Volvo XC60 bumpy ride when towing
I have just purchased a Volvo XC60 D5 AWD to tow my Coachman VIP575 after reading and hearing many positive reviews on both the car and caravan.
Unfortunately in use I find the tow to be very uncomfortable, bumpy and pitching, so bad that my wife feels so unwell.
The caravan has been back to the dealers and no fault has been found. The hitch is ok, the tyre pressures are as recommended, the noseweight is 90kg the max for the car, the caravan has only been lightly loaded so far. The ATC module has been changed and the brakes readjusted to give more clearance
The problem is more severe on minor roads and not too bad on motorways.
A relative test towed the van with a Ford Kuga and experienced the same but less severe symptoms.
Anyone any ideas please?
Thanks
Dave
Comments
-
Sorry to learn of the issues you are having with your XC60 and Coachman. I Have a 2016 XC60 D5 towing a Lunar mptlm 1350kg. At present I'm in Portugal having towed around 2000 miles over the past 5 weeks on all types of roads I can honestly sayit's the best
vehicle i have ever towed with . We have the tyre pressure set at 39psi , your Coachman is a lot heavier but even so should not be an issue for the xc60.0 -
Try a NW of 80kg, and have a good look at where the load is placed in the caravan.
Try and balance the load across the caravan and if possible avoid load at the extreme ends.
A VIP i'm sure has shocks, but check for leaks and that they are the correct colour for the MTPLM.
0 -
Try a NW of 80kg, and have a good look at where the load is placed in the caravan.
Try and balance the load across the caravan and if possible avoid load at the extreme ends.
A VIP i'm sure has shocks, but check for leaks and that they are the correct colour for the MTPLM.
What colour should they be for 1615kg? Please
0 -
Try a NW of 80kg, and have a good look at where the load is placed in the caravan.
Try and balance the load across the caravan and if possible avoid load at the extreme ends.
A VIP i'm sure has shocks, but check for leaks and that they are the correct colour for the MTPLM.
What colour should they be for 1615kg? Please
Red
http://www.al-ko.com/shop/uk_vt/products/caravan-accessories-1/shock-absorbers.html (I assume they're ALKO chassis)
0 -
Interesting that a Kuga experienced the same but less severe symptons as really they shouldn't exist at all. The fact that it is noticeable on two seperate tow cars suggests it is the caravan which is responsible and therefore is the area to investigate along the lines suggest by xtrailman and MM.
0 -
Try a NW of 80kg, and have a good look at where the load is placed in the caravan.
Try and balance the load across the caravan and if possible avoid load at the extreme ends.
A VIP i'm sure has shocks, but check for leaks and that they are the correct colour for the MTPLM.
What colour should they be for 1615kg? Please
Red
http://www.al-ko.com/shop/uk_vt/products/caravan-accessories-1/shock-absorbers.html (I assume they're ALKO chassis)
Thanks, they are RED which seems to be the correct ones for the weight of the caravan
0 -
David, have you done a lot of towing?
Reason I ask, there is always some movement caused by having the caravan on the back, bobbing around (the well worn phrase "can't tell the caravan is there" is just so untrue!) and you will certainly feel the difference from travelling without the caravan.
Possibly more than someone new to towing might expect.If you've done a lot of towing, I aplogise and didn't mean to be rude.
How was your previous tow car with this caravan?
0 -
David, have you done a lot of towing?
Reason I ask, there is always some movement caused by having the caravan on the back, bobbing around (the well worn phrase "can't tell the caravan is there" is just so untrue!) and you will certainly feel the difference from travelling without the caravan.
Possibly more than someone new to towing might expect.If you've done a lot of towing, I aplogise and didn't mean to be rude.
How was your previous tow car with this caravan?
Hi Ian thanks for your reply and no need to apologise it is good that you and others offer advice.
