Of my last three cars, the Octavia is the best for stability in crosswinds.

Sierra estate; awful in crosswinds.

Mondeo estate; big improvement on the Sierra.

Octavia vRS hatch; slightly better than the Mondeo.

I'm surprised that people are having problems with Octavia's. Perhaps a problem with the cars (suspension wear?) or more likely the fact that it has been extremely windy recently.

my vrs hatch can be bad on the same strech of the m62 don't know about worn suspension parts mine only has 17k on it. It was really bad on the way back from the xscape meet, got a camper van blown into my lane missing me by about a foot

I'm surprised that people are having problems with Octavia's. Perhaps a problem with the cars (suspension wear?) or more likely the fact that it has been extremely windy recently.

that is a major contributor to this phemonenon i think

4X4 no worse than most other cars I've had including Puma and 4x4 Sierra hatch. Best probably Reliant Scimitar but that weighed about the same as a bus.

Perhaps a problem with the cars (suspension wear?) or more likely the fact that it has been extremely windy recently.

Mine can be a bit naughty, but I know my shocks need replacing....

I've been getting blown about in my Mk1 Octy hatch these past few weeks. Was worried my tracking was out again - has only been about 12k and 8 months since it was last done. Really saps your confidence if you can't keep it in a straight line :(

J

Sounds just like me. I had the tracking done yesterday, but still had to do bits of the M62 at 50mph last night just to keep in a straight line.

Would this be symptomatic of worn suspension bushes introducing some compliance steer?

Have people seen this before then? I'm booking the car in for its next service soon, so I presume this would be picked up.

Of my last three cars, the Octavia is the best for stability in crosswinds.

Sierra estate; awful in crosswinds.

Mondeo estate; big improvement on the Sierra.

Octavia vRS hatch; slightly better than the Mondeo.

I'm surprised that people are having problems with Octavia's. Perhaps a problem with the cars (suspension wear?) or more likely the fact that it has been extremely windy recently.

Funnily enough I was explaining this problem to my Dad and he said the three Sierra's he had were not very good in a cross wind. Think they got better over time though.

Funnily enough I was explaining this problem to my Dad and he said the three Sierra's he had were not very good in a cross wind. Think they got better over time though.

I've a mate who's a Sierra geek. the very first hatches had an issue with airflow detachment around the rear quarters in crosswinds.The fix ofr this was a couple of all but invisible plastic strips that run along the back of edge of the fixed light between the C and D posts, or along the back edge of the rear side window on the 2-light 3-doors.

I have noticed in the past few weeks that my Octy vRS is pretty crap in very high winds, feel completely fine tight and stable when weather is fine but if its very windy then it feels like something has gone badly wrong on the car.

Doesnt slow me down though

Ross

Ditto, felt weird on thr motorway when it was windy.

Just an update, but anyone else been suffering badly today?

Obviously really strong winds, but my Octy definitely handles worse in side winds than my previous cars. Also moves around quite a bit when stationery at lights etc. Wind seems to get right around it. This common?

no problems particularily today even though some buildings around here seem to be suffering!

wobbling all over the place and getting the shake's at traffic lights

yes i have been suffering a bit

Yeah, mine was noticeably twitchy today in the wind but not so bad I couldn't still do 60mph safely - I don't think it's any worse than my old escort was really.

I could not even get on the motorway today due to the roads around our

way being closed. Still no issue with the wind though, apart from the sat

dish pointing the wrong way

I generally only find side winds a problem at over 130 mph :sofahide:

Only joking ossifer :O:cop:

My vRS hatch was scaring the hell out of me coming back to Liverpool from Oldham today, the wind was taking it quarter of a lane before I could snatch it back. No-one else seemed to be having much trouble, including a Civic Type-R (I miss mine so much) which happily trundled past doing a ton in a perfectly straight line while I snapped back and forth at 70-80. People carriers and trucks weren't shaking at all.

I had 4 wheel tracking done 2 months ago when I had four new Goodyears put on (4 degrees of toe in on one front wheel, no wonder it stripped the outside edges in 5k miles!). I'm a bit worried it's something to do with the front-end rebuild I had done late last year after a 'small' prang.

Edit: I could actually feel the front end being pushed down and the engine struggling (I had cruise set), then lifting and the engine relaxing when the wind let up a bit.

In a word, YES

Its the worst car i've had for wind buffetting, gets blown all over the road, but i can live with it. Noticed it quite badly today on the A50 between derby and notts.

Although it shouldn't be. I'm kind of reassured that it is not just mine that is doing this.

Have to admit it is the worse car I have driven for wind buffetting, although all the rest have always been a lot smaller. Like NikBorton it does really scare me at times, and also it doesn't seem like anybody else in other cars are struggling in the same way.

If it's any consolation, even the golf GT TDI i am driving was all over the shot in the winds today, and that is pretty low on the road.

We've had some serious winds up here (worse than yesterday "darn sarf"), and I actually really rate the estate. Ok it's not as stable as my old Xantia, but when it comes to cross-wind stability the only replacement for a Citroen is another Citroen IME. It's still a case of everyone else complaining and me thinking "Wind? What wind!?" though.

Well, I was driving home over Beachy Head (not literaly over Beachy Head) the other day when lorries were falling over all around me, and although I could hear the wind, I could barely feel it in the Mondeo.

I think the Sports suspension is what helps more than anything.

Other cars were parking up because they were too scared to continue, you couldn't stand up in the wind if you got out of the car.

Nothing unusual in me continuing where others dont dare though, I religiously drive round the Police roadblocks when it snows and they close the road, so long as you drive to the conditions there is no problem, it's just that all the idiots think they can still do 60 along the top, crash and screw it up for everyone else!

Travelled down from Calais to Le Mans last week and the side winds caught the car quite dramatically. Done this journey for many years and in lots of different cars (in similar conditions) and was quite disturbed at the stability.

In the 3 weeks I've had my estate, I've not noticed any problems with crosswinds. The only time I've been a little nervous was driving in the wet, on a fast and twisty road. It stuck alright, but I didn't feel I was getting much feedback from the steering.

My experience with a Sierra was that the handling was bloody awful in most conditions. On a bend it always seemed to want to go straight on, especially when it was damp and passing a lorry in a crosswind on the motorway was quite scary :eek: