Citroen progressive hydraulic cushion suspension - any good?
Discussion
There new adverts for the cactus C4 advertise this super duper smooth suspension. Anyone tried it? Any good? Do they use coil springs at all / how is damping separated from the spring action?
Edit. found this video which seems to indicate how it works, but not really though (a bit techno-marketing funky images)
https://youtu.be/qnTDbUCKhME
Edit. found this video which seems to indicate how it works, but not really though (a bit techno-marketing funky images)
https://youtu.be/qnTDbUCKhME
Edited by CoolHands on Monday 30th April 21:19
HustleRussell said:
Would love it if Citroen started building comfortable cars with elegant and different suspension again
Their new hydraulic cushions system is rolling out as we speak. I believe the long-term plan from Citroen is that all cars in their model range will have them fitted as standard. A new C5/C6 replacement is due in the next couple of years, along with a DS version. Lots of potentially exciting stuff on its way. 
Muddle238 said:
HustleRussell said:
Would love it if Citroen started building comfortable cars with elegant and different suspension again
Their new hydraulic cushions system is rolling out as we speak. I believe the long-term plan from Citroen is that all cars in their model range will have them fitted as standard. A new C5/C6 replacement is due in the next couple of years, along with a DS version. Lots of potentially exciting stuff on its way. TooMany2cvs said:
All it is is a squidgy bumpstop within the damper. No more than that.
What it allows is a softer spring rate, because if/when you hit the bump stop, movement doesn't stop suddenly. Effectively, the spring rate increases at the limits of travel.
Actually, there is a little more to it than that. What it allows is a softer spring rate, because if/when you hit the bump stop, movement doesn't stop suddenly. Effectively, the spring rate increases at the limits of travel.
All cars have bumpstops, usually rubber or celasto, and many also have rebound springs within the damper. The important difference with this Citroen system is that both the bump and rebound stops have their own hydraulic damping (separate from the main damping characteristic). As you rightly say, this allows for a lower spring rate because at low wheel velocities the rate of the stops is low, but when something more extreme happens, e.g a pot hole, they stiffen up considerably, managing the load.
You would not normally get away with such soft springs with conventional bump/rebound stops as the loads transferred to the body would be too high in extreme events.
The technology itself is not new, Renaultsport cars have used hydraulic bumpstops before. I am not aware of it being used for a comfort application before though.
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