Xm Brakes

Ok....your'e going to here a lot from me until I get used to my XM.
Compared to my CX the brakes are spongy....or 'normal'.
Just read Julian Marshs site and he says they are the same as the CX....ie rock hard in movement/sensitive in application...are mine crapo?
Cheers, HB

Methinks you are quoting a very early quote from Julian Marsh. Since then, things have moved on and they are "normal" but still very good.

OK, thanks Tech!

Some people actually fit a 'Mondeo spring' to the brake pedal to make them feel 'normal'. God knows why.
Anytime I drive an inferior car with a brake servo now I keep thinking the brakes aren't working, as I'm used to being able to stop on a pinhead with the lightest touch on the pedal!

OK, now I am confused!
Which should it be on a '93er.....spongy and 'normal'...or pinhead like and sensitive like my CX.
HB

Certainly a lot more sensitive and CX like than a normal car..... though I can't hazard a guess at why they would be spongy, except maybe air trapped in the brake circuit...

This post has been edited by Ciaran on December 07, 2006 12:21 am

The CX, like the ID and DS before it, had direct application of the brake valve with no intermediate mechanisms. As a result they were pressure sensitive, rather than movement sensitive.

Many Citroenistas prefer it like that but the fact remains that it did not appeal to the general motoring public and Citroen were trying to sell more cars. So, on the later cars like the XM and Xantia, they inserted a spring between the brake pedal and the brake valve. On the principle that force in equals force out, the amount of braking you get from a given pedal pressure is the same in both systems, but the brakes are now movement sensitive.

On the Xantia the spring is fitted in a cylinder under the brake pedal and some owners take it out and replace it with a solid rod, thereby making their brakes pressure sensitive. The XM has a similar arrangement called a pedal box, but I've never heard of anybody trying to modify it.

If, on a quiet road with no other vehicles about, you hit the brakes as hard as you can from, say 30-40 mph, and the car comes to a rapid halt with the ABS operating, there's nothing wrong with your brakes. It's just a case of pedal feel.

Derek

Thanks for clarifying that Derek, I obviously misread the 'Mondeo spring' thing before, as I was under the impression people inserted the spring to make the brakes feel more conventional. I wasn't aware that it already existed and was in fact, removed by some owners.