Activa Sphere Compatibility

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CitroJim
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Activa Sphere Compatibility

Post by CitroJim »

Activa specific spheres are now not generally easily available except from Citroen. They can of course be regassed if in good condition.

However, what to do if a sphere has failed and won't take a regas? Sphere diaphragms can fail from being run flat and these cannot be replaced.

In extremis, spheres from a normal Hydractive Xantia can be substituted. I'm currently running normal Hydractive spheres on the rear of mine and they work fine. They are a little different in damper hole and pressure but in practice, it seems to not make a whole lot of difference. Or rather, none I can detect!

Esentially on the rear, the Activa corners are 30 bar with a 0.6mm damper hole. Normal Hydractive are 30 bar with a 0.5mm damper. The new Amtex spheres I fitted today were measured at 40 bars each and well balanced.

The rear Activa Hydractive sphere is 55 bars whereas the normal Hydractive is 50 bars. My new Amtex measured exactly that.

The front is much the same. Activa corners are 45 bars with a 0.7mm damper whereas the normal Hydractive is 50 bars with a 0.6mm damper hole.

AS the Activa Damper holes are both 0.1mm bigger, I guess with a precision drill, the dampers could be enlarged.

The real difficulty is the Activa accumulator and Activa balancing sphere but salvation is at hand with a bit of trickery. The Activa Accumulator uses the same fitting as an Anti-Sink Sphere but the pressures are vastly different: the Activa Accumulator is 62 bars against the 50 for an anti-sink. Easy! get Pleiades to adjust an anti-sink to 62 bars.

The Activa Balancing Sphere is the same fitting (i.e. no damper) as a hydractive centre sphere or main accumulator but again the pressures are different. The Activa Balancing Sphere is 30 bars as against say, a standard rear Hydractive being 50 bars. Again, get Martin to repressurise one.

All main Accumulators are the same at 62 bars and of course a main accumulator could be repressurised to be either a Hydractive Centre Sphere or an Activa Balancing Sphere. All spheres begin life as an Accumulator and the dampers in corner spheres and the fitting for a hydraulic union in an Anti-Sink or Activa Balancing Sphere is inserted afterward.

I'd always recommend keeping your genuine Activa spheres in good nick by having them repressurised every couple of years or so but at least, if one does die, all is not lost.
Jim

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Post by XantiaMan »

Pleased to hear that non-activa spheres can be modded to turn them into 'Activa' spec. Hopefully my Amtex ones are still in good shape :wink:
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Post by XantiaMan »

Could this be made a sticky please?
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Post by Ross_K »

There are a few people on French eBay selling new Lizarte spheres for the Activa.

250-300 euro for a set of 10... (plus delivery obv.)
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Post by andmcit »

Last edited by andmcit on 30 Oct 2009, 21:57, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by andmcit »

Have you seen the Activa club france .doc with the fitment of grey C5 spheres
on adapters - bigger surface area of diaphragm on same volume and
alternative "jet". Interesting stuff:

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... 26hs%3DZtz

The link is miles long as it's using a Google page translation French>>English


Andrew


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