C5 front suspension too stiff

[careca]

Hey there! Some time ago i replaced both front spheres on the C5 I facelift version, they're the "saucer" type ones, FEBI BILSTEIN 38290, 52 Bar.
I have this feeling that the suspension is too stiff (on front), coming from a xantia, the xantia was truly like a magic carpet, had replaced all spheres on it, it went over speed bumps like it was nothing, body roll, dips when braking, nose up accelerating, but real smooth. The C5 is nothing like that, the front is firmer, if i brake hard i dont feel the nose dipping.
Only the rear has the similar feeling to what i had in the xantia, smooth over speedbumps, the front, honestly doesn't look much different than any other helicoidal spring and shock car, has a bit of give but nothing unique.
I read somewhere on this forum that a higher pressure sphere can make the ride smoother, if this is the case, what sphere do you suggest to this effect? All the ones i've seen for this car range from 52 to 57 Bar, would it make a substantial difference to go for the 57? Or would it be better to go for some others, maybe from the C6 with even higher pressure? Not even sure if they are higher, just thinking out loud.

[Stickyfinger]

It is not just pressure, the internal orifice/washers are as important with spheres....

[careca]

Sadly they dont seem to provide that information in the sites that sell the spheres, they only mention pressure. What am i looking for, if aiming for comfort?

[careca]

Is 70 Bar too much? https://www.autodoc.parts/suplex/10190540

[aerodynamica]

Does your C5 have Hydractive 3+ suspension? If it does, the ride is given by 3 spheres at the front; 2x 52 bar spheres (left & Right) and one 70 bar sphere in the middle controlled by an electro-valve. Usually all 3 are connected to give a very soft ride. If you have Hydractive 3+ suspension you might find that the third sphere needs to be replaced as well.

[careca]

Mine doesn't have a sport button, and I've never seen a third sphere. I think this is the regular hydractive 3.

[Kees]

I rhink, that this sphere from autodoc is the wrong one, i think it's the one for the center sphere on a hydroactiv 3+ this mean that there is no damper inside.
Greetings,
Kees.

[cit-rotti]

Hello,
the two wheel spheres should actually always correspond to the original spheres because they not only have the correct tare pressure but, more importantly, contain the correct dampers for the respective vehicle. And original spheres also have a better triple diaphragm.
Replica balls often do not have this, because these damping elements do not always fit perfectly for reasons of storage and only have a single diaphragm.
It is true that a moderate increase in the pressure of the wheel spheres softens the suspension - new original spheres therefore have a slightly higher pressure - around 3-5 bar. Higher pressure manipulation of the wheel spheres - more than 5-8 bar per sphere - does not make sense.
However, a softer suspension - especially on the front axle - can be achieved by increasing the pressure of the ball on the harder ball. There are no damping elements on this ball, which should never actually be changed. The pressure of the ball on the hardening regulator can be increased up to 100 bar. In principle, any open ball can be used here - including those from the pressure accumulator of previous models - as these are also easier to fill.

Donors can find out which original balls are correct by entering the chassis number (VIN) in the forum.
Greetings Wolfgang

[careca]

I found a table with values for the spheres pressures, but it's french. From what i understand my front's should be 57Bar.
BTW where is that third sphere? I just don't see it.

[steveclv]

I think something else to remember is that when the later C5s (II/III/X7) came out, some of the road tests by the media commented on the lack of 'magic carpet' ride that cars like the DS/CX/Xantia had, even in the C5 soft setting. My belief is that as road surfaces gradually improved, Citroen moved much more towards a more sporty road holding setup rather than a super soft setting. My C5 X7 only really gives a 'magic carpet' ride on motorways.
Also with the H3+ suspension, I think it was Kees who mounted an LED that showed when the soft sphere was in use and on regular country roads it was rarely used - most of the time it was automatically switched out and the suspension was in 'sport' mode.

[Stickyfinger]

\do not discount Both the anti-roll bars......these were increased in size during production.

I can assure you (LOTS of experience of very heavy loads), putting a lot of weight in a C5 really improves/changes the way it "soft-rides"

[myglaren]

^ It makes an astounding improvement.

[cit-rotti]

I found a table with values for the spheres pressures, but it's french. From what i understand my front's should be 57Bar.
BTW where is that third sphere? I just don't see it.

If the car does not have a sport button, then it does not have a firmness control with an additional ball - i.e. no Hydractive 3+ suspension.
All that remains is a moderate increase in the pressure of the front ball bearings and to find out exactly what pressures are required via the VIN.
Only the original ball bearings are optimally designed for the vehicle - replicas from any manufacturer are suboptimal and can usually be used on many models.

[Kees]

@Steve:
You're right about me with a led on the stiffness regulator.
I was thinking about how i could change the system to make it so, that it had a more delay before it changed to the stiff mode.
Finally i disconnected both stiffness regulator's and put a resistor on the connector to prevent errors.
This means that my car is now always has the smooth mode, and I'm happy with it.
Greetings,
Kees.

[careca]

\do not discount Both the anti-roll bars......these were increased in size during production.

Do people change them? Doesn't seem there is much i can do there.
At this moment my weight barely makes the front move down when i push/sit on there. 75kg isnt much but still.