I have towed for over 25 years in uk and abroad but never experienced such a violent ride on lesser roads than motorways, it is fairly good on motorways but not as good as my earlier unit of Volvo V70 and Swift Challenger. As both car and caravan are new
to me I do not have any experience of towing with the XC60 but all the reviews are good. I also do not have any experience of towing the Coachman which again has good towing reviews. So I do not know if the fault? is with the car or the caravan and i am at
a loss as to what to do next. Van has been unstable on the back of three cars but dealer says they towed it fine, they agreed to a test tow of a same Coachman but then declined.Dave
0 -
It's a puzzler, Dave. Other than trying it on the back of other cars I don't know what to suggest.
We have a XC90 and it's the best tow car we've had......better than a Toyota Landcruiser and a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I know that the XC60 also has a good reputation for towing.
Could try reducing the nose weight (simply on the basis that most cars don't have a limit much above 75kg)......or try moving the weight around?
0 -
I towed a Smart Fortwo today on an A frame. What surprised me was how much it I was aware it was there considering its size & weight compared to our caravan that is half as heavy again, I could feel a few bumps & knocks. I set my cruise for 50 mph the whole
journey .... I usually tow the caravan at 60-ish. The caravan has a damper on the draw bar whereas the A frame just has a hitch directly bolted to the box section.I wonder if there is a hitch/damper fault on the OP's caravan
PS Other than from a performance point of view - though it's still capable of licence losing speeds.... I really don't know the caravan is on the back when towing it.
0 -
It's a puzzler, Dave. Other than trying it on the back of other cars I don't know what to suggest.
We have a XC90 and it's the best tow car we've had......better than a Toyota Landcruiser and a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I know that the XC60 also has a good reputation for towing.
Could try reducing the nose weight (simply on the basis that most cars don't have a limit much above 75kg)......or try moving the weight around?
Ian, I was quite pleased to have a permitted noseweight increase from 75kg to the XC60's 90kg and to not have the tight restriction of keeping at or below 75kg but you are the second person on this forum to suggest a lower noseweight. As to loading, because
of the uncomfortable towing we have not really got started using the van properly and so there is not much in it. However tommorrow I am going to load it up as if we were going away and I will try a lower noseweight. The suspension seems very lively almost
as if it is not damped and though it is quite a heavy caravan it maybe needs a good load in it to load up the suspension. Your XC90 recommendation is good but having just bought the new caravan and car I think a different car is a long way off, but, a neighbour
has offered me his xc90 to try with the van, might be worth a try.0 -
I towed a Smart Fortwo today on an A frame. What surprised me was how much it I was aware it was there considering its size & weight compared to our caravan that is half as heavy again, I could feel a few bumps & knocks. I set my cruise for 50 mph the whole
journey .... I usually tow the caravan at 60-ish. The caravan has a damper on the draw bar whereas the A frame just has a hitch directly bolted to the box section.I wonder if there is a hitch/damper fault on the OP's caravan
PS Other than from a performance point of view - though it's still capable of licence losing speeds.... I really don't know the caravan is on the back when towing it.
Hi Mollysmummy, Thanks for your reply. I had suggested the damper to the dealer as i felt the caravan brakes were coming on far too readily, he says it is OK and adjusted the brakes away from the drums but I think that the drums are way too hot after only
a few miles but he ensures me that they are normal but when i checked yesterday I could not keep my fingers on them, the car discs were quite hot also so maybe they are OK, dunno.Dave
0 -
I towed a Smart Fortwo today on an A frame. What surprised me was how much it I was aware it was there considering its size & weight compared to our caravan that is half as heavy again, I could feel a few bumps & knocks. I set my cruise for 50 mph the whole
journey .... I usually tow the caravan at 60-ish. The caravan has a damper on the draw bar whereas the A frame just has a hitch directly bolted to the box section.I wonder if there is a hitch/damper fault on the OP's caravan
PS Other than from a performance point of view - though it's still capable of licence losing speeds.... I really don't know the caravan is on the back when towing it.
