Citroen C5 mk1 ride height

[lazar031]

Hello everyone, i have one question.
I have mk1 2004 Citroen C5 2.0HDi i would like to lower the car suspension for looks, is it possible to do it manually by adjusting sensors on anti roll bar?Is it safe for the car itself and for me and others on road to do it?
I do not have access to Lexia.
Thanks!

[mickthemaverick]

Quite simply I'd advise you not to contemplate lowering the suspension for general running. It is a clever but complex system and best left as designed.

[wurlycorner]

The correct way to adjust the suspension height is to use lexia/diagbox to adjust it via parameters in the ECU.

I don't recommend you do it the way you suggest, but it is possible to do it that way - yes.

Do NOT try it just laying under the car in the road though, no - you may very easily knock it so you end up with the car crashing down to minimum height and it will crush you.

If you ARE going to do it that way, ONLY do it with all the wheels up on blocks/ramps etc that are DEFINTELY high enough off the ground so that you can put the car on the lowest setting and still safely get under the car (no risk of being crushed). You must also make sure the car is still level on all four wheels.

After adjustment, you will have much less suspension travel so may end up bottoming out the car or suspension travel to the stops more often.
You may also end up with the car sometimes 'dancing' (constantly adjusting height up/down) when parked , depending on twist of the ARB - this I think is because the new 'fiddled with' clamped position more likely to end up with the attached sensor being 'between' positions. This will annoy you, run the battery flat and wear out the hydraulic pump motor prematurely.

Also a couple of other points to note, specific to the C5:
If you adjust the ride height down, you will be stressing the rubber bushes on the lower suspension arms out of the 'normal' position which will cause them to fail prematurely (you cannot unclamp and reset them at the new height to remove the stress).
The car does lower itself slightly more, dependent on speed, to reduce aerodynamic drag - so whatever you set it at 'static' is not the lowest the car will put itself at during normal use. Beware of lowering it so much that it causes you issues at speed.

[Kees]

Normally if you want to lower your car, you change the metal springs with shorter and stiffer ones, to prevent that the suspension hit the end of the movement.
Here you went wrong, when you lower a C5 with hydraulic suspension, because by doing this, the volume above the diagram is bigger, then when the car is, at normal height, and therefore you have a softer suspension and when you hit a put hole or otherwise bump, your struts are not be able to handle this roads.

[wheeler]

Lexia is definitely not that necessary & only does fine adjustment.
I personally have never bothered & always adjust the height by rotating the clamp on the anti roll bar. Always manage to get the car sitting where i want them.
Always mark the position before you make any changes & only move tiny bits at a time.
I wouldnt advise going too much lower than normal setting