Hydrolastic

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Hydrolastic

Hydrolastic is a type of space-efficient automotive suspension system used in many car

Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
s produced by British Motor Corporation

British Motor Corporation

The British Motor Corporation was a United Kingdom vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952....
(BMC) and its successor companies.

Invented by famous British rubber engineer Alex Moulton

Alex Moulton

Dr. Alexander Eric Moulton Order of the British Empire is an English engineer and inventor, specialising in Suspension design.Moulton is the great-grandson of the rubber pioneer Stephen Moulton, the founder of the family business George Spencer Moulton & Co....
, and first used on the 1962 BMC

British Motor Corporation

The British Motor Corporation was a United Kingdom vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952....
project ADO16

BMC ADO16

ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland....
under designer Alec Issigonis

Alec Issigonis

Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society was a Greece-United Kingdom designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959....
(of Mini

Mini

The Mini is a small Automobile that was produced by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers....
fame), later to be launched as the Morris 1100.

system replaces the separate springs and dampers of a conventional suspension system with integrated, space efficient, fluid filled, displacer units, which are interconnected between the front and rear wheels on each side of the vehicle.

Each displacer unit contains a rubber spring, and damping is achieved by the displaced fluid passing through rubber valves.

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Encyclopedia

Hydrolastic is a type of space-efficient automotive suspension system used in many car

Automobile

British Motor Corporation

Alex Moulton

British Motor Corporation

The British Motor Corporation was a United Kingdom vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952....
project ADO16

BMC ADO16

Alec Issigonis

Mini

Description

The system replaces the separate springs and dampers of a conventional suspension system with integrated, space efficient, fluid filled, displacer units, which are interconnected between the front and rear wheels on each side of the vehicle.

Each displacer unit contains a rubber spring, and damping is achieved by the displaced fluid passing through rubber valves. The displaced fluid passes to the displacer of the paired wheel, thus providing a dynamic interaction between front and rear wheels.

Servicing difficulties

The system was not popular with home mechanics, as it had to be re-pressurized after a chassis

Chassis

A chassis consists of a Frame that supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animal's skeleton, for example in a motor vehicle or a firearm....
or subframe

Subframe

A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle, such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a discrete, separate structure within a larger body-on-frame or monocoque to carry certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or suspension ....
replacement. Even welding the sub-frame to repair rust damage typically required the system to be drained. The only way to re-pressurize was to pay a properly equipped mechanic, usually at a BMC dealer. Inevitably the charge for this service was higher than many cared to pay.

Influences

Jon Pressnell suggests in his book that the hydropneumatic suspension

Hydropneumatic suspension

Hydropneumatic is a type of automotive suspension , invented by Citro?n, and fitted to Citro?n cars, as well as being adapted by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce Limited, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot....
of the Citroën DS

Citroën DS

The Citro?n DS is an executive car that was produced by the France manufacturer Citro?n between 1955 and 1975. Citro?n sold nearly 1.5 million D-series during its 20 years of production....
motivated Issigonis and Moulton, who were at the time of the launch of the DS working on a rubber and fluid suspension system themselves. Pressnell also suggests that the complexity of the Citroën system encouraged Moulton to develop a much simpler system.

In a magazine interview for 'CAR' magazine in the late 1980s, Dr Moulton stated that he and Issigonis had also studied the Citroën 2CV

Citroën 2CV

The Citro?n 2CV is an economy car produced by the France automaker Citro?n from 1949 to 1990. It is considered one of their most cultural icon cars....
in the 1950s. They particularly wished to address the comical lack of roll stiffness of that car with the system that they were designing.

Later History

Hydragas is a type of automotive suspension system used in many car

Automobile

Alex Moulton

Austin Allegro

The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin Motor Company name from 1973 until 1983. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti in 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent....
and was later fitted to the 1975 Princess

Leyland Princess

The Princess is a family car that was produced in the United Kingdom by British Leyland from 1975 until 1981. The car inherited a front wheel drive / transverse engine configuration from its predecessor, the BMC ADO17....
and its successor, the 1982 Austin Ambassador

Austin Ambassador

The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large hatchback automobile introduced by British Leyland in 1982. The car was a heavily updated version of the Princess , an ageing model which lacked a hatchback....
. Both systems attempt to address the ride-handling compromise of car suspension by interconnecting the suspension of the front and rear of the car in some way. Hydragas attempted to perform the same function and advantages as the hydropneumatic system developed by Citroën

Citroën

Citro?n is a France automobile manufacturer, founded in 1919 by Andr? Citro?n, it was the world's first mass-production car company outside of the USA....
, but without its attendant complexity.

The heart of the system are the displacer units, which are pressurised spheres containing nitrogen gas. These replace the conventional steel springs of a regular suspension design. The means for pressurising the gas in the displacers is done by pre-pressurising a hydraulic fluid, and then connecting the displacer to its neighbour on the other axle. This is unlike the Citroën system, which uses hydraulic fluid continuously pressurised by an engine-driven pump and regulated by a central pressure vessel.

Despite early problems (the Allegro version of Hydragas was found seriously wanting), it was gradually developed into an effective and efficient alternative to steel springs on later BL/Rover Group models such as the Austin Metro and MGF

MG F

The MG F, later the MG TF, is a RMR layout roadster originally launched in 1995. It was the first, all-new car to bear the MG marque since the launch of the MG MGB in 1962 ....
.

Cars

Cars using the Hydrolastic suspension system:

BMC 1100
BMC ADO16

ADO16 is the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland....
Mini
Mini

The Mini is a small Automobile that was produced by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers....
(from 1964 to 1971)
Austin 1800
Austin 1800

BMC ADO17 was the name used by the British Motor Corporation for its range of cars produced from September 1964 to 1975 and sold initially under its Austin Motor Company marque as the Austin 1800....
Austin Maxi
Austin Maxi

The Austin Maxi was a medium sized 5-door hatchback automobile from British Leyland for the 1970s. It was the first British five speed five-door hatchback....
Austin 3-Litre
Austin 3-Litre

The Austin 3-Litre was a British saloon car introduced by British Leyland in 1968. Sales were very poor and the model was discontinued in 1971 after less than 10,000 were made....
Austin Metro
Rover Metro
Rover Metro

The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin mini Metro....
Rover 100
Rover 100

The name Rover 100 may refer to one of two different United Kingdom motor vehicles:* Rover P4 100; produced by The Rover Co. Ltd. from 1960-62...
Huffaker Indianapolis cars 1964-1969 "MG Liquid Suspension Special"