Xsara Estate - Can the rear suspension be uprated?

[Paul-R]

A simple question but I suspect not a simple answer.

The Xsara droops its rear end with what I consider not a great deal of weight in the back. In fact I was stopped by the Police a few years back in a service area on the M1 because they reckoned it was overloaded judging by the way that the wheelarches were covering the wheels. Fortunately they said that there would have been too much paperwork and the weighbridge was too far away so we never got to test that.

The problem is that it's a torsion bar setup. There are no uprated coils available and nowhere to put any coil packing strips. I could turn the adjustment on the bars up a bit or even, I suppose, move onto the next spline (presuming the bars are splined) but this wouldn't affect the stiffness and therefore the load carrying capacity.

Is there a solution? I have in mind perhaps someone does a coil over damper replacement for the simple dampers. Or perhaps there are some really beefy bump stops available. Any clues anyone?

[Citroenmad]

Is there a solution?

Use your C5?

Im not sure what can be done, i wasnt aware they could be uprated to accept more weight.

Was there ever a Xsara Enterprise-van? Would this have had stronger rear suspension?

[MikeT]

Can't you get rubber blocks that insert into the coils - I recall these were sold as a solution for caravaners and heavy trailers once upon a time.

[Paul-R]

Use your C5?

Huh, huh huh.

We do use the C5 most of the time for transporting items around the place and for when we travel down and back in France.

When we first got the Xsara we used it to go down to France and that was when we first discovered how low it would get when slightly loaded - so much so that I decided that I needed another car with rear suspension that could take the strain. After much looking around that's how I decide a C5 was the way to go!

This year I plan on doing a "grand tour" round Europe and rather than the C5 want to use the Xsara as it'llbe cheaper to run. It's also more fun to drive around than he C5 which will be important on that length of journey.

Can't you get rubber blocks that insert into the coils - I recall these were sold as a solution for caravaners and heavy trailers once upon a time.

There are no coils - it's torsion bar rear suspension!

[Julz]

are you sure it's normal for a xsara? perhaps the torsion bars are bent or have lost some of their elastisity from being overloaded in the the past. It might simply need replacing.

[jgra1]

you may be able to fit airbags above the rear arms... not sure...

[Brigsygtt]

Stick some harder shockers on the rear, comfort will most certainly suffer though.

Could also mod some air shockers off another car to fit, i think they had them on some vauxhall estates, a crude form of self levelling suspension with small air pump.

[MikeT]

Can't you get rubber blocks that insert into the coils - I recall these were sold as a solution for caravaners and heavy trailers once upon a time.

There are no coils - it's torsion bar rear suspension!

Ok, I admit I speed-read the thread but would it be likely there's an equivalent device for your suspension?

[Brigsygtt]

From experience uprated torsion bars will be mega money

[myglaren]

If the Renault 4 is anything to go by then if removed they have to be preloaded.
Perhaps someone has done a repair on them and put them back without the preloading?
Or compare with a similar Xsara?

[citronut]

how many torsion bar do you have two or three, as i was told by PCR of Lancing the 306 estate should have three, were as the saloon only has three,

so may be someone in the cars history has stuck the wrong rear axle on, in an attempt to fix knackerd rear arm bush's/bearings by fitting a second hand axle from a saloon, i have heard of it being posible to adjust the ride hight by pulling the arms off then re/fitting them further round on the splines,

regards malcolm

[Paul-R]

Thanks guys.

Wrong rear subframe? Possible I suppose. The car had been used by a photocopier company for three years so I wouldn't have thought it likely though. The service history was fully stamped until 86,000 miles whenI bought it from a car auction. It should be easy enough to count the number of torsion bars though.

Stiffer dampers won't help at all with load capacity.

Where does one find airbags or air shockers?

I'll have to wait until next week when I get back to the UK to check some of the ideas thrown up.

[Chris570]

IF they are like the torsion bars on the ax/saxo/106's then you can remove the TB out anr rotate it a spline or 2 (iirc on the saxo's 1 spline is 15mm in ride height) but all that will do is upset the ride height normally. The only way forward that i can see is to measure your TB's and see if you can get thicker ones (maybe xsara vts had thicker? just guessing) That will of course make the rear end stiffer but should have the desired effect.

just thought i'd offer my 2p's worth from an AX man

[wheeler]

The Berlingo romahome/camper conversions that i have seen have had extra coil springs added onto the trailing arms for the extra load in the back. The berlingo is basically a van version of the xsara & the suspension setup is almost identical. Might be worth looking into.