non hydractive spheres

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fangy
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non hydractive spheres

Post by fangy »

Hi, I've just put 2 new front spheres on my Xantia,which has got hydractive suspension, but after checking the part number on line , the spheres I've been given are off a non hydractive Xantia estate, will these do or will I need to take them of and get them changed?
Thanks for any help,
Fangy.
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Xaccers
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Post by Xaccers »

They're not for the rear are they?
I've done the opposite, was given hydractive rear spheres for my non-hydractive 97 estate.

Darn, just noticed you said front. Got too excited.
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fangy
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Post by fangy »

Do you think they'll need changed, or will they do the job?
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

fangy wrote:Do you think they'll need changed, or will they do the job?
A test drive is your best answer.

Spheres for NON-hydractive (standard) suspension are a bit softer - as they have no extra center sphere to work with in soft mode on hydractive systems.

I bet you find your Xantia quite comfy to drive, and if you like it there is no reason to spend the hassle changing back to the correct spheres.
Only under very marginal driving conditions the car will be a bit more unstable, i.e. the soft suspension at high speed and harsh cornering syndrome.
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Mandrake
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Post by Mandrake »

Speaking as someone who has actually tried this on purpose to see what would happen, I would suggest that you take them back and get the correct spheres.

Using normal (non-hydractive) strut spheres in addition to having a centre sphere results in damping that is too soft and the car will tend to wallow and oscillate at the front and could be quite unstable on high speed undulating roads. (or may make you seasick :lol: )

If it doesn't seem that way at the moment then it's likely that the centre sphere is flat.

Can I ask why you didn't replace the centre sphere at the same time ? Has it been replaced recently ? With a Hydractive system the balance between the strut spheres and the centre sphere is quite important so if the strut spheres were worn out its likely that the centre one was too and should be replaced at the same time.

(Also if you were trying to solve a hard ride the centre sphere actually has more effect than the strut spheres on getting a smooth ride...)

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Simon
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Post by Peter.N. »

If you now have two good non hydro spheres and a duff centre one, the ride will be more or less like a standard non hydro, if you now replace the centre sphere, although I like a soft ride, as has previously been mentioned, it will probably make you seasick! and your hydractive system wont be doing much.
fangy
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Post by fangy »

Sorry it took so long to reply been real busy.
After testing the car it certainly was very boatish so I got them changed for the hydractive spheres. The reason I never changed the centre sphere as well is purely a financial one, cant afford to replace any more than two at a time.
Cheers for all the replies
Fangy.
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