Hello there :)

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Ratheram
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Hello there :)

Post by Ratheram »

Hellooo. Im Jack and I have a confession. Im really into Citroens. It all started when I was 14 and I was put in a work experiance placement at a local citroen garage, Marsh Citroen Repairs if you have heard of it. Now Im 22, havnt left working there, is all good :). Have experiance working on things from 1928 B14g all the way to modern C5s and anything inbetween.

My first car was a 1979 Dyane6, I still have, gradually getting restored and messed around with, Ive owned a 1975 GS 1220 C-matic pallas in sh*t brown, LTW 70P if its still out there, only sold it last year, to what I know, its in a garage getting restored to its former glory, as it should really, cracking car. I just didnt have the time to sort it out myself. I also have owned an R reg Xantia 2.0i 16v Desire2 but an unfortunate incident on a roundabout with slippy conditions means that it was sent to the scrapyard. That started my fondness to the Xantias and I wanted another, the best they did!!

That brings me to my current car. Its a 1999 Xantia 2.0i 16v Exculsive, named "Black Betty". (the song 'ram jam - black betty' was on the radio, car pulled out on me, I braked hard, my ex, singing away, "woooahhh black betty" and it just stuck). Its just over 150,000miles, Ive owned it for 2 years nearly and its the best car Ive owned :)

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Its a great car, in my oppinion, the best car Citroen made and as new as you would ever want to go. No complex BSi units, hpi to go wrong, dual mass flywheels, particulate filters or exhaust recycling or any of that crap modern Citroens are plagued with nowadays to go wrong and cost fortunes.

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Its had a great deal of work done to it, recent heater matrix change, clutch done, previous history of gearbox rebuild, cambelt, head gasket. Its got a Xsara VTS inlet manifold/injectors/throttle body, thats been ported, the heads been ported to suite the manifold with no restrictions, a PTFE gasket to prevent heatsoak between alu manifold and head. Obviously the manifold had to be modified to get round the hydraulic pump, is rather a tight fit. The throttle body has been bored out too. Had to make an induction kit fot it as the standard filter wouldnt fit, sounds loud and generally, mhmm, chavvy. Would ANYDAY have a standard airbox but cant :(. Got a Xsara VTS exhaust manifold that im going to have a bash at fitting sometime soon, just looks rather scary to fit. Kent Cams snuck in the head, oooh my, really does pull. A few GrpN 306 mods, gear linkages, engine mounts, decat exhaust but the rest of the exhaust is standard. Brakes I have EBC ultimax rear pads, EBC greenstuff front pads with Black Diamond drilled and slotted discs all round. To help it out, Goodrich hoses up front.

I have Xantia HDi alloys, for some unknown reason they had 5.5j wheels on the petrol exclusives but 6j wheels on the HDi. I run Yokohama Parada Spec2 tyres, they arent original size but it keeps the car on the road but the speedo is a little out :/. Its estimated its around 180-200bhp, really could do with a real remapping and rolling road to get it to its max but at the moment, its good. Has been said that its quite a "sleeper" or a "Q car".

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Re: Hello there :)

Post by CitroJim »

Welcome Jack and 'Black Betty' looks very smart indeed! :-D
Ratheram wrote: Its a great car, in my oppinion, the best car Citroën made and as new as you would ever want to go. No complex BSi units, hpi to go wrong, dual mass flywheels, particulate filters or exhaust recycling or any of that crap modern Citroëns are plagued with nowadays to go wrong and cost fortunes.
A bit of preaching to the converted going on there :lol: But yes, you make some valid points that certainly keep a lot of us on here running the Xantia. Between us we have not found any big show-stoppers yet that stops us fixing them...

If you think the 2.0 16V is good then you should try the Activa and V6 :wink: For an oil-burner the 2.0 HDi is bloody excellent too but then you'll know all of that from your time in Marsh Citroen....

