306 XSI
- Thread starter poosemon
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Enfield said:
Oh do grow up
I have NEVER said I 'know everything there is to know' nor have I even implied it. There are many people even in this forum who know more than I do.
I just think you are being grossly unfair blaming your own mistakes on the design of a car millions of other people manage to drive without having serious accidents.
I'll never understand the tendancy of some people to blame their own mistakes on everyone but themselves. I've had unpredictable moments in my car and nobody was to blame for them but the person driving the car - ME.
Enfield said:
Stop talking bs. I have had a dturbo since learning right through till present (3.5 years). Lift off the throttle and the backend steps out? lol you enter every corner at 80+ or something? I have only span my car once with the backend kicking out and that was my fault, WAY too aggressive on the wheel at 70mph on a bend, luckily i just span down the road. the 106, 205, 306 are all renowned for being fantastic at handling, just watch out when they bite. Sorry but you dont have a clue.
As someone who's driven more Peugeots than had hot dinners, I can say that the design of the 306 is not inherently dangerous.
The 306 (as with the 405, 205, 206, 106, 309, Renault 5 etc) has a torsion bar setup at the rear. These setups are more prone to oversteering than conventionally sprung setups if the throttle is carelessly lifted on entry to a corner, or indeed mid-corner.
Enfield, if your 306 was stepping out under straight line braking, there was something very wrong with it - accident damage, rear bush wear, failed rear damper - and that's just the front of the car! Any number of similar issues at the front could cause the same problem.
To brand the 306 a "deathtrap" and then drive home in a 205 is somewhat ignorant - a bit of a pot/kettle situation there, given the virtually identical suspension design on both cars!
The 306 (as with the 405, 205, 206, 106, 309, Renault 5 etc) has a torsion bar setup at the rear. These setups are more prone to oversteering than conventionally sprung setups if the throttle is carelessly lifted on entry to a corner, or indeed mid-corner.
Enfield, if your 306 was stepping out under straight line braking, there was something very wrong with it - accident damage, rear bush wear, failed rear damper - and that's just the front of the car! Any number of similar issues at the front could cause the same problem.
To brand the 306 a "deathtrap" and then drive home in a 205 is somewhat ignorant - a bit of a pot/kettle situation there, given the virtually identical suspension design on both cars!
Associate
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 1,554
- Location
- Reading
To say the 306 is lacking in steering feel is also pretty unfair. It's not quite as direct as a 205 without power steering, but I find It's still fairly hefty and I can feel exactly what's going on. Try driving a transit van sometime, the lack of steering feedback is pretty un-nerving to say the least!
Oh, the previous owner of my 306 managed somehow to have 3 assorted brands of budget/remould/home made tyres on it and in that state I would class it as a death trap. I've got goodyears all round now and it's properly planted.
An assortment of budget tyres would turn any car into a deathtrap tbh.
Oh, the previous owner of my 306 managed somehow to have 3 assorted brands of budget/remould/home made tyres on it and in that state I would class it as a death trap. I've got goodyears all round now and it's properly planted.
An assortment of budget tyres would turn any car into a deathtrap tbh.
Last edited:
I had a similar problem happen with one of my old cars (a Maestro) when I was going down the main road, braked and the back end stepped out. One of the rear wheels locked up which sent the car a bit skew-whiff. Turns out all that was wrong was the rear drums needed cleaning out and the shoes slightly readjusting. Was perfect after that. I didn't blame the car, just the fact I hadn't checked the rear shoes in a while.
I must admit, I have driven many (and sold a few) 306's and never had a problem like that - whether or not they've had an assortment of tyres on them! Perhaps I just don't drive them hard enough!
I must admit, I have driven many (and sold a few) 306's and never had a problem like that - whether or not they've had an assortment of tyres on them! Perhaps I just don't drive them hard enough!
Permabanned
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 9,204
Okay, first things first, the 1.8(16v) engine is sweet, pulls through till 5k rpm and beyond where needed. Also the car handles brilliantly, which may be why people say its a deathtrap (bear with me), you get the sense in the 306 that its never gonna stop gripping just goes where you point it, which is why when you overstep that mark your a long way from the comfort zone and for a lot of people this means smashy smashy.
The main benefit imo of the 1.8 16v (GLX spec i have) is that whilst a touch slower than the XSi, its a group 5 car! Would love to see a stock group 5 car that would take this, 0-60 on parkers is poo, my gf's 1.6sport Hyundai Getz has apparently a 9.1s 0-60 and the 306 leaves her for dead even when she drives my 306 and i drive her getz. The XSi is a hothatch and therefore comes in at IG13 i think and is gonna cost you a whole pile of cash to insure, itll be a smidgen faster that the 1.8 16v (in fact i hear the 8v model isnt even as quick) it'll cost you more to insure and more of the ones you'll look to buy 2nd hand will have beer ragged right off.
