read that someone fitted some 1.8 Xantia sphers to his C5 to improve comfort.
Can i do something similar to my Xantia? BX or DS spheres?
Comfort spheres for Xantia ?
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WallaceLee
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WallaceLee
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Richard Gallagher
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I have fitted non-Hydractive spheres (2.0 version) to my Hydractive Xantia in order to soften the ride.
I've now done this to three VSX Xantias and would recommend it to anyone looking for an improvement in that area. Best of all there is very little loss in the handling department unless you are doing an impression of a 'Boy Racer' with the forward vision of Mr Magoo!!
I've now done this to three VSX Xantias and would recommend it to anyone looking for an improvement in that area. Best of all there is very little loss in the handling department unless you are doing an impression of a 'Boy Racer' with the forward vision of Mr Magoo!!
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ActivaV6uk
- Posts: 650
- Joined: 20 Nov 2003, 16:51
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars: C5 X7 2.7 hdi
Past cars
Activa, silver MK1 (221bhp stock) stripped out with twin sparcos Evo seats. 95
Activa, light met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met blue MK1 (202bhp stock) 96
Xantia exclusive V6 auto 3l 98
Xantia 2l 8v auto
BX 4x4 GTi dark met silver
BX 4x4 GTi white
BX GTi 16v white fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v black fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v hurricane (doa)
BX DTR estate
could you fit bigger comfort spheres? i.e. make the diference between sports and normal more defined? i am tempted with my v6 activa to have the xclusive V6 spheres and then use XM? comfort spheres to give the car a really soft normal ride. with the ARB'S efectively being half the strenght when in a strait line it should make the car amazingly soft in strait driving.
Andy
Andy
Recalling my experience:
The 1.8L C5 spheres have a larger central bore and bigger secondary damping holes, in relation the the 2.0HDI (same pressure).
As i mentioned in my thread, when i made the change, the car is softer at the front (the spheres i changed), and in HW, is goes a little more "boaty". But the gain in comfort i perceptible.
The front is more incident, and after my period of acostumizing with the car, i know find no difference when i have to exchange the spheres, i.e., when i have to go at the "stealer", in the car's behaviour.
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... IC_ID=6648
The 1.8L C5 spheres have a larger central bore and bigger secondary damping holes, in relation the the 2.0HDI (same pressure).
As i mentioned in my thread, when i made the change, the car is softer at the front (the spheres i changed), and in HW, is goes a little more "boaty". But the gain in comfort i perceptible.
The front is more incident, and after my period of acostumizing with the car, i know find no difference when i have to exchange the spheres, i.e., when i have to go at the "stealer", in the car's behaviour.
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... IC_ID=6648
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Thunderbird
Andy (ActivaV6uk), fitting exclusive spheres on the Activa?! Caught you! [}:)] [:o)] So, you think the Activa's comfort needs improvment... [:0]
I have sad news for you - according to several french magazines, after extensive testing, concluded both Activa V6 and Exclusive V6 have cleary less suspension comfort than the 1.8 petrol!
Engine height? Type of spheres? Don't know the reason, but they are very clear about this. They also say the Activa "in most conditions" is less comfortable than the non-Activa. So, how about trying 1.8 spheres on the Activa?...
I have sad news for you - according to several french magazines, after extensive testing, concluded both Activa V6 and Exclusive V6 have cleary less suspension comfort than the 1.8 petrol!
Engine height? Type of spheres? Don't know the reason, but they are very clear about this. They also say the Activa "in most conditions" is less comfortable than the non-Activa. So, how about trying 1.8 spheres on the Activa?...
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ActivaV6uk
- Posts: 650
- Joined: 20 Nov 2003, 16:51
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars: C5 X7 2.7 hdi
Past cars
Activa, silver MK1 (221bhp stock) stripped out with twin sparcos Evo seats. 95
Activa, light met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met blue MK1 (202bhp stock) 96
Xantia exclusive V6 auto 3l 98
Xantia 2l 8v auto
BX 4x4 GTi dark met silver
BX 4x4 GTi white
BX GTi 16v white fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v black fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v hurricane (doa)
BX DTR estate
It’s down to the dampening hole.
As FDV said in the past the Activa is actually designed to have a more sporty feel. the problem is that at some point fitting 1.8 spheres would be dangerous with a car that requires good handling.
I may contact Pladies (spelling?) in the past I talked to them about spheres for a 16v/4x4 BX hybrid and they said they can produce spheres with any damping hole and pressure. It would be nice to have "sports" and "boat".
