Kia Sorento - caravan snaking

Mollieperkins
Mollieperkins Club Member Posts: 15
in Towcars & Towing #1
I’m looking for some advice. I’ve just bought a 2020 new shape Sorento 2.2 diesel to tow my Coachman 575 vip I’ve had a tow bar with dedicated wiring. I took it on a test drive down a dual carriageway I was doing less than 60 mph when the caravan started snaking for no apparent reason conditions were good nose weight 100 kg, could the Kia Sorento's Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) be conflicting with the ATC on caravan?
PS I have been towing for 6 years with a Kuga & never had this issue before.
Any advice please is appreciated.

Answers

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,355
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    #2

    In over 20 years of towing the only time I have experienced "a moment" was due to low tyre pressures. I do however find that if I run at the suggested maximum nose weight the car the car does not feel as balanced as I'm taking the weight away from my front wheel drive and obviously steering.

    Also a quick Google comes up with a MIRO of 1504kg and a MTPLM of 1660kg. I'm guessing you have a mover fitted, so that's 30kg off your payload and a very slim 126kg payload. I'm guessing you are very close or over your weight limit.

    Colin

  • Simon100
    Simon100 Club Member Posts: 674
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    #3

    I had a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, a kissing cousing to your Sorento. I also was not impressed by the stability until I switched off the Lane Keep Assist when towing. That stopped any twichiness that I was experiencing. I was towing a Coachman Laser 665 with an MTPLM of 1800 (I had replated the caravan)

    If you have LKA, or whatever KIA call it, it would be worth switching it off and seeing if it works for you. Knowing both Sorento's, which I had before the Santa Fe, I doubt if weight is the issue.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 14,369
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    #4

    Does your Sorento have Self Levelling Suspension? The reason I ask is that back in 2006 I purchased, new, one of the original Sorento diesel autos with SLS. Three years later I swapped if for the updated model, more powerful engine but without SLS. There was a marked difference in stability in certain circumstances, the one with SLS being better.

    David

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,859
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    #5

    If this was a test run was the caravan empty as empty caravans can be a bit twitchy and the car would not be loaded to what would be normal towing levels. I have found towing a near empty caravan with an almost empty car doers change the handling quite a bit.

    If it was loaded then possibly there is a problem there and getting heavier weights low down and central might help if they were elsewhere..

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,874
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    edited May 6 #6
    https://clubtogether.caravanclub.co.uk/discussion/comment/877231#Comment_877231

    I agree with @Wildwood, we tow with a Sorrento and if we're just going away for a few days we'll have our clothes in the car and just pick up the caravan from storage and go. When we're going away for longer we'll load the caravan before and there is certainly a difference in how the caravan behaves when it if loaded more.

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