Quick (hopefully) Sphere question.

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Quick (hopefully) Sphere question.

Post by user_3150 »

I have been offered a pair of new spheres for the rear of a Xantia saloon 1.9td / 2.0 8 + 16v. Cit code 95 666 862. My estate require 5272 40 spheres. Would it be possible to fit the 1st pair and what would the out come be i.e softer/harder ride e.t.c. Or is it a complete no no. If I don't want them he has someone else who want's them but he gave me first dibs. As always thanks in advance.
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Post by Peter.N. »

The estate spheres usually have a higher pressure to cope with the potential extra weight but unless you regularly carry weight in excess of that of two or three people, I wouldn't think it would make a great deal of difference.
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Re: Quick (hopefully) Sphere question.

Post by JohnD »

[quote="Alec"]I have been offered a pair of new spheres for the rear of a Xantia saloon quote]

Whether or not they will be suitable - I wouldn't know, but even new spheres can be old. They start to age from the first day they're put on the shelf. Check the dates stamped on each one - month/year. Personally, since GSF/Eurocarspares do them for twenty or so quid each, I'd go for the correct, well-dated new ones.
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Re: Quick (hopefully) Sphere question.

Post by Mandrake »

Alec wrote:I have been offered a pair of new spheres for the rear of a Xantia saloon 1.9td / 2.0 8 + 16v. Cit code 95 666 862. My estate require 5272 40 spheres. Would it be possible to fit the 1st pair and what would the out come be i.e softer/harder ride e.t.c. Or is it a complete no no. If I don't want them he has someone else who want's them but he gave me first dibs. As always thanks in advance.
The estate spheres are 40 bars, and most of the saloon models use 30 bars. It's not so much because the estate can carry more weight, but because the estate has larger diameter hydraulic pistons in the rear suspension which alters the mechanical purchase ratio of the suspension, and therefore requires a different gas pressure and damper valve to get a comparable ride quality.

If I had to predict what ride you would get, I would say that it would be too hard both in springing and damping, perhaps to the point of being a bit harsh. Also due to the lower pressure, when you load the estate up with a decent sized load the diaphrams in the spheres would be too close to the filler cap end, causing limited suspension travel under full load, and also potentially damaging the diaphrams in this condition.

Short answer, NO. Stick with what Citroen recomends...

Regards,
Simon
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Post by user_3150 »

Cheers Simon, I will leave them alone. Could I have the wrong ones already then as the reason for wanting to change is that the rear suspension is very boomy in the drivers seat, especially the near side. The noise isn't so bad in the rear or passanger seats and It's still quite a smooth ride. I changed them last year with pattern ones from GSF could these be wrong? Also is it the same for other estate driver's out there.
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