Volvo XC60 bumpy ride when towing

phil and mike replied on 20/09/2018 10:53

phil and mike

Posted on 20/09/2018 10:53

I recently converted to towing a caravan after 40 yrs of motorhoming. After a lot of research we decided to buy a Coachman VIP 545 (2014 model) caravan and tow it with a Volvo XC60 AWD (2017), the towing match looked OK with the ability to take the correct nose weight and tow a van of that weight.

Obviously it felt very different towing for the first time but I did not expect it to feel so bouncy. The feeling was most unpleasant almost like being sea sick. I checked the nose weight, the tyre pressures on the van and car and all were OK. We do not carry and heavy items such as awnings etc and because of the van configuration i.e. rear double bed the only way to place any heavy items over the axel is to put them on the floor, which leaves them liable to movement and possible damage to the van. I had the van checked over by an approved service agent and was told everything was satisfactory. I asked if the ATC was OK and was told yes.

I found a discussion from 2016 with exactly the same problem but I could not find out if it was resolved. Short of trying a different tow car or towing a different (perhaps lighter) van I am not sure what to try next. Coachman suggested changing the front and rear friction pads on the hitch, but can two small plastic pads make that much difference ?

75 replies

JohnM20 replied on 05/10/2021 16:14

Member

JohnM20

Caravanner from Derbyshire

Posted on 05/10/2021 16:14

Corrected post, - couple of important words missed out..

If my schoolboy physics is remembered correctly from 60 years ago, even though the static nose weight may be correct, any heavy load towards the rear of the caravan would potentially create a pendulum effect, the static weight becoming a dynamic weight which could then increase. Centred around the axle it would create a negative effect on the towball.

Whittakerr replied on 05/10/2021 16:31

Member

Whittakerr

Caravanner

Posted on 05/10/2021 16:31

All a bit immaterial as the original post is 3 years old, but i first towed my Swift Challenger with a BMW 5 series and had no issues whatsoever. I changed my car for an Audi A6 and towing the same caravan, loaded the the same, had the bouncing effect described by the OP, especially for people sat in the back seats. Changed my car to a BMW X5 with air suspension and hardly know the caravan is on the (very expensive) hook.

Michaelmhayes replied on 06/10/2021 12:43

Member

Michaelmhayes

Caravanner

Posted on 06/10/2021 12:43

Dear JohnM20,

I too fully appreciate the downside of loading too far behind the axles which is why I am keeping everything behind but still as close as possible to the axle line. However my initial dilemma still remains in that I am faced with a choice of overloading the tow hitch or creating a potentially dangerous situation of the van starts to swing! Hence my query on the possibility of raising the nose weight without fear of consequences, given that the car is well below its maximum running weight and therefore nowhere near the maximum designed loading for the rear suspension? If not then I am faced with little alternative other than to change the car

JohnM20 replied on 07/10/2021 16:53

Member

JohnM20

Caravanner from Derbyshire

Posted on 07/10/2021 16:53

I think the main problem is that regardless of the designed maximum loading for the rear axle the tow bar is fixed by a few bolts to the subframe of the car. This, in my opinion, is where the weakest part is and why there is a nose-weight limit. It isn't anything to do with the axle loading. The caravan hitch will also have a limit which, for the majority of caravans on the road is 100kg. Even some quite big, beefy cars have a tow-ball maximum of as low as 75kg