My S1 Activa

[RichardW]

You got laugh a bit though , there are some serious performance mods there, and then there's:

Pink STI valve caps
Huge green stuff cone filter with custom hard pipes
Carbon fuse box cover
Aluminum oil cap

Each to their own I suppose

Oh, and it will fail an MOT now.... "De-catted with open neck downpipe"

[Deanxm]

pink valve caps are good for 40bhp you know

No it is a nice bit of work gone into that one, and it does look very tastefully done i must admit. I have toyed with goiung down the impreza/evo route a few times and when you are taken out for a ride in a properly modded one they are amzing but they are soooo bland especialy inside, stock ones are fairly quick but not so that you would put up with the car the running gear is attached to, tweaked ones are a whole lot of money though and the more they get tuned the more undriveable they become on a daily basis aswell, just so irritating, i drove one very recently that was running 400bhp, and god is it fast but when you stop being a tit and think about your driving license it is awefull, no power at all off boost to the point fiestas will out drag you in gear and it was also my first taster of a racing paddle clutch and that is just awefull to use on the road. Once you get the hang of it and stop stalling and doing the kangeroo at every junction its not too bad but you have to be so aggresive witth it to just pull away normaly it really is a joke to drive.

Then of course reliability is an issue, i think the guy that owned the one i tried muttered something about 30k being the build cost and it does eat gearboxes and engines and im sorry, you could have a Aston Martin Vantage for that money, enough said.

D

[CitroJim]

I was most privileged today to have a drive of Chris's Activa

When Chris says it'll blow a V6 into the weeds I think he may just be right. It really does go like a scalded cat and is possibly the most powerful car I've ever driven. To be frank it really was a bit too lively for me and it was beyond my nerve to explore the upper reaches of the power band. I found my limit

All I can say is whatever is in that ECU is pretty magical. Not only is it a fire breathing monster when agitated but it remains a beautifully tame but powerful side when just pootling along. It gives the whole car a beautifully nimble, lively feeling and makes it feel like a hyperactive toddler straining at the leash to go and play

It reminds me very much of your Activa Dean. I reckon yours and Chris's are now on a par...

Chris's Activa is now very well sorted in all other departments and the whole thing drives like a charm. Excellent! It's a proper Q-car

[Citroenmad]

It does sound as though an ECU chipping is the way to go for more power with these. How it puts the power down must be interesting though, especially on these damp roads. Mine struggles as it is, if im trying it'll do wheel spin in 3rd! I'm getting quite used to the noise of tortured tyres these past couple of weeks

Im happy with the performance of mine, certainly don't want any more top end power, it takes me as fast as my nerve will let me (or rather I start worrying about my licence!) and gets there very briskly. It feels like it will keep on going for a good while after though!

Its far from the most powerful car ive driven but its among the most lively feeling, I probably need to drive more cars then!

Can only imagine what they must go like with a chip

[CitroJim]

Putting the power down is the problem I think Chris. I noticed Chris's loves to spin its wheels...

As you've noted, it's that lovely lively feeling they have which is a big part of their charm. Even a bog-standard one like mine has that quality in spades. chipped ones extend it somewhat. No other Xantia feels anything like it. It is utterly unique to the Activa.

Did Rattiva ever seem a bit slow and ponderous on the way home That's not fair on Rattiva as the 110 HDi is quick but after a well tweaked Activa it feels a bit flat...

[Northern_Mike]

I was most privileged today to have a drive of Chris's Activa

When Chris says it'll blow a V6 into the weeds I think he may just be right. It really does go like a scalded cat and is possibly the most powerful car I've ever driven. To be frank it really was a bit too lively for me and it was beyond my nerve to explore the upper reaches of the power band. I found my limit

All I can say is whatever is in that ECU is pretty magical. Not only is it a fire breathing monster when agitated but it remains a beautifully tame but powerful side when just pootling along. It gives the whole car a beautifully nimble, lively feeling and makes it feel like a hyperactive toddler straining at the leash to go and play

It reminds me very much of your Activa Dean. I reckon yours and Chris's are now on a par...

