Towing problems

[Chippy123]

New Volvo XC60 D5 Inscription Pro 2018 owner and just been away for the weekend towing a Swift Challenger 580 for the first time with it. Had the caravan for 5 years and towed caravans for 10 years in total, and towed generally for over 40 years, so not a newby. Previous vehicle for towing the Swift was a Merc Vito van for which I never had any issues.
I cannot pinpoint what the issue was but towing on the Motorway was 'interesting' with occasional snaking even with a car passing let alone anything bigger, and just a generally nervous ride. Alko ATC was working. Drive mode was set to Dynamic. Caravan was loaded no differently to the way it has always been loaded and nothing heavy to unbalance it. Tyre pressures checked on car and caravan and spot on. Towball load 100kgs. Was not exceeding 60mph (too 'exciting' anyway!).
Am I missing something?
Have seen various post on here about tyre makes having an effect. The rear tyres look to be fairly new and likely fitted just after the MOT a few months ago, but they are cheap Maxxis M3 Bravo 255/45R20 105V and the fronts part worn Michelin Lattitude Sport's (same spec).
Anybody any suggestions please as to what is going on? Air suspension issues?
Father-in-law has an older XC60 D4 towing exactly the same caravan and loves it and says he hardly notices it being there.

[Whyman]

I had no problems towing my Swift 580 all over the country and Europe.

Just one thought is it genuine Volvo electrics?

Only Volvo’s system allows the stability control on the vehicle to also look after the caravan.

Might be the tyres on the rear of the car. Try stopping the fronts and rears to see if it solves the problem.

[Chippy123]

Thanks Whyman. Planning a big Scandi tour next year so need to get to the bottom of it.
Volvo dealer fitted genuine retractable towbar for me when i bought it a month ago so should all be fine, but will contact them in case they didnt do something right. Certainly feels like stability control somewhere isn't right, but i had the Swift Command app on and that was saying ATC was active
I will try the tyre swap around as a starter as well. Not going to be cheap if i have to change tyres!!

[Whyman]

Good luck with your efforts to resolve your problems.

I changed my van last year and now tow a 845 Elegance Grande with absolutely no issues.

Very envious of your planned Scandi tour, always fancied turning left when we arrived at Zeebrugge but always went west to France and beyond.

[watto64]

Tyres may be an issue so check the tyre wall loading(101, 105, 107 etc) is correct for the car, On our last car the original hankooks were changed at 40k to michelin crossclimate SUV with extra load walls and you could feel the difference in stability when towing.

However i would also check the wear condition and cleanliness of the alko friction pads, where are they on the wear indicator? I always change the pads when having a new tow bar and your alko ones are half the price of our BPW hitch so laying out £25 before £££s on tyres is worth a go.

[Chippy123]

Tyres are well above the required minimum for a 2018 D5 AWD Auto which is 98V (they are 102 V).

This was the first trip out after changing the Alko side pads and the second trip since changing front and back pads, so cant be those. Just been approved caravan dealer serviced as well and brake pads changed (fed up with squealing and much better with Alko's new design pads fitted)

Still waiting for my Volvo dealer to get back to me with any thoughts they may have

Flummoxed is the expression i think!!

[37 RUBY]

My input on your issue relates to tyre brand not ratings and nose weight.

Twice I have had it whereby I had the correct size and rated tyres on cars ( a Toyota and our current Volvo XC70) but they produced a squirming effect...both times they were Continental. Twice I have refitted Pirelli's and cured the issue. Can't speak for the Maxxis you have fitted.

Re nose weight, it's worth bearing in mind that when you run at full hitch weight any downward pitching will then proceed to exceed the weight you put on in the first place, transferring it to the suspension. I run 10kg less than maximum on our XC70 and it tows fine.

I hope you find the answer. There's nothing worse than sawing away at the wheel like Jesse Duke from the Dukes of Hazard

[Mike A]

Just a thought ...as it is a new tow bar make sure you have removed coating on tow ball as this will have an effect on the alko stabaliser friction pads operation and check pads are not contaminated ....trust this of help .

[Chippy123]

Thank you all for you input. Spoke to my Volvo dealer who fitted the Maxxis tyres after the last MOT and before i bought it) and rulled out that the tyres were not suitable (or at least should be adeqaute but I may change to a decent brand before too long). Their only other suggestion was that the cars stability control (ESC) could be conteracting the Alco ATC and to maybe try turning it off, but i can't imagine that is the case otherwise there would be a lot more chatter on this forum about that. Checked the Alko ATC today and all working OK and tow head pads etc all in good shape. The Volvo retractable towball doesn't appear to have any sort of coating on it as i treid rubbing with some fine emery paper and it just scratched the surface.
So i went for a drive down the A303 towing the caravan with the XC60 and then with my Vito van just to compare and rule out the Alko setup or the caravan being at fault. I think my conclusion is just that the caravan behaves perfectly well, but that the XC60 and its air suspension (in Dynamic/Sporty mode) just has a much softer suspension than the Vito and any caravan movement transfers itself to the cars rear end and is more noticable. I have not towed this caravan with a car before and maybe this is normal? I will try and reduce the towball weight as suggested by 37 Ruby, but not easy with this Swift as I run with two gas cylinders usually and there is only so much i can fit under the island bed without shifting too much weight to the very back, which is not a good idea.

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by Chippy123

Thank you all for you input. Spoke to my Volvo dealer who fitted the Maxxis tyres after the last MOT and before i bought it) and rulled out that the tyres were not suitable (or at least should be adeqaute but I may change to a decent brand before too long). Their only other suggestion was that the cars stability control (ESC) could be conteracting the Alco ATC and to maybe try turning it off, but i can't imagine that is the case otherwise there would be a lot more chatter on this forum about that. Checked the Alko ATC today and all working OK and tow head pads etc all in good shape. The Volvo retractable towball doesn't appear to have any sort of coating on it as i treid rubbing with some fine emery paper and it just scratched the surface.
So i went for a drive down the A303 towing the caravan with the XC60 and then with my Vito van just to compare and rule out the Alko setup or the caravan being at fault. I think my conclusion is just that the caravan behaves perfectly well, but that the XC60 and its air suspension (in Dynamic/Sporty mode) just has a much softer suspension than the Vito and any caravan movement transfers itself to the cars rear end and is more noticable. I have not towed this caravan with a car before and maybe this is normal? I will try and reduce the towball weight as suggested by 37 Ruby, but not easy with this Swift as I run with two gas cylinders usually and there is only so much i can fit under the island bed without shifting too much weight to the very back, which is not a good idea.

The car’s wheelbase over the Vito will make it a different experience. Playing with nose weight will make little difference.

Years of towing tells me that if an outfit looks right, it probably is as good as it will ever be.