Guest Bill Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Have recently had a heart bypass operation and now find that the quality of ride in our Swift Royale 540 (Ducato 2.8 TD) is more than a little bumpy and bouncy - which doesn't agree too much with my cut-up bits and pieces.... Anyone out there with advice on how I can improve matters - or opinions on a comfortable alterative to the Ducato? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Better half has just pointed out that we have a 590 - not a 540. Senility creepping in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 How old is your Swift, please, Bill, and what's its maximum permitted weight? What make/model of tyres is it fitted with and what inflation pressures (front and rear) are you using? Any chance that you know the vehicle's actual axle-loads when it's fully loaded in 'holiday mode'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeteC Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Try the Renault range converted by Devon They give a smooth ride Have done several cross Alps roads and a few across unmaintained Sierras in Spain & Portugal It can travel all day at 75mph (110Kph) at 34mpg with a fulll load (3500kg) including roof rack & top box & 2 bikes on the back Clibs better than many cars did the Grossglockner and although we could get top gear (5th) it wasnt worth it because of the lenght of the straights. A report of a Swift on the same size engine couldnt get out of 2nd gear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clive Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 For a soft ride you would do a lot worse than get a motorhome conversion on a modern ambulance base. The best have totally air ride suspension, same a Rolls Royce and the latest Landrover Discovery LR3 believe it or not. On the other hand, you will find that in a matter of a few months your internal bits and pieces will be far less tender to movement. Good luck and keep taking the pills! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest martin Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Sorry this is a little long ... I sympathise totally - but what the vehicle is or isn't won’t solve your problem, and I would suggest it has really has little to do with your what you're experiencing. Without going into my own long medical history, (send a self addressed envelope to receive that!) I have two scars across my abdomen: one just below the diaphragm which is like an upturned smiley face, called in medical parlance a “bucket handle” and another below the navel adding up to about three feet of 'gash'. So I understand exactly your problem. I get quite sore when the seat belt pulls me back into the seat, so I'm forced to resonate with it and the van. For me life is easier without the belt as I sit up away from the seat using my pelvis muscles, which are intact, to absorb the lumps and bumps! So I move more freely and my posture is better. I've learnt to use my lower body to absorb the shocks and protect my upper torso. I’ve made one donation to the French government for no seatbelt and now use a paperclip to keep it loose especially where the lap belt and scar tissue coincide – no lectures from the safety first folk please. I simply keep a little slack in it so I'm not so tightly constrained. Having been cut through the sternum you may be over compensating by using your shoulders to protect the wound (says the nurse I live with). The fact is that when deep muscle and nerves are cut they never grow back as they were. (Surgeons don't tell you that!) You may have adhesions – which I certainly do, which add to the feeling of tugging and ten years post surgery I am still aware of some very weird sensations! It'll take well over a year to really settle down - another thing you learn and aren't told! It'll get easier - but it's you, not the van. Cushions may make it easier. Some other solution may work for you. "Learn to live with it", may sound harsh advice but Clive is right that time is a great healer. Talk to your nurse practitioner or physio at the clinic about it and take joy in the fact that you’re vertical and above ground! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Posted September 2, 2005 Share Posted September 2, 2005 To Derek. The motorhome is year 2000 and has done 31,000. The tyres are the originals Michelin X Radials 215/70 and the pressures front and rear are 5 bar. Don't know any of the other details. Regards Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bill Posted September 2, 2005 Share Posted September 2, 2005 Thank you so much for all the replies and the sensible comments. It is much appreciated. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Derek Uzzell Posted September 2, 2005 Share Posted September 2, 2005 It's probable that your tyres are actually Michelin's dreaded XC Camping pattern, and (from the tyre dimension you quote) I expect your Royale's maximum permitted weight is 3400kg. The 5 bar (that's about 73psi) tyre-pressures you are employing will be contributing significantly to your Swift's present harsh ride. I'm not going to rabbit on again about unneccessarily high pressures being used with this Michelin tyre: if you search the forum on "XC Camping" you'll find more than enough on that subject. Sufficient to say that I'm confident your motorhome's ride could be improved by a downwards adjustment in pressures (particularly in the front tyres). If you can do as I mentioned initially - obtain (via a weighbridge) the motorhome's actual axle-loads when it's fully loaded in 'holiday mode' - then Michelin would be able to advise you on suitable pressures that would combine comfort with safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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