Just imo tho
The main benefit imo of the 1.8 16v (GLX spec i have) is that whilst a touch slower than the XSi, its a group 5 car! Would love to see a stock group 5 car that would take this, 0-60 on parkers is poo, my gf's 1.6sport Hyundai Getz has apparently a 9.1s 0-60 and the 306 leaves her for dead even when she drives my 306 and i drive her getz. The XSi is a hothatch and therefore comes in at IG13 i think and is gonna cost you a whole pile of cash to insure, itll be a smidgen faster that the 1.8 16v (in fact i hear the 8v model isnt even as quick) it'll cost you more to insure and more of the ones you'll look to buy 2nd hand will have beer ragged right off.
Just imo tho
My friend spun his saxo, OH NOES THE CAR IS A DEATH TRAP!
I think the brake bias was probably incorrect on yours Enfield, thats what caused my friend to spin his Saxo on a straight dual carriageway. Either that or you can't drive for ****
I think the brake bias was probably incorrect on yours Enfield, thats what caused my friend to spin his Saxo on a straight dual carriageway. Either that or you can't drive for ****
Caporegime
- Joined
- 11 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 32,223
- Location
- Leafy Cheshire
I spun my saxo into a wall, but thats cause i was driving like a plank.... Non of this it was the cars fault or ice on the road etc.
[TW]Fox said:
I haven't blamed what happened on the design of the car, I said I think the backend came out mainly because the offside rear wheel was like this "\", (it wasn't designed like that obviously so im not blaming the design), and the fact I couldn't afford to put some new tyres on the rear too. I read a few days ago that if you're going to get only 2 new sets of tyres, then put them at the back.
I blame myself and the car. First I blame myself because before I went into that corner I just had a feeling that I shouldn't be doing it but did it anyway. I also blame the woman who was coming towards me with her main beam on, (not exactly helpful when you're going down an unlit road), thats why I was knocking some of my speed of because she was blinding me. And I blame the car obviously because it just snapped out with no warning at all. That was the scariest moment of my life, I didn't manage to catch it, although I managed to get the backend out both ways a couple of times before I lost it, then it all went into slow motion and I held on for the best.
To clear things up, I think my particular 306 was a deathtrap, but I still think 306's are pretty dangerous. I've driven the car a lot harder and for a lot longer around twisty roads and it gripped very well, but on the night of the crash I honestly don't know how it happened and that is the truth. OK, you could say I was driving too fast but the backend shouldn't step out under breaking (gently - i had only just touched the pedal when it went).
You are, at all times, in control of the car. If it does something you don't want it to do, barring mechanically faliure, it will be becuase of something YOU have done.
The first step to becoming a better driving is learning from your mistakes, not blaming the car.
The first step to becoming a better driving is learning from your mistakes, not blaming the car.
GT3 said:
Why is it garbage? The backend does step out when you come off the throttle. Maybe I was a bit OTT when I said the 306 is a deathtrap.
I still don't know exactly what happend that night. I'd go over the whole thing again but I don't think everyone would want to hear it.
Maybe I could talk to someone who understands 306's and has had lots of experience with the backend coming out, etc on MSN or something?
Enfield said:
As mentioned, as do other french cars with a torsion bar setup on the rear. It will only step out if you have crap tyres, or you push it too far.
Enfield said:
Well its not going to step out before the corner is it, unless you provoke it to that is
I'd say you misjudged the corner, took it at too high speed and when the back end stepped couldn't correct it. Nothing to do with the car at all.You do NOT want to break even lightly in a car with a torsion bar if your going at speed round a corner. That probably was the problem.
If you were in conventional car i.e. XR2i you can get away with braking on corners a lot more and it will just safely understeer.
You need to really understand how the 306 works before you push hard, I have had 3 in standard, sporty and GTI trim. I have sussed the handling out so don't oversteer unless i want to. (watch me crash tomorrow)
I think the car is only dangerous if your not sure how to manage a torsion setup on the edge. Certainly have to treat it different to a normal car.
My brother was used to his XR2i. Jumped into my GTI the first day I got it and snaked it down the road (nearly ditching it) after letting off on a corner for example!
Not dangerous just different!
To the OP: Phase 1 XSI is the 2.0 8v. Phase 2/3 was a 2.0 16v as fas as i understand.
It was the 1.8 / 1.6 8v and 1.8 16v that came in XS trim I believe?
If you were in conventional car i.e. XR2i you can get away with braking on corners a lot more and it will just safely understeer.
You need to really understand how the 306 works before you push hard, I have had 3 in standard, sporty and GTI trim. I have sussed the handling out so don't oversteer unless i want to. (watch me crash tomorrow)
I think the car is only dangerous if your not sure how to manage a torsion setup on the edge. Certainly have to treat it different to a normal car.
My brother was used to his XR2i. Jumped into my GTI the first day I got it and snaked it down the road (nearly ditching it) after letting off on a corner for example!
Not dangerous just different!
To the OP: Phase 1 XSI is the 2.0 8v. Phase 2/3 was a 2.0 16v as fas as i understand.
It was the 1.8 / 1.6 8v and 1.8 16v that came in XS trim I believe?
GT3 said:
Or if there's a fault which i've already said there was numerous time...
Well its not going to step out before the corner is it, unless you provoke it to that is
I said what I just said because I thought you where thinking it stepped out mid corner if that makes sense...