New car - less stable when towing
So we have just changed our Octavia 4x4 2 litre diesel for a 2 wheel drive 2 litre diesel Karoq. Much to my surprise, with the same van and similar loads in car and van as normal, the Karoq simply doesn't seem as stable on windy roads. Its not a major problem, and of course the roads may have made the difference. Could this simply be due to the car being slightly higher, or the relative lack of weight at the back now we no longer have the extra weight of the drive at the back?
Has anyone else experienced this?
I'm intrigued to know what the cause may be. In other respects, we prefer the Karoq - so no risk of extravagance going back to an Octavia.
Comments
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could it just be a difference in suspension that makes it feel different? My car has air suspension & the difference between the usual AUTO setting & the TRAILER is quite noticeable, you could tow in AUTO but the TRAILER setting is just that bit firmer so there's less movement of the caravan.
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Thanks for the suggestions.
Tyres were set as per Skoda guidelines for fully loaded car, though perhaps I will not set them as high for a future run as we didn't have the equivalent of 3 passengers + luggage. This may perhaps be more critical as we have thinner tyres than the Octavia (why do they put bigger wheels / thinner tyres on higher spec cars just to make them less comfortable? Daft idea) Towbar loading was 75 kg - OK for both car and van.
Not having air suspension, there is no adjustment for towing.
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I would suspect it's mainly due to the higher CoG/ride height and poorer aerodynamics of the Karoq compared to the Octavia, possibly combined with softer, longer travel suspension and higher sidewall tyres in the SUV making it more prone to body roll and that body roll being more apparent to the occupants because they are sitting higher.
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A number of possible factors as mentioned above. You might also want to check weight ratio as a quick search reveals that a 2014 Octavia 4x4 could be over 200kg heavier than the new 2wd Karoq
The Octavia is based on the Golf platform the Karoq on the Polo
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Hi
we expereince the same issue when we changed from a 2011 hyundai santa fe (firm but stable ride) to a 2017 santa fe. Everthing was loaded the same but the ride was much softer and wallowed around. We had a set of Mad auxillary springs fitted to the rear which resulted is a firm and stable ride again.
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I think you will find it is the smaller Kamiq that is based on the Polo. The Karoq is on the Golf platform.
I would suspect the back end of the Karoq is fairly stiff as was it's fore runner the Yeti, that I owned. The VW Touran that I owned and also based on the Golf was similar. All took a high boot load to get the rear short end to sit well and could result in a bit of a bouncy ride if you did not. If you upped the caravan nose weight to counteract this then the front end of the car could get a little light and I'm guessing lead to the feel you are experiencing.
With these vehicles I have towed 4 caravans and a trailer tent, ranging from 500kg to 1300kg. I have found they all towed best at a 55/60kg nose weight, which many will think low.
Colin
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Thanks for the additional comments.
FWIW, this Karoq has a higher towing capacity than our Octavia.
I also suspect the thinner sidewalls (which means, I think, that they have to be stiffer, so less absorbent) and higher ride. Interesting thought about the noseweight. I'll have to try adjusting that on the next trip in a couple of weeks time.
I'm not going to supplement / replace springs as it isn't that bad, and perhaps more to the point, am not towing every week, so it really doesn't seem worth it - but need to consider that for any future change of towcar.
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Apologies you are correct on the platform however when I compare say a 2015 Octavia 4x4 to a new Karoq the kerb weights are around 1500 and 1300Kg respectively. This could ha a large effect on the towed weight ratio. Combine this with the different tyres and dynamics of an SUV could change the stability.
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