Driving in windy conditions

[Fallais]

just wondering what people think about driving in windy conditions. I have a Compass CV40 , do I need to worry about strong winds? What are current owners experiences ?

 

[68c]

Motorhomes carry most of their weight low down so probably not a major problem. We were parked behind a pub on cliff top near Brighton in a real gale, rocked so much in the middle of the night we moved into the lee if the pub. Still blowing in the morning, unsure if safe to drive. Then a double decker bus drove by!
So we set off, hardly noticed the wind despite seeing the trees rolling about

 

[Lenny HB]

The CV40 is only a PVC so you won't have any trouble it won't be much worse than driving a car.
If really worried about it get air suspension fitted, our van used to really rock on exposed French roads when artics coming the other way passed us. Since having full air suspension fitted it's rock solid, expensive but worth every penny.

 

[Two on Tour]

We have just the air assist on the rear axle which make a much steady ride than the standard rear setup, plus I have the controls for our air assist on the dash and I can stiffen up the suspension if needed for windy conditions on the move.

 

[Cheshirecat57]

As Lenny observed, you will be fine in a CV40

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[David and Sally]

Stay off the curries

 

[CamperJack]

I noticed a fairly big difference in the van (a Boxer L3H2) compared with the car (Hyundai i20) when driving in the wind. It's not been windy enough to stop me yet. But I've not had it that long and most of the time I've had it we've been grounded by the pandemic. I just slow down and take it steady.

 

[dunnah01]

Don't really notice the wind when driving our 8.0m long x 3.0m high low-line. Drop down stabilisers help a lot to reduce rocking when parked up. Seen 70mph gusts quite happily although the satellite dish collapsed at about 30mph when I forgot to retract it

 

[DiggerJon]

My smallish coach built is a bit skittish in windy conditions; the worst time was coming back from Tarifa in southern Spain on a very exposed road where doing more than 40 mph was dangerous. No wonder the hillsides were full of wind turbines spinning away merrily!

 

[Mountain man]

No problem with our CV 40 in the wind slight bit of buffeting but nothing that lifting your foot wont cure.
Any pictures of the new van.

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[bigwood]

Our Rienza is quite slab sided and we have had a couple of interesting drives in high wind. We were in Norfolk for storm Dennis and the high winds last September.
On a couple of occasions between Boston and Kings Lynn were the A16 /A17 crosses the fens we have been battered by high winds. The biggest problem was when a truck passed in the other direction. The sudden stop in the buffeting caused a bit of interesting handling.
Take you’re time and ignore the idiots that want to push past you.

 

[pelican]

Wind the awning in before you pull away

 

[dunnah01]

Wind the awning in before you pull away

Or open it on the roof to act as a huge sail

 

[The Coops]

A relaxed the grip on the steering wheel is the key, if you react to a gust you start overcompensating and the wobbles set in, just let the van be *blown* in reality no more than a few inches and no problem, when you grip the wheel and over compensate the problems arise, a bit disconcerting at first but it does work

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Newer Sprinter based vans have sidewind assist, we have it on ours and high winds present no problem so assume it is doing what it is supposed to do! Do Fiat / Peugeots have that as well?

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[bigtwin]

Whether or not it’s a problem rather depends on how strong the wind is. There’ll be a point where it is a problem. The trick is not having to drive under those circumstances.

Ian

 

[bigwood]

The last time we came back from Cromer the site started emptying on the Saturday but we said it can’t last all weekend. By Sunday morning we were one of the only ones left on site.
The open bits on the way back didn’t seem too bad as it was mostly head on. When we got north of the Wolds the wind changed direction then it was a fight for the rest of the journey.
We couldn’t stay on the site and had to come back to rescue Muttly from our daughters.
I didn’t check the fuel consumption but we seemed to use more fuel than normal.

 

[Lenny HB]

I didn’t check the fuel consumption but we seemed to use more fuel than normal.

We can get 26 mpg with a bit of a tail wind, strong side or head wind down to 22 mpg.

 

[bigwood]

When I doing recovery work my Transit 190 petrol with an 18 ft trailer loaded with a Granada Estate on it used a full tank of petrol between Grimsby and Rotherham. It was a bit windy but the hill south of the A1 on the M18 had me down to second gear with my foot planted to the floor.