And yes, after the Xantia it was all downhill for Citroen. Just as it was when Pug stopped making the 406.
Jim

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Re: Hello there :)

Post by citronut »

hi and welcome Jack
i used to work with Dave at H G Havaux's Whatlington garage on the A21,
what he dont know about Citroens aint worth knowing,

and i belive the XANT to be the very last full blooded hydraulic citroen

regards malcolm
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by myglaren »

Welcome Jack. Impressive introduction there :)
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by R9UKE »

Love love love those French plates... I need a set for the Avantime after seeing those :-D

Welcome along dude :wink:
French is best.
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Ratheram »

Thanks for the welcome :)

CitroJim, yes I have tried those other Xantias but V6 is auto and naa. I know I work in a Citroen garage and this could sound a bit obvious but the only real time we see auto boxes is when they have majour problems. Have you ever changed a cambelt on a V6..? Ild do an XU engine anyday!! Same with the activa. Cracking engine, put it in a Peugeot 205, little rocket, xantia, yeah they handle better but from the 1s ive driven, it wasnt amazing as such. Where is the leather? Heated seats? Autochanger? Ive read on here how they are far better than an Impreza etc but it all depends on the driver and the conditions. You cant judge a car against another on the open road. I could say that Ive outdragged and beat a Porsche Boxxer from 70mph to the trip reset button. Doesnt prove anything. The HDi Xantias, the problem with them, shoot me now, I feel im too young to own a diesel. I Like a bit of fun on the road. We have seen 400,000mile taxis, Relay wide load escort vans doing that milage and C5 2.0HDi's do that milage, brilliant engine, arguably the best engine they have made by the reliability, technology and takes real oil, but just not me. Thats why in my oppinion the xantia 2.0 16v Exclusive is the best Citroen :).

If they made a RHD XM 24v manual with the DIRAVI steering, yes, that would be in my oppinion the ultimate Citroen...but they dont.

Citronut, helloo :). I believe we met at the G rally one year. You tried selling me a GS windscreen when you found out about my mishappening with a ditch but shant say too much more on that :P. BuWith Dave though, yes, you summed it up in one. What Dave doesnt know about Citroens isnt worth knowing. Wearing off on me too, not complaining too much mind you.
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by CitroJim »

Ratheram wrote: the only real time we see auto boxes is when they have majour problems. Have you ever changed a cambelt on a V6..?
Yep, V6 Autoboxes... been there :twisted:

V6 cambelts I must confess I've only done the easy way - with the engine sitting on the garage floor :) Several on here have done it the slightly harder way though...

Read my blogs at some time, especially the one entitled 'Brief Encounter II - The Sequel' and 'CitroJims Xantia Tales'

The S1 24V XM V6.. Ummm... Yes, I tend to agree. Goes rather well and has a fantastic soundtrack. DIRAVI I'd like to try one day. Never have :(
Jim

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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Ratheram »

Anything that takes the AL4 gearbox fluid are bad. The electric changed manual boxes are showing up as being just as troublesome. Manual is the only way... Ive done 2 V6 cambelts, both in situ, a 406 coupe and a Xantia. Never fun. Having 4 arms would be helpful to hold it all together. Horrible job. Its 1 of them things my boss has told me, "if I get a VW Beetle, im welding the s*dding thing, if I get a V6 Citroen, im doing the cambelt!"

Yeah, Ill have a read of them tonight, thanks :). Im guessing by the "Rattiva II" in your signature, your the xantia columnist in the Citronian?
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by CitroJim »

Ratheram wrote:your the Xantia columnist in the Citronian?
I am indeed :-D That's me.

The XM Columnist, Robert Smart, is also is very active on here too...
Jim

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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Ratheram »

Oooh yes, ok :). We used to have the C5 columnist, David Evans use our work with his XM/early C5 but now he has the new C5, they dont need servicing as often so havnt seen him in a while :/. I used to be a member of the CCC but just never renewed my membership in afraid. We always seem to have citronians knocking round work so read them there...
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Citroenmad »

Welcome to the FCF Jack :)

An excellent introduction, you should get your self started with a Blog 8-)

A very tidy looking Xantia that, the French plates look excellent, where did you get those from?

