Help with awful c5 suspension.....

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Mattyc1977
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Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Mattyc1977 »

5 months ago I swapped a lovely alfa gt 2 door coupe for a citroen c5 due to a new baby. It was a bit of a panic swap and I didn't do much research about the citroen.

The Citroen c5 2.0hdi VTR+ is actually a nice looking car (in black) and got loads of kit on and a high spec but AWFUL suspension, it's like driving a speedboat! It's a 08 plate and done 49k miles.
My wife didnt come on test drive so we didn't realise until after a few weeks but she suffers from motion sickness and cannot bear to be In The car! I drove 80 miles of B roads last week and the car is so soft, it really is like been on a boat! It just has standard suspension, not the active stuff where you can change it. It is like all 4 corners are on separate road surfaces sometimes and the car twists round a corner instead of steering! I know some people like that type of thing but not me! It is like driving a bowl of jelly!

What can I do to make the ride better/stiffer. I have tried over inflating tires but no different, it's the characteristics of the citroen suspension I think, could it be changed for standard suspension from another Marques? I have just read on wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_C5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) that the c5 came with conventional suspension as well as hydropneumatic suspension and am hoping this is true and is a simple swap or is there anything else I can do to stiffen up the ride? I'm not asking for a track car or anything but something a little stiffer or more conventional and doesn't cost much! Because of my beautiful 6m old baby, money is tight and I cannot really afford to swap the c5. It is actually a lovely car apart from the spongy/too soft suspension.

Kind regards, hope you have some good ideas to help!
Northern_Mike

Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Northern_Mike »

In a nutshell, no, there is nothing you can do about it. That's the way hydro-pneumatic suspension is I'm afraid. Yes, it's true that the C5 came in steel sprung versions, but the two are so different - not only with regards to the suspension, but all the electronics, pumps, regulators etc that it would be massively, massively expensive to change it all over. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're either going to have to flog it or put up with it..
Mattyc1977
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Mattyc1977 »

Would it be expensive then or a option to upgrade it to the active suspension where you can choose a sports option or can you buy different spheres that are firmer than others? How do you actually know if your car has steel suspension or hydro ones? I presume mine has hydro due to the horrible ride but I am only presuming! Could a flush of liquid and replacing the solution help or could I have a damaged sphere?

Sorry for my simple questions, I'm well out of my depth here!

Thanks in advance.
Mattyc1977
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Mattyc1977 »

Image

I joined the citroen service site to get info about my car, does this printout mean I don't have hydropneaumatic suspension as it says metal suspension. I know it's not hydractive but what type do I have?!?!
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by vborovic »

I'm confused Matty, do you have hydractive suspension or the regular suspension?
It just has standard suspension, not the active stuff where you can change it
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by osx »

It is regular suspension. To see it for yourself you only have to open the bonnet and see that there are no spheres.
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Northern_Mike

Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Northern_Mike »

Looks like a steel-sprung car to me.

In that case H&R do a lowering kit for about £250 which will make it harder and stiffer.

It'll also probably make it unsellable to anyone who might want to buy it for it's soft ride when you want to sell it, so you'd have to put it back to standard.. which is double the work and cost unless you DIY.
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by vborovic »

Then there are options, lowering the car by installing lowered shock absorbers for example ... this will shorten the suspension distance and stiffen the car ... I'd guess a quality set of 4 would cost you around 150-200 pounds ...

EDIT: mike beat me to it ...
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Jeff »

Sounds to me as if the steel sprung suspension is a match for the hydractive but without the hassle when the hydractive system plays up or topping up with LDS fluid?
Currently driving Citroen c5 2.0 HDI 51 Plate
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Mattyc1977 »

Cool, thanks guys. Will look at upgrading the regular suspension then. I'm not bothered about selling privately in a few years, it will be part exd I would expect.
Is it not possible to have hydropneaumatic suspension then without hydractive? That's what I thought I had...
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Stickyfinger »

Jeff wrote:Sounds to me as if the steel sprung suspension is a match for the hydractive but without the hassle when the hydractive system plays up or topping up with LDS fluid?
It does not sound that way to me
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Mattyc1977
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Mattyc1977 »

osx wrote:It is regular suspension. To see it for yourself you only have to open the bonnet and see that there are no spheres.
Where would I see this under the bonnet osx? I just want to double check before I look stupid with my mechanic!
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by vborovic »

Well, comparing the other countries' cars to french (and within french, more specifically Citroens) is hard, and can be a shock when you transfer from a hard german/japanese/italian to the french car ... I am generalizing, but it is not that far of a stretch ... it takes time to familiarize with the ride softness ... likewise, when the french car owners ride in the opposite cars, the feel is like you're sitting on a plank ... so, that's nothing new ... but, to make a germanized C5 X7 even more stiff, I must admit, first time I hear someone has a "problem" with that ... :) ...

Hydropneumatic and hydractive are (almost) the same thing, regarding Citroens, especially the latest versions ... oficially, C5 X7 hydraulic suspension is called Hydractive 3+
Mattyc1977
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by Mattyc1977 »

I don't drive the car much and don't notice it too much but last week I drove to York and back on b roads and I felt really unsafe, I didn't enjoy it much at all, it was like all 4 wheels were out of sync and the car was twisting on the bends, it felt very strange, sort of like the front was detached from the rear! My wife has a french Peugeot 307 and hers feels like a go cart to this c5. I will look at getting some aftermarket shocks then and see what happens.
Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions.
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Re: Help with awful c5 suspension.....

Post by demag »

In case I missed, what year is the car? With a hydropneumatic suspension car look under the bonnet. You will see a couple of steel spheres about 150mm diameter. One on either side near to the wing where the suspension top would normally be bolted. Also a number of steel pipes running around the place. There will also be a reservoir for the suspension fluid but not sure where it is on the C5.

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