Citroen C Crosser suspension

fritzandhelga
fritzandhelga Forum Participant Posts: 1
edited August 2017 in Towcars & Towing #1

Good morning everyone. I tow a Bailey Senator with a Citroen C Crosser 2.2 SUV. Since I bought the car three years ago I have been convinced that the front wheels of the car were light on the road. I thought that maybe I was imagining it until I was recently travelling on a road which was a little more uneven than normal. The front of the car definitely went light on me. I have been trying a variety of things to correct this. I've rearranged payload in the van and ditched stuff as well. This has had no effect. I have checked the nose weight using a gauge and it appears to be around 65kg. I know that these gauges aren't totally accurate, but given that by the book the tow ball weight on the C Crosser is up to 100kg, an inaccuracy won't be to that extent. I have considered spring assisters, but after reading more about them, I don't consider them a viable option. I am considering fitting heavier duty springs and/or shock absorbers. Any ideas? I am concerned that putting heavier springs might affect the solo stability of the car, and also don't know if they will affect the tyre pressures needed for both solo driving and towing. Thanks.

Comments

  • Craigderby
    Craigderby Forum Participant Posts: 5
    edited August 2017 #2

    We had a C-Crosser a couple of year ago, and found it the same.  We never found a solution and just ended up having to put up with it.

     

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2017 #3

    Changing springs or adding spring assisters is not going to do anything to the load distribution between the front and rear axle of the car. They would only change the standing heights but not increase load on the front wheels. However, they would change the handling characteristics of the vehicle.

    When you say that the front of the car went light on you, what actually happened? Did it understeer more? If so, have you tried increasing the front tyre pressures or lowering at the rear?  If that fails, you could try harder springs or stiffer dampers at the rear.

    When you mention that the phenomenon is noticed more on an uneven road, that could be an indication that one or the other of the shock absorbers is not doing its job properly and that would be worth having checked.

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