Citroening's C4 By Loeb THP

[Citroening]

Glad to see you back on here and away from the Ford! Your new C4 looks very nice indeed, rare too

Thanks Chris - re the ST it was good fun indeed and I'm glad I ran it for the summer as I've always liked them.

Would I run another though? Probably not...

But it was nice to scratch the itch so to speak...

Come on Franklin, we know you're busy, but we've waited long enough for some new pictures of the THP!

You must be a mind reader, Peter - I took the fresh photos just yesterday...

Indeed, apologies for the delay - December has been a bit of a blur to say the least... What with the usual frivolities of Christmas and my Birthday just before, and then a large heavy workload before then meant that forums etc had to take a back seat... Anyway, to the photos...

Citroen C4 By Loeb THP by chevronsaver, on Flickr

Citroen C4 By Loeb THP by chevronsaver, on Flickr

Citroen C4 By Loeb THP by chevronsaver, on Flickr

Citroen C4 By Loeb THP by chevronsaver, on Flickr

Citroen C4 By Loeb THP by chevronsaver, on Flickr

(Interior pictures will follow at some stage, but it's exactly the same - bar the gear knob - to the Black car...)

All in all it's going very well indeed - the extra grunt is pretty much exactly what I was looking for over that of the Black facelift car before, and the six speed gearbox really helps matters too.

Yesterday I decided to try out some Christmas goodies on it as to get it looking how I liked, so out came the claybar as to remove any surface contamination which there was a suprising amount of - amazing what is hidden from the eye... Thankfully now the paint is that of like glass, and then to the next stage of an Auto Glym Super Resin Polish and finally topped it off with some Auto Glym Extra Gloss Protection...

For the past couple of weeks I have also been running a Dashcam, which I have been looking into for a while and feel is a very handy addition indeed. It's the "NextBase 402G" which met good reviews with HD recording, GPS logging etc and I must say I am impressed. It's nice to know that it's there if the worst was to happen, which seems to be rather common especially at this time of year.

[Hell Razor5543]

Did you get it straight from the showroom, or are you employed by a detailing company? It looks absolutely beautiful.

I have a dash cam, and I got another for my Mum (after the accident we had when a BMW went head on into us). I got the Ambarella 0801, with 8GB RAM and GPS. It also has good reviews.

[Citroening]

Did you get it straight from the showroom, or are you employed by a detailing company? It looks absolutely beautiful.

Many thanks James - very kind! Alas no detailing company here...!

Unfortunately the condensation was forming when the pics were taken late in the day so it wasn't looking it's best when closely looking at the pics...but no doubt more in the future will be taken...!

I have a dash cam, and I got another for my Mum (after the accident we had when a BMW went head on into us). I got the 0801, with Ambarella 8GB RAM and GPS. It also has good reviews.

Sounds like a good bit of kit, a handy backup to have "just in case"... Touch wood, of course, that nothing will happen but nice to know it's there...

[Fake Concern]

It looks amazing Franklin! Love the colour & I would have one in an instant if mine were to die. I am truly jealous of the 6 speed box too!
The photos are great, are you using a filter to enhance the colour or brightness? I had thought of claying & waxing mine, but decided to wait for better weather over the Easter hols.

[Citroening]

It looks amazing Franklin! Love the colour & I would have one in an instant if mine were to die.

Thanks very much Peter - glad you like it!

You definitely wouldn't regret it and I bet your Team Dynamics wheels would look excellent on one too...!

I am truly jealous of the 6 speed box too!

It makes such a lovely difference in all aspects - didn't take too long to get over the "forgot to put it in 6th" situation either...

The photos are great, are you using a filter to enhance the colour or brightness?

Indeed a slight bit of photo tweaking on the brightness/contrast, although nothing too radical - freshly cleaned Sport Red really does shine.

I had thought of claying & waxing mine, but decided to wait for better weather over the Easter hols.

