snaking

[carp]

can you settle a disscusion i had at work

when the caravan starts to snake do you take your foot off the accelerator or do you put your foot down to pull yourself out of it also if the car starts to snake and not the van what action should you take then

many thanks because me and a friend have different answers thanks

mike

 

[Gafferbill]

http://people.bath.ac.uk/en8cjk/Caravan.pdf
http://www.practicalcaravan.com/newforums/fm_messages.asp?fo=13&fm=439702
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFzrWHTG5e8

 

[weejock]

Very gently remove all feet from pedals and allow the unit to come back into line.

If you are going downhill and the unit is still picking up speed you need to delicatley brush the brake pedal to stop the speed from increasing.

Normally at this point it is wise to change your underwear.

 

[Ianofwilts]

Michael,

Having towed various trailors over the years I have a little experience with snaking and have also read different courses of action.

To speed up may indeed stop the snaking action, if however it doesn't you now have an outfit out of control and harder to stop given the increased speed. You may also have difficuly in accelerating quick enough given the combined weight. I break relatively hard and this has brought the unit back under control very quickly. The fact you are snaking usually identifies to other road users you have a problem so hard breaking shouldn't cause them a problem. I think the important thing is to identify snaking as apposed to the movement associated with wind or passing lorries. Snaking does tend to increase with speed worsened when going down hill.

 

[Lutz]

The idea that one can pull the outfit straight by accelerating is a misconception. One would need an enormously powerful towcar to be able to do that. Accerating will make the condition only worse as you will soon reach the threshold speed at which uncontrollable instability sets in.

You can see for yourself if you try the link that Gafferbill posted recently:

http://www.towingstabilitystudies.co.uk/towing/caravansnake.html

 

[WilliamLX]

You should not accelerate, nor should you apply the brakes constantly, you should steer the car int the direction that the snake is taking you to help get things into line (this will mean changing steering direction as the caravan moves from side to side dragging the car, each time the caravan is fairly straight behind the car you should apply the brakes. This action will dampen the amplitude of the snake and bring the rig back under control.

 

[Lutz]

William's recommendation is potentially dangerous because only very expert driver has any chance of steering into the snake and even then it is doubtful whether he can maintain the correct rhythm. And if you don't, you'll only make matters worse. It's safest to hold the steering wheel tight in the straight ahead position and slow down.

 

[Chris_374413356]

If you follow the Jeremy Clarkson school of caravanning you will accelerate to recover from snaking.... Well he said it on Top Gear.

WRONG, you must take the energy out of the snaking by slowing down slowly.

 

[Ianofwilts]

Is there an expert out there who can give the definitive answer. I have tried to slow down gently but have failed to control the snake quick enough. Sharp breaking has always worked. I don'k know about the rest of you but stearing into the snake??? Must have happened very slowly as stearing into a quick snake is hit and miss, mostly miss, youve see the van laying down on the hard shoulder.

 

[xtrailman]

I've had a snake, if you can hold the steering wheel in the straight a head position, while you car is pointing to the 3rd lane, and then next towards the hard shoulder. Then you have bigger nuts than me. When the car pointed to the 3rd lane traffic, i steered in the opposite direction, did not brake, and did not accelerate.

Luckily the rig recovered, but not till i had lost a couple of pounds in sweat and fear.

 

[Lutz]

If you waited until your car pointed to the 3rd lane and then next towards the hard shoulder before reacting, you've left it a bit late. Even if you didn't feel twitchiness earlier then at least a quick look through the rear view mirror would have revealed impending instability and time to do something. When I experienced a snake the caravan was using up two complete lanes of the motorway even though the car was still relatively steady. By applying the brakes, stability was restored before the car went all over the road.

 

[xtrailman]

Lutz

There was no warning of the snake, it occurred immediately after a coach sped past, the car never left the slow lane, but then i was correcting the steering.

I read that you should not brake when snaking, so didn't

 

[Gafferbill]

The only known driver input to reduce a snake, that has any known effect, is to take your foot off the accelerator and hold the steering wheel firmly in the dead ahead position.

In a snake the caravan is effectively steering the car via the car's rear axle and is out of control.

It is known that just applying the caravan brakes during a snake would, have a much greater benefit in reducing the snake.

Unfortunately most caravans are not fitted with such a system.

 

[RogerP]

Ian

am I missing something here but your comments seem to imply that you get a snake quite often?

If thats the case then is your set up wrong?