Chris's Activa is now very well sorted in all other departments and the whole thing drives like a charm. Excellent! It's a proper Q-car

Sounds like my ideal car! I shall have to be content with squeezing as much power as possible out of Bertie the Berlingo for now though.

[CitroJim]

Mike, it would make you smile

[Northern_Mike]

Mike, it would make you smile

I don't doubt you for even a microsecond Jim!

[Northern_Mike]

pink valve caps are good for 40bhp you know

No it is a nice bit of work gone into that one, and it does look very tastefully done i must admit. I have toyed with goiung down the impreza/evo route a few times and when you are taken out for a ride in a properly modded one they are amzing but they are soooo bland especialy inside, stock ones are fairly quick but not so that you would put up with the car the running gear is attached to, tweaked ones are a whole lot of money though and the more they get tuned the more undriveable they become on a daily basis aswell, just so irritating, i drove one very recently that was running 400bhp, and god is it fast but when you stop being a tit

You're dead right. On my recent quest for something more interesting after I sold my Activa and came into a bit of cash, I searched for something between £2000 and £4000. I drove a couple of Imprezas, a standard one and a breathed-on. Bland inside, not comfy. Hilarious fun to drive when you drive like an utter tool, but downright unpleasant at any other time. Typical dull Japanese saloon car. Mazda RX-8 was interesting, but again, unless you kept it spinning above about 7000rpm, it was very boring - either licence losing territory, or pointless boredom, so it was a no-no. I drove a couple of turbo Saabs, a MINI Cooper (boring as hell, handled nicely, not fast enough in any way). In the end, I ended up with a £1200 Ford Puma of all things, which is utterly hilarious fun even at legal speeds. It's so small it feels like you are doing hypersonic speeds even at 50 on country lanes!

[Citroenmad]

Putting the power down is the problem I think Chris. I noticed Chris's loves to spin its wheels...

As you've noted, it's that lovely lively feeling they have which is a big part of their charm. Even a bog-standard one like mine has that quality in spades. chipped ones extend it somewhat. No other Xantia feels anything like it. It is utterly unique to the Activa.

Did Rattiva ever seem a bit slow and ponderous on the way home That's not fair on Rattiva as the 110 HDi is quick but after a well tweaked Activa it feels a bit flat...

Perhaps Deans Activa manages it better with wider wheels and so more rubber?

Mine surpassed my expectations when I decided to have a trip out along some very excellent roads in Yorkshire, ones which are very demanding, very fast flowing and very popular with performance bikers. I was following a mate in a tuned VW GTi, a car which has a far quicker 0-60 time than a standard Activa. The Activa not only kept up, desipte the suspension upgrade alone on the VW costing more than my Activa, but it was more planted and also its performance was every so slightly better. It was a dry and quiet day, I'd think twice before driving it at such speeds again though. The car is more capable than I thought it would be, it was nice to compare it against another car.

Im going to struggle going back to my HDi C5 after using my Activa for these few weeks, my C5 is quick-ish but not in the same way. Im considering having that remapped though, which should even things a little!

I really do think we should organise an FCF Activa track day

[Northern_Mike]

Putting the power down is the problem I think Chris. I noticed Chris's loves to spin its wheels...

As you've noted, it's that lovely lively feeling they have which is a big part of their charm. Even a bog-standard one like mine has that quality in spades. chipped ones extend it somewhat. No other Xantia feels anything like it. It is utterly unique to the Activa.

Did Rattiva ever seem a bit slow and ponderous on the way home That's not fair on Rattiva as the 110 HDi is quick but after a well tweaked Activa it feels a bit flat...

I think it's the way the TCT motor is set up, with the boost coming in low down the rev range, and the 8v engine having plenty of low down torque. The two together make it very nice and lively. I never really had a problem with spinning the wheels - but then I spent years driving crazy turbo Saabs 900s that weren't really set up to put 230bhp down. Hell, they weren't even set up to put the standard 175BHP down. Practice makes perfect, and traction control makes it all very dull. The Puma has traction control (and torque-limiting in 1st gear!) which spoils the fun a little.

