well done to citroen's hydractive

deian · Post by **deian** » 30 Mar 2006, 17:13

my cousin is a bit of a car nut (he's got two pugs, 309gti m16 and a 306 ralley 200bh0), and after having a ride in my xantia he's thinking of getting the 405 4x4 m16 and maybe ripping the rear suspension off it to put on the 309 (air suspension!), and the 4x4 system too. He was very skeptical and not sure about air suspension at first, even though his dad works for a hydraulics company. I think he may be toying with the idea now. Another success...

but not just that, two of my workmates seem keen on a xantia, one's been in mine and seems to like it, the other is curious, he will be the next covnert (he's currently got a 1.4 megane, eww), wish me luck!

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 30 Mar 2006, 21:34

406 V6 - yes I think I remeber seeing it, didn't he also use a XM as a recovery truck?

We looked into using the rear syspension, but thought that using front struts, you would have the syspension units on the outer edges of the trailer bed rather than underneith enabling you to lower the bed almost to the floor.

406 V6 · Post by **406 V6** » 30 Mar 2006, 22:26

No Ross, it was another SM! He cut the roof behind the front seats and made a flatbed out of it. I think i saw it on the Discovery channel or something like that some 3 years ago...
One neat thing with hydraulics is that the spheres don't have to be connected to the rams. One could displace the spheres next to the pump unit, for instance, near the trailer hitch arm. The rams are what, 8cms wide? You can get the trailer to the ground easy!

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 30 Mar 2006, 22:44

http://www.aagarage.com/

These guys have a DS, CX, XM as flatbed recovery vehicles ...

Also links to the special van builder company with 2-3 rear axles under a huge van build-on to our beloved large Citroens ...

Quackers · Post by **Quackers** » 02 Apr 2006, 13:08

I really love my Hydro Citroens, Having had a BX, Xantia SX and now a Xantia Activa, and would never buy a car with out it now, but why do Citroen only ever have 1 car in there whole range with this technology in it. Why does the ZX, AX, Saxo, Xsara, C1,C2,C3,C4,C8 not have it in?

This is what REALLY annoys me, i feel like i'm trapped to one model

, and i'm stuck with a Xantia now, cannot even get a C5 or a C6 since Citroen think its funny not to make a C5 or C6 Activa

Is this all naughty peugeot's doing when they bought Citroen?

deian · Post by **deian** » 02 Apr 2006, 13:40

Imagine a C4 VTS Coupe HDI with hydractive 2! Wet dream!

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 02 Apr 2006, 18:31

aaah yeh thats them wrong company lol

macaroni · Post by **macaroni** » 03 Apr 2006, 10:12

rossnunn wrote: I have had spirited drives in our Xantia's & have never felt really confident to really stick it in, finding myself backing off mid corner when there is probably no need. I think this might be down to the car is so smooth & sokes up bumps so well you fell a little disconnected with whats actually going on. I think the activa sorts this?

I have an Activa and would say that the issue of "feel" isn't sorted. It is my main complaint about the car (that and the prodigious thirst). I very often brake too hard for a corner as I don't have enough confidence in the car, even though I am sure it could have taken the corner at least 10mph faster. Having said that, it dispatches most corners, completely unruffled, much faster than any comparable "normal" car.

They really are incredible cars and can be got for a few hundred quid!

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 03 Apr 2006, 18:18

I agree, anther comon thing I am still finding myself doing is pushing the brake pedal, then pushing it too much then backing off & pushing it too hard again, causing a nodding effect.
I think this is becuase again to lack of feel through the pedal set.

I so wished that Citroen would have made a 3dr Coupe version, I've seen prototype versions & its looks a stunning motor - ah now hang on they did - it was called the Peugeot 406 Coupe! lol

genius149 · Post by **genius149** » 03 Apr 2006, 19:56

It's a shame that the Activa doesn't have the same prestige or desirability as the Toyota/Lexus Soarer UZZ32 Active. It's the 4ltr V8 coupe with oodles of toys, loads of grunt and probably what inspired Citroen to make the Activa. Whether it is as good as the Activa, I don't know, but I would love to own one to compare.

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 03 Apr 2006, 22:10

rossnunn wrote:I agree, anther comon thing I am still finding myself doing is pushing the brake pedal, then pushing it too much then backing off & pushing it too hard again, causing a nodding effect.
I think this is becuase again to lack of feel through the pedal set.

Sounds to me exactly how the brakes feel with the "silly spring" still fitted. Has that car had the brake pedal spring mod done ? If not, you would be amazed at the improved controllability and precision of the brakes with it removed.

Also does the rear lift with braking at all ? If so the rear brakes could do with the pistons/pads/bleeding checking, as if the rear brakes aren't working (for example due to lots of air) it makes the braking action much more abrupt.

Dad's Xantia had this problem with over-abrupt brakes and lifting at the rear and after bleeding them (there was quite a bit of air) not only does it not lift at the back but the initial application of the brakes is a lot more smooth and progressive now...

It seems that the very light initial braking is done mostly by the rear brakes before the front brakes come in, and if the rear brakes aren't working at all, you go straight to the front brakes, which come in quite abruptly...

(Also air in the rear brake lines can upset the feedback of the "reaction piston" in the brake doseur valve, and cause the pedal feel to be strange, and make it hard to control the braking effort smoothly)

Regards,
Simon

JohnCKL · Post by **JohnCKL** » 04 Apr 2006, 03:56

Yes, agreed with simon. Removing silly spring and bleeding brakes will make Xantia's brakes the best in the world. Very responsive, no 'nodding' effect and with good pads, great bite with just a little tap on the brakes.

macaroni · Post by **macaroni** » 04 Apr 2006, 15:06

genius149 wrote: It's the 4ltr V8 coupe with oodles of toys, loads of grunt and probably what inspired Citroen to make the Activa.

Hey Neil, I must take great issue with that statement!!

Citroen were working on Activa, or anti-roll, suspension systems in the 1950s on the DS. I very much doubt Toyota inspired anyone to do anything, ever. The Japs do not innovate, only plagiarise and productionise.

If I were a moderator, I would ban you from this forum for saying things like that...

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 04 Apr 2006, 15:38

macaroni wrote:The Japs do not innovate, only plagiarise and productionise.

Monkey see

Monkey do

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 04 Apr 2006, 15:43

macaroni wrote:The Japs do not innovate, only plagiarise and productionise.

Judging by Jenson Buttons car in the F1 at the weekend, Honda seems to be developing some sort of afterburner for its cars. Now that's truly revolutionary.