 

[Grummyb]

I love this site the op was a question about driving in strong winds which has a dead simple answer if your not comfortable with the driving conditions stop and wait till the bad weather has subsided,
But all of a sudden we have people bleating on about mpg or having to go back and rescue a dog or bigwood going on about a transit petrol (2 litre v4 I suspect) with a Granada on the trailer no of which are helpful or informative for the original question but it is just like being in the pub at closing time on a Friday night

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[Lenny HB]

I love this site the op was a question about driving in strong winds which has a dead simple answer if your not comfortable with the driving conditions stop and wait till the bad weather has subsided,
But all of a sudden we have people bleating on about mpg or having to go back and rescue a dog or bigwood going on about a transit petrol (2 litre v4 I suspect) with a Granada on the trailer no of which are helpful or informative for the original question but it is just like being in the pub at closing time on a Friday night

I see you are a Newby on here, lighten up its a Fun forum all threads go off topic at some point, all adds to the fun.

 

[Grummyb]

I'm a newby on here Lenny but I'm an old hand at off topic conversations at closing time on a friday night

 

[CamperJack]

I miss the pub!

Sorry. That's not relevant is it? Must try harder.

if your not comfortable with the driving conditions stop and wait till the bad weather has subsided,

Best advice has been given by yourself though Grummyb !

 

[bigwood]

Sorry if I took things out of line. It was a 2 litre Pinto engine not the V4.
As said its sometimes better to wait out storms and high winds if you can. Unfortunately last time we had to travel but left a day early so we could take our time and stop more often.
Were we were pitched on the site must have been the highest point on the North Norfolk coast. It was the last pitch when we booked. Had we been able to stay we would have moved to a more sheltered pitch.

 

[glenn2926]

I love this site the op was a question about driving in strong winds which has a dead simple answer if your not comfortable with the driving conditions stop and wait till the bad weather has subsided,
But all of a sudden we have people bleating on about mpg or having to go back and rescue a dog or bigwood going on about a transit petrol (2 litre v4 I suspect) with a Granada on the trailer no of which are helpful or informative for the original question but it is just like being in the pub at closing time on a Friday night

All of what you have written is true. It’s brilliant isn’t it? For me it’s one of the best things about this forum. I love how threads drift off course and I have learned loads of stuff by reading threads I initially thought don’t interest me.

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[bigtwin]

I love this site the op was a question about driving in strong winds which has a dead simple answer if your not comfortable with the driving conditions stop and wait till the bad weather has subsided,
But all of a sudden we have people bleating on about mpg or having to go back and rescue a dog or bigwood going on about a transit petrol (2 litre v4 I suspect) with a Granada on the trailer no of which are helpful or informative for the original question but it is just like being in the pub at closing time on a Friday night

All of what you have written is true. It’s brilliant isn’t it? For me it’s one of the best things about this forum. I love how threads drift off course and I have learned loads of stuff by reading threads I initially thought don’t interest me.

Oi! You missed the opportunity to call him out on his negativity!

Ian

 

[carolyn]

We have a PVC and I’m not a nervous driver at all. I’ve only once been really scared in high winds and that was driving from Bilbao to Santander to catch the ferry, I was really fighting to keep the van steady on bits. There were a few accidents. If I hadn’t been heading for the ferry I wouldn’t have carried on .
The crossing was fine fortunately once we got away from land.

 

[glenn2926]

Oi! You missed the opportunity to call him out on his negativity!

Ian

That’s because I wasn’t really sure he/ she was. If they are being negative then it doesn’t matter what I say they’ll find something that’s not right

 

[Themselves]

I thought this would be thread about a huge boat on the Suez Canal.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

In a PVC you'll be fine in most normal to high winds. Just accept it isn't a performance vehicle, and won't handle like a car, so drive to the conditions being prepared to slow down a little - but to be honest even on motorways I find 65mph is more than enough in normal conditions or the mpg really starts to suffer. If they are saying on the traffic reports that they are closing bridges to high sided vehicles, that is the time to worry ....

In Sept 2019 I went up to the tip of Scotland. It was very very blowy. The van was new to me, by about a month, and I've never driven anything close to this size before. You just had to stay aware and give yourself a bit of space. Choose your timing if you are going to go past a heavy vehicle on the motorway as they might be giving shelter as you pass and then you feel the gust. Similarly they might need space to react. It's the unsheltered viadict type spaces you need to take most care. As I crossed the Kessok Bridge to the Moray Firth, the bus in front on the bridge effectively drove down the centre line of the carriageway so he had space to adjust. But my Ducato felt quite fine, perhaps because we were at a sensible speed.

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