What size tyres are your Yokos? They do look a little differe,t flat if anything, but since there are no decent tyres (all comfort orientated and not grip) available in the standard size I can see why you changed sizes.

I think you need to try another Activa, they do corner far superior to the standard hydractives and the TCT can be made to be quite a storming performer too. That low down torque it has is very appealing. I do agree that the 16v is a good unit though, im suprised at yours pushing out 180-200bhp. Imagine what you could do with a TCT!
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Ratheram »

Blog, corrr, Ive just managed to start on a forum... I havnt even got facebook yet so everybody keeps telling me is great and I need haha. The french plates, well, I put them on soon after I got the car a long time ago, Im sure there is a seller on ebay that make them, they are proper pressed metal plates. The foglights are tinting film from http://www.lamin-x.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , I had to to give it a more french look :).

TCT. Im 22, got 5 points on my license, (speeding...i have long hair... matched to female discription...by the time it come to court i have had hair cut...who you covering...nobody...wouldnt believe me...settled on speeding but "for wasting our time have 5 points and a 150quid fine"...never thought i was wasting their time, they were being, mhmm...") and to have 2.0 turbo MODIFIED on my insurance, ild get raped. Some day ild have 1...some day.

Tyres, now, something I like

Arrowspeed 185/65R15. Car was loose as a goose, dont get me started.

Falken ZE912 205/60R15 . Fast road inspired tyre, soo much grip for the value but I found they didnt last that long. Handled really well, gave warning when they were going to let go, bit harder than the arrowspeed. Very popular in the car tuning culture, sidewalls are a lil softer and grip very well so is appealling to both the boy racers and the posers (posers are "all bass, no race" soapboxes with impractical wheels, bodykits and naffness).

Yoko Parada Spec2 195/50R15. 1st thing. Got to be brave to inflate these. Sidewalls very stiff so hard to pop onto the bead, however much tyre soap you use. Seriously grippy but makes the speedo inaccurate. These tyres are the tyre of choice for the street racers and track day enthusiasts to whom I know. Loads of grip, no comfort in sidewalls, very stiff. Even had a point that I thought was going to "grip rolling" my xantia. Longest lasting tyre Ive owned suprisingly. Quite dodgy in the wet. The way Ive described it to people, they are like motorbike tyres in the wet, got to keep the temperature up to get a little bit of grip, if not, you will know about it.

Best tyre though, Ild go for the Ze912. You can have fun on them. Little bit of oversteer here and there through roundabouts, they let you know when they are close to giving up but big levels of grip, rather good in the wet too, offer an accurate speedo and a bit of comfort. They dont seem to last long though, thats the only complaint. The Yokos were a bit of fun and under £90 for a pair, lets see how they go... The falkens, I just serched in google and te first link come up as (for the V rated, they do H rated aswell, be careful) £52.74 each.
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Citroenmad »

Someone without facebook! I didn't think that was possible, even my dad has it! :lol: To be fair, it gets quite repetitive and for me is only worth viewing on my phone.

Well im 24 and insurance is not too bad, about £750 for the Activa but its standard apart from the manual boost controller - makes a huge difference on the TCT!

I need some new plates for my Xantia, I might be tempted by a set of French style ones. Not sure how legal they might be but they look excellent! I thought they might be the metal pressed ones on yours, ill try and see if I can find a place doing them. When I was into VW/Audi group cars (im cured now) pressed metal plates were very popular.

I do like a good chat about tyres! Something which interests me, sad as it is :lol:

Mine has new Pirelli P7s on the rear and Michelin Energy's on the front. I would say the Energy's are not the first choice for grip, though I do often like to stick with Michelins and so I thought I would try them, them being the only model available in the standard 205/60/15 V (should really be W on an Activa, but you try and find them!) size. Grip in the dry is not too bad with the Michelins up front, predictable and have a good bit of give for comfort. However perhaps too much as they do roll onto the sidewalls when heavy cornering. In fact my NSF Michie is looking decidedly battered and shredded of late. In the wet they are pretty poor really, understeer is too easily achieved as is wheelspin in 3rd on even the slightest damp road. Have the newer Energy Savers on the XM and one of the C5s and they suit both of those cars very well, but not so much the Activa.

