Citroen WRC Case Study
Back in 2002 exe-tc was approached by Citroen Sport to design and build a Citroen version of our unique roller bearing suspension system for their 2003 WRC Xsara. Our brief was to reduce the overall rolling friction of the chassis and its moving elements. This also involved developing rotation systems for all of the chassis suspension arms and pickup points.
The advantages of the roller bearing suspension guiding system is, 90% less initial movement friction over a conventional DU guiding system. It also allowed us to incorporate an integral cooling system, which raised the overall damping efficiency of the suspension.
Gains in stroke by developing large diameter top mount installations and reduced tolerances required less overlap in the system.
With the introduction of the WRC C4 in 2007, transferring the existing technology over from the Xsara, to the new chassis, required a different set of parameters. FIA installation regulations based around production road chassis parameters meant yet again a search for extra bump and rebound strokes and yet again different weight distribution issues.
With the exclusion of light weight titanium from the WRC regulations, we then developed special spherical bearings using high performance aluminm alloys with special coatings, allowed us to maintain these weight advantages.
For 2011 the FIA have outlawed the use of roller bearing suspension for the new generation of smaller 1.6T WRC regulations.
Technical Spec
| Hydraulic type | Single tube |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic adjustments |
Low speed compression (32 position adjustment) High speed compression (18 position adjustment) Rebound (including temp compensation) ESA (12 position adjustment) |
| Nitrogen reservoir type | Remote (hose) |
| Piston option | Twin 8 port Ø 45mm |
| Damper rod | Steel chrome Ø16mm (3 x seals) |
| Damper tube | Ovako 280 steel/Plasma/NANO coated |
| Body type | CNC Aluminum 6012 T6 |
| Bump stop | N/A |
| Strut guiding | Multi-profiled roller with TiNA coated surfaces |
| Chassis attachment | Spherical bearing top mount/clamp type upright. |
| Chassis adjustment |
Ride height (spring) Camber inserts (5 positions) |
| Spring type | Linear or Progressive Ø 95 or 105mm |
Our WRC collabation with Citroen Sport has lasted 8 years, winning 7 World Rally Drivers Championships in the process.