I once got in Rattiva after a couple of days Activa-ing. I forgot I was not in the Activa. I discovered by accident that Rattiva will take corners at pretty high speed, even if she does get all a bit squealy and messy..

[Northern_Mike]

Putting the power down is the problem I think Chris. I noticed Chris's loves to spin its wheels...

Mine surpassed my expectations when I decided to have a trip out along some very excellent roads in Yorkshire, ones which are very demanding, very fast flowing and very popular with performance bikers. I was following a mate in a tuned VW GTi, a car which has a far quicker 0-60 time than a standard Activa. The Activa not only kept up, desipte the suspension upgrade alone on the VW costing more than my Activa, but it was more planted and also its performance was every so slightly better. It was a dry and quiet day, I'd think twice before driving it at such speeds again though. The car is more capable than I thought it would be, it was nice to compare it against another car.

Im going to struggle going back to my HDi C5 after using my Activa for these few weeks, my C5 is quick-ish but not in the same way. Im considering having that remapped though, which should even things a little!

I really do think we should organise an FCF Activa track day

0-60 time hardly matters Chris, it's time through the gears between 25-70 that really matters. With the way the TCT motor delivers power and torque, it's ideal for these sort of roads as it's difficult to find yourself in the wrong gear. As an Activa can pull more G in a bend than a Honda NSX, I'd expect it to murder a Golf GTi of any nature on a twisty road.

As for capability - well, going off your posts, you seem an eminently sensible chap, so I guess I've rather less upstairs in the "self preservation department". I've absolutely hammered an Activa on many occasions - one some roads far, far faster than I'd ever dared to go in other "performance" cars, and it's felt utterly planted and stable. By hammering I'm talking about 3 figure speeds down country roads (with good visibilty I hasten to add, where the only person who was going to get hurt in a crash would be me, I'm not that insane!). Apart from one incident coming off the M4 when I lost the rear end through simple stupidity, it's the only car I've owned that I've never found the true limit of.

[Dommo]

I agree with you there Activa Mike.

I remember a while before I was driving going down this particuar road near me as a passenger in a mates Saxo, he's not the typical Saxo driver so don't jump to conclusions. The road is a long long downhill, but it's not far off straight too. I asked if he'd ever dare to floor it all the way down and he said he wouldn't because he knew the Saxo would get twitchy, and IIRC we were sat at about 60-65 and it was OK but not massively confidence inspiring. One day in my Activa I was a bit brassed off due to idiotic drivers and a long journey I just wanted to get to the end of and I recall doing well over a ton down this road, without even realising it. The car was just SO stable and so collected it felt more like 70 in any other car, and I was quite a few mph over a ton, I honestly couldn't believe it.

They're one of the few cars that the limit of, is very hard to sus out.

[Citroenmad]

0-60 time hardly matters Chris, it's time through the gears between 25-70 that really matters. With the way the TCT motor delivers power and torque, it's ideal for these sort of roads as it's difficult to find yourself in the wrong gear. As an Activa can pull more G in a bend than a Honda NSX, I'd expect it to murder a Golf GTi of any nature on a twisty road.

As for capability - well, going off your posts, you seem an eminently sensible chap, so I guess I've rather less upstairs in the "self preservation department". I've absolutely hammered an Activa on many occasions - one some roads far, far faster than I'd ever dared to go in other "performance" cars, and it's felt utterly planted and stable. By hammering I'm talking about 3 figure speeds down country roads (with good visibilty I hasten to add, where the only person who was going to get hurt in a crash would be me, I'm not that insane!). Apart from one incident coming off the M4 when I lost the rear end through simple stupidity, it's the only car I've owned that I've never found the true limit of.

It doesn't have much bearing on the usable performance your right, though its a measure of speed and the only one given.

