[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

Originally Posted by outnumbered

HI ALL
would like your opinion on the above, i have nivomats on the rear at the moment, i have had no issues untill recently, i have changed my caravan miro 1286 mtplm 1420. my old van was miro 1102 and mtplm 1300 or there abouts. i havent yet full loaded the new van and last weekend went away with the van not loaded to the maximum , when i hitched up the back end dropped silghtly which is understandable, when i load up for 2 weeks and you take a lot more the back end is going to drop more. i have been offered monroe shocks the ones that u pump up brand new for free , do i stick or twist to monroe. your thoughts please.
1996 850 tdi
mike

Well it shouldn't. Afterall, had you loaded the 'van correctly the nose weight would be the same and would have had NO MORE of an effect on the car to your previous 'van. As DLM48 says:

Originally Posted by DLM48

Surely you have to load your caravan so that the weight on the tow hook is correct - a bigger heavier van should not affect the nose weight - dont you have a nose weight spring balance? Make sure the bigger heavier van is legal to tow with your car and if it still is fully legal when fully laden - load your van properly. This is not a shock absorber issue.

Originally Posted by outnumbered

hi all
i am not after what my nose weight is , or do i load the van correctly am i legal etc. i have been caravaning for over 30 years so i no a bit about the rules and regs. should have kept this one simple, i will try again for towing purposes nivomat or monroe.
thanks
mike
ps quote This may sound a stupid question but you do know how to load the caravan, don't you?? thanks des this is for you This may sound a stupid question but you do know how to use a computer dont you???? ditto.
thanks

Therefore, if you are loading the van correctly and the nose weight stays at 75Kg the ride height, and even the initial start height, will remain the same.
Which was why this begged the question "do you know how to load the 'van correctly?" An just because you have been doing this for 30 years doesn't mean you have been doing it right for 30 years, does it??

If your shocks have been on the car for x years then they will be "worn" and if 10+ years old with Nivomats they could well be at the stage where they would be due for replacment anyway (nothing to do with the way you load your 'van).
And on that basis a set of new free anything would be better than the worn Nivo's...

But whichever way you go, I WOULD find out what your vehicles maximum permissible nose weight is (and acquire yourself a tow hook scales), as if you are exceeding it you are liable to find you are not insured and are pulled for some traffic offence or other relating to the excessive load on the vehicle... But Hey!! That's your problem, not mine..

As for computers? I know diddly-squat about computers.. I can bearly hit the keyboard in the right places...

Des. . .