DRIVING in the wind

[realter]

Currently a thread on camping in the wind, but I need suggestions on driving in the wind. As I sit here, we have had steady winds in the 40mph range with gusts up to 60, here in the Upper Midwest. Any suggestions on driving in these conditions?

[JoeChiOhki]

Slow as a snail, creeping along, (Think 30-40mph tops) and taking the route with the greatest shelter. If possible, keep your nose into it or the wind to your back, the side blows are the real killer.

[MN_Ben]

You may also want to adjust your load by removing all the items from the cabinets and putting them on the floor or the back seat.

[Led_67]

As previously stated, If you feel safe keep going and if not then wait it out, I was an OO and yes I did have some hairy moments in high crosswinds because of schedule times however the point of this lifestyle is to relax so please follow the feel safe guideline. Another point to consider would be the other drivers, also previously mentioned, that just have to push the limit and can cause untold mayhem for others.

[whizbang]

If you have the time, wait it out.

In Eastern WA it starts blowing in April and calms down by October. Driving an RV in winds over 40mph is really rough.

If you gotta go, go slow. And watch out for the other guys.

[kayakin]

Watch out for gusts when you come into an exposed spot.

It's not always how you can drive, when the guy in front of you suddenly flips sideways, you have to maneuver around that too.

[Butch50]

Photomike wrote:
Around here the winds are a steady thing most times of the year, like others have said if you can wait it out.

If you have the option try to drive in the morning or evening or even at night as they tend to lessen then.

If you have to drive in winds drop your speed down, pull over often to let faster traffic pass and take rest stops to let your nerves calm down. I will actually take more back roads so I can really drop my speed down.

Things to be careful of is if you have a cross wind and a vehicle is passing you. If that vehicle is bigger than you be careful that you do not get sucked into the other lane. If you are bigger be aware that someone may get sucked into your lane and be prepared to react. Same goes for being in open areas, passing a row of trees or buildings can cause you to suddenly be traveling side ways either off the road or into the next lane.

Another thing to be careful at is big cuts where you are going through with big banks as wind direction well switch when you enter the cut as wind goes over the top on one cut and then comes down the other bank towards you from the opposite direction from before.

One thing I have noticed is everybody is saying to pull over and wait it out as it only lasts for a few hours, Well right now we are getting winds in the 25 to 30MPH and it has been going on for about 2 days already and is expected to last another 2 days. Other places here are getting sustained winds of over 40MPH and it is going to continue also. Everything is really screwy this year. Even though this is only my 3rd winter here in the past 2 it was not like this and to think I left Montana to get away from all the cold and snow and wind. Cold for a number of days and then go up for a day or two and then right back down.

[Gr8life]

Victory402 wrote:
What would you gentlemen consider a safe cutoff point, for wind speed, for the average TC?

Yesterday, I drove 350 miles with a side wind of 25-30 mph, no problem at all. I would think that if 30-40 mph winds bother you, then you either have too much camper or not enough truck. Like others have said, the effect on gas mileage may be enough to wait until the wind subsides a little.

[Bigimac]

If white-knuckling it, slow down, turn around, or just stop; if it's scaring me then I'm in the danger zone. Unlike airplanes in iffy weather, we can just pull over & stop.

Strong winds are typically associated with weather fronts & almost always move along after a few hours. When waiting out bad weather, hot soup, warm socks, & naps are but a few of the benefits of owning a TC.

[spacedoutbob]

Like what the others have said, I would pull off the highway and wait it out. Why take the risk of an accident.

Bob in Calif.

[KilroyGuy]

snowdance wrote:
We also live in an area where 40-60mph winds are common. Many of the roads we travel are made so the road bed ends at the edge of the pavement with no shoulder and may have a 10 to 60 foot drop there with no guard rails. And we do have to drive our small MH in them or set 40-50 miles from home for days. What did help us was running the rear tires up to max side wall listed pressure. We added a rear sway bar (our MH came with a nice heavy front sway bar) and it made a big difference. Also get a loaded weight on the rig by axle or wheel if you can. You can find charts showing how much air pressure you need to run for the weight on the front. Play with that some. We run less than listed for my rig but it steers and handles very well. We also seek back roads when we are forced to travel in the high winds as then we can move at our speed. It becomes a must to be able to change the air pressure in the rear tires so you will need to stop some place you can do that or carry a small compressor. Running them up that high when not in the winds might be a problem making it harder to drive and ride harsh unless you need that much..

I think the state of Jefferson needs to tax a bit heavier and build some better roads!

[Photomike]

Around here the winds are a steady thing most times of the year, like others have said if you can wait it out.

If you have the option try to drive in the morning or evening or even at night as they tend to lessen then.

If you have to drive in winds drop your speed down, pull over often to let faster traffic pass and take rest stops to let your nerves calm down. I will actually take more back roads so I can really drop my speed down.

Things to be careful of is if you have a cross wind and a vehicle is passing you. If that vehicle is bigger than you be careful that you do not get sucked into the other lane. If you are bigger be aware that someone may get sucked into your lane and be prepared to react. Same goes for being in open areas, passing a row of trees or buildings can cause you to suddenly be traveling side ways either off the road or into the next lane.

[Dennis_M_M]

I agree with the posters who said don't do it. With our HDT we can handle crosswinds that others could not, but we still try to avoid them. There have been a few times where I just slow down to 55 or 50 (62 is "normal") if it feels unstable.

Coming east across Iowa last spring there was a pretty strong wind out of the south, enough for me to slow down. We came past a semi on it's side in the right ditch and the remains of a fiver and PU in the median, don't know who lost it first, but the results were not pretty.

Just like snow and ice, if it feels uncomfortable park it and wait it out, after all you have your living quarters with you!

A friend who is a retired commercial pilot and a private pilot often says "The thing that kills the most pilots is get-home-itus!" Same for RVs.

[Old-Biscuit]

Typically 'High Wind Warnings' for large profile vehicles are issued when steady wind speeds are 40 mph and gusts to 58 mph.

[Yukoners]

I agree with those who recommend waiting it out. I had to do a conversion to Kilometers per hr (60 mph = 96 kph) to be sure. Having seen semi trailers blown across the tundra on the Dempster Highway, I take this topic seriously.
There are a lot of factors to consider such as terrain, type of highway, type and volume of traffic, and to some extent your schedule.
For me gusting to 60 is right on the cusp of go no go. If you are unsure and asking those on this board that should tell you something as well. Wait this one out. Also a thought might be to get a small wind speed indicator that may help you to decide....you may find your particular rig is fine at gusts of 40 or 50 and become accustomed to travelling in those conditions.
Being able to keep the speed down is critical to control.
Just my thoughts.