Am i right to be wary of....

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Ian63
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Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Ian63 »

Linked brakes, suspension ect on an 02 C5 2.0 hdi est....it's quite bouncy over the slightest bit of rough rd more than good springs would be. That's one thing, but this carry on with everything being linked is scaring me.......christ even the handbrake's electric!!....or somthing to do with the way it works.


It's seems to a good enough car but this stuff scares me....i prefer proper springs ect...
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Dommo »

The brakes on a C5 are a normal style of brake system with a master cylinder and it's own fluid. Not sure about the power steering but at least you'll have brakes! Or suspension and no brakes should the brake system fail :lol:
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by myglaren »

The estates are a bit harder ride than the hatches but improve considerably when loaded.
As Dommo says, the brakes are not linked in any way to the suspension.

My daughter's Rover 75 is decidedly better than my C5 in town.

The steering and suspension share the LDS reservoir but are otherwise independent with separate pumps for each, the power steering on engine driven and the suspension one electric.
Norlander
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Norlander »

it's quite bouncy over the slightest bit of rough rd more than good springs would be.
Our 2002 C5 estate seems to absorb such bumps etc. rather well compared to conventional car suspensions (as did the Xantia before it).
Ian63
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Ian63 »

It must be the clutch (m/cylinder) then that's linked to the brakes, i still dont like the suspension set up, as the speres (or whatever the hell there called) are not good on bad uk rds
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Your suspension must need some attention if you think it's no better than an ordinary set up, the Citroen suspension is widely known as a 'magic carpet ride' my 2002 C5 HDI is fine and far better than most conventional cars.

As for the linked system fitted to previous Citroens it was designed to fail progressively if there was a fault, loss of fluid etc, power steering goes off first getting heavy, suspension sinks next and the brakes last so plenty of early warnings.
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by bxzx16v »

As above really , the C5 suspension is superb and for ride comfort nothing this side of a C6 comes close

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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by cachaciero »

The brakes are connected at a system level to the suspension, application of brakes will inhibit any suspension height change (electrical via the brake switch), but this is the only interconnection, sounds to me to be sphere related, the C5 spheres don't have to go very soft before they get spiked and go real hard :-( either that or someone has fitted incorrect spheres, 2.2 Hydractive 3+ spheres would make the front feel hard.

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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Ian63 »

There's to many s**t French electrics to go wrong, dont think I'll have it long
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by XantiaDaveEire »

Ian63 wrote:There's to many (-expletive removed-) French electrics to go wrong, dont think I'll have it long
Then why'd you buy it in the first place =D>
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by Deanxm »

Ian63 wrote:There's to many (-expletive removed-) French electrics to go wrong, dont think I'll have it long
Didnt know Bosch was french :lol:

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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by SaabC5 »

My friend has an 03 estate with Hydractive 3 , i have an 02 hatchback with Hydractive 3+ suspension and there is a noticeable difference in ride quality on bumpy roads with the hatchback being far more compliant/comfortable. But load the estate up and there's very little difference in ride quality, i found it similar in the Xantia hatch/estate comparison as well tbh.
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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by cachaciero »

Ian63 wrote:There's to many (-expletive removed-) French electrics to go wrong, dont think I'll have it long
Take the suspension away and it's no more complicated than any other car on the road all of which generally work the same way and many of which use the same electronics. In my experience the electrics are pretty reliable.

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Re: Am i right to be wary of....

Post by bxzx16v »

The times I've heard the dodgy electrics on French cars you wouldn't believe , and when people hear the word Citroen they think troublesome hydraulics , well I ran three Xantia 1.9 td's a few years ago as private hire taxis and they NEVER missed a beat , I've also run two C5 Hdi's without any problems . IMO some of the best cars in their class , don't believe the bull**** !!!!!

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Post by addo »

Am i right to be wary of....
No. You're dead wrong.

But if you want to talk yourself out of a nice car and into something less enjoyable on the road, please go and buy a BMW. They're perfect for the misinformed.
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