"bunny hopping" on ice or slush

[pbeardow]

Hi all,

We've had an XC90 R-Design for about five months now and had noticed before that the car would jump on full lock if it encountered any slipperiness on the road, like water or gravel.

Now that winter has arrived, this has become really, really bad. What happens is that when you steer the car on anything like full lock, it jumps across the road surface and you start to lose control - I hit a kerb in town a few days ago in some sleet as a result. No damage because I was driving really slow in a narrow lane, but the car stopped steering and just slid sideways.

The car feels dangerous to drive and we are seriously considering selling it because our local garage has told us "XC90's are like that, there's nothing wrong with the car". The mechanic said he had seen this sort of thing before, but the garage were kind of shifty about it and started to blame the tyres, and then said other XC90's did the same because of the "anti-hop suspension".

I have contacted Volvo customer relations to see what they say, and they are due to get back to me, but I thought I'd ask other XC90 drivers if this really is normal.

The tyres have plenty of tread on them, they are 19inch Perellis, but I have big Perellis on another car and it doesn't hop around on full lock.

Is this really normal for XC90's? I can't believe that Volvo sell a 4x4 car where the steering loses grip in slippery conditions so easily.

Thanks,

Paul

[Beavis]

think mine jerks a bit on full lock at low speed. i run 19" general grabbers. from memory think the previous pirellis were the same. probably more noticable on a slippery surface due to less friction and the tyres sliding easier compared to clear tarmac road.

[micken]

Probably needs winter tyres for traction, I'm guessing that the Pirelli's are not.

[CO2000]

I noticed our Mini Cooper S did this in a Car park in slush last week (very low speed) I haven't driven our XC90 (R Design on 19" Pirelli's too) in such conditions yet.

I'd change them to Nokian WR2's as that's what I'll be doing when the time comes for ours & I'll use them all year round as per the Tyre thread http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=102374)

[bobdabuilda]

mine keeps doing this on the conti uhps fitted 18" wheels. Absolute mare but doesnt just occur on full lock, it can happen on partial turn upto half lock. Really annoying me in this weather and v unnerving.

[Sportwag]

I have not experienced this and I run an XC90 R Design with 19" Pirellis. The ride and cornering is sublime (less roll than the previous SE) and it is much more car like to drive.

[JimG]

This has been mentioned before but not to the extent that anyone has hit any kerbs.

If my tyres are cold and I'm pulling out of a parking spot, the tyres will skip on full lock, but very slightly. It has never caused any concern and certainly doesn't do it at driving speed.

Have you had your tracking checked by a digital 4 wheel system?

[pbeardow]

Originally Posted by JimG

This has been mentioned before but not to the extent that anyone has hit any kerbs.

If my tyres are cold and I'm pulling out of a parking spot, the tyres will skip on full lock, but very slightly. It has never caused any concern and certainly doesn't do it at driving speed.

Have you had your tracking checked by a digital 4 wheel system?

We had it checked over by Volvo, but not a go on a tracking system. I'm just annoyed now that it seems it is a known issue and we should have done our research before buying.

I'll get the tracking checked and then probably sell it as my wife doesn't feel safe driving it anymore, which was part of the reason for getting a 4x4. I know it doesn't have winter tyres on, but we really didn't expect to have it jittering about

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

[doddiej]

My R Design does this when cold too, but it's never caused any problems as slippage appears to be minimal. In I think most cars I've driven or owned have done this, other than a Discovery, which I'd put down to its poor steering lock. Worst car for it was a Volvo 740, which was probably be caused by its very tight steering lock (which also necessitated track rod ends to be replaced frequently).

[JimG]

Originally Posted by pbeardow

I'll get the tracking checked and then probably sell it as my wife doesn't feel safe driving it anymore, which was part of the reason for getting a 4x4. I know it doesn't have winter tyres on, but we really didn't expect to have it jittering about

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Try looking here: www.alignmycar.co.uk. It sounds like you've made your mind up, but I wouldn't be so quick to sell the car. I would try getting the alignment sorted first and see how you go. Sportwag mentions that he has Pirellis too, so it's maybe not a tyre issue, but maybe a different brand would help.