driving windy

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J

JacDeniseG

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Joined
Oct 28, 2017
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5
hey folks,
the wife and I just picked up a Georgetown xl 326 and want to get it out a couple times before winter hits, I am concerned with driving it in heavy winds.  Whats everyone's take on acceptable winds and not acceptable. Supposed to be 20-30mph this weekend.


Thx
Jack
 
Driving in wind is something you will only do once. It is a horrifying experience. The top of the motorhome will sway back and forth so much you will think you are going to tip over. The reality is it is only moving a few inches but your knuckles will be vanilla white.
 
The only way to tell for your coach and your comfort level is to drive it locally to see what your particular limits are.
 
20 to 30 mph isn't too terrible.  50 mph is rough.  >100 mph like we get in CO will blow you over.
 
When it gets windy we slow down.  When it gets really windy we pull off the road for a while.  We call that holing up for a while and we also hole up if it snows or the rain gets bad.  If the speed limit is 65, take it to 55 and see how that feels.  You may need to drop to 35 to be comfortable.  Don't worry about the impatient drivers behind you.  It's your motorhome and the safety of it and your family is what counts most.  Some motorhomes handle better than others.  If you feel like you're being pushed into the next lane or buffeted too much by trucks then take evasive action which is slow down or pull over.  If it happens a lot then the motorhome may need an alignment or perhaps different air pressure in the tires.

ArdraF
 
It would not be fun. You may wonder why you didn't stay put.
 
  It will depend on the direction of the prevailing wind (of course) as to your level of discomfort.. Nose or tail won't be so bad,, side to side will have to be tried at various wind speeds to get the "feel".>>>Dan  (A diesel will be less troublesome than a Gasser)
 
For us 40 mph winds would cause us to wait a day unless we had to be somewhere. And strong head wins are no fun either, as well as putting your gas mileage in the toilet.
 
Lost part of my roof on my previous mh in high winds in NewFoundland. We stopped in Bakersfield California because of high wind warnings. It blew several tractor trailers on their sides about an hour later. My advise is to watch the weather and road reports, and dont go if there is any risk of high winds. Just not worth it.
 
It also depends on type  of wind (steady vs gusting)  and direction, cross wind or not.  Having said that I try to avoid any winds over 20 mph, on my last trip the winds started really gusting when I was just a few miles from my destination, the report later that day showed gusts to 43 mph near my location, that was rough, but I made it the last 10 miles, only once being blown over onto the shoulder while driving down the interstate.  The wind was whipping so bad upon my arrival at my destination that 55 gallon barrels being used for trash cans were being blown over and were rolling away.
 
Ditto to wind being a scary situation.  Last bad sidewind I was in was only 20-25 MPH, but it was directly from the side and making my motorhome sway and move sideways slightly.  And this was driving only 45-50 MPH on the freeway. Big trucks are heavier and as they went by faster than me, it made it even worse.  I got off the freeway onto a secondary road, and it was much better because there were no trucks to contribute to the blowing.  Luckily, I had only about 30 miles to my destination, and I made it safely. And yes, my knuckles were certainly white. 

You also need to be careful going over hills in places where there are no trees to break the wind.  I once got blown halfway into the next lane when I went over a hill and caught a gust.  Glad there was no one there because traffic was very light. 

My motorhome weighs 15,000 pounds.  Cannot imagine how it would be pulling an ultralight trailer! 
 
Make sure to tie down awning with extra straps or rope. We had ours pulled off traveling at 55 mph with a 25 mph side wind.
 
Ok...we'll try this again.

ArdraF said:
...If the speed limit is 65, take it to 55 and see how that feels.  You may need to drop to 35 to be comfortable.  Don't worry about the impatient drivers behind you.  It's your motorhome and the safety of it and your family is what counts most...
Click to expand...

