Quagmire Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 So i drive from Farnham everyday up to Stockley Park near Heathrow in my 90. This involves heading up the M3, joining the M25 and heading clockwise to 15. Something that has been bothering me though is how bad some of the ruts are that are left by HGV's, i can be quite happily joining a lane when the ruts take hold and the 90 wiggles all over the shop. Can be quite disturbing at 60mph+. They seem especially bad where on the M3 just before the M25 slip, and on the 25 just after. So the question is- how much do they affect your vehicle? To add some info mine is a 1984 ragtop 90, with a 3.5- so not particularly heavy (if weight would even have an effect) and i would consider all my suspension/steering/tires to be in good nick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwcooper Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Never had a problem in my 90 (1988CSW) but I have got a mini cooper s which gets pulled about by the ruts in the road. Not as scary as being 4 feet taller though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noggy Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 i think theyre quite nice actually, its like auto steer! 200tdi hardtop 90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsr341 Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 my slightly moded 90 dances away quite happly in the tram lines , just try and let it do its own thing , seams to concern other moterists some times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardatherton Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 My S1 88" isn't too bad, but the Sankey gets 'stuck' in the ruts and seems to pull one way then the other. The 7.5T truck at work is terrible - it really tramlines badly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Try it in a sports car with 13" wide rear tyres................. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 spend my life in the outside lane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boothy Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Try it with the challenge truck on the Ifor Williams trailer and the tow vehicle fully loaded, now that's scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Try it with the challenge truck on the Ifor Williams trailer and the tow vehicle fully loaded, now that's scary. Its a nightmare on the M5 south on the corner of sedgemoor services , I always stick to the 2nd lane when towing past here . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 No real problem with them in a solo vehicle (I normally just pull into the middle lane though and avoid them) but they give me a few issues when towing the caravan sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymorris Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 I think certain tyres are attracted to the lorry ruts , when I bought my 110 from carlisle it had sags on back and good year wranglers on the front (obviously not a good match !) jeeez it was like a white knuckle ride luckily it was late at night and I decided to have some outside lane action , much better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Try it in a sports car with 13" wide rear tyres.................Steve I'm with Steve here: Land Rovers will give a small wiggle in the tram lines but sports cars really move about. Lotus Elise on semi slick tyres in the wet is no fun with tram lines - there will be a ridge in the middle of the seat when you arrive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I agree with the trailer's tramlining, Ifor Williams' are the worst, they seem to be just the right width to sit in one or the other, leading to some interesting behaviour. Don't seem to notice the Disco tramming though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Thats when it gets even more fun- if they are deep enough and there is enough water about they give you two channels to aquaplane along for miles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escape Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I agree with the trailer's tramlining, Ifor Williams' are the worst, they seem to be just the right width to sit in one or the other, leading to some interesting behaviour. Don't seem to notice the Disco tramming though. I once had my Ifor snake on my because of ruts. Luckily all ended fairly well, but did give both myself and my co a good scare. We came to a stop diagonally across 3 lanes, the towing Range just a meter from the concrete center and the Range on the trailer had come off but remained attached to the trailer... I later heard from 3 other guys who had an accident or could only just avoid on the same strech, a long slope with terrible ruts. Funny thing is, I hardly felt anything before it was too late. When driving the Range Rover (P38a) solo, I never noticed it, in the Defender with the 4" lift and 37x13 tyres, you have to keep alert. It's only driving a 'normal' car, especially with a stiff suspension setup, one realises just how bad some roads are and how good LR suspension is at filtering out most of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Depends a lot on your tyres, what type they are and the size. I hate towing trailers on ruts as sometimes the trailer will "choose" the opposite rut to the car which can get interesting, if in doubt then drive with one wheel on the shoulder, better that than jacknife it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Last night I was towing a 110 on Unimog axles and 44" Zil tyres (not light) on an Ifor Williams with my Disco 2 complete with knackered rear shocks. Totally frightening in the ruts, weaving around between the left and right rut and unable to sort it out with the normal jab on the brakes and then accelerate. Some times the front of the disco and the trailer would be to one side and the rear of the disco in the other! I think a complete rear end re-build is in order to sort it out. I second what others say about sports cars being worse, but I'd rather get out of shape in a 900 kg Elise than 6000 kg of Landy and trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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