"tapzz" (tapzz)
11/27/2015 at 21:38 • Filed to: citroen
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"tapzz" (tapzz)
11/27/2015 at 21:38 • Filed to: citroen | 6
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It’s not a proper Citroën unless its suspension is grade A WTF. Prime example is the company’s hydropneumatic suspension, but that will finally go. A replacement has just been announced, however.
Trouble is, we don’t know what that replacement exactly is. CEO Linda Jackson said that it would offer the pillowy comfort with control benefits of hydropneumatic suspension, but “in a more modern, more appropriate way”. It’s developed in conjunction with a supplier, but the result will be Citroën only. Whether that includes DS is unclear. They’re also known to be looking at unique suspensions, but DS is supposed to be a separate brand now.
While the announcement of the death of the hydropneumatic suspension has led to much wailing, gnashing of teeth and petitions among the die-hard Citroënistes, but I think we need to take a wider view; the gassy suspension made famous by the original DS wasn’t the first WAT suspension from the brand, and there’s no reason why it should be the last.
An independent front suspension and semi-independent rear suspension on torsion bars is not that odd for an ‘80s car, but the Citroën Traction Avant had it back in 1934. The egg cradling, longitudinally linked coil pot suspension of a 2CV is, if anything, the weirdest and most inexplicably effective the company ever made. That one was from 1948.
Then there was the first hydropneumatic system in the orginal DS, steadily improved and applied in the GS, SM, CX, BX, XM, Xantia, C6 and, finally, the C5. And with that worthy, but insufficiently remarkable car is where it ends.
In the mean time, Citroën did get its design mojo back with the DS3, the Picasso, DS5 and, most of all, the Cactus. Except that they lack a certain something that will really set them apart from hatches. Something that will address their relative lack of ride comfort and indifferent handling.
Here’s hoping.
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My citroen won't start
> tapzz
11/27/2015 at 21:46 |
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Hey that’s my car! And the hydra is awesome, no need to change that.
Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> tapzz
11/27/2015 at 22:44 |
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And thus endeth an era :-(. Hydropneumatic was the greatest thing since well before they started slicing bread. Here’s hoping whatever the new stuff is makes a similar leap forward, but I‘m not holding my breath.
Hydropneumatic (on the rear wheels only) was also available on Tractions for the last year or two of production - they were trying it out before betting the farm on it.
And no discussion of hydropneumatic suspension is complete without a shoutout to the ultimate version, the Xantia Activa. The Xantia was the Ginger Rogers of the automotive world: while missing out on the profile and big money of the Fred Astaire premium brands, it could do everything they did, and do it backwards in high heels!
Adding hydraulic active anti-roll and computer-controlled height, spring and damper rate control to the regular hydropnematic system gave zero body roll and unprecedented wheel control, making it the one of the best handling cars of its day. It could pull higher skidpan Gs than most contemporary supercars (including the NSX and Testarossa), while wearing 205/55 tyres. And it remains the undisputed champion of the “Moose Test” to this day. All of this with the best ride in town.
I believe the Activa was one of only two cars with “proper” active suspension ever to go on general sale (the other being the JDM Toyota Soarer Active).
Here’s a view of the supension system. In Dutch, unfortunately, but that has its advantages: lets face it, every car should have at least one stuurhoeksnelheid!
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> tapzz
11/27/2015 at 22:57 |
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I wouldn’t count it dead just yet.
McLaren is using a system that is arguably the next-generation of this system, updated for the 21st Century. Two opposing hydraulic circuits, and two hydraulic accumulators with oil and nitrogen gas. Not absolutely specifically “air” in the strict definition of the gas mixture, but also there is not as much thermal density variance as air with isolated nitrogen... but nitrogen does make up the majority of “air.”
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tapzz
> My citroen won't start
11/28/2015 at 17:21 |
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Good on you for picking the hydro version, but it does indeed seem there too few of you. They seem quite rare, sadly.
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tapzz
> Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
11/28/2015 at 17:30 |
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It wouldn’t be good if cars had only one stuurhoeksnelheid- they’d be like early ‘80s racing game cars!
But yes, Xantia Activas are one of those cars I occasionally trawl the classifieds for. I’ve always liked the bertone design, and the suspension is indeed exactly the sort of thing Citroën should be doing.
I thought of mentioning the Traction 15-6 H, but the whole idea only really got, er, traction with the DS 19, I think.
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tapzz
> BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
11/28/2015 at 17:46 |
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It’s got gas-fluid balls with a membrane between them, so I’d count them as full heirs of the Citroën system. Besides, the various versions of the French system also used nitrogen, AFAIK.
Interesting to see that the suspension units appear to be primarily linked longitudinally- shades of 2CV there...
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Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> tapzz
11/28/2015 at 18:32 |
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they’d be like early ‘80s racing game cars!
That has its merits...
But yes, I probably meant stuurhoeksnelheidsensor or some such.
Cé hé sin
> tapzz
11/30/2015 at 17:41 |
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I hired (by way of upgrade) what I think was a hydro whatsit C5 a couple of years ago and it didn’t seem anything special. It did have the steering lights though so there was that.
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> tapzz
11/30/2015 at 19:44 |
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A secret supplier you say....
pleaseohpleaseohplease
kbasa
> Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
12/02/2015 at 10:16 |
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A mechanic friend describing his Citroen: “that thing has more hydraulic lines than I have blood vessels.”