"... It's your motor home and the safety of it and your family is what counts most..."
So we just ignore the safety of all the other drivers on the highway?  Driving at 35 mph on a 65 mph highway is a great way to cause an accident. You may think it is "safe" for you, but it sure isn't very safe for the other drivers who will be overtaking you with a 30+ mph speed differential. And you may not feel so safe after you get rear-ended.

If you cannot handle the wind, get off the road and wait it out! Staying on the road and driving at almost half the speed limit is very dangerous.
 
A Traveler said:
Ok...we'll try this again.

"... It's your motor home and the safety of it and your family is what counts most..."
So we just ignore the safety of all the other drivers on the highway?  Driving at 35 mph on a 65 mph highway is a great way to cause an accident. You may think it is "safe" for you, but it sure isn't very safe for the other drivers who will be overtaking you with a 30+ mph speed differential. And you may not feel so safe after you get rear-ended.

If you cannot handle the wind, get off the road and wait it out! Staying on the road and driving at almost half the speed limit is very dangerous.
Click to expand...
And illegal. Most states  have a minimum speed also which is usually around 45 to 55.
 
It?s interesting that the discussion has drifted from how much wind is too much and how to handle it, to how slow is too slow.


Since we're talking about the law, I?m pretty sure it?s against the law in all 50 states to drive ?faster than conditions allow? (or similar language). I?m also pretty sure no one would feel compelled to slow to 35 while everyone else was comfortable at 65. For example, I?ve driven 10mph on freeways in PA with 65mph speed limits due to freezing rain- everyone else saw fit to do the same. I also just finished a trip through Texas with 80mph speed limits. Guess what? Most of the time I was 20mph under the limit - 60-65 is where I think it?s safe, considering tire speeds, road conditions and multiple other factors, including wind.


ArdraF?s point is well taken: don?t be afraid to slow down to a speed where you feel safe - that?s what the law requires you to do, and I?m quite certain the number of accidents caused by drivers driving ?too slowly? is infinitesimal compared to those caused by exceeding a safe speed as indicated by conditions.


And BTW, while you may indeed be ticketed for driving slowly if you?re impeding traffic (with exceptions such as climbing a hill with flashers on) in most cases you will also be cited for failing to observe traffic conditions and ramming into another vehicle from behind, even if that vehicle is impeding traffic. Let?s all be careful out there.
 
I?m also pretty sure no one would feel compelled to slow to 35 while everyone else was comfortable at 65.
Click to expand...

Well, northbound a ways north of Trinidad, CO a few years back (75 mph speed limit on I-25), we suddenly encountered very strong, gusty crosswinds and had to slow from 63 to around 30-35, just to keep our Bounder 33U on the road. And even at that it was leaning with the wind, feeling as if it would go over any second. I didn't like going that slow, but I had no choice. I did, indeed, feel compelled to go that slow. I saw a couple of DPs go by at normal speeds (65+), not to mention cars and some semis.

When we got to Walsenburg, we did pull off (that was another 30 miles or so), and spend the night in a motel, rather than continue the remaining three hours to home. But I've driven my Ventana in similar conditions without the problem, so it depends so much on the situation and the vehicle.
 
this past summer when driving form the South Rim to Paige AZ, it was very windy.  I don't know the number...if I had to guess I'd say it was 25-30ish with higher gusts.  It was the gusts that were the problem.... I did the slow down thing.  Slow way down....
If it had gotten any stronger I would have just found a place to stop.  No doubt many folks would have stopped long before....
I was tired at the end of that trip!

Some guy in a super C came up behind me.... Freightliner chassis I believe....he wasn't bothered by the wind at all.... went around me and kept truckin', steady as could be....
 
Thank you, Scott.  After all, we are talking about WINDY conditions which are not normal and require a different driving skill set.

A Traveler - Would you put it on cruise control and not slow down if you had gusty winds?  If so, THAT would not be safe for you or anyone nearby.  I've been driving RVs for about 45 years and my observation is that everyone slows down when it gets really windy.  It's the prudent thing to do.

ArdraF
 
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