The first car to be equipped with hydraulic suspension was
French Citroen DS. A lot of time has passed since the debut of the newly developed chassis (1954). Humanity during this period managed to develop three generations of this suspension. However, now less and less manufacturers are equipping their cars with just such a running system, giving preference to “pneumatics”. However, in the USA, hydraulic suspension is still very much appreciated. But why did the drivers love her so much?
Design features
To get started, let's deal with its design. The main distinguishing feature here are shock absorbers. The hydraulic suspension is equipped with special conical shaped parts. They differ from ordinary shock absorbers in that they are filled with special oil. Also, on each part there are spherical accumulators.
Advantages and disadvantages
So, we will start with the positive points. The hydraulic suspension was originally distinguished by its durability. And if the pneumatic system can last a maximum of 150 thousand kilometers, then hydraulics - as much as 400 km. Therefore many
car owners call it "unkillable." And given the quality of the road surface in Russia, hydraulic suspension is becoming a must. In addition, it provides the best ride in all conditions. The hydraulic
suspension on the VAZ behaves softer in the pits than the air
suspension . In addition, you can adjust the
ride height without leaving the passenger compartment. Moreover, you can change the clearance at any speed and even cornering. But this is only possible with the third generation of the Hydractive system.
However, the Citroen C5 and VAZ hydraulic suspension is far from ideal, and it has its drawbacks. The first flaw is hidden in the oil. The fact is that this fluid is used not only in the suspension, but also in the brake system and power steering, respectively, if a leak occurs, three systems will break at once. It is also worth noting the high cost of maintenance. At Russian service stations there are not so many normal services dealing with hydraulic suspension repair, so the price of the service is not the most affordable. Actually, because of this, many modern automakers have stopped equipping their cars with hydraulic suspension.
Conclusion
Due to its shortcomings, the hydraulic suspension is not very popular with drivers, because with the slightest malfunction you will have to go to a technical center and pay a lot of money for maintenance. As for global manufacturers, the following can be said about them. Trying to make their cars as reliable and cheap as possible in maintenance, many foreign concerns prefer a more modern - pneumatic - suspension. According to experts, this step is quite correct and deliberate. And we can only look at the photos and admire the high ground clearance of such cars.