Xantia Activa question.
Moderator: RichardW
-
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 11 Nov 2005, 12:58
- Location: Staffordshire, Newcastle Under Lyme
- My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5 3.0 V6 Exclusive + Navi
2009 Citroen C6 2.7 V6 Exclusive + Lounge Pack
2007 Citroen C5 2.2 (173) Exclusive + Navi
2000 Citroen Xantia Activa - x 17
Xantia Activa question.
I've had my Activa since june last year and today i got it fixed so now it "corners flat". I've used up half a tank of fuel tonight just finding nice corners to play with it on , but its raining so i've been very cautious.
But my question is this, when i have a really long wide corner, like on a sliproad, the car is flat, and up until the gforces kick in i'm not leaning, but the feeling the car gives is one of sliding sidewards on ice. Is this the correct feeling? I do not dare push the car anything above 40mph round this really long corner as this is the speed the gforces kick in and this sliding feeling comes on. Now before the suspention was fixed my back end spun out on this car not going very fast on a roundabout, and this feeling i get is exactly the same, so i'm EXTREAMLY scared to push it anymore. I do not want my back end to spin out.
How do you know when to not push it anymore? I'm not the the kind that drives like a mad man, but i would once in a while like to demonstrate this cars handling power to my mates, but i want to do so without writing the car off.
But my question is this, when i have a really long wide corner, like on a sliproad, the car is flat, and up until the gforces kick in i'm not leaning, but the feeling the car gives is one of sliding sidewards on ice. Is this the correct feeling? I do not dare push the car anything above 40mph round this really long corner as this is the speed the gforces kick in and this sliding feeling comes on. Now before the suspention was fixed my back end spun out on this car not going very fast on a roundabout, and this feeling i get is exactly the same, so i'm EXTREAMLY scared to push it anymore. I do not want my back end to spin out.
How do you know when to not push it anymore? I'm not the the kind that drives like a mad man, but i would once in a while like to demonstrate this cars handling power to my mates, but i want to do so without writing the car off.
- DHallworth
- Donor 2023
- Posts: 2382
- Joined: 20 Nov 2005, 17:05
- Location: Glasgow
- My Cars:
- x 119
- DHallworth
- Donor 2023
- Posts: 2382
- Joined: 20 Nov 2005, 17:05
- Location: Glasgow
- My Cars:
- x 119
umm........... i've only driven it 8 miles as it was covered on my mates trade policy till i got it home, but i would have to say amazing!!
Perfectly flat, not a hint of sliding and that was in the pouring rain.
As soon as my XM finished on its temp insurance i am going to insure the Activa for a week or 2 so will report back, but it didn't give any hint of sliding.
Regards
David,
Perfectly flat, not a hint of sliding and that was in the pouring rain.
As soon as my XM finished on its temp insurance i am going to insure the Activa for a week or 2 so will report back, but it didn't give any hint of sliding.
Regards
David,
Nobody seems to have asked the obvious question - what kind and size tyres does it have on, and what is their tread condition ?
If you're sliding sideways slightly when cornering in the wet, the tyres are running out of grip, end of story. Theres not really much that could go wrong with the suspension that would cause what you describe, assuming that there are no obvious signs of trouble with the way the car rides.
The thing about an Activa is that you don't have any feedback (from the body roll) as to how hard you're pushing the car around a corner, so you can easily be going around a corner a lot faster that you ought to be for the conditions without realising it. Couple that together with poor tyres, and you have a recipe for trouble....
My money is on poor quality, inadequate, or worn tyres...
Regards,
Simon
If you're sliding sideways slightly when cornering in the wet, the tyres are running out of grip, end of story. Theres not really much that could go wrong with the suspension that would cause what you describe, assuming that there are no obvious signs of trouble with the way the car rides.
The thing about an Activa is that you don't have any feedback (from the body roll) as to how hard you're pushing the car around a corner, so you can easily be going around a corner a lot faster that you ought to be for the conditions without realising it. Couple that together with poor tyres, and you have a recipe for trouble....
My money is on poor quality, inadequate, or worn tyres...
Regards,
Simon
Simon
1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White
2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White
2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
-
- Posts: 1503
- Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
- Location: Yorkshire
- My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180
Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever - x 16
Re: Xantia Activa question.
What did you have fixed?Quackers wrote:Now before the suspention was fixed my back end spun out on this car not going very fast on a roundabout,
Have you checked the rear arm bearings because if these are worn they can make the rear end unstable on a standard Xantia (this I know from experience).
-
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 11 Nov 2005, 12:58
- Location: Staffordshire, Newcastle Under Lyme
- My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5 3.0 V6 Exclusive + Navi
2009 Citroen C6 2.7 V6 Exclusive + Lounge Pack
2007 Citroen C5 2.2 (173) Exclusive + Navi
2000 Citroen Xantia Activa - x 17
Re: Xantia Activa question.
