Sources for AHC Accumulator Globes

[HDJ100inSpain]

Damping valve can be easily removed.

I know; I only mentioned this difference bcause of your phrase:

... so you can play with pressure, maybe with damping too...

I think that if you want to modify damping, this has to be done with the electric (electronically controlled) damping attenuators in the sphere-supports.

Because many of them can be used from Citroen C5. They are still good after all those years and can be bought cheap.

Why change the Toyota spheres if they also still are good? IMO it´s easier to fit a valve than adapting the thread.

... it's the only effective way of changing the rate of the front suspension on AHC vehicles to anything between the factory specs and the much higher resulting rate of installing non-AHC torsion bars.

Actually, this is something I never thought about; the spring rate is ok for me, I don´t do heavy offroad; I like the car as comfortable as possible for on-road use and able to go further when the road ends.

 

[BEG]

Actually, this is something I never thought about; the spring rate is ok for me, I don´t do heavy offroad; I like the car as comfortable as possible for on-road use and able to go further when the road ends.

As you start adding weight to the vehicle (bumpers, winch, sliders, skid plates, roof rack, drawers, etc) the OEM spring rate starts to become an issue and there is currently no solution. A torsion bar option between the non-AHC and AHC diameters would be ideal, but no one makes it. The rear springs can be addressed by using the King KTRS-79 coils which are specifically made to increase the rear spring rate on AHC vehicles but then you have mismatched front and rear rates, which is what most of us settle for.
If you could customize the gas pressure in the globes themselves you could easily fine-tune the spring rate up front to help compensate for the low rate of the AHC torsion bars.
As far as damping, thankfully the AHC system has wide range of values that it can apply, even if it's undersprung. Ideally though, I'd prefer the accumulator damping value to be in the middle, regardless of my spring rate. The only way I can think of achieving this would be to a) add an additional damping assembly to the base of the globes and find a way to control that (assuming it could fit in the space), or b) replace the AHC shock actuators with custom built units that have either a higher fixed damping rate or an adjustable one.

 

[HDJ100inSpain]

As you start adding weight to the vehicle (bumpers, winch, sliders, skid plates, roof rack, drawers, etc) the OEM spring rate starts to become an issue

Of course, if you mount a lot of heavy accesories on the car, the spring rate should be adapted. But this was never a question for me, only part that gain the weitght is a Webasto heater No doubt, better and more resistant bumpers would be a nice-to-have, but didn´t found some of them very close to the manufacturer mounted (My opionion is: A car normally is the result of thousands of working-hours of professional designers, so it should be difficult for me to change/add a part to make it nicer. What means not the same as the fact that there are thousands of car models absolutely ugly circulating on our streets). A winch, of course, a very-nice-to-have-one, but I was only one time stuck in deep mud (on my own property and by own idioty) and I´m sure a winch couldn´t get it out of there. Used my excavator, that worked. A excavator in the car´s boot will need a heavy-duty spring rate adaption

If you could customize the gas pressure in the globes themselves you could easily fine-tune the spring rate up front to help compensate for the low rate of the AHC torsion bars.

This shouldn´t be especially dificult to build: Instead of the filling-valves I mentioned before, you mount some fix connections, T-pieces, a pressure sensor and a electric controlled valve for each sphere and a nitrogen pressure tank. With a little bit of electronics you can increase and decrease every acumulator´s pressure just as you want at a given moment. Pretty the same as the modern tire-pressure sensors (or a little more advanced, sensores and fill equipment, like on UNIMOGs). Just with a bit more of pressure

 

[eurodre]

I have some that came off of a 135k mile lx470. All in working order. Let me know what you guys want.

 

[Balto1223]

You guys think that a bad accumulator could cause vibration and cupping of a tire? Thanks,

 

[HDJ100inSpain]

You guys think that a bad accumulator could cause vibration and cupping of a tire? Thanks,

Of course it can. But don´t take the reverse conclusion: Vibration and a cupped tire is not necessarily caused by a bad accumulator.

 

[Balto1223]

Of course it can. But don´t take the reverse conclusion: Vibration and a cupped tire is not necessarily caused by a bad accumulator.

It's a 2006 LX with 130k. I'm getting an alignment soon, maybe that'll give me an idea, but what other components could cause vibration AND tire cupping on the rear?

 

[apdxyk]

Call me a skeptic, but in this market I will keep using Toyota fluid and spheres. Tested and proven seal compatibility. In some other markets retrofits might be significantly cheaper and justified. I have seen refill valves working in Siberia years ago. The guys were testing Argon vs Nitrogen pro and contra. For our market, I can afford $850 every 17 years (my 2002 recently) genuine Toyota from Japan. The fluid is around $15 per litre here, if you add shipping from Europe it will be even more with a questionable long term material compatibility.
If one reads in other languages, you can find quite a bit on diaphragm and fluid material science evolution by Citroen

 

[medtro]

For our market, I can afford $850 every 17 years (my 2002 recently) genuine Toyota from Japan.

It is very affordable for $50 a year.

 

[HDJ100inSpain]

It's a 2006 LX with 130k. I'm getting an alignment soon, maybe that'll give me an idea, but what other components could cause vibration AND tire cupping on the rear?

Sorry, I don´t have any idea, I just mentioned my information about the suspension spheres. Maybe this is the wrong thread for finding useful help for your issue?

... but in this market I will keep using Toyota fluid and spheres. Tested and proven seal compatibility.