Hmm, I do appear that way and so often people are surprised when they get in a car with me. I tend to drive everything quickly and I would like to think sensibly too. One reason I gave up my private number plate was because id always be getting told about how fast I was going somewhere, it made my car stand out a little too much for my liking!

I have got my Activa to three figure speeds on country roads, often without really noticing, due the car cars composure. Obviously, I only drive this way when im the only car around and the road is open and clear. It does just show its a very capable car. Its built for real roads, where most performance cars are so hard and stiff they bounce from bump to corner. Exactly the trouble with this modded GTi. The Activa irons the road and leaves it free to tackle corners and anything the road has to throw at it. Im not sure how close i've been to the real limit of the car, obviously understeer and oversteer can be had with a degree of predicatability but the real limit isn't as easy to judge. It can keep you on your toes not knowing exactly how far it has to go.

One of very few critisisms I have of the Activa is that nothing else drives the same! Everything rolls a bit and nothing offers the same level of composure when pressing on. Another critisism I have is that to fully appreciate the car for what it is I do have to be going a good speed down a good country road - which is very fun but other cars can offer fun at a much lower speed. No doubt real performance cars need to be pushing on to get their best too.

Its an excellent all rounder, a spacious 5 seater, 5 door hatchback which will happily be a refined cruiser or a work commuter. Then turn into a hot hatch eating gremlin when you feel the need. I love it, I wish you could still buy them new now. What I also like is how sublte it is, im sure most people think "look at this S reg old car trying to overtake me, ill put my foot down" Little do they know that they are going to be shown up on the next bend. Happened to me last night with a new Mazda 6 Sport, he soon gave in.

Ive no doubt that there are cars which handle better and obviously its not the quickest car either but its such an appealing car to me for many reasons.

[Northern_Mike]

Its an excellent all rounder, a spacious 5 seater, 5 door hatchback which will happily be a refined cruiser or a work commuter. Then turn into a hot hatch eating gremlin when you feel the need. I love it, I wish you could still buy them new now. What I also like is how sublte it is, im sure most people think "look at this S reg old car trying to overtake me, ill put my foot down" Little do they know that they are going to be shown up on the next bend. Happened to me last night with a new Mazda 6 Sport, he soon gave in.

Ive no doubt that there are cars which handle better and obviously its not the quickest car either but its such an appealing car to me for many reasons.

There are cars that handle "better", but it depends on your definition of handling. Sure, a Lotus Elise handles beautifully, but it's a lightweight sporty car. An MX-5 is very well balanced and handles well.. but I've never got one to corner as fast or as hard as an Activa. I've not driven a 1400KG family saloon that comes close to an Activa, and at last count, I have owned somewhere in the region of 115 cars... no, I'm not a trader, but I do get very easily bored!

My Activa driving technique is a modified version of my 2CV driving technique. In my opinion, the only way to drive a 2CV on a country road (and I know you'll disagree Chris) is to have the throttle nailed to the floor and the doorhandles on the tarmac on bends If I wanted to "play" or "suprise" people, I would hang back coming to a set of corners I knew well, leave a big gap then I could wind the snail up through the bends, then exit the bends onto the straight going much faster than whoever was in front of me so I could overtake them before they knew what was happening - an enormous surprise if it's a 2cv. Do this in an Activa, and it's just as much fun:-) I met one of my girlfriends many, many years ago doing such a thing in a 2cv doing the same thing. Sunny evening between Ramsbottom and Bolton, there's a long straight, a series of downhill bends, then another straight. I was young and getting frustrated stuck behind this lady in a Honda Civic, and might have been driving a bit close. As we pulled onto the first straight, she obviously saw me behind, gave a cheery wave (honestly, not a finger!) out the sunroof and shot off. My 2cv was clearly infuriated by this cheek, and set of in pursuit of the Honda, despite losing ground to it all the time. The Honda had disappeared by the time we hit the second set of bends.

I overtook her coming out of the bends A great ice-breaker. By coincidence, we were both heading to the same pub, turned out her dad owned a garage and was into MGBs and old British tat..