2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

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ankou
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2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by ankou »

Evening,

Right, two weeks and 1000 miles into the ownership of the new motor I have worked out the little niggles that I want to sort and things I am happy with, Though I would share them here.

Picked up the car on day one, freshly valeted and gleaming. First 10 miles were quite unusual, having been so used to driving a Xantia Exclusive, the car seemed harder and a little jiggly. Further investigation seems to tell me this is normal.

I had a spare set of wheels off my sisters 407, and popped them on so I could get my balancing sorted on my wheels. First thing I noticed is how much better the ride and grip was, with exactly the same size. I noticed that the C5 is quite sensitive to tyres, anyone else noticed this? (My wheels have Pirelli P6's, my sisters has Arrowspeed's) My tyres have about 3.5mm on them, I normally swap them at 2.5-3mm so any suggestions on types that work well for the C5......My normal brand tend to get me some very evil looks and comments lol.

The aircon is fully functional, but a tiny bit warm, kwik fit are doing recharges in my local area for £19.99. Anyone had them do it? Can they be trusted? lol.

Thats all for now, I think, any thoughts by all means share.
Citroen C5 2.0 VTR 2007 ........ My daily smoker
Citroen Saxo 1.6 VTS 2002....... under the stewardship of my missus :/
sergiup
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by sergiup »

I would be keen to know what tyres are recommended for these too. The ones that are on it are two different tyres at the back (yikes, I know - hence me asking what's recommended), and Nexen or something on the front... definitely not my first choice, I've had good experiences with Goodyear HydraGrip (which aren't really available anymore), and I was thinking of trying Avon but of course I'll bow to experienced advice. Thanks!
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ashy90
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by ashy90 »

Try Hankook? They are pretty good value if you order from somewhere like Camskill.
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qprdude
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by qprdude »

At that price, Kwik Fit won't be checking for leaks/seals. I had mine done after 4 years, and under warranty as it wasn't as cold as I expected. Seems that it is par for the new C5 air-con to last no more than 4 years. A re-gas may well be all that's needed and if it doesn't work, at least £20 shouldn't break the bank. I've only ever used them for tyres for my wife's car.

I get my tyres from mytyres (no pun intended) and usually am price driven to a certain degree. Never Chinese cheapos though, they are too important to economise on, beyond mid range. I have had Nexens on a Rover 75 and they were pretty good. I have to go for less than top brands as my rims are 19", and I haven't won the lottery yet!
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SaabC5
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by SaabC5 »

I've just put a pair of Barum Bravuris II on mine (Continentals budget range), i've used them on my 9-5 and my Vel Satis with good all round results. I ordered online from National Tyres and got a better price than Tyre Shopper/Black Circles etc etc. £119 for everything inc disposal/balance/valve etc. Also since got three e vouchers from them for a half price MOT, a half price oil change and £10 off any tyre purchase. Tyres were 205/65/15's
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by RichardW »

KF just hook up the machine and press go. It (automatically!) vacs it out, checks what's removed, does a vacuum leak test, then re-charges with the correct amount of refrigerant and oil. If it's not colder than when it went in, they don't charge IIRC - however, if they vac it down and it detects a leak, then it won't work at all after that! However, chances are that if it is still working there is no 'leak' just normal wastage - modern systems seem to need a re-gas every 3 or 4 years - must get our Picasso done.....
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by Citroenmad »

I've tried all sorts of tyres on C5s, Ive had some budget tyres which were on the cars when bought. The worst being a set of Hero tyres which had been fitted just before we got the car. They were so dangerous that they were swapped within a 1000 miles. In that case we went for Federals as the car was not going to be kept long, I found those pretty good but too hard in the sidewall for a C5 imo. Another C5 we got had Admiral tyres, pretty decent for a cheap tyre and identical in tread pattern to a Kumho 712. That car had Nexens on the rear which when swapped to the front were far to stiff again, every bump was sent through the steering wheel.

However when I've bought tyres I've always got for premium brands. I had a set of Goodyear Excellent on one C5 with 195.65.15 tyres. They were ok but quite soggy (odd as the Godyear Excellence on another C5 we had with 215.55.16 tyres were as hard as rock and wore out in the centre despite the correct pressure being used) and worse out on the shoulders quite early on. They also showed quality defects in that they caused a wobble while turning the steering wheel and the edge of the tyre 'pealed' away revealing a totally different looking rubber. It also caused the steering wheel to be off centre (same tyres right round the car), which when the tyres were repalced it was back to the centre again. I then put on some Goodyear Duragrips which were fine but not remarkable. I then went back to what was originally on that car when I bought it, Michelin Energy Savers, a great tyre and its what I have stuck with since. The rid is the best, the grip in all conditions is very good, they wear well and are quiet. Plus in this size they are relitively cheap (£70 each fitted). However I have recently put a pair of Vredestein Sportrac3s on the rear, I've had these on an XM and found them to be very good. So far so good with the C5. I will also say that that car has some 16" Monza wheels fitted with 215.55.16 Firestone winter tyres, the steering is a lot more accurate and the ride isnt too badly effected. Im impressed, I might leave it on 16" rims.

All other C5s we have had have been fitted with 16" rims with 215.55.16 tyres. Again Ive tried a few tyres, the above mentioned Admirals, Nexens and Goodyears. I've also had Toyo Proxes T1-Rs which were very good, fantastic grip but they wore out very quickly. The shoulders of the front tyres were smooth after 10K miles and they needed replacing at 12K miles. Since then I have stuck with Michelins, Primacy HP's to be exact. Its what my recently sold C5 had fitted and I could not fault them, our C5 estate also has these and they are certainly the best tyre for a C5 in my opinion.

My Xantia HDi has almost Michelin Energy Savers on the back and brand new Pirelli P1 Cinturatons on the front (205.60.15). I did want a full set of Michelins but had to rush out and get the front pair after a puncture so bought what they had in stock. Im impressed with both tyres, Pirellis especially. My Activa has Pirelli P7s on the rear (another Pirelli tyre I like, when fitted to the front they proved to be very good) and Continental Premium Contact 2s up front. Ive not done many miles on them yet but they go grip in the wet very well, its the best tyre I've had on the Activa so far. Not that its tyres last very long ...

I will say I dont drive slowly and my tyres certainly get put to the test :lol:
Chris
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ankou
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Re: 2 weeks into C5 ownership.....my thoughts.

Post by ankou »

My car came with 215/55/16, a good compromise I feel. My last car was with me for 6 years, and I had the pleasure of taking it from 39k when I brought it, to 311k when it left me to go to the scrapyard in the sky! This gave me many chances to try plenty of tyres, from the absolute best which were barely road legal yokohama semi slicks, which stuck like glue but lasted 3500 miles, to tigar tyres that one exploded having been fitted for 20 mins!

I have been using a certain brand of budgets that shall remain nameless....i first brought A set in Germany while on holiday in 2010 after getting two punctures. I brought them from a tyre dealer, two tyres for £68 fitted. I didn't expect much, was just to get me home as the holiday left me skint. I was wrong, each set lasts about 10k, wear evenly, plus wet and dry grip are impressive. In the UK they are hard to find, but my second preference is always going to be federals. Performance per pound is really good, if a bit sporty and stiff.

As long as they are not tigars :)
Citroen C5 2.0 VTR 2007 ........ My daily smoker
Citroen Saxo 1.6 VTS 2002....... under the stewardship of my missus :/
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