn't the AA, RAC etc have some guidanace in their hadnbooks/websites for just such a query?

Check out:
http://www.auspiciousdragon.net/thought ... html#tyres

Andrew

pie eater · Post by **pie eater** » 29 Aug 2006, 23:28

To answer Rabenson's query re the main beam headlamps on a C5 equipped with HID dipped beam headlights, the main beams are conventional bulbs - Instant response when flashing (ooh - err) but the colour difference is enormous. They appear to be really yellow alongside the HID lamps.
Another query - mine's not fitted with foglights. Is this because the characteristics of HID lamps do away with the need for conventional foglamps? I haven't driven the C5 in the dark in foggy conditions yet to test the theory.

Pie Eater.

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 02 Sep 2006, 11:30

Mind one of those headlight links I listed on ebay france is still on 1 euro with 19 hours to go with one bid...

got to be worth a punt! You's be almost there as it appears the glass for the opposite side is included. Isn't the glass the only difference between left and right hand drive?

Incidentally, changing a headlight over is an easy painless 20 minute procedure that I did the other day on my lunch break from work. The only fiddle is the lower bolt that is fractionally obscured by the top edge of the bumper. Certainly provided something for everyone else in the carpark to gawp at.

Andrew

Morten · Post by **Morten** » 26 Nov 2006, 19:37

Hi Gav425,
I live in Norway and I have a few advice for your holiday trip. Make sure you have anti freeze for more than -15 Degree C. It can be really cold around Christmas. Change the oil to a synthetic 5-50 or someting like that. You need a proper set of winter tires. Winter tires can be with or without stubs. If you choose stubs, there is a enviromental fee (approx £2 for one day) in Oslo (If you are planning your route via Oslo). Do not attempt to use sommer tires! You will get in trouble on the road. The chances that you will get stuck is high. Most of the main roads are salted and free from snow in the urban areas. Do not get surprised if you get 20cm snow overnight ( have a brush for snow and ice). Have a good battery.
Depending on your route planning, there are some roads where automatic traffic control is heavily used. If you got a GPS then I can provide you with the list of POI's where all the automatic traffic cameras are marked. Be aware that they have started testing with automatic speed checking based on average speed the last 10 km or so. Speeding in Norway is very expensive. Bring with you norwegian coins (10, 20 kroner) for the toll roads (again depending on your route planning).

Morten

gav425 wrote:Well thanks for everybodys help on this one.
Now i have another what about winter tyres in Norway does anybody know, i have been told i need them and told that I am ok with UK tyres
Thanks.

davetd · Post by **davetd** » 03 Dec 2006, 17:19

BonceChops wrote:One of the main problems with Xantia lights is the volt drop between battery and bulb. To prove it remove the plastic cover from the back of the light and measure the voltage on the dipped bulb with the lights on and the engine running. Then measure the voltage of the battery with the engine running. You may well find a 2 volt difference that is lost due to Citroens undersized cables. The other way to measure voltdrop ( better way ) is to connect one lead of your voltmeter to the lamp and the other to the +ve side of the battery. This will actually show the voltdrop.
We have discussed on here before how to easily upgrade your cable size using relays.
Another test that really proves how much light you are losing is to have the lights on and engine running. Then connect a piece of 2.5mm or 4mm to the +ve of the battery and then touch it onto the bulb. You will see the light become brighter. This shows how much extra light you will get after upgrading the wiring. It would be a good idea to put a 20 amp fuse in the cable you connect between the battery and bulb in case you touch some body work while trying it

Evening

I can't find this thread about the upgrade. Can anyone give me the link?

cheers

davetd

Post by **philhoward** » 03 Dec 2006, 21:48

[quote="Morten"]Do not get surprised if you get 20cm snow overnight ( have a brush for snow and ice).

[quote]

Sorry to hijack a thread, but had to add an "engage brain before opening mouth" quote I had mailed to me today after 1 converted from metric to imperial..

This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days
and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will,
in the future, likely think before she speaks.
What happens when you predict snow but don't get any!
We had a female news anchor that,
the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn't,
turned to the weatherman and asked:
"So Bob, where's that 8 inches you promised me last night?"
Not only did HE have to leave the set,
but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!

davetd · Post by **davetd** » 04 Dec 2006, 20:08

Does anyone have the link for the topic of upgrading mark one Xantia headlights with uprated cable and a relay please

davetd

steelcityuk · Post by **steelcityuk** » 04 Dec 2006, 20:50

Does the Mk1 have H1 lamps and the Mk2 H7s?

Thanks.