Xplore 304, Manual

Page: 18 / 206

4-2
TOWING AND DRIVING
MOTORWAY DRIVING
Important Points:
1. Caravans may not be towed in the
outside lane of a three or four lane
motorway.
2. Reduce speed:
a) In high or cross winds
b) Downhill
c)
In poor visibility
3. High sided vehicles cause air buffeting,
so extra care must be taken when
passing or being passed. As much space
as possible should be given to avoid the
drag created by the high sided vehicle.
4. When going uphill, change gear in good
time. If your car is running short of power
or is behind a slower vehicle, keep well
into the nearside and out of the way of
other vehicles. Remember that some hills
can be ascended with relative ease often
pose an unexpected challenge if you
come to a standstill in traffic and then
have to re-start from scratch.
5. When going downhill, take extra care to
ensure you do not gain speed. This can
be avoided by changing down a gear and
reducing speed as you approach the
slope. Don’t leave this gear change too
late. Using low gears throughout the
descent will reduce the strain on the car’s
brakes. For automatics, you may need to
manually change to a lower gear in
anticipation of the effect caused by the
gradient change.
TOWING COVERS
We do not recommend that you tow with
covers on as they can obscure the road lights
fitted.
Tyre and wheel checks
Tyres are an essential part of the safe use of
your caravan and it is important that they are
properly maintained to make sure that they
do what they are intended to do - carry the
load and grip the road as well as bringing you
and your caravan to a safe stop.
So how do we know we have the correct
tyres for our caravan and how do we know
that they are still safe to use?
When your caravan was first manufactured
the tyres fitted were chosen because they
would carry the load that the caravan was
designed to carry.
Note that it may be possible to increase the
maximum technically permissible laden mass
(MTPLM) of the caravan depending on the
capacity of the chassis but it is essential that
the tyres are checked to verify that they are
suitable for the extra loading if this option is
taken. If their loading capacity is less than the
rating necessary for the increased MTPLM,
they will need to be replaced.
Detailed information on the load and speed
rating is marked on the side of the tyre.
Looking at the tyre not only tells us that they
are the right ones for the leisure vehicle, it
also tells us how old the tyre is. It is strongly
recommended that tyres are renewed when
they are five years old and certainly by seven
years. The tyre data is only shown on one
side, so it may be necessary to check the
information on the hidden side.
It is unlikely that caravan tyres will wear out
before they reach the end of their
recommended life, but all tyres deteriorate
over time due to the effects of ultra-violet
radiation and atmospheric ozone, so whilst
the tyre may still seem to be in good
condition with plenty of tread wear left, there
is an increased risk of sudden failure and
they need to be changed due to ageing.
Many of the tyres checked out on the road in
Police checks are in a dangerous condition
and using tyres like this increases the
potential for a tyre failure / blow out or other
incident and could result in a fine and penalty
points being added to your licence.
Check your tyres for cuts / lumps, crazing
and cracks as well as wear (both on the
outside and inside walls) - don’t forget to
check the pressures when the tyres are cold.
For further information about tyres see
www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/caravan-tyre-
safety