The V6 is only slightly heaver than the 2l turbo and lighter than the 2.1 due to it being an all alloy engine over cast ones. so the suspension is not effected by the engine at all. its been noticed even on the BX that the more power Citroen give a car the firmer the ride in past conversations with suspension experts this has always been put down to high speed stability if you have a car that bounces to easily at over 120mph this is an accident waiting to happen. (we tried putting 1.6 spheres on a 16v and cornering at just over 100mph (test track) the car started to bounce and slide off the road!)
The interesting thing will be the strait line performance due to the ARB being hydraulic, its actually better than that of any other car from the point of view of road contact and comfort, rather than being locked in place in a strait line the ram has a sphere attached to it that acts as a spring this means that there is almost proper independent suspension (no road car has this at the moment? - I know its common for rally cars as it means the car has almost constant contact with the road and can take bumps better). In a strait line making this should make the ride better than that of a VSX or any other Citroen... (Awaits backlash) the problem I see is that the ride quality will chance between cornering and not cornering and a road that may have seemed pretty flat may suddenly become very bumpy and unstable when cornering (this is what we believe the Citroen designers thought too). My wife has already proved that the Activa can out handle a VSX when the back end came out coming off a slip road when she changed back to a vsx for a few days. 2 days later she wouldn’t drive the VSX any more as she didn’t like its road holding and felt she couldn’t trust it (I had my dad check the car there was nothing wrong with it).
Andy
As FDV said in the past the Activa is actually designed to have a more sporty feel. the problem is that at some point fitting 1.8 spheres would be dangerous with a car that requires good handling.
I may contact Pladies (spelling?) in the past I talked to them about spheres for a 16v/4x4 BX hybrid and they said they can produce spheres with any damping hole and pressure. It would be nice to have "sports" and "boat".
The V6 is only slightly heaver than the 2l turbo and lighter than the 2.1 due to it being an all alloy engine over cast ones. so the suspension is not effected by the engine at all. its been noticed even on the BX that the more power Citroen give a car the firmer the ride in past conversations with suspension experts this has always been put down to high speed stability if you have a car that bounces to easily at over 120mph this is an accident waiting to happen. (we tried putting 1.6 spheres on a 16v and cornering at just over 100mph (test track) the car started to bounce and slide off the road!)
The interesting thing will be the strait line performance due to the ARB being hydraulic, its actually better than that of any other car from the point of view of road contact and comfort, rather than being locked in place in a strait line the ram has a sphere attached to it that acts as a spring this means that there is almost proper independent suspension (no road car has this at the moment? - I know its common for rally cars as it means the car has almost constant contact with the road and can take bumps better). In a strait line making this should make the ride better than that of a VSX or any other Citroen... (Awaits backlash) the problem I see is that the ride quality will chance between cornering and not cornering and a road that may have seemed pretty flat may suddenly become very bumpy and unstable when cornering (this is what we believe the Citroen designers thought too). My wife has already proved that the Activa can out handle a VSX when the back end came out coming off a slip road when she changed back to a vsx for a few days. 2 days later she wouldn’t drive the VSX any more as she didn’t like its road holding and felt she couldn’t trust it (I had my dad check the car there was nothing wrong with it).
Andy
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Richard Gallagher
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When it comes to the fitting of softer spheres I'm working on the principle that on a Hydractive car such as a VSX, excess roll/pitch is controlled by the various sensors around the car such as on the anti-roll bar, steering angle sensor etc automatically switching the suspension into 'firm' mode, thereby preventing the car getting 'out of shape'.
When in this firm mode, the car is now has 'standard' suspension, so unless you are really looking for the ultimate grip/handling/feel, the car still corners very well but is much more comfortable when in a straight line.
As I mention above, I find that this gives a very good set-up to suit me personally. What I would be interested to try/hear about is doing this 'softer' option on an Activa where the suspension not only switches into firm mode but actually pushes the car level again.
My suspicions are that the Activa's firmer ride is more about living with drivers expectations of a sporty car having a firmer ride rather than it being actually necessary.
I may have to buy an Activa just to test my theory!!
When in this firm mode, the car is now has 'standard' suspension, so unless you are really looking for the ultimate grip/handling/feel, the car still corners very well but is much more comfortable when in a straight line.
As I mention above, I find that this gives a very good set-up to suit me personally. What I would be interested to try/hear about is doing this 'softer' option on an Activa where the suspension not only switches into firm mode but actually pushes the car level again.
My suspicions are that the Activa's firmer ride is more about living with drivers expectations of a sporty car having a firmer ride rather than it being actually necessary.
