C5 - "The Mothership" project ... I want my magic carpet ride

[lexi]

Must admit that I keep my tyres (Nexen 195/65/15) slightly under inflated at about 30psi all round. I do notice the difference at 33psi or higher. I would think Michelin may give a softer ride?
My 4 sphere C5 is not magic carpet ride. I don't mind the standard steel wheel (alloy mixture) and four spheres though. The simplest hydraulic system of the lot, and the wheels, although old, do not corrode and leak air like old alloys. Still does the load lugging bit too. It is only the poor quality of some roads in town here, where it feels slightly bumpy.
Worse case scenario, is going round bends in town over rutted sections at about 20mph. That is the road though, not the car IMO.
My spheres are standard though with 120k miles on them.
A great project and topic though with your Mothership C5 and the Christmas hydraulic madness

[Peter.N.]

I used to do the same with the XM's, it does make a difference. I fitted a couple of Michelin's to the front of my 406, very good when new but as they wear the ride gets harder. I have also had Nexen's and found they did give a good ride but they wear out more quickly, certainly quicker than the Michelins.

Peter

[myglaren]

I'm riding on Sailun Atrezzo all seasons tyres and have found them to be as good as if not better than premium tyres.
Only tyres I have had on the C4s that have never needed balancing and the only ones that haven't rattled the steering column at ±70mph.
They have been excellent in the snow and ice, better than Michelin/Vredestein/Firestone.
Oddly enough have just been fitting a Michelin Energy to my daughter's C3 - skidded into a kerb and wrecked the original, only doing 10mph with an Iceland van flashing/beeping/tailgating her last night..

[wbgenetic]

Don't want to move the discussion to Tyre models etc... I have been driving the older Nexen All season model on my previous car (Lancia Lybra SW) for 3 years (Npriz 4s) and was more than happy. Well MPG was a dud + Noise was quite apparent + they were rather squeaky in the summer (more like winter tyres really). But never failed me once and had 0 issues other than that. I sold my car with them and the new owner (which is a good friend of mine) also confirmed that they ride well + the rubber is still on the soft side even at negative temps.

Now I bought the newer, and hopefully improved model, which actually scored lowest in terms of road noise in the ADAC 2017. So will check them out in 1-2 weeks as they arrive. The model is called: NEXEN / NBLUE 4 SEASON

** Might give the underinflation a go, although I went to a Citroen guru here as I wait for new center spheres to arrive and he did some unofficial alteration of the existing one in the front. (to give it a shot while I wait for the new ones).
The original ones were at -5% roughly at around 56bar.
Well ride definitively improved + I now feel a difference when I switch to sport mode (at least in the front).
Going through road bumps (not potholes) I feel almost zero in the front and then the back kicks in with it's sporty/harsh ride.
The front feeling now is more as if there is a big piece of rubber the car is riding/floating on.

Probably after the holidays will have centers fixed + new rims + new tyres and I think this should do the trick somehow.

- This test however proved, that my Hydroactive valve is working as I feel the effect of Sport/Normal mode on the front axle.
- The height of the vehicle is due after the abovementioned changes + once all the festive food is out of my system

[lcwin]

Hi ok before I start my comment, my posting here is just for discussion and not for any of my friends here to used and go against state laws.
I lower my tyre pressure slightly for a smoother ride as I don't carry much stuffs and i am light weight.
Xantia n XM give a smoother ride mainly becos the centre front sphere have no damper built in. This endows the XM n
xantia suspension with a smoother ride quality BUT the body control is not as reassuring at high speed compare with C5.
Another reason why a C5 runs rougher on bad roads is the H3+ suspension increases ride height by 1/2 inch to give better ground clearance and body control ( stiffer) and this is perceived by many as not as good as a XM or Xantia. 1/2 inch of lowering make a big difference in ride quality in a Citroen.
Xantia sphere damper is stiffer on all corners compare to C5 equivalent . Lastly don't use the non hydractive sphere to replace the hydractive sphere as the car will become quite unstable in emergency avoidance.
The centre damper holes in a sphere plays a very significant role in general riding comfort and handling. C6 have variable damper setting to give the suspension a much smoother rides and handling compares to C5

[white exec]

The centre (Hydractive) spheres have no damping orifices in the spheres themselves - the damping is contained in the Hydractive regulator valve (the centre sphere mount). Thus the centre spheres should not have a damper visible in their necks, just a c.5mm hole. If damped spheres are installed there by error, soft ride will be harsh.

Rear end of Hydractive cars more prone to crashiness, because of the lack of weight on the back, compared to engine at the front. Michelin Energy tyres acknowledged as being the most supple and suited to Hydractive, which was designed around them (or their predecessors).

[lcwin]

Hi White i have 2 C5 series 1 front centre sphere for H3+ both have a damper with I think 2 m centre orifice hole and thin leaf damper. The rear centre sphere is without the damper. i have swap a 50 bar front damper to the rear to test before. The car handling improve with better steering response but downside is the lower ride quality.