Driving Xantia in snow

trooper30 · Unread post by **trooper30** » 22 Dec 2009, 01:04

Well we had a bit of snow here in Milton Keynes tonight so I decided to do a little test between my wifes Xantia and mine. She has a mk1 98 TD estate manual box with no TC. (My little boy calls her car Shrek, he says its becuse its big ugly and green) I have a Mk2 99 exclusive auto.
Took the wifes out first and I have to say that i just wanted to go in straight lines and was like trying to controll and steer the Exon Valdese!

And to be honest was a prety scary ride.
Then took out Exclusive kinda expecting the same kinda performance. Hydroactive button on and to be frank it just felt like i was driving a totaly different make of car. Held the road well and the auto box in snow mode was a huge benifit on the hills. But he TC was non existant, works well in the wet or dry but in the snow, nill stock.
In all im prety pleased with my car in the snow, but in defense of my wifes old TD Estate and handling like a cargo ship, it also feels like that in the wet, oh and the dry, and the sun and the cold, in winter and summer, and spring, oh and autumn.

f00lzz · Unread post by **f00lzz** » 22 Dec 2009, 11:10

I've just got around to reading this post and am puzzled.. earlier in the thread Jim made a reference to TC which I take to mean Traction Control and now it appears again (Trooper30)... the only TC on my V6 is my RF (right foot) am I missing something here??

trooper30 · Unread post by **trooper30** » 22 Dec 2009, 11:48

Oh the wifes car no TC, traction controll, and it has no ABS either so it made for really fun.

f00lzz · Unread post by **f00lzz** » 22 Dec 2009, 12:01

trooper30 wrote:Oh the wifes car no TC, traction controll, and it has no ABS either so it made for really fun.

Still puzzled... are you saying that your Xantia has got TC??

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 22 Dec 2009, 12:21

f00lzz wrote:I've just got around to reading this post and am puzzled.. earlier in the thread Jim made a reference to TC which I take to mean Traction Control and now it appears again (Trooper30)... the only TC on my V6 is my RF (right foot) am I missing something here??

Sorry, I'm so immersed in autoboxes these days that I used TC as a shorthand for Torque Convertor...

Chris570 · Unread post by **Chris570** » 22 Dec 2009, 12:31

I was out in the havy snow and ice last night did about 20 miles of country lanes in my 1.9td xantia with no abs (broken). It drove excellently and even towed a BMW out of a snow drift with it. There were hills that other cars couldnt get up (causing me to stop) and the xantia just pulled away and went straight up the hills. i've driven a few cars on snow and the xantia is by far the best (focus being by far the worst). Oversteer is too easy to get though, most likely due to over confidence in the corners but as said dead easy to correct

Unread post by **RichardW** » 22 Dec 2009, 12:53

No probs with my Xantia (110 HDi) - I have got snow tyres on the front though (Bridgestone Blizzaks - I'm not actually convinced they are any better than Goodyear Hydragrips I've run before). The weight of the engine and low rev torque makes pulling away a sinch - yes the car 'floats' about, but that's all part of the 'fun' to me!

There was so much snow at home last night (10") when I got back from work that I made a 'whole car' track, rather than just tyre tracks when I abandoned it on the kerb outside - opened the door, and the snow was level with the sill

. Just drove it out a bit later with no problems once I had cleared the drive a bit so I had somewhere to park it whithin reach of the 3kW heater for the early morning start (which I didn't need as no more snow, and only just below freezing overnight

).

Most people seem to have lost an vestige of ability to drive in the snow - and modern low profile high performance tyres don't seem to help....

Sid_the_Squid · Unread post by **Sid_the_Squid** » 22 Dec 2009, 15:02

Found out yesterday what a huge difference haveing decent tyres makes.
Been driving my 1.8 regularly, its got nice preimum brand tyres quite new, handles wonderfuly in snow, no hint of getting stuck.
Then yesterday had to drive the V6, for those that dont know I've only had the car since may, it came with 4 new, super budget tryes, which I have found out are aweful in snow, no grip resulting in wheel spins (even in snow mode) rear drifting out on courners, had to abandon the car last night becasue the road home was clogged with abandonded cars, recovered this lunch time, and very nearly got totally stuck in snow...
Just to make sure it was not my utter failing took the 1.8 out again for a quick run to the shops, on the bits where the V6 almost got stuck she sailed though, absoutly no issues.
I blame the cheap nasty tyres, I also cant help but wonder if the extra weight in the v6 is in some way deterimental?

Trainman · Unread post by **Trainman** » 22 Dec 2009, 18:19

Vince,

I know what you mean about the driving, I left home at 3am today, to head to Warrington, it was snowing quite a bit but I thought nothing of it, the roads are never brilliant around the house.

I got to the M6 at Junction 28 and the motorway hadn't been gritted, 25mph on a motorway with the snow coming straight at me, not for the faint hearted!! South of Charnock Richard the motorway had been gritted, and the roads were fine, is it me? or are councils getting mean with the rocksalt?

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 22 Dec 2009, 19:48

I would have loved to be a passenger in that one! Night driving in a good Citroën is just a marvellous experience.

Gregg1100 · Unread post by **Gregg1100** » 23 Dec 2009, 00:33

Seems I picked a good week to have time off. Articulated trucks and snow/ice are not good bedfellows. My Xant seems to get where other cars don't.
Greg

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 23 Dec 2009, 07:19

Cor, cold here this morning

-7...

V6 is good though. Fired up instantly

More than can be said for next door's 07 plate Passat diesel. It hates the cold with a passion....

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 23 Dec 2009, 07:24

CitroJim wrote:Cor, cold here this morning -7...

Positively balmy here at -4° now where are my shorts? 8)

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 23 Dec 2009, 07:29

DickieG wrote: Positively balmy here at -4° now where are my shorts? 8)

A couple of days ago it reached a whole 1 degree C and indeed, it seemed warm.....

Unread post by **RichardW** » 23 Dec 2009, 09:42

Oddly it's not that cold in my bit of Scotland - only -3 last night, and only down to -5 in the current cold spell. We do have >12" of snow at home though!!

I take it back about the Blizzaks BTW....snowing heavily this morning on the way to work - one particular bad spot was blocked with stuck cars, so I had to divert a bit - uphill with 3" of carved up snow, and no drama at all, just pulled. Could make them spin if wellied it at 2000 rpm, but no problems if kept sensible. Must avoid these things like P6000s that have lots of 'stripes' of rubber right round the tyres that give no grip at all in slippy conditions.