Weather at this time of the year is awful, thankfully it's remained clean-ish so far but roads out this way are terrible...

I suppose mods were bound to be mentioned sooner rather than later but I do miss a bit of exhaust sound... What I first noticed especially after going from the ST was just how quiet and refined the C4 is, although I did have a Mongoose Cat Back system on the ST which was rather fruity to say the least - but too much of a drone on the dual carriageways... But then again the boy racer in me loved the pops and crackles on the over run... Once again like the Black Loeb this doesn't need a new exhaust in terms of condition, but the looks and perhaps a little more sound would be nice, however I'm not sure if and when I will opt for one - it'll have to be a custom made set-up if so... Although at the other end of things the THPs do have a subtle dump recirc sound when letting off boost which is quite nice, although not too audible as it's a recirc... One half of me is saying keep it quiet and standard for the moment but then another is saying invest some £s to make things a little louder and meaner and get closer to 200 BHP...

[Fake Concern]

Thanks very much Peter - glad you like it!



I suppose mods were bound to be mentioned sooner rather than later but I do miss a bit of exhaust sound... What I first noticed especially after going from the ST was just how quiet and refined the C4 is, although I did have a Mongoose Cat Back system on the ST which was rather fruity to say the least - but too much of a drone on the dual carriageways... But then again the boy racer in me loved the pops and crackles on the over run... Once again like the Black Loeb this doesn't need a new exhaust in terms of condition, but the looks and perhaps a little more sound would be nice, however I'm not sure if and when I will opt for one - it'll have to be a custom made set-up if so... Although at the other end of things the THPs do have a subtle dump recirc sound when letting off boost which is quite nice, although not too audible as it's a recirc... One half of me is saying keep it quiet and standard for the moment but then another is saying invest some £s to make things a little louder and meaner and get closer to 200 BHP...

Looking again at the photos-lovely!

I have to say now that I wish I'd stuck to my (original) guns & kept the exhaust a bit quieter for the refinement at high speeds. The pop & fizz in 2nd for overtaking at 40-60ish is nice, but motorways with hills are a bit of a drone with low 5th gear although it does give an instant response if it's called for! Having had a turbo car (Volvo V70 T5) I know what you mean & nothing beats the lag then kick in the head of a turbo!!

[Citroening]

Looking again at the photos-lovely!

Many thanks Peter!

I have to say now that I wish I'd stuck to my (original) guns & kept the exhaust a bit quieter for the refinement at high speeds. The pop & fizz in 2nd for overtaking at 40-60ish is nice, but motorways with hills are a bit of a drone with low 5th gear although it does give an instant response if it's called for! Having had a turbo car (Volvo V70 T5) I know what you mean & nothing beats the lag then kick in the head of a turbo!!

Indeed at times the loudness in the ST with the cat back system was rather nice when having fun but at others it was a little too much...! We'll see what happens re the C4 and mods, but for the moment it's staying standard - maybe in a couple of months time I may look into it a bit more...

The kick of the turbo coming in is certainly a very welcome one especially when pressing on (!), although it feels like it's definitely got more to give! From what I've read on the DS3s etc, a remap on these especially with the other mods can certainly transform it... One thing that is noticeable is how quickly the THP picks up it's speed - also linked to how quiet it is, is that it doesn't feel/sound like the speed you're going!

[daviemck2006]

It's a totally lovely car Franklin, I like red cars, in fact the twice I bought a brand new car I specified red, its my favourite colour, and the brighter the better. My silver will be easier to clean and keep clean though. I still think the interior of the mk 1 leob is nicer. But Red with black wheels really work for me. I see my old vts is for sale just now, no stripes or graphics on it bot looking really well with the calipers painted and the detail on the wheel centers that i did. The guy is asking £3000 for it which is far too rich in my opinion, but he hasnt been anywhere in it, only done 3000 miles in it in just under a year. I think what I will miss in the cool rather than the vts will be the glass roof. I will also miss the 6 speed box of the c5 and the 2000 revs at 75 on the dual carriageway going to my sisters.

[Citroening]

It's a totally lovely car Franklin, I like red cars, in fact the twice I bought a brand new car I specified red, its my favourite colour, and the brighter the better.

Many thanks Davie! Indeed Sport Red is certainly a nice bright red which is nice to see.

I still think the interior of the mk 1 leob is nicer. But Red with black wheels really work for me.

I must admit that to begin with I thought the same re the interiors but overally the facelift wins for me after living with them...! My first By Loeb was the pre-facelift with the leather and suede which was nice but I think that especially with time moving on the facelift interior is looking that bit more modern, but both are certainly nice! Indeed the Red and the Black really is growing on me...much better than the Red and White combination IMO!

[daviemck2006]

The black wheels wont look so bad either if you dont get the chance to clean them properly for the weather

[Citroening]

Ages ago I promised that I'd post some interior pictures however a proper clean of the interior was carried out last weekend so the perfect excuse! Unfortunately, though, only the phone camera was used in poor lighting so the quality is less than what I'm happy with...but oh well here they are anyway...!







The red on the seats in real life is that of much more vibrant than the wishy-washy pictures above show, I'll have to get some proper photos sorted out. I must admit that I am not a fan of cars with a sea of black and grey (except for a lovely black leather interior of course!) in the interior so it makes a lovely change. A recent spruce up inside with some AutoGlym Interior Shampoo really brought things up nicely, and topped it all off with my favourite "California Scents" Air freshener too - the best IMO out there and sits nicely in the cup holder too.

Since last posting the C4 has been running rather lovely indeed, it's exactly what I was looking for before with that extra get up and go from the THP lump. I'm not one to name cars, and have never really partaken in such things however the C4 has seem to adopted the name of The Red Flash...! Named this by family members that have seen me out and about in it in which I can presume going that of an enthusiastic pace...

...and finally to that age old chestnut of modifications...! All in all the package of the THP By Loeb is something that I really like so no outlandish or major modifications are planned however a slight twist on things would be nice. Performance-wise, on my previous By Loeb I had a stainless steel exhaust fitted, and I believe that this is something that I will also do to the THP. Not only will this help things on their way to freeing up some more horses, it will also give it a bit more of a throaty sound that I think would be nice too. In standard form the THP engines are rather quiet and refined which is great, however a few choice modifications can release a fair chunk more power and makes for a very entertaining all round package whilst keeping a lot of the refinement. Watch this space...

[Fake Concern]

At last! Thanks for these pictures Franklin, I always love the red highlights on Loeb cars, particularly the arm rest. The red binding on the mats goes well too. Red Flash in & out!
I don't know how you always manage to get & keep your cars so clean in this sort of weather.
I think a bit of gentle modding could be the way to go. Keep us posted.

[Citroening]

Many thanks Peter and glad you liked it - indeed for me the red highlights work very well too!

Sure I've said it before however I do think Citroen missed a trick with the white wheels on the By Loeb cars...

For me the Red and Black inside works so much better IMO with the Red bodywork and Black wheels...

You should of seen the mud on the outside last week...! Red Flash Loeb Rally special!

After today's developments in regards to gentle modding, said updates are looking to be sooner, rather than later...

[bxzx16v]

It does look rather nice Franklin .

Mark

[Fake Concern]

Many thanks Peter and glad you liked it - indeed for me the red highlights work very well too!

Sure I've said it before however I do think Citroen missed a trick with the white wheels on the By Loeb cars...

For me the Red and Black inside works so much better IMO with the Red bodywork and Black wheels...

You should of seen the mud on the outside last week...! Red Flash Loeb Rally special!

After today's developments in regards to gentle modding, said updates are looking to be sooner, rather than later...

You knew I would like it.
Agreed about the wheels, but they missed a trick over the whole Loeb connection and not making enough of it. Too late now.

I take it the exhaust is heading North?