Xantia Comfort?

XantiaDaveEire · Unread post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:35

Should a well maintained Xantia feel better on good roads as oppose to bad roads?

On smooth roads i cant feel a thing,but on slightly uneven roads i feel every damn thing

And this is after changing the front 2 spheres and the accumulator

New clean healthy lhm...new spheres..correct tyre pressures

I just dont feel that im getting the quality of ride i should be

Any advice or opinions welcome!

Dave

Unread post by **Dommo** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:36

Is the car a hydractive car? (VSX/Exclusive)

If so the centre suspension sphere is the 'comfort' one, without it it's effectively running in sport mode all the time.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:36

Is this a Hydractive one Dave?

XantiaDaveEire · Unread post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:37

Nope sorry forgot to mention it..

She is Non-Hydractive

Unread post by **Dommo** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:41

And it's definately running non-hydractive spheres?

The damper hole on hydractive corner spheres is much smaller than on non hydractive spheres

red_dwarfers · Unread post by **red_dwarfers** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:45

I find that mine feels better on smooth undulations rather than the rutted potholed roads. On the rutted roads round here you can feel every damn thing but its still noticeably better than other cars I've been chauffeured around in.

XantiaDaveEire · Unread post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 14 Oct 2010, 17:48

Dommo wrote:And it's definately running non-hydractive spheres?

The damper hole on hydractive corner spheres is much smaller than on non hydractive spheres

Definately the correct spheres

They are 55 bar in the front

And 30 in the rear

Iv just compared the damper holes between a Hydractive and Non-hydractive front sphere,and to me there isnt any differeance what so ever

Dave

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 14 Oct 2010, 18:15

There should be a slight difference in the damper holes between the two.

Is the ride height correct?

XantiaDaveEire · Unread post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 14 Oct 2010, 18:52

The ride height is perfect

Il just have to see how i get on when i do the rears and see if that makes any differance,although to me 30 bar seems a little low?

jgra1 · Unread post by **jgra1** » 14 Oct 2010, 18:55

hmmm... agree with Kev

I think that you get so used to the good bits of the ride, that smaller sudden ruts show up more..

drive my coupe and you wont believe the xant afterwards

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 14 Oct 2010, 19:03

jgra1 wrote: drive my coupe and you wont believe the xant afterwards

Indeed so

We all get so used to the excellent ride that after a while it seems to be not quite so good as it was. We get complacent.

Only one solution..

Go for a drive in a non-hydraulic car and then do the same trip in a Xantia..

All will then be revealed

Toby_HDi · Unread post by **Toby_HDi** » 14 Oct 2010, 19:08

jgra1 wrote:drive my coupe and you wont believe the xant afterwards

You're Coupé felt comfortable compared to mine!

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 14 Oct 2010, 19:16

Only one solution..

Go for a drive in a non-hydraulic car and then do the same trip in a Xantia..

Hear, hear.

Get someone in a VAG group product to take you for a drive, and you'll appreciate the Xantia. Its a bit like the rule of driving a slow car to appreciate a fast one.

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 14 Oct 2010, 20:31

Dave, I would get an experienced Citroën mechanic to look at the front lower balljoints and bushes, and anti-roll bar in entirety.

I also believe the strut top rubber hardens with age, even if the Series II cars are a "failsafe" design. Similar suspicions exist (within me) about hardening of subframe bushes.

Based on my own observations the other day, I'd also check the lubricity of rear strut pistons at both ends.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 14 Oct 2010, 20:42

Apparently S2 Xantias strut tops fail like S1 cars, i was looking at some at a CCC event and they were definitely past their best ...

You can increase the pressure in the sphere slightly to give a better ride with sphere regassing gear. This is the best way of improving ride quality (so long as every thing else is right with the suspension of course), playing with the damping hole just effects or removes the damping and the ride is awful, very uncontrolled - this is what comfort spheres are.

Though it would seem very few people now have regassing equipment due to the cheapness of after market spheres. Going from 30bar to 35ish would improve the ride more than you might think.

Some people also play around fitting spheres from different models, which can also improve the ride depending on the pressure and damper hole.