Hi Mollysmummy, Thanks for your reply. I had suggested the damper to the dealer as i felt the caravan brakes were coming on far too readily, he says it is OK and adjusted the brakes away from the drums but I think that the drums are way too hot after only
a few miles but he ensures me that they are normal but when i checked yesterday I could not keep my fingers on them, the car discs were quite hot also so maybe they are OK, dunno.Dave
Does the hitch damper easily compress? I can't on mine
0 -
I towed a Smart Fortwo today on an A frame. What surprised me was how much it I was aware it was there considering its size & weight compared to our caravan that is half as heavy again, I could feel a few bumps & knocks. I set my cruise for 50 mph the whole
journey .... I usually tow the caravan at 60-ish. The caravan has a damper on the draw bar whereas the A frame just has a hitch directly bolted to the box section.I wonder if there is a hitch/damper fault on the OP's caravan
PS Other than from a performance point of view - though it's still capable of licence losing speeds.... I really don't know the caravan is on the back when towing it.
Hi Mollysmummy, Thanks for your reply. I had suggested the damper to the dealer as i felt the caravan brakes were coming on far too readily, he says it is OK and adjusted the brakes away from the drums but I think that the drums are way too hot after only
a few miles but he ensures me that they are normal but when i checked yesterday I could not keep my fingers on them, the car discs were quite hot also so maybe they are OK, dunno.Dave
Write your comments here...Brakes will get hot if they have been operating, the heat has to be lost through the drum.
Do you have ATC perhaps its malfunctioning?
0 -
I towed a Smart Fortwo today on an A frame. What surprised me was how much it I was aware it was there considering its size & weight compared to our caravan that is half as heavy again, I could feel a few bumps & knocks. I set my cruise for 50 mph the whole
journey .... I usually tow the caravan at 60-ish. The caravan has a damper on the draw bar whereas the A frame just has a hitch directly bolted to the box section.I wonder if there is a hitch/damper fault on the OP's caravan
PS Other than from a performance point of view - though it's still capable of licence losing speeds.... I really don't know the caravan is on the back when towing it.
Hi Mollysmummy, Thanks for your reply. I had suggested the damper to the dealer as i felt the caravan brakes were coming on far too readily, he says it is OK and adjusted the brakes away from the drums but I think that the drums are way too hot after only
a few miles but he ensures me that they are normal but when i checked yesterday I could not keep my fingers on them, the car discs were quite hot also so maybe they are OK, dunno.Dave
Write your comments here...Brakes will get hot if they have been operating, the heat has to be lost through the drum.
Do you have ATC perhaps its malfunctioning?
I do have ATC but disconnected it to prove it and there was no difference so assume the ATC is not causing the rough ride, thanks
0 -
Dave since my earlier post on the same point you have now added that the instability is there when tried with 3 different cars. That really points to the caravan rather than your XC60. If the suspension as you descibe is 'lively' then carrying a normal in use load should certainly help. I note you are not complaining of swaying which is often down to too light a nose weight, poor weight\load placement or incorrect tyre presures so perhaps it is pointing more to extra weight and more careful loading. The only time I had an instability issue arise was on a change of caravan tyres when it transpire the ply rating was lower than required causing too much flexing. However if you caravan is new you would expect it to be correctly set up. It might be worth checking that the correct grade of tyres were fitted for your weight of caravan.
