terry1956 Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 The steering on my autotrail is very light, leading to a very uneasy drive.the van is upset by crosswinds or hgv,s. I have a feeling that the cab overhang is lifting the front end at speed leading to that overlight front end.i am thinking of fitting air rides to the rear to firm up the rear end and trim some of the weight up front.as anyone a van with overhang who have been able to improve the ride.michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Firming up the rear suspension is not really going to shift any weight forward. Check your fromt tyre pressures for a start as may be far too high, I would expect them to below 60psi and maybe as low as 50. It makes an amazing difference compared to max pressure of 69 ot 80 psi. Next check your front wheel tracking. If it is toed in or out too much it will affect steering a lot especially in cross winds, more so if toed out too much. Load the van with as much weight forward as possible and high cab overhangs do affect stability especally in cross winds and when lorrys pass. When my van was new and I was a newbie to all this I had 80 psi in the tyres and steering was toe way out un-beknown to me until I had done some 2k miles and realised the tyres were scuffing badly. It was extremely dangerous every time a lorry passed and would get blown away from it and then sucked back into it. A nightmare at times. Once I dropped the tyre pressures to 60 psi it was a lot better, then a lot better again with tracking sorted. It was never very good though and after changing the XC tyres to Agilis became an absolute pleasure to drive. If you have not dome so yet weight your axles in running order for a holiday and get the recommended tyre pressures from tyre manufacter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 thanks for input. I ran an A class van before and this overhang design is a nightmare at speed. I fitted air rides to the rear of the A class and it cut down the side to side motion a fair bit and did add a bit of weight feel to the steering. but I plan to check tire pressures today and see what happens. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford60 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 hi terry, How long have you been driving this motorhome without knowing the correct tyre pressures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney1 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 We have AT Scout which has the big overcab and a big overhang at the rear but not experienced the problems you are having and always found it rock steady. Tempting though it is, we avoid putting too much weight in the over cab and keep it low as possible generally finding the space under the dinette and the area between and just behind the cab seats the best for heavy items. Air pressure 70psi as recommended by the tyre manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 your never going to get as good fuel consumption or a decent driving experience with a large over cab, I know I had one! Pointless for a couple I think..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Hi, thanks for the replys.as to a large motorhome being pointless, well thats down to the person who owns it, not you JM. Anyway as to the tire pressure remark.answer one week. Anyway today checked all the pressures and found the front a bit high. These days I find myself in the motorway fast line more then I would like as the HGV, s play overtake with 1 mph different between them.michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 rude or what.....where did I say to large. was referring to the need for a large overcab that is all *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgnbuk Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 My first van was a CI Carioca 22 with an overcab bed & that got very light on the steering over 65 mph. It was also very sensitive to passing coaches & HGVs. I also put this down to the overcab acting like a wing & taking weight off the front with increasing speed & just travelled between 55 & 60 where there was less of a problem. This was also benificial to fuel consumption, with 28-29 mpg the norm at 55ish & 23mpg into headwinds or "pressing on". I don't think that the higher "commercial" chassis used by CI on this van helped either, as it made the whole thing higher (just over 3m at the overcab), requiring a double step to get into the habitation door at the rear. My current Roller Team T-line 670 on the low profile "camper" chassis & with a low profile front is much more stable all round & I have been up to 80 (on the Autobahns, on brief occasions ) without any sign of instability or lightening of the steering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I would follow Brambles advise regarding weight distribution, after tyre pressures. Especially if you have a long rear with any weight behind the rear axle overhang, the fulcrum effect will magnify any weight loss on the front axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 AutoTrails tend to be a bit high. Ours is a so called Super Low Line but I never feel at ease driving much above 60 overtaking lorries. Having said that we have never experienced a real problem. We do have the front tyres at the correct pressure obtained from the tyre manufacturers and try to keep the weight a low down and as far forward as possible. We are planning to downsize to an Auto Sleeper Warwick XL for next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 hi, thanks again. I have just come back from a run on the duel carriageway. I dropped the front tire pressure by 6 psi and also placed some more weight forward of the rear axle. This as helped a bit for sure. I am not really interested in MPG, if I was I would never go anywhere at all. I think I will keep the auto trail for a time as I am also using it as a base camp as I work on my house in Normandy with a view to selling the house when and if ever the market picks up. more then likely when France gets shot of their socialist nightmare of a government. It looks like 40 to 60mph is the answer for the time being. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmacz Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 40 to 60 is the best speed, any faster and it becomes unstable. Cross winds will always give trouble to a high sided vehicle and the overhang means it is one of the tallest motorhomes. Slow down and enjoy the scenery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 This is one of the reasons we stopped buying overcab coachbuilts years ago and had low profile ones instead, much more stable at high speeds and not anything like as much turbulence from hgvs etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve101 Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 The overcab is always going to cause a change to the handling characteristics. My first though was tire pressures too. Age of vehicle will have an effect too. If its a few years old the shocks and springs will also have an effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 update on this. I dropped the front tire pressures by 10psi, side walls still ok at this pressure. and I added some rear air rides. my auto trail as ben remapped to 170bhp and 370 ibs torque so the engine is a lot better then standard. anyway took the bus out on the 303 after fitting the air rides etc. lots of HGV,s around so easy to see if there was any improvement. well as you all know when over taking an HGV they sort of stuck you in and then force you out as you pass. before at 65mph or a little more the autotrail would go very very light at the front and rock and roll like a mad thing when coming out of the overtake. with the new set up the steering remains ok, and there is a lot less rock and roll. OK its not car like by any way but its know longer feels like I am driving on ice. so a big improvement all round. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve101 Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Glad it has got better for you. It is always nice seeing an improvement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 Thanks, I must say that if it had not improved it would of been sold. It remembered me of a morgan I once owned which was just not fit for purpose. anyway sorted now so happy bunny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Always wanted a Morgan - until I drove one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 O too true. I paid 47000 for a new morgan sports, always wanted one. It was delivery to my home from the factory on a low loader. the following two weeks were hell. the car was a bl---dy nightmare. slow was not the word. when the top was up you could not open the doors. the windscreen cracked overnight in the garage due to the frame being fitted wrong and the screws putting pressure on the glass. the suspension was locked on the front. it was just a joke. rust was starting on the inside of the Indian made wire wheels and it took me 6 months to get my money back. However I must say that even today I love the look of the car. .but its german cars these days and always will be until I kick the bucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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