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Post by jayjay on Nov 17, 2007 14:51:53 GMT
Hi. My camper is bouncing about like a bouncy ball, especially over speed humps, dips in the roads, etc. It has some gear in it, but I'd say it was only in a 1/3rd laden state.
I remember Ant saying in a prev. post somewhere that I can't find now, that if it seemed too bouncy to let some of the pressure out.
The fully laden pressure (which is the only option in the manual) says Front: 25 Rear: 36. It says to 'adjust pressure for partly laden vehicle', but not exactly by how much.
So I've adjusted it to 20 front, 31 back. Taken out 5lbs pressure on each wheel. What I'd like to know is if this is enough? Or should I take more out? This involved buying an electronic pressure gauge (£6) and learning to use it, LOL. Checked the car while I was at it. I love my gadgets!
Going out for a spin tomorrow, so I'll see if that cures the bounce. If not - another 5lbs off? But how low is still safe?
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Post by moya on Nov 17, 2007 16:50:42 GMT
Hi Jayjay,
Is this what you are looking for? Reply #6 on Sept 26, 2007, 7:42am » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Jayjay. Run the van as if it were fully laden at first, if you're like most of my Romahome customers you'll carry all sorts of stuff that might come in handy one day and there wont be much spare carrying capacity left! If you find the vehicle bounces and is very twitchy on the road let some air out of the tyres and try again. Ant I know ours feels better when we are loaded up to go away. 
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Post by Derek on Nov 17, 2007 17:43:27 GMT
Hi Jayjay
I test drove a Bedford Rascal with a view to buying one some years ago. It was empty and very bouncy. I think they need some weight in them to get a decent ride, most vans do. It is more to do with the suspension than the tyre pressures.
I would be wary about reducing tyre pressures, particularly the front ones.
Derek
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Post by martinw on Nov 18, 2007 8:13:44 GMT
Hi Jayjay,
It is VERY unsafe and dangerous to drive a vehicle with under inflated tyres.
It is quite permissible to run your tyres at the maximum pressure,
even if you are not fully loaded.
The ride may be a little harder, and because the rolling resistance is less you may get better MPG.
But it will be much safer, I always run mine at max. HTH.
Martin
Just re read your post you say "bouncing about like a bouncy ball" , Have your shock absorbers checked !!
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Post by jayjay on Nov 18, 2007 11:05:31 GMT
Ohh, I never thought about shock absorbers. I'll phone the garage and ask them if they checked. They did check it out very thoroughly while they were doing all the jobs on the engine though. But it won't hurt to ask.
It was fine when I went to Aberystwyth, but was very laden, behaved perfectly and was much easier to handle.
Could be just me getting used to it, maybe?
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Post by ant on Nov 19, 2007 8:26:49 GMT
Tyre pressures are important for many different aspects of driving, Martin is right to say low tyre pressures can be dangerous, so too can over inflated tyres. Although the manufacturer gives the recommended pressures in the vehicle hand book they are for guidance only. You should never put more than is stated on the actual tyre as that is its maximum safe operating pressure ( bear in mind the pressure rises as the tyre warms during driving).
Tyres will show different wear patterns according to the pressure it has had over a prolonged period. If the center of the tyre has less tread depth than the edges then the pressure has been too high over the test period ( normally between sevices), if both edges are lower than the center then the pressure has been too low. If one edge is lower than the other edge then you may have a tracking problem ( caused by the track control arm or steering) if the tyre is fitted to the front, the tyre is on the back you should expect a slight difference to the outside edge on the nearside ( caused by the camber of the road), if the difference is large then you may have either suspension bush trouble or shock absorber trouble.
My advice is to start with the max pressure( from the hand book not the tyre), then after about 6 months check your tyres, if the wear is fairly even, leave the pressures, if the wear looks uneven adjust the pressures. Only drop them by a max of 2 to 4 psi at a time. Each van will have its own "Ideal" pressure depending on how much stuff you keep in the van year round and how much extra to put in it when you go away.
There are no magic numbers I'm afraid.
Ant
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Post by jayjay on Nov 19, 2007 11:57:23 GMT
Hi Ant, thanks for that info. Sorry to be such a nuisance with all these questions! I shall go and check the wear on the tyres and see what's what, and also put some extra pressure back into the tyres.
One thought did enter my mind though - on cars and newer vehicles, there is always a max loaded and min unloaded pressure for tyres. I know my van is really old (20 years), would that account for the lack of a minimum spec?
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Post by Derek on Nov 19, 2007 20:15:40 GMT
Hi Jayjay
I have just found a post on another forum where there was discussion about tyre pressures for demountable Romahomes, I have clipped the relevant part.
In the handbook (for the unit mounted on a Bedford Rascal) Romahome give pressures of 28psi front and 35 psi rear.
Hope this helps
Derek
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Post by jayjay on Dec 6, 2007 17:42:37 GMT
Hi! Well I reduced the pressure by just 2 psi (27&34) as Ant suggested and went for a run today. It's a lot less twitchy and very much less bouncy - just for a 2psi reduction! I phoned the garage, they had checked the suspension and shock absorbers when it was last in and said they looked fine. They said the bounce could be helped the same way Ant suggested, but it was just a case of me getting used to a different way of handling/steering. I've never driven a van before in my life, y'see!
Well, it seems to work - it's not like a bouncy ball quite as much as it was, although it's still a bit that way - but much easier to handle. ;D
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Post by marc4242 on Apr 17, 2008 20:46:50 GMT
I thought you had a rascal, like me? There's a sticker in my cab that says the front is meant to be 25, so why was yours at 29 originally? Do you have a sticker? I must say though, compared to my car tyres, it feels very soft at that setting (I can easily push my thumb in). Hi! Well I reduced the pressure by just 2 psi (27&34) as Ant suggested and went for a run today. It's a lot less twitchy and very much less bouncy - just for a 2psi reduction! |
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Post by marc4242 on Apr 17, 2008 20:57:13 GMT
I just want to add to the above, so as not to mislead. It *may* be that my sticker relates just to the rascal, and not to rascal avec romahome ...
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Post by jayjay on Apr 18, 2008 8:08:50 GMT
I've a feeling that my tyre pressures (in the little owners manual for the Bedford Rascal pickup)) also refer to pickup van without romahome.
I think Derek's guidlines are best:
I have just found a post on another forum where there was discussion about tyre pressures for demountable Romahomes, I have clipped the relevant part.
In the handbook (for the unit mounted on a Bedford Rascal) Romahome give pressures of 28psi front and 35 psi rear.
Although the handbook states slightly different, (I'm in my Jim-Jams at the mo, so I'll check later and report back) the tyre pressures are for a fully laden vehicle, so I reckon that 'fully laden' includes a Romahome on the back!
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