BXProject

[jayw]

I've been offered a set of C5 V6 Calipers & discs for all 4 corners by a mate who's breaking the motor after offing into a tree in last months snow. I Believe the fronts are 288mm, don't know about the rears?

Are they worth the trouble and will they fit the Valver is the simple question?

[docchevron132]

Wouldn't bother TBH mate.
Fitting them would be an arse. The rears I *thikn* will fit, but since they aint vented and essentially the same as BX anyway there's no gain.

The pistons wind in anti-clockwise on the C5, for reasons best known to Citroen..

If you want bigger brakes the Xantia caliper is the easiest way to go..

[Vanny]

Not the Activa V6 mind, they are the biggest but getting pads is fucking impossible. Regular V6 fronts are pretty much bolt on and you can get fancy EBC pads and discs.

[jayw]

Found a local Xantia V6 for £150 with buggered engine... if i bought it is there anything else worth taking off it?

[Philhod]

That V6 is usually fairly unbreakable. What's bust???

[jayw]

Seized solid from lack of oil. Been standing a year with bust window so rotten inside too.

[Philhod]

Ah! wrecked a purpus then!!!

[Vanny]

well if you weren't in Basingstoke i'd be suggesting having the full activa system in it, and consider either A) Whapping components on the bay or B) sticking the whole lot under a BX.

[jayw]

Not being a Xantia man (other than owning an orange oil-burner ex-cab with 435,000k on the clock), someone give me "Activa" in a nutshell???

[Vanny]

loads of electronics, lots of expensive components, lots of pipes. Basically a computer figures out if the car body is about to start rolling and firms up the suspension to counter the roll. Its a bit trickier than that, bu basically you can take a round about at 70 with no body role. From experience, you go round the roundabout happily at 70 but some stupid bitch in a 406 thinks your go slow, no roll see, being the shit driver she is doesn't brake and realises too late what is going on. Furtunately your driver, being used to this activity, has already nailed it, your now doing 90 round the roundabout and safely shoot past the front of the 406 and off at the chosen exit. Replace trousers at the fuel station, and give it about 20 minutes for your heart rate to recover.

[jayw]

So, how much of this kit would go on the BX? Bearing in mind the person who's doing it has to replace all their suspension components anyway so how much extra work we talking about?

Anyone know if it's been done before?




Oh, and some of us do roundabouts at 70 all the time...

[Way2go]

Oh, and some of us do roundabouts at 70 all the time...

There's plenty to practice on in Basingstoke!

[jayw]

Oh, and some of us do roundabouts at 70 all the time...

There's plenty to practice on in Basingstoke!

Indeed there is! Bit like being out at 3am this morning drifting round them in the good 'ole front-wheel-drive sleigh

You local to these lands then?

[jayw]

Been delving into the intelligence pool otherwise know as the internet and this is all news to me:

It seems the only major difference between the regular hydractive Xantia and the Activa is the active rollbars and the hydractive 2 has the anti-sink sphere, although the hydractive 2 dulled-down the the systems abilities (probably to make it more reliable & cheaper).

So, are all Xantias hydractive?

And can the whole sytem be grafted onto the bx? (i.e. is it just a case of swapping all the mechanical & electronic components) or is there too much work involved? I still have to change all me suspension and brakes for the new ones i have sat in the boxes still so i'm thinking there's not much more work involved?

Seems like a good track system...

[Vanny]

ho ho ho aren't you funny, you and your 'I've been Googling and everyfink is simple'. Damn fool. For a start each corner of an activa has an extra ram, not too dissimilar to the suspension strut its self. Then there are 12 or 16 spheres, i forget, i could calculate it but life is too short. Then practically every suspension component is subtley different, you'd need new wishbones at the front for a start. Then there is the wiring. It could be done, but it would be expensive!

Not all Xantias have hydractive, my understanding is that its not too dissimilar an effect to ABS but for the suspension and gives you a generally stiffer feeling to the car. This is a little more feasible to fit to a BX as typically its mostly extra spheres and valves rather than suspension components. I think its nearly all mechanical, the only electical bit being to control the extra valves which themselves act like height correctors.

Don't forget about anti sink either! There is a REALLY good Xantia website created by the guy who writes the Citronian column on Xantias (at least i think its the same guy.

[Bx Bandit]

Personally, I found hydractive to be a major PITA, as in it kept getting itself locked into hard mode which utterly rediculous. Then the hyd valve is made of cardboard and falls apart within seconds. Sounds like a lot of work mate. If you do get this V6, consider joining French Car Forum and seeing if the Xantia nuts want some bits of it.

[David]

Seized solid from lack of oil. Been standing a year with bust window so rotten inside too.

That to me doesn't sound like £150. £50 weigh-in value more like it.

[docchevron132]

Erm, where did Jay mention it was an Activa?
Since it's a V6 and I'm assuming RHD then it's VERY VERY unlikely to have Activa on it...

Hydractive was common to all Xantia except very early and later base models.

Activa is possible to fit on a BX, I've looked into it before, and I'm fairly certain one of the foreign nutters that has a BX has done so, dont think there's one over here though...

Activa parts are becoming very hard to find, and fucking painfully expansive, but it was / is a fucking unbelievably great system, the only ,major drawback being that there is no tyre on earth that can match the performance of it...

[jayw]

Erm, where did Jay mention it was an Activa?
Since it's a V6 and I'm assuming RHD then it's VERY VERY unlikely to have Activa on it...

I didn't.

AFAIK all the Activa's were the 2 litre LPT versions?

My point was that NOT being an activa makes it a slightly more simple proposition for a BX hydractive hybrid possibility.

But, as quickly as the idea came along it's gone now. I'd have considered it if it wasn't too much more than swapping components (which i have to do anyway) and a bit of piping & wiring, but evidently not.

Still gonna go have a look at the motor for the brakes etc...

[Vanny]

I think fitting hydractive would be relatively simple Jay, it IS mostly pipes and components. Its Activa that is the ball ache.

I'd be up for going down the hydractive route with Jazz.