Volvo XC60 bumpy ride when towing
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 ?
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Don’t what what weight your van is, but I used to have a Volvo (2013, apparently same model as yours) towing a Swift van with transverse double bed, and found it a great and stable combo. Certainly not an uncomfortable ride as you describe.
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I am running at 90kg or very close as recommended in caravan manual and that is the maximum weight for the towball.
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Yes checked the nose weight and it was as it should be at 90kg. The problem is with the configuration of the van the only contained floor storage is under the bed at the rear of the van.
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With the the condition of UK roads it does not take much to give the feeling of a bouncy ride and with a rear fixed bed caravan a lot of weight is in the rear as usually there is a lot of storage space? under the bed
so load over the axle if possible,we have not had things "go forward" when travelling1 -
And I thought that both of us would have cottoned on that when weight is moved from bed to over axle the nose weight will increase and not reduce.
What I should have said is that moving that weight forwards will overload the tow hitch. Mind you if he moved stuff from under the front lockers to balance that and built a nice pile over the axle ..........
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An interesting thread that seems to be going south and degenerating into a squabble.
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I know what you mean Lorna. I simply believe that if the OP moves stuff from underbed forwards that to maintain the noseweight something will have to move rearwards. Personally my belief is that if the noseweight is OK the fact that chairs are under the fixed bed is irrelevant..
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Tow a Swift Challenger 560 with a 2016 XC60 D4 AWD. Had a similar experience with a bit of a bumpy ride, never experienced swaying particularly, so was quite happy had got the loading balance about right.
Always checked and adjusted tyre pressures to either towing pressures or daily use pressures. Forgot to do it one day and left the car tyre pressures at 35psi, perfectly comfortable ride. Talking to a mate of mine who owns a successful tyre shop and he says that if you happy you have got the caravan loaded about right and you are getting either bumpy rides or apparent swaying get the cars wheel geometry checked out, if one of those adjustments out then it may be just be exaggerated by that big white wobbly thing hanging off the back of the car..
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Thanks Jacko, I wonder because my van is about 100kg heavier if it just exaggerates the problem. I always keep the tyre pressures as they should be, however I use Tyre Pal and notice that when the van tyres are up to temp the pressures increase to 71psi but I guess thats normal.
I even changed the caravan tyres to Firestones but it made no difference at all. The club suggested lowering the pressures to 57psi.
As we don't carry anything that is heavy it is quite difficult to place heavy items over the axle.
I will probably get the tyre geometry checked as I am running out of ideas. I am trying to find a lighter caravan I can tow to see if there is a significant difference it would be cheaper to change the van than the car but we do like the Coachman.
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Phil and Mike
We run a 2015 Volvo XC70 with standard suspension (not Nivomat self levelling) and tow a Elddis with rear bed storage too. Tow bar can carry 90kg max and when the van is fully fully laden It is 1500kg.
When I first bought it it had Continental tyres, despite them being the correct load rating they were very bouncy as you describe, in fact I would also say squirmy. This is the 2nd tow car with Conti's that I found to be as described.
I too played around with nose weights but also found my spring loaded nose weight gauge was inaccurate by 15kg so bought a digital gauge.I currently run at 85kg.
When I changed the tyres through necessity, I opted for Pirelli as that is what Volvo listed as OE for my car. Identical rating. Transformed the ride when towing.
I run the tyres at max recommended pressure of 41 psi if on a long break and we are carrying next doors kitchen sink but if on a short weekend away with not much stuff I run at 38 psi. Less pressure does make it even smoother but I am mindful of tyre heat. The solo tyre pressure for my car is 35 psi. Not sure what yours are rated at. See the sticker on the B post.
In the van there is no more than 10kg of stuff at the back. All other stuff is at the front and on the floor just slightly forward of the axle to give the desired nose weight.
With regards to restraining moving loads I find a cargo bar from Milenco to be really usefulClick this linky....
I know my car is not an XC60 and my van is not a Coachman but my issues were similar to yours.
HTH.
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Thanks for that. This is not the first time I have seen the tyres blamed for a bumpy ride and I anticipate changing them as soon as needed, however the car has only done 12340 miles and the rear ones are only down to 5mm so it would be a shame to throw them away.
Did you change all 4 tyres at the same time ? and did you consider Michelin tyres as I have heard they are good as well.
I am considering changing to a lighter van but again thats more cost.
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All four were changed.
The Conti's that came off had a load rating of 102 which equals to 950kg whilst the Pirelli are 97 which is 730kg Both makes had a V speed rating but the Conti clearly had stiffer sidewalls
Both were listed for the vehicle by Volvo and the tyre manufacturers.
The Pirelli were also a lot quieter which is consistent with sidewall stiffness, less transmitted noise.
My choice of Pirelli was based on what the car car could come out of the factory shod with although I did consider the Michelin Cross climates. Interestingly Michelin also recommend a similar load rating to Pirelli.
Have a look at your car and caravan tyres to see what load rating they are. Firestone are part of the Bridgestone Tyre Group. I had a set of Bridgestone tyres on a Subaru Outback. They were extremely hard wearing. If the rating for the van tyres is incorrect this may account for the harshness you are experiencing if there is excessive fore to aft pitching although I would be surprised.
My money is on car tyres as I am struggling to see that out of tolerance rear tracking geometry would cause your issue.
