Bad Weather Driving - Newbie

[almostready]

Good morning,

I purchased a new 2019 Mountain Aire at NIRVC in Dallas last month and drove it to their Atlanta facility for storage. I am new to the rv lifestyle and always appreciate any comments or recommendations. Any way as my first trip (Dallas to Atlanta) was in good weather, sunny every day 95 + degrees, My next trip will be from Atlanta to central Florida and back later this week. The forecast shows some rain and thunderstorms along the way. It is anticipated that most all driving will be on I-75 and I was wondering if anyone can comment on how difficult (if difficult at all) it is to drive a 45' Class A in this type of weather. I plan on taking a couple of days to get to central Florida.

Any info or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

[walkerhound]

Here is my experience: I have had a 40' and now a 33' and never had anxiety about rain or windy conditions. On one trip a blizzard show up in NM, I pulled over into a parking lot and got comfortable for 24 hours until the roads opened up.

Your MA is likely even more capable and comfortable because of its size than my two rigs and you don't have to think about snow and ice.

No complaints with 75

[ericllucas]

Originally Posted by almostready

Any info or suggestions would be most appreciated

Well, this is only my opinion, based on driving heavy Military trucks in the mountains of Bavaria in sun, snow, rain, ice, darkness, everything. Oh, yeah, I've driven an RV all over this fine land of ours, but its never been as difficult as those military trucks in the foothills of the Alps. These ideas are all the things I wished I could do driving those trucks that I was never allowed to do:

1) Take your time. You can't possibly be in a rush. Relax.

2) You have to see quite a ways down the road. If you can't see, you can't drive. Get off the road and kick back and relax if you can't see. Don't pull over and put on the four-way flashers. Get off the road on an exit and get in a parking lot, put on the generator, listen to some music, get something to eat, relax. Darkness and rain make for a no-drive situation for me. Headlights are really poor on every RV I've ever driven, so rain, darkness, and lousy headlights mean I listen to music in a parking lot or camp ground somewhere. I'm in no rush.

3) Maintain a longer stopping distance than usual. 40' plus of RV is a lot of weight to stop and when the road is slippery, its going to take a lot of room to safely stop that rig in a straight line. If you don't mind dirt-tracking it (stopping it sideways), you can drive closer to the people in front of you. Distance in front of you is your friend. Distance behind you is of no value to you at all.

4) People in smaller vehicles have no clue how much space you need. They will generally see all that space in front of you and drive into it, shortening that distance, reducing your safety margin. They aren't being mean, they just don't know how much space you need. RVers driving Toads don't do that, they know. Just get a little more space between you and them. They are likely to zoom off, anyway.

5) If you can't see the path of your tires in the camera behind you, there is too much water in the road and you are hydroplaning. Slow down.

6) When your rig hydroplanes, it feels very different than your car. Your car is light, relatively speaking, and moves quickly. You feel it right away and you respond right away. Your rig has much more mass and moves more slowly. That means you might not feel it right away, but when it does break free of the road and starts moving, it is more difficult to slow down. F=ma and when that M gets enough A, it has a lot of F. It is best to not let it break loose. While your rig is harder to hydroplane on water than a car, it can be done. When crossing the American Alps west of Denver on I70, or crawling the sisters on I80, you might hit ice or snow. That is when driving gets exciting and you'll feel that rig moving around behind you. Careful careful.

The rule to keep in mind is that when you pass through that door of your RV, you cannot be in any hurry. There is no place you have to be in any rush when you are driving. If the conditions won't let you see a goodly distance, if the conditions won't let you stop in a safe distance, get off the road and relax. In the South (where I live) most storms pass quickly. You have time.

Hope that helps!

[sheridany]

All good advice from the posters above. Here is one tip I didn’t know until I read it on this forum. Limit the use of your engine brake on roads when it’s raining

Here is one link and others may post some additional tips.

I also suggest taking s RV driving course at your leisure which will help you become more comfortable and confident driving a Class A.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f258/engi...no-410340.html

[jacwjames]

Other then slowing down in the rain and allowing a little more distance from other vehicles I don't do anything different. I find that the coach handles really well.

[AITG]

If I have to be somewhere at a certain time I leave a day early. If the weather turns bad I have no compultion to push it.
If you can't see DON'T DRIVE. If visibility starts to deteriorate I'll pick out a semi and follow his lights until I can get to an exit.
I won't stop on the freeway. That just makes me a target.

[Dr. Q]

I live in Central Florida and have made that drive several times, to NIRVC. I-75 is 3 lanes all the way and driving in the rain is typically not an issue. As I remember, it's about a 425 mile drive, so get an early start and you'll be home before dark.

Good Luck with your new coach!

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by almostready

Good morning,

I purchased a new 2019 Mountain Aire at NIRVC in Dallas last month and drove it to their Atlanta facility for storage. I am new to the rv lifestyle and always appreciate any comments or recommendations. Any way as my first trip (Dallas to Atlanta) was in good weather, sunny every day 95 + degrees, My next trip will be from Atlanta to central Florida and back later this week. The forecast shows some rain and thunderstorms along the way. It is anticipated that most all driving will be on I-75 and I was wondering if anyone can comment on how difficult (if difficult at all) it is to drive a 45' Class A in this type of weather. I plan on taking a couple of days to get to central Florida.

Any info or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

So the total drive is likely to be - say 450 miles in two days - should be a walk in the park/easy.

First you are sitting in a much more elevated position when driving the Coach - vision is good - wipers are good - tires are good - really hard to imagine an issue.

If you start to stress at all just slow down and if necessary take the first exit and wait it out for a while.

Last note here - in Florida, as it most of the US don't worry the Forecast will likely change, so might not even have any of that rain you are worrying about and even if you do it should be a Walk in the Park.

JMHO,

[Filthy-Beast]

Windy.com is a great source to see current conditions and wind. Play with the options menu and pick wind and then pick weather radar to get a feel for what's ahead.

[zzotte]

Driving in the rain it’s not too bad, it’s all about how you feel about it, you don’t have to “prove” to anybody so if you are comfortable driving in the rain do it if not don’t. With that said take a few precautions if you do, Turn off your auxiliary brakes, your lights should already be on, check the washing fluids, drive slower then normal and watch for all the morons. Best of luck and safe travels

Zzotte

[Rhagfo]

We live in the PNW so wet roads and rain are the norm. Many state avoid using exhaust brakes and cruse control on wet roads, well I use both much of the time. It all depends on how wet and how heavy the rain is. light rain and just wet roads not an issue.

If heavy rain and puddles, or wheel groves in the road have water in them then avoid their use.

[steve52]

If the wind is pushing you around and it's raining hard and difficult to see, and you don't like it, pull over.

[FLJOE]

Not sure where in "central" Florida you are going but it sounds like each of your travel days will be in the 240 to 260 miles range, which is great.

I generally try to stay with the flow of commercial truck traffic or just under. If most of the semi traffic is going 70 and I set my cruise on 67 then they don't pass me as much and I don't have to pass them very often. Remember, I-75 is almost always busy.

I don't like using cruise in heavy rain nor do I like keeping my engine brake on in heavy rain. When it starts raining I start slowing down. My lights are all on plus my fog lights.

I would suggest one piece of safety equipment if you don't already have it or your coach isn't equipped with it. A TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) is a "must have" IMHO. It will give you a constant reading of your tires psi and temperature, plus if there is a loss of air while underway it will sound an alarm.

Safe travels and have fun!

[almostready]

Thank you All! You sharing your experiences makes me feel much more comfortable! The RV life is very exciting for me and I want to enjoy it as much as possible...Thanks Again!!