0 -
Dave since my earlier post on the same point you have now added that the instability is there when tried with 3 different cars. That really points to the caravan rather than your XC60. If the suspension as you descibe is 'lively' then carrying a normal in
use load should certainly help. I note you are not complaining of swaying which is often down to too light a nose weight, poor weight\load placement or incorrect tyre presures so perhaps it is pointing more to extra weight and more careful loading. The only
time I had an instability issue arise was on a change of caravan tyres when it transpire the ply rating was lower than required causing too much flexing. However if you caravan is new you would expect it to be correctly set up. It might be worth checking that
the correct grade of tyres were fitted for your weight of caravan.Tirril, Thanks for your reply, Tyres checked ok but tyre pressures reduced by 7psi at recommendation of CC technical advisor. Latest test tow was with a reduced nose weight from 90kg (Car's limit) to 81kg and with 25ish kg of load over the caravan axle,
the ride was somewhat better but still jerky and nowhere as smooth as my previous V70 and Swift caravan. Halfway round the test route I took the 25kg of load out of the car and put it in the car, the noseweight went up to 83kg and the tow was back to pitching
uncomfortable jerky ride.Without the 25kg load there was not agreat lot in the van other than battery, mover, gas bottle and some of the stuff we would normally take away excluding clothes, food, Aquaroll, and hook up cable with nothing at all under the bed. So with the 25kg test
it may indicate that I need to load up the van more but we are always and have always been below the max weight limit and surely that is best ie light as possible van and heavier car. Our car to caravan weight ratio is 84%The Other two cars used were my V70 which was a little light but still less than 100% and a Ford Kuga which is halfway between the V70 and the XC60.Both these cars were used when there was a fault on the ATC unit, now changed and I think the symptoms of
the faulty unit masked the current towing condition. V70 seemed a bit skittish so changed to XC60. Kuga seemed ok but we were concentrating on the ATC fault effect but when towed with the ATC disabled it seemed fine.I think I need to fully load the van and try again
0 -
When we had an Antara the ride was terribly bumpy and it pitched too, it really was terrible. In fact, as it was our first caravan I and I thought that was normal, we nearly sold the caravan.
Well, thank heavens we didn't because when I went back to a V70 and towed the caravan it was a real pleasure, no bouncy, bumping or pitching even on the roughest roads, just smooth towing.
I suspect that because the XC60 is 4x4 and has harsher suspension, that's why you're having a bad time, the Ford Kuga is the same type of car, in fact they are both the same car pretty much which may explain why you're getting the same towing experience
with both cars.I hope I'm wrong because I'm considering buying an XC60 very soon to replace our V70, only because Volvo have stopped making the V70 or I'd have another one. In fact I may just dump Volvo completely because they have gone down the looking good route with
the V90 rather than the practical they had with the V70.
0 -
Hi there, I've had a sucession of XC60s and I found that the R-Design variant produced an unpleasant pitching sensation if I was not careful with the van noseweight. I changed to the SE-Lux two cars ago (which has a different suspension) and find the ride
much less sensitive to noseweight. I still notice sometimes although it is never uncomfortable. I bought an electronic noseweight gauge to ensure I loaded correctly. My first XC60 had variable suspension (CCC?) and it was not good either on any setting, hence
I have not ordered it since!0 -
My XC60 was initially prone to pitching but after I swapped tyres from the factory fitted Pirellis to Nokian Z-Line SUV (A Finnish manufacturer) it`s been very steady.
It`s also better with the van loaded.
0 -
I've been following this thread with some interest, my xc60 is a 2016 model D5 SE LUX NAV AWD. Presently I'm on a european tour and towing with a nose weight of around 90kg my van does not have ATC and I have the standard 18" Pirellis on the car psi 39
I have no issues and I've towed in some pretty poor weather over the past few weeks. I tend to agree with others this seems to be a van issue.0 -
When we had an Antara the ride was terribly bumpy and it pitched too, it really was terrible. In fact, as it was our first caravan I and I thought that was normal, we nearly sold the caravan.
Well, thank heavens we didn't because when I went back to a V70 and towed the caravan it was a real pleasure, no bouncy, bumping or pitching even on the roughest roads, just smooth towing.