Homer wrote:What did you have fixed?Quackers wrote:Now before the suspention was fixed my back end spun out on this car not going very fast on a roundabout,
Have you checked the rear arm bearings because if these are worn they can make the rear end unstable on a standard Xantia (this I know from experience).
Basically before the car would lean badly on the front passenger side. The garage said there was some play in some rods. So they stopped it now it goes flat.
A bit more info than that might helpQuackers wrote:I have brandnew michelin 15" W rated tyres on the front, but on the rear the tyres that came with the car, which are the wrong ones as they are V rated , old, but still a lot of tred on. I'll try again in the dry.
What KIND of Michelin tyres......W and V rating is just a speed rating, and doesn't tell you anything else about the tyre..... like the tread pattern, size and profile etc....
Are they XM1, MXV8, Pilot Primacy ? or ?
Size ? 205/60/R15 ?
If the tyres on the front of the car have a lot more grip than the rear then its certainly possible for the back to let go in hard cornering despite being front wheel drive, especially in the wet.
My car currently has 205/60/R15 on the front and 185/65/R15 on the back, and in hard cornering on rough surfaced roads the back has a slight tendency to run wide sometimes, although it is perfectly controllable, and doesn't seem to do it in the wet...
Regards,
Simon
Simon
1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White
2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White
2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
- fastandfurryous
- Posts: 1388
- Joined: 07 Jul 2004, 17:57
- Location: On the road, travelling at high speed. Meep Meep.
- My Cars:
- x 4
-
- Posts: 399
- Joined: 11 Nov 2005, 12:58
- Location: Staffordshire, Newcastle Under Lyme
- My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5 3.0 V6 Exclusive + Navi
2009 Citroen C6 2.7 V6 Exclusive + Lounge Pack
2007 Citroen C5 2.2 (173) Exclusive + Navi
2000 Citroen Xantia Activa - x 17
I've been and bought new tyres for the rear, went to the same corner in the dry, there was a car infront doing 40mph. I was stuck behind it, but this is as fast as i went last time. But same again i feel like the cars backend is about to spin out if i was to push it anymore, it goes all "glidy". The car infront was happy doing 40mph i was scared s**t, that cannot be right......
Does anybody here own an Activa and live in staffordshire, or close to so i could drive to them and get them to take the car for a spin to see if they feel its working correctly. It might just be me assosiating the feeling of when i spun last time with how an Activa feels when corning.
Does anybody here own an Activa and live in staffordshire, or close to so i could drive to them and get them to take the car for a spin to see if they feel its working correctly. It might just be me assosiating the feeling of when i spun last time with how an Activa feels when corning.
Hmm ok,
So we've eliminated tyres then. Did you check homers sugession of failed rear suspension arm bearings ?
If they're faulty, one or both rear wheels will have excessive negative camber, (normal is about 1.5 degrees) and will not move smoothly either. If you lift the suspension right up then back down to normal does the rear suspension move nice and smoothly without jerking or creaking/groaning ?
If you give the rear suspension a bounce test (with the engine idling) does it move nice and smoothly, or does it feel like there is a lot of friction ?
Another possible culprit is the rubber mounting bushes that mount the rear suspension chassis to the body - the Xantia has built in "passive rear steering" which is just a fancy way of saying that the rear suspension rubber mounts are designed to flex a specific way under cornering forces to allow the rear wheels to turn slightly in the same direction as the front wheels - thus providing a stabalizing effect.
If the bushes are stuffed, it can make the rear end twitchy and prone to over react / oversteer when you corner hard/suddenly.
If possible I'd try your suggestion of trying to find an Activa owner in your area to drive your car as a comparison, and perhaps you drive their car too.... it always helps to have a car that is not misbehaving as a comparison
Regards,
Simon
So we've eliminated tyres then. Did you check homers sugession of failed rear suspension arm bearings ?
If they're faulty, one or both rear wheels will have excessive negative camber, (normal is about 1.5 degrees) and will not move smoothly either. If you lift the suspension right up then back down to normal does the rear suspension move nice and smoothly without jerking or creaking/groaning ?
If you give the rear suspension a bounce test (with the engine idling) does it move nice and smoothly, or does it feel like there is a lot of friction ?
Another possible culprit is the rubber mounting bushes that mount the rear suspension chassis to the body - the Xantia has built in "passive rear steering" which is just a fancy way of saying that the rear suspension rubber mounts are designed to flex a specific way under cornering forces to allow the rear wheels to turn slightly in the same direction as the front wheels - thus providing a stabalizing effect.
If the bushes are stuffed, it can make the rear end twitchy and prone to over react / oversteer when you corner hard/suddenly.
If possible I'd try your suggestion of trying to find an Activa owner in your area to drive your car as a comparison, and perhaps you drive their car too.... it always helps to have a car that is not misbehaving as a comparison
Regards,
Simon
Simon
1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White
2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White
2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive