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 Topic: Alko STC Not working
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15/8/2016 at 8:50pm
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firstly you are braking the law by driving at such speed on the a30!, try backing off the speed first!
depending on which part of the a30 you are restricted to 50 on a single carriageway or 60 on dual carriageway
no point just giving us the info on the caravan we need to know what your car and its engine size and year is to double check matters correctly
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15/8/2016 at 9:02pm
Location: Ilkeston. Derbyshire
Outfit: Disco 4 Unicorn Barcelona 4
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and besides that seems that towing light on NW, If you carrying all that in car?
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Cheers
Ray
Discovery 4 & Bailey Barcelona 4
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15/8/2016 at 9:03pm
Location: Harrogate Yorkshire.
Outfit: Skoda Octavia 4x4 & Compass Omega 482
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Weight distribution, noseweight, tyre pressures car and caravan, speed, 60mph is the legal limit on dual carriageways and above. A well matched balanced unit does not need any stabilisation, it's there for secondary protection.
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Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0TDi 4x4 (2012) towing a Compass Omega 482 (2014)
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15/8/2016 at 9:11pm
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noseweight for that caravan is 113kg however if you are using the car in your profile pic then your max is 90kg
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15/8/2016 at 9:15pm
Location: Lichfield
Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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The simple answer is you were travelling too fast with a caravan in tow especially those who have anti-snaking gadgets like yourself who get complacent and think it's a magic wand to permanently cure any swaying. The science behind is that if you have a head wind speed of say 20 mph. and you are doing 55 mph. the pressure on the front of the caravan is actually proceeding at 75 mph. so the faster you go the more likely of losing control of the steering. When you extend the speed to beyond the limits of safety the wind pressure at the front of the caravan will start to lift the hitch and towball which will start to lift the rear of the car leaving just the two front wheels on the ground which stability is lost creating the snaking process. This is exactly what happened in your case but there are other factors such as having the correct noseweight etc. but they recommend not to tow in excess pf 60 mph. for a valid reason which you chose to ignore and put your lives and others in danger.
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15/8/2016 at 11:44pm
Location: Teesside
Outfit: Challenger Sport 524 + Volvo V90 D5
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The ATC will be working but It's programmed to cut in under certain circumstances only, either a couple of violent snakes or several smaller ones.
Being sucked towards a lorry, though disconcerting if unexpected, will not activate it. When it does activate it merely brakes both caravan wheels to slow things down, and you would feel this very clearly in your car. It's not anything like as sophisticated as a car stability system.
From what you say about loading the van, weight seems to be at the sides and perhaps the rear, but not at the front and not on the floor (which would aid stability). I would experiment with this, notwithstanding your desire for a mid-journey cuppa, and also check your noseweight is at the towbar max.
With regard to your speed, while this was illegal it should not be dangerous per se, in the same way cars don't become dangerously unstable at 75mph. I understand that modern caravans and tyres are rated to around 80mph should the law permit. But air turbulence and resistance build exponentially, both from your own rig and from other traffic, so these factors at 65mph are much greater than at 60mph. This is why I get 35mpg at 56mph, but at only 4 mph more this drops to 28 - or less again with a headwind.
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Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.
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16/8/2016 at 1:00pm
Location: County Durham
Outfit: Explore 304
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I always put the awning in the caravan when towing, plus I put it directly over the axel and have never had any snaking.
I agree with others that I've had my van pull (or pushed) when being overtaken by vans etc. but these are only minor and quickly settle themselves down.
Also, like everyone has said, a well loaded caravan doesn't really need stability control, load up a van properly with the right nose weight, and you should never get a snake.
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17/8/2016 at 10:05pm
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Hi Kieth
I have a post here on this subject look for "Caravan Stability." Until you have a device like my Differential Stability you will always be subject to the possibility of uncontrolled lateral snake. ATC will only assist you in the event you encounter the many combinations that trigger the so called snake. The reality is that since there has never been a solution, until now, that actually stops snaking from occurring proactively in the first place many adopt inconclusive methods - speed control, weight distribution, ridiculous hitch friction devices, and so on. I have over 40 years of study on the subject of vehicle stability issues in all types of vehicles mainly commercial and I have covered this one in the posting mentioned above. On the subject of weight distribution without my stability system you need to follow these guidelines.
Assuming all your Tyre pressures are correct, load your car with all the gear you can first, load your excess payload evenly along the van floor to avoid stressing the floor with point loads, ensure that you bias your load to the limit of your tow bar capacity.
I have encountered a particular issue when all the above have been followed through it was discovered that if the overrun damper is duff the van can "bounce" on the tow vehicle and allows the van brakes to apply on and off rapidly and destabilize the tow vehicle thus creating uncontrolled snake.
Just one of many things that occur without a true stability control system.
John
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21/8/2016 at 2:08pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: sold van so looking for a nice tent
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ATC is a safety aid, it's not a magic pill.
If the green light is on, it's fine (it does a little self diagnostic' when you first connect it.
I'd be more inclined to look at unequal tyre pressures on the van or loose wheel nuts/bearings.
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Rich
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21/8/2016 at 5:05pm
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S
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The ATC if functioning as designed would have addressed the snake but you would have been aware of it happening.
That you escaped to retry it and can report back without also reporting the thing flipped over suggests that after a fashion it was operating. If its operating was not very evident then it needs checking by somebody competent to do so; easier said than found IMO. Even towing with my 260 BHP car the van's ATC makes its presence known as it gives reassuring checks if I flick it too enthusiastically out of roundabouts, as it should.
That you got into this predicament can be from several causes that include such things as poor vehicle characteristics, poor weight distribution and tram grooves in the road. The easiest to check is that the noseweight is as high as the kit you have tolerates.
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21/8/2016 at 9:19pm
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Hi Keith,
Most experienced caravan users have learn to live with the possibility of an uncontrolled lateral sway the difficulty for most is knowing when it is just a normal sway when something passes and when it swings back increasing in velocity and it can become tiresome on a long run especially with ATC cutting in to govern the speed at which you can go. For caravans it is quite common for the period of oscillations to become worrying when the speed exceeds 50mph. The device I have developed ensures that there is automatic correction at very low levels of sway ( 3-4 degrees) and without the need for speed correction to change the period rate. On my outfit taking a roundabout a little too fast with the two bikes on the back would normally lead to a large outswing of the van but this just cannot occur with DSS because the relevant side brake immediately pulls the van back inline, you do not even feel the operation it is so fast.
One day it will be available to all.
John
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