This is what I think, there is no need to change the spheres-manufacturer (if they fit 1:1, ok, but with the need to make adapters or cutting new threads, just for mounting a sphere from another brand, why?) My experience from long years driving Citroen CX and fitting refill-valves to the original Citroen-spheres is that their spheres are built more long-lasting (and probably the same happens to the original Toyota spheres) than the third-party ones, and while the original membran is not blown or broken, a re-pressured sphere is as good as a new one. Probably even better than a new one produced for another car with totally different hydraulic fluid specifications (and there are a lot: mineral-based, synthetic, mixed-types, different grades - just like hydraulic fluids, you can mess up the all the sealings if you use a fluid different from the manufacturer-specified. Or it may apparently work, eating the sealings bit by bit and finally clog the system with a lot of material deposits.

The fluid is around $15 per litre here, if you add shipping from Europe it will be even more with a questionable long term material compatibility.

Exactly, the original Toyota fluid is not really expensive. I think there is a lot of mystery and ignorance in some LC-forums; many people think that this liquid is extremly expensive, but really it isn´t. They think that $15 for a litre of AHC fluid (to be changed every, don´t know, how much of tens of thousands of kms) is expensive and use salad oil as a substitute, but every 10000km they change the motor oil with a extrem-super-duper-ultra-expensive-propaganda motor oil.

 

[Lalalx470]

Just ordered a set from Pleiades and the shipping from the UK was stupid fast! Haven't installed them yet but excited to see how they ride. My rig is a bit bouncy after it spends a couple of hours on the road, and tend to adjust the dampening a notch towards the sport setting.

Boy my knuckles are glad I decided to use a strap wrench to take the stock globes off, haven't crushed them like that in years!

As for the new Pleiades, I don't think my old spheres had completely failed so ride isn't drastically different, but the piece of mind and the solid fluid flush should help ease the soreness of my knuckles.

 

[AutoSpecial]

Call me a skeptic, but in this market I will keep using Toyota fluid and spheres. Tested and proven seal compatibility. In some other markets retrofits might be significantly cheaper and justified. I have seen refill valves working in Siberia years ago. The guys were testing Argon vs Nitrogen pro and contra. For our market, I can afford $850 every 17 years (my 2002 recently) genuine Toyota from Japan. The fluid is around $15 per litre here, if you add shipping from Europe it will be even more with a questionable long term material compatibility.
If one reads in other languages, you can find quite a bit on diaphragm and fluid material science evolution by Citroen

Well, good luck finding Toyota sphere in next 10 years There is few milions Citroens out there (around 2 milions with this latest sphere type) and production ended in 2018. How many LC100 and LX470 was produced? 150 000 ? AHC production ended 2009? Parts avaibility will extinct in 10 years.

There is no evolution since last 20 years, its exactly the same sphere, introduced in same year and same fluid with toyota sticker. If spheres are the same, then fluid must be compatible with that membrane rubber type and seals rubber too . I mixed them and they blended without problem.

If you want to pay 4x times more for the same thing..its your choice. I dont have good feeling from spending more on something i know its cheap and avaible.

 

[AutoSpecial]

So i didnt had time to make adapters. So i ordered pleiades sphere. When they are gone, im going to use their adapters to fit citroen spheres.

 

[SuperExciteBike]

06 LX 140k. Comfort setting uncontrollably bouncy. Sport setting unbearably firm. Did the grad test AHC fluid reservoir only showed 4 grads from lo to hi.

Replaced all four accumulator globes this past weekend with new spheres from Pleiades UK. Wow huge improvement in comfort. Went from bone jarring to coasting on clouds. Very pleased.

Had to call their shop in UK to place the order and everything went smoothly. Great service and easy to work with. Delivered to my door in less than a week.

 

[BEG]

06 LX 140k. Comfort setting uncontrollably bouncy. Sport setting unbearably firm. Did the grad test AHC fluid reservoir only showed 4 grads from lo to hi.

Replaced all four accumulator globes this past weekend with new spheres from Pleiades UK. Wow huge improvement in comfort. Went from bone jarring to coasting on clouds. Very pleased.

Had to call their shop in UK to place the order and everything went smoothly. Great service and easy to work with. Delivered to my door in less than a week.

I'm glad it worked out for you. However, that is not the official IH8MUD course of action. The right thing to do would be:

1) ignore the hundreds of existing threads on the subject and start a new thread saying that your AHC is bouncy and asking how to delete it

2) ignore all the good advice given in said thread and order the cheapest OME kit available

3) chop out the shock actuators with a Sawzall and dribble fluid all over the place for three weeks

4) post pics of the rig with zero rake and proclaim the new suspension to be "amazing" and decidedly "better than the AHC ever was" and...

5) rabidly pounce on every new AHC thread and demand the OP delete the system immediately, reaffirming it was "the best decision I ever made."

I'm glad you didn't get the memo

 

[HDJ100inSpain]

I'm glad it worked out for you. However, that is not the official IH8MUD course of action. The right thing to do would be:

You made may day! Very correct, your statements. I think, the only AHC-"lovers" are people that drove a Hidropneumatic-Citroen in earlier life, or that one that doesn´t think too much about this "sooooo problematic system" but only drive and like it

 

[AFei]

Yep, I emailed back and forth with them but did have to call to actually place the order by credit card. Be sure to call your bank first and let them know you're expecting a foreign transaction by phone.

Mind to share the price for 4 of them? Will need to shop around soon. thanks!

 

[katit]

505 UK pounds shipped. It's amazing, ordered on 9/25 and got UPS delivery today. I still don't have rear springs ordered earlier from US dealer... And I still don't see charge hitting CC to tell you how much it was in USD

 

[bamabrock]

505 UK pounds shipped. It's amazing, ordered on 9/25 and got UPS delivery today. I still don't have rear springs ordered earlier from US dealer... And I still don't see charge hitting CC to tell you how much it was in USD

googles

505 Pound sterling equals
620.66 United States Dollar

 

[katit]

googles

505 Pound sterling equals
620.66 United States Dollar

I get this part. But I want to see what is actually on my CC statement.