Someone please explain why 2CV was produced for so long (1949-1990) - even in communist countries which were technologically backwards production of 2CV's contemporaries (like FSO Warszawa) was long stopped (1973 in that example).
Citroen 2cv pages
61–70 of 115 posts
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
The cheapest hatchback still doesn't have that suspension though.
Even in the 1990s, a Xantia would be a cheap way to buy a luxury suspension. Still amazes me that my '74 DS and my '98 Xantia can use the same hydraulic fluid. Even the pressure spheres are interchangeable, although not advisable.
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Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even in the 1990s, a Xantia would be a cheap way to buy a luxury suspension. Still amazes me that my '74 DS and my '98 Xantia can use the same hydraulic fluid. Even the pressure spheres are interchangeable, although not advisable.
The Xantia probably has the best of the hydraulic suspension systems that were ever on the market (including MB, which is a ridiculously fragile system). The XM is more comfy but the Xantia is far more reliable mostly because it is a somewhat simpler system (cheaper car, so less complexity = more profit but incidentally also more reliability). The very worst was the SM, which overcomplicated just about everything. If…
The Xantia can have the classic hydraulic suspension (hydropneumatique) identical to the Citroën BX or the Hydractive II system with an electronic calculator on board and more "spheres". The XM had the first Hydractive system.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#64"CV" is for "Chevaux" (horses) but we're talking "tax horses", a calculation used for a taxation system where more powerful vehicles cost more. The current french formula is 0.00018 * [power in kW]^2 + 0.0387 * [power in kW] + 1.34
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheval_fiscal (current formula, french page)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_horsepower#France (general explanation)
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Citroën sold cars in the US till around 1975, when the US introduced regulations that essentially prohibited the hydropneumatic suspension. Citroën even had US spec versions of the DS and the SM for the US market. I am not sure whether the 2CV was ever sold in the USA, but it has definitely been imported. I think in the US, the limit is 25 years before you can import a foreign car. I've encountered plenty of 2CVs and…
I've seen a DS in Canada, but only once. (Toronto)
I've seen two 2CV in Montréal, with Québec immatriculation on the back and French immatriculation on the front (modern post 2009).
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#66Someone please explain why 2CV was produced for so long (1949-1990) - even in communist countries which were technologically backwards production of 2CV's contemporaries (like FSO Warszawa) was long stopped (1973 in that example).
The 2CV was inexpensive and indestructible. It was perfect for 3rd world nations that the French had colonized. The 4 wheel independent suspension could go over worse potholes on unpaved roads than you have ever seen. And if something did break, you could either fix it with a coat hanger or find a nearby shade tree mechanic with enough experience to get the job done. I fell in love with it back in the '60's and wanted to bring one back to the states. Of course, it would never pass a safety inspection. The nearest thing I could find was a beetle.
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Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#67Someone please explain why 2CV was produced for so long (1949-1990) - even in communist countries which were technologically backwards production of 2CV's contemporaries (like FSO Warszawa) was long stopped (1973 in that example).
The 2CV was inexpensive and indestructible. It was perfect for 3rd world nations that the French had colonized. The 4 wheel independent suspension could go over worse potholes on unpaved roads than you have ever seen. And if something did break, you could either fix it with a coat hanger or find a nearby shade tree mechanic with enough experience to get the job done. I fell in love with it back in the '60's and wante…
Interesting, I've seen my friend post a video not long ago with a 2CV in shot, that was in Paris.
You'd think France as the Western Europe would focus more on safety and emissions (apparently French are very climate conscious).
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Was your DS 21 pre- or post-1968? Basically, did it have the red or the green fluid? I once drove mine from Denmark to Provence and back again, it was an experience, and not without problems (it started to leak around Paris). I am not sure I would make that big of a trip in it again (although, some part of me hopes I will). Since those days, I've mostly made the big trips in my '98 Xantia.
Green. It was one of the latest made (1974). I've done plenty of really long trips with it (many thousands of km), but I did replace all of the accessible high pressure LHM tubing at some point to get rid of the periodical 'Arret!' light on the dash because the system lost pressure. I can also tell you from experience that trying to drive a DS without pressure is both an art and a body building exercise at once. Xant…
That sound from the Citromatic used to be called 'boinking' and it is inescapable unless the fluids and seals are up to snuff. Citroën hydraulics are detailed but not that complex, patience + Viton aftermarket seals (green fluid = hexylene glycol) are your friends.
Agreed that the ID (idée)-19 had a lot of advantages from its simplicity.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
The 2CV always seemed like a death trap to me. It could not get approved in the USA for import; I’m guessing because of safety regulations…although no Citroen cars were available in the US at all.
Citroën sold cars in the US till around 1975, when the US introduced regulations that essentially prohibited the hydropneumatic suspension. Citroën even had US spec versions of the DS and the SM for the US market. I am not sure whether the 2CV was ever sold in the USA, but it has definitely been imported. I think in the US, the limit is 25 years before you can import a foreign car. I've encountered plenty of 2CVs and…
> Citroën sold cars in the US till around 1975
I lived in the USA in 70s and 80s. I never saw more than 1 or 2 Citroen cars in all of that time. And those two cars were stared at by everyone like aliens.
Re: Citroen 2cv pages
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Was your DS 21 pre- or post-1968? Basically, did it have the red or the green fluid? I once drove mine from Denmark to Provence and back again, it was an experience, and not without problems (it started to leak around Paris). I am not sure I would make that big of a trip in it again (although, some part of me hopes I will). Since those days, I've mostly made the big trips in my '98 Xantia.
Green. It was one of the latest made (1974). I've done plenty of really long trips with it (many thousands of km), but I did replace all of the accessible high pressure LHM tubing at some point to get rid of the periodical 'Arret!' light on the dash because the system lost pressure. I can also tell you from experience that trying to drive a DS without pressure is both an art and a body building exercise at once. Xant…
My mechanic also tells me I'm fortunate that my DS is a five speed manual. No semi-automatic gearbox for me. Also makes the engine bay a lot more accessible (although it is injection). So far, I've replaced the headgasket, cylinders, water pump and injection distributor (with one that achieves lower revs in neutral). The engine repairs were substantial, since water had leaked into one of the cylinders, but it was possible, and now it just starts when I turn the key.
My Xantia is the Activa V6 model. That ES9 engine is a beast. I've been told that it's usually the car, not the engine, that breaks first with those ones. But really, what I was more interested in was the Activa suspension. It feels like driving a go-kart, yet with the suspension of a Bentley, and the practicality of a hatchback. I know they were trying the same sort of anti-body roll for the DS back in the 1960s, but money was always running out (unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the pictures, I know they exist online somewhere).
I intend to keep my Xantia around for a long time. Took it to the US once, and drove from coast to coast and back again.