The Pirellis seem better, stronger sidewall and so not as much give when hard cornering, which is what I want on the Activa. Though Ive not had them on the front for very long before I rotated them back with the Michelins to scrub them off. Ive not had the Pirellis very long, but they do seem to keep the back end in check slightly better than the previous tyres.

The Pirelli was one of the better performing tyres I could find in the standard size and they now no longer make the P7, annoyingly as ill never have a set of 4 now. Ideally id like Toyo T1-Rs perhaps, had these on a few cars now and have always been impressed. They wear very quickly but I dont mind as they offer excellent wet and dry grip. However they are not available in the correct size.

I did have a pair of Fulda Progressos on the front, which actually were not nearly as bad as I thought. Not as soft in the sidewall as the Michelins and seem to withstand abuse a bit more. Noise and comfort all seemed very similar and wet grip was slightly better. Dry grip slightly worse than the Michelins as it would start to squeal the rear outside tyre well before the front. Mind, Activas are quite fond of a bit of oversteer, it really is fun balancing the car and cornering on the throttle around tight bends and roundabouts, a bit of 4 wheel drifting.

Ive heard very good things about the Falken ZX 912s, I might well be tempted by those in the future and given their reasonable price and supposed grip levels I wont mind replacing them more often. Im not bothered about wear for the Xantias tyres, as its not my daily driver. Ive thought of the Falkens before, either those or Uniroyal RainExperts (shame they dont do RainSportIIs though) as they get good reviews and are available in W rating. Well they are but they cost twice as much as the V rated ones! I wont be changing the wheels as I like OEM stuff.

I doubt Id get along well with Arrowspeed tyres, are they not Kwikfits own brand? :shock: Some of the worst tyres ive driven on were 'Hero' tyres, on the car when bought. On a C5 they were shocking, there would have been more wet grip if the car was just running on its rims, very scary indeed. Needless to say they were binned with 7mm remaining. Second only to some Remoulds (Kingpin branded?) on an XM, wow, understeer at about 15mph in the dry and a really odd rhythm through the car which would usually give cause to warrant driveshaft replacements. Tyres really can make or break a car!
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Ratheram
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Ratheram »

Ive always been curious with the, Im running illegal plates anyway, 1st offence is a caution, 2nd offence is a £20fine to what i saw on a "traffic cops" one night on tv, so, whats the difference running a white rear plate too? Still the same offence, still obvious its illegal in yellow or white... Strangly, Ive passed an MOT with them. A police man wasnt impressed but didnt have time to do me, I was saved by a mate coming drifting round I corner I was ment to be watching for police on aha.

Dont touch T1-Rs. Dangerous. A time my mate had them on his R5 GT-T. Went into a lane, saying how good they are, first corner... you seem to be going straight on... next...ahh., they dont grip. Soo scary. He sold them half worn as they were just poor. Ive driven a saxo VTR with them on in the wet. No better. Ild avoid them like the plague.

I do like keeping my tyres matched front to rear. It gives a lot better even handling and ride. Ive looked into changing my alloys and, there isnt anything that would suite. They look good as they are :)
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Re: Hello there :)

Post by Citroenmad »

Think im a bit too law obiding to have French plates, ive been talked out of it :lol: Might well get some pressed metal ones but just with the boring UK font.

I liked the T1-Rs, had them on a C5, 206 2.0HDi and driven various other cars with them. All were extremely grippy in the dry and decent on the wet too. Even in snow I found them okish, better than the Michelins I have on the C5 now. Its often road conditions on the day which makes a tyre you depend on become a letdown. Today was extremely greasy on the roads, no rain for weeks and then a downpour all day, always results in iffy roads.

Yes, i too like to have a full set of4 matched tyres, however it doesnt always work out like that. I always replace them in pairs, if not fours, as having odd tyres on one axle is never good! :lol:
Chris
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