I may have to buy an Activa just to test my theory!!
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ActivaV6uk
- Posts: 650
- Joined: 20 Nov 2003, 16:51
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars: C5 X7 2.7 hdi
Past cars
Activa, silver MK1 (221bhp stock) stripped out with twin sparcos Evo seats. 95
Activa, light met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met blue MK1 (202bhp stock) 96
Xantia exclusive V6 auto 3l 98
Xantia 2l 8v auto
BX 4x4 GTi dark met silver
BX 4x4 GTi white
BX GTi 16v white fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v black fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v hurricane (doa)
BX DTR estate
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Thunderbird
I believe it's all a matter of personal taste. Comfort vs. Handling.
Increasing one reduces the other. I believe Citroen chose a good balance of both.
Each time I drive an Activa I find the handling amazing and very safe, but I really lack the smoothness of my Xantia. If I had to choose I would go for comfort as that is what gives me more pleasure - floating over bumps and holes.
Now, when I get back to my Xantia, I need a little time to get used to the not so great handling and body-roll. I believe this happens because Activa 'envites' you to corner faster.
After reducing a little the speed, the standard Xantia ride and handling is ok and even enjoyable.
One of the times I was traveling in an Activa with a friend (he was driving), we got a dirty surface in a corner and the car got out of the road bumping into a stone. No significant damage.
The point is, I would never corner at that speed in with my Xantia, therefore I would probably keep it on the road.
If the road is wet than you will drive the Activa safely, but in dry ground, where you use its "cornering power" unexpected sand, ice, oil, whatever, can be fatal at high speeds (withou ESP). This takes me to believe the non-Activas are (indirectly) safer.
Increasing one reduces the other. I believe Citroen chose a good balance of both.
Each time I drive an Activa I find the handling amazing and very safe, but I really lack the smoothness of my Xantia. If I had to choose I would go for comfort as that is what gives me more pleasure - floating over bumps and holes.
Now, when I get back to my Xantia, I need a little time to get used to the not so great handling and body-roll. I believe this happens because Activa 'envites' you to corner faster.
After reducing a little the speed, the standard Xantia ride and handling is ok and even enjoyable.
One of the times I was traveling in an Activa with a friend (he was driving), we got a dirty surface in a corner and the car got out of the road bumping into a stone. No significant damage.
The point is, I would never corner at that speed in with my Xantia, therefore I would probably keep it on the road.
If the road is wet than you will drive the Activa safely, but in dry ground, where you use its "cornering power" unexpected sand, ice, oil, whatever, can be fatal at high speeds (withou ESP). This takes me to believe the non-Activas are (indirectly) safer.
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ActivaV6uk
- Posts: 650
- Joined: 20 Nov 2003, 16:51
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars: C5 X7 2.7 hdi
Past cars
Activa, silver MK1 (221bhp stock) stripped out with twin sparcos Evo seats. 95
Activa, light met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met blue MK1 (202bhp stock) 96
Xantia exclusive V6 auto 3l 98
Xantia 2l 8v auto
BX 4x4 GTi dark met silver
BX 4x4 GTi white
BX GTi 16v white fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v black fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v hurricane (doa)
BX DTR estate
Has any Activa owner out there lost control of there car? It sounds like its easy but I've still never heard of it... and after owning 4 never experienced it...
I know my friend Whinny lost hers at a roundabout but that was down to rain and oil and several cars did it and she still saved the car before she hit anything and it was less than 20mph.
Andy
I know my friend Whinny lost hers at a roundabout but that was down to rain and oil and several cars did it and she still saved the car before she hit anything and it was less than 20mph.
Andy
Hi,
Once the rear of my Activa just started slipping away. It had rained and the road was wet and slippery. This happened on a roundabout which usually has no inclination or relief.
I do not "abuse" of my Activa. I guess I´m still not used to it and therefore do not trust the car (nor myself) enough to keep pushing the limits. However, on dry roads, It has never even once surprised me! Indeed very stable and a very honest dynamics.
The car is really a very exciting car. But as said above, its a trade-off between comfort and stability.
Once the rear of my Activa just started slipping away. It had rained and the road was wet and slippery. This happened on a roundabout which usually has no inclination or relief.
I do not "abuse" of my Activa. I guess I´m still not used to it and therefore do not trust the car (nor myself) enough to keep pushing the limits. However, on dry roads, It has never even once surprised me! Indeed very stable and a very honest dynamics.
The car is really a very exciting car. But as said above, its a trade-off between comfort and stability.