A new set of tyres is cheaper than a fresh van and all the faffing about to do so.
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I have recently changed all four tyres on my XC70 and chose Michelin all season SUV tyres instead of the Continentals, but they were more expensive. The rear still had 4.5mm tread after 42000 miles but wear was uneven.
So far I'm happy with the Michelins. The ride seems smoother and it's definitely quieter. Fuel consumption seems slightly better as well based on how far I get on a tank full. We don't see snow often in the south east so winter tyres aren't cost effective but hopefully all season tyres will cope on the odd occasion. Only time will tell how long they last.
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The Conti's on the car are rated at 103, so I will probably change for a tyre with the same rating. The problem is which one? I guess that bouncy ride possibly equates to soft side walls and I have seen a couple of reviews on Pirelli's that were quite negative.
As far as the caravan tyres are concerned they were replaced with a tyre of the same rating so I am hoping that is not the issue as far as the uncomfortable ride is concerned.
Which Pirelli tyres did you fit ? I am leaning towards changing my tyres now and putting the Conti's on ebay. How do you find out which tyre has the stiffer side wall ? I think it will probably be either Michelin or Pirelli's although I have considered the Swedish all season tyre Nokian but they seem to be aimed more at the Northern European market.
It would be a shame to buy four new tyres and not get a significant improvement.
Just out of interest my dog has travelled all over Europe in our motorhome but after a trip to the Cotswolds in the caravan now doesn't want to even get in the car it stressed him so much.
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I'm slightly confused. The title says ' bumpy' intimating a harsh ride which is consistent with your tyre rating ie hard sidewall but you also mention 'bouncy' suggesting a too soft side wall or too soft suspension. Which sensation are you experiencing?
My Pirelli tyres are Scorpion Verde
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Sorry for the confusion its a very bouncy ride I believe the correct term is pitching causing the car rear to move up and down and making the ride very uncomfortable, as I said earlier almost like the feeling you get when sea sick.
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have you thought about shock absorbers or rear springs. these might make a difference if uprated to stiffer ones. have a read of this.
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/advice/45361-how-to-boost-your-tow-cars-rear-suspension.
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Unfortunately MAD don't make a replacement progressive spring for my model of Volvo.
Volvo have also stated that if any part of the rear suspension is changed it may well invalidate the three year warranty and that included spring assistors even though I tried to argue that any modification would be a safety improvement.
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Ok.
If it was me I would get under the car an check there are no obvious signs of failed shockers/ broken springs or worn trailing arm bushes. Does the car sag when the van is attached? I take it the car is still under the Volvo Selekt warranty ?
If there are no faults experiment / check as follows.
1.Tyres - check what the maximum pressure is on the tyre casing then start from the solo tyre pressures all round & go for a test run with the caravan attached, working up to the economy pressure, then the full load pressure, then add more than recommended but below the maximum tyre pressure.
Evaluate - Was there any improvement. If so at what pressure ? If higher pressure improves the situation it suggests a stronger sidewall is required. If a lower pressure improves the situation it suggests your sidewalls are too strong and a lower rating may be the order of the day.
2. Nose weight - experiment with this starting at the maximum working back to about 5% of the fully laden weight.
Evaluate - Was there any improvement and at what weight. My ideal nose weight is just short of 6%. It really does change how it tows.
3. MTPLM - Load that van correctly . If you can gain access to a set of the Reich CWC portable scales check the laden weight. If not get on a weighbridge. Is the recorded weight similar to what you have recorded as you loaded the empty van? Or is it more than it should be. Mine was by just short of 100kg despite carefully weighing everything. I had to work under the cover of darkness to remove things my other half had put in that we did not need
. Is there an onboard water tank and do you empty it's? I always ensure my van is empty as far as water is concerned.Evaluate - Does it tow better now you laden it correctly/removed excess weight ?
4. The caravan suspension. Is it doing its job. Alko suspension is not unknown to fail. There is a thread on here.
All the above elements play a part in a decent towing experience.
....and then obtain accounts/ experiences of other XC60 drivers who tow.
Try on this forum. https://www.volvoforums.org.uk
There is an XC60 specific section and a towing section.
I still say tyres. They are the most influential piece of equipment on your car.
That said it is difficult to diagnose from a distance.
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Thanks for the comprehensive reply, I have already carried out some of the recommendations and will experiment with weights etc.
From your first reply when you mentioned changing tyres did you think the Conti's had stiff side walls and the Pirelli's were more flexible ?
As mentioned my current tyres are rated at 103 but I am considering changing to 107 XL's will this mean a stiffer tyre and a harder ride ? I will probably have to have this conversation with my tyre fitter.
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What you are describing is classic pitching, that feels not unlike mild seasickness. There are a number of older threads which mentions Volvo X60, some interesting answers. Seems to be getting the tyres right, the loading right. Trust the dog's instincts, he will know when ride is ok.
It can be down to a short wheelbase vehicle towing a long van, we occasionally got it with our small Jeep Wrangler when towing. It's not a nice sensation, and indeed had me throwing up on more than one trip!
We had two vans, a 13ft, which was ok all the time, and a 15ft, which was the pitcher. We solved it by leaving the 15footer down in Cornwall! Both towed beautifully behind our Cherokee. Longer wheelbase.0