I suspect that because the XC60 is 4x4 and has harsher suspension, that's why you're having a bad time, the Ford Kuga is the same type of car, in fact they are both the same car pretty much which may explain why you're getting the same towing experience
with both cars.I hope I'm wrong because I'm considering buying an XC60 very soon to replace our V70, only because Volvo have stopped making the V70 or I'd have another one. In fact I may just dump Volvo completely because they have gone down the looking good route with
the V90 rather than the practical they had with the V70.I am beginning to miss my V70 it was so comfortable and towed my previous van with ease and without a twitch. But unfortunately it did not really feel in control of my new van so opted for the XC60 as being heavier I thought it would be fine and all read
reviews seemed to praise it as a tow car.Dave
0 -
I towed a Smart Fortwo today on an A frame. What surprised me was how much it I was aware it was there considering its size & weight compared to our caravan that is half as heavy again, I could feel a few bumps & knocks. I set my cruise for 50 mph the whole
journey .... I usually tow the caravan at 60-ish. The caravan has a damper on the draw bar whereas the A frame just has a hitch directly bolted to the box section.I wonder if there is a hitch/damper fault on the OP's caravan
PS Other than from a performance point of view - though it's still capable of licence losing speeds.... I really don't know the caravan is on the back when towing it.
Hi Mollysmummy, Thanks for your reply. I had suggested the damper to the dealer as i felt the caravan brakes were coming on far too readily, he says it is OK and adjusted the brakes away from the drums but I think that the drums are way too hot after only
a few miles but he ensures me that they are normal but when i checked yesterday I could not keep my fingers on them, the car discs were quite hot also so maybe they are OK, dunno.Dave
Does the hitch damper easily compress? I can't on mine
Hitch stabiliser seems OK shows as new wear condition and is as usual hard to push down. Dave
0 -
Hi there, I've had a sucession of XC60s and I found that the R-Design variant produced an unpleasant pitching sensation if I was not careful with the van noseweight. I changed to the SE-Lux two cars ago (which has a different suspension) and find the ride
much less sensitive to noseweight. I still notice sometimes although it is never uncomfortable. I bought an electronic noseweight gauge to ensure I loaded correctly. My first XC60 had variable suspension (CCC?) and it was not good either on any setting, hence
I have not ordered it since!John, Thanks for your reply. What noseweight figure do you aim for with the SE Lux as that is my model and how accurate do you have to be?
Thanks
Dave
0 -
I've been following this thread with some interest, my xc60 is a 2016 model D5 SE LUX NAV AWD. Presently I'm on a european tour and towing with a nose weight of around 90kg my van does not have ATC and I have the standard 18" Pirellis on the car psi 39
I have no issues and I've towed in some pretty poor weather over the past few weeks. I tend to agree with others this seems to be a van issue.Thanks for your reply from sunny Portugal, envy envy!
I tried 39psi all round and the ride was very harsh so bad that aftre 3 miles I reduced them to 35psi. Do you just increase the pressures in the rear tyres, as I have usually done previously, or do you increase all four tyres?
I am unsure whether the van or car is at fault only suggestion from Coachman was "plenty of noseweight" no figure offered and "load sensibly but do not overload under the bed" The only weight over the axle is the fridge and cooker so everything else is forward
of the axle increasing noseweight or under the bed balancing noseweight and inducing instability. I am beginning to wish I had not bothered upgrading the car or the caravan.Thanks
Dave
0 -
My XC60 was initially prone to pitching but after I swapped tyres from the factory fitted Pirellis to Nokian Z-Line SUV (A Finnish manufacturer) it`s been very steady.
It`s also better with the van loaded.
Hi thanks for your reply.
I have just looked up some reviews of Pirelli pzero rosso tyres as fitted to my xc60 and three XC60 and two XC90 drivers did not like the tyre because of the stiff pitching ride, noise and tramlining. The feel ing was that these tyres are not for a SUV or
AWD car but more of a performance tyre which needs hard driving to get the tyres upto a high operating temperature to get the best from the tyre. Oh dear!0
