Caravan sway
I bought a Kia Sorento 65 plate every time i tow the caravan it feels like the caravan is swaying or moving its doing my head in I have had 2 mid range rear tyres fitted and a new tow ball could it be the tyres .I have been caravaning for ten years never had this before. Could it be the new towball or tow hitch pads any advice would be great.
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I apologise for giving some obvious advice to someone who has been caravanning for 10 years but here goes! There are a number of reasons why your outfit is unsteady. An imbalanced outfit ie tail wagging the dog is probably the main cause; the 85% ratio guide is a good starting point but you should be ok to 100%. Next noseweight;, you should be as close to the maximum as possible either hook limit or car limit, mine is 100kgs for both and I try to achieve 95kgs. Loading is linked to noseweight but avoid putting heavy items to the rear of the caravan as this can introduce a pendulum effect; put them over the axle. Caravan tyres, I am no expert but caravan tyres are different from normal road tyres, they are van tyres or ones specifically for trailers; perhaps someone with more expertise could expand on this one. Is the rear suspension of your car ok? Finally, tyre pressures on both caravan and tow car should be correct. Don't think that the tow ball or hitch pads will be the cause. Did you have this problem on your previous tow car? If the weight raitos are ok it is likely, but not certainly, to be with the car.
I'm sure others will give further advice but I have been caravanning for over 45 years and rarely have I had a swaying/snaking problem.
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Anyone else noticed this is the 3rd Post from 3 different owners who have the same car with stability issues? I know lots of people tow with them without issue but I wonder if the issue could be an aerodynamic one? i.e. something to do with the air turbulence in the space behind the tow car which some shapes of caravan are reacting too ?
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Yes it might be the car, or it might be the caravan. They are getting bigger and bigger with a huge sidewall sail area. Is that a possibility?
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I tow with a 17 plate Sorento, caravan is a 1800kg TA. It's the best combination I've had for stability and we have towed TA's with Jeeps, Galaxy's, Grand Voyagers and 13 plate Sorento, all with high towing ratio's. I would be looking at tyres if they are not the original Kumho "all weather" as fitted to mine. Also caravan loading or tyres. Or has the car had accident damage, check the suspension geometry with 4 wheel tracking.
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Is the OP referring to swaying or snaking?
Either can be seen in the rearview mirrors; preferably by a passenger.
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Thanks for the comments Its starting to do my head in lol .We had a Santa Fe before and it towed the same caravan with ease and no problems .We bought the Sorento because all the very good reviews but if i cant get to the bottom of this the car will have to go 😢
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A quick and almost cost free test will be to tow the caravan with a silimar size car, or use the OP's car to tow a similar caravan. Where the problem shows then will cut the speculation by half.
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Has anything moved in your storage area? For the first time in who knows how many years our van was 'twitchy' at 60mph recently. Stopped and checked everything out but only solved the problem when we had pitched up and I took out the quite heavy loungers from under the fixed bed. They were towards the rear at the 'pillow' end rather than the 'foot' end where they should be. On the way back when they were properly stowed nearer to the axle, rock solid again! Just a thought.
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