Xantia - let suspension go up before driving off?

Napoleon · Post by **Napoleon** » 27 Nov 2008, 08:34

Just a quickie - I need to move the car off the drive each morning to get a van on the road.

Apart from the probably undesirable consequences of starting the engine, and moving the car 10', should I wait for the suspension to rise/fall/do whatever it wants to do before driving off? The font of the car almost leaps up on the first few revolutions of the engine, followed by the rear sometime later; not sure how long after, it's much more gradual.

Secondary question while I think about it - is the Xantia nickable? I mean to say, should I be concerned about it's theft and religiously fit a steering lock? Is the alarm enough?

Cheers dears

addo · Post by **addo** » 27 Nov 2008, 08:54

Once the STOP light is off, you have adequate pressure to be safe. The only issue is ground clearance for a short hop as described.

As to theft - I often don't lock mine!

Ross_K · Post by **Ross_K** » 27 Nov 2008, 11:10

Napoleon wrote:Secondary question while I think about it - is the Xantia nickable? I mean to say, should I be concerned about it's theft and religiously fit a steering lock? Is the alarm enough?

Cheers dears

Is it nickable? As in would someone bother nicking one? Or as in "is the built-in security enough"?

Someone would be doing me a favour nicking mine, but it doesn't have a keypad or fancy transponder immobiliser like the later Xantias. Short of leaving the keys in the ignition for a week I can't any toerags making off with it, specially as scrap metal prices have gone through the floor again. 8)

Save your steering lock money for a few pints at the weekend.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 27 Nov 2008, 11:26

A 'Citroen' badge is about the best anti theft device you can get - they don't exactly make a good getaway car - especially the diesels. They take to long to get going.

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 27 Nov 2008, 11:43

Hello Peter, not so! The V6 Xantia is the bank robbers vehicle of choice in Germany, so I have been told, honest.

Handyman

Post by **Peter.N.** » 27 Nov 2008, 11:59

Ah right, never run a petrol one

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 27 Nov 2008, 14:06

And with 816 miles from a full tank'd 1.9TD surely you can out range most police cars (albeit by driving very carefully - roads with lots of speed bumps should help)

Exhume.dk · Post by **Exhume.dk** » 27 Nov 2008, 16:39

LOL @ the bank robbery angel

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 27 Nov 2008, 17:48

Xac wrote:And with 816 miles from a full tank'd 1.9TD surely you can out range most police cars (albeit by driving very carefully - roads with lots of speed bumps should help)

Watching Top Gear on Sunday I really think one of them should have used a 1.9/2.1 Diesel Xantia for the drive to blackpool, 800 to the tank easy!

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 27 Nov 2008, 17:55

red_dwarfers wrote:
Xac wrote:And with 816 miles from a full tank'd 1.9TD surely you can out range most police cars (albeit by driving very carefully - roads with lots of speed bumps should help)
Watching Top Gear on Sunday I really think one of them should have used a 1.9/2.1 Diesel Xantia for the drive to blackpool, 800 to the tank easy!

I was thinking the same too!

As for the 3cylinder VW getting 80mpg, I'm sure I've read about the AX 1.4D getting similar mpg too.

reblack68 · Post by **reblack68** » 27 Nov 2008, 20:12

I think the AX was in the Guinness Book of Records when it was current.

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 28 Nov 2008, 01:28

In 1989 a naturally aspirated diesel AX, using the 1360 cc all aluminium alloy TUD engine, managed a figure of 2.7 litres per 100 kilometres (100 mpg-imp/87 mpg-US), totalling over 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from Dover to Barcelona. This was the longest ever distance travelled on 10 imp gal (45.5 L/12.0 US gal) of fuel and earned it a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most economical production car.

100mpg according to Wiki!
So nearly 20 years later, and with a direct injection diesel and all the technological advances since then, that VW got up to what? 70mpg?

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 28 Nov 2008, 01:37

Again, a HDi would have done that top gear challenge too. I've had 700 from a tank and that was not driving economically.

Xac, with regards to your comment about VW not matching an AX. I believe the problem lies with modern cars being much heavier and bloated. Blame all the extra impact regulations they have to adhere to these days. A safe car is nice yes, but surely it can be done without adding obscene amounts of weight to a car. All the extra equipment doesn't help either (though I do like my gadgets

)

Just not like older cars where you got a box on wheels, an engine and not much else.

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 28 Nov 2008, 01:54

Thing is, the TUD3 was only 52hp compared to the TDI which is either 70 or 80.
AX kerb weight is 725kg
Polo kerb weight is 990kg

So the increase in mass in proportional to the increas in power (no idea if that actually makes a difference, but it sounds good)

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 28 Nov 2008, 02:24

Hmm true. I guess what we really should be looking at is power to weight ratios??

AX 725kg with 52bhp
VW 990kg with 78bhp

AX = 71.72bhp/ton
VW = 78.79bhp/ton

Quite similar actually so yes, it is proportional.

Therefore I could be cynical and say its all an elaborate ploy to make sure we are using more fuel and hence pay more money......

.....no? Just me then

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Xantia - let suspension go up before driving off?

Xantia - let suspension go up before driving off?

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