Highest sensible wind for non-essential journey
Discussion
I think we can get paranoid and overthink it.
Some high winds warnings last year and a cross country journey had me considering.
a) Should I cancel
b) Should I plan a route avoiding wooded areas
c) Which car should I take (an old one in case of damage from falling branches or a newer stronger one)
In the end absolutely fine with little buffeting.
Some high winds warnings last year and a cross country journey had me considering.
a) Should I cancel
b) Should I plan a route avoiding wooded areas
c) Which car should I take (an old one in case of damage from falling branches or a newer stronger one)
In the end absolutely fine with little buffeting.
jeremyh1 said:
If you go slow you will always be OK in a car
Its not you that is the problem its everything else going on Debris or trees falling ect
Yes. Probably in a dense urban situation I’m not sure I’d bother about wind unless it was absolutely mad.Its not you that is the problem its everything else going on Debris or trees falling ect
Elsewhere, and considering how wet the ground is currently, I’d be most worried about trees.
All that said I’m sure most will be unaware of any of this crap and just steam on.
Depends on what you're driving and where you're driving it. I'd have a much lower wind limit for trying to cross a bridge or a tall viaduct with a high sided vehicle/tall van/HGV than driving around town in a saloon. Motorways in a small car in moderately high winds can be unsettling, but you hardly feel anything in a heavy SUV like an XC90 or a Range Rover.
Your car can drive into a 150mph (or whatever it’s top speed is) “wind” so I really wouldn’t worry about it unless you’re dead set on driving at 100 into a 70 headwind….
I was driving south last night into a supposed headwind and did ponder the mpg effect of a headwind - it seems to be as straightforward as it sounds? So driving at 80 into 30 is like the engine pushing the car through 110mph? Huge cumulative effect for fuel consumption when you think about it especially plus lorries.
I was driving south last night into a supposed headwind and did ponder the mpg effect of a headwind - it seems to be as straightforward as it sounds? So driving at 80 into 30 is like the engine pushing the car through 110mph? Huge cumulative effect for fuel consumption when you think about it especially plus lorries.
Fine until some piece of road furniture flies through your windscreen, maybe one of those overhead arrangements comes down.
All kinds of other stuff in residential areas suddenly become buoyant.
HGVs and high sided van cannot maintain steering and sometimes but fortunately rarely topple.
Afterwards someone else has to pick up the pieces.
I would tend to stay in at winds above 40mph. I would not want my vehicle to impede important emergency services.
I've tried standing on our beach with winds of 70mph and apart from needing to lean into it and not fall over when gusts abate the wind picks up very small pebbles. It would be bonkers to drive with winds at that level IMO.
All kinds of other stuff in residential areas suddenly become buoyant.
HGVs and high sided van cannot maintain steering and sometimes but fortunately rarely topple.
Afterwards someone else has to pick up the pieces.
I would tend to stay in at winds above 40mph. I would not want my vehicle to impede important emergency services.
I've tried standing on our beach with winds of 70mph and apart from needing to lean into it and not fall over when gusts abate the wind picks up very small pebbles. It would be bonkers to drive with winds at that level IMO.
I find the forecasts are either quoting maximum gust or worse-case speeds. It's meant to be 45mph now around London. I usually give it a few hours before going out and mindful of routes with tall trees. Also go out in the sh8t-box as I don't want someone's recycle box hitting my nice[r] car.
trickywoo said:
Depends if it’s town or country and gusting vs sustained. Also of course what you are driving.
I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
That's way overcautious. Forth Bridge is closed to high sided vehicles when wind speed is 50 mph or above,cars are still allowed, Queensferry Bridge is open to high sided vehicles in winds up to 70 mph. I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
https://www.theforthbridges.org/news-and-blogs-fro...
Yes, wind can be dangerous, but cars aren't Tonka toys that can be chucked about.
Depends on the car too.
I found my W211 E-Class Mercedes was very good indeed at resisting cross winds and I could safely and confidently continue at normal motorway cruising speeds whilst lesser vehicles were slowing down and blowing around.
Dropping the air suspension into Sport2 might have helped, but it was probably more the transverse aerodynamics. A slab-sided SUV is unlikely to cope as well.
I found my W211 E-Class Mercedes was very good indeed at resisting cross winds and I could safely and confidently continue at normal motorway cruising speeds whilst lesser vehicles were slowing down and blowing around.
Dropping the air suspension into Sport2 might have helped, but it was probably more the transverse aerodynamics. A slab-sided SUV is unlikely to cope as well.
donkmeister said:
Depends on the car too.
I found my W211 E-Class Mercedes was very good indeed at resisting cross winds and I could safely and confidently continue at normal motorway cruising speeds whilst lesser vehicles were slowing down and blowing around.
Dropping the air suspension into Sport2 might have helped, but it was probably more the transverse aerodynamics. A slab-sided SUV is unlikely to cope as well.
The S212 I had wasn’t good in high winds, my Alfa 159 SW I had before it was much better, as was the XC60 that replaced it.I found my W211 E-Class Mercedes was very good indeed at resisting cross winds and I could safely and confidently continue at normal motorway cruising speeds whilst lesser vehicles were slowing down and blowing around.
Dropping the air suspension into Sport2 might have helped, but it was probably more the transverse aerodynamics. A slab-sided SUV is unlikely to cope as well.
QuickQuack said:
trickywoo said:
Depends if it’s town or country and gusting vs sustained. Also of course what you are driving.
I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
That's way overcautious. Forth Bridge is closed to high sided vehicles when wind speed is 50 mph or above,cars are still allowed, Queensferry Bridge is open to high sided vehicles in winds up to 70 mph. I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
https://www.theforthbridges.org/news-and-blogs-fro...
Yes, wind can be dangerous, but cars aren't Tonka toys that can be chucked about.
The Queensferry Crossing has wind deflectors. The rest of the motorway either side of it doesnt.
Alot of trucks still use the more sheltered Kincardine bridge in proper high winds.
sherman said:
QuickQuack said:
trickywoo said:
Depends if it’s town or country and gusting vs sustained. Also of course what you are driving.
I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
That's way overcautious. Forth Bridge is closed to high sided vehicles when wind speed is 50 mph or above,cars are still allowed, Queensferry Bridge is open to high sided vehicles in winds up to 70 mph. I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
https://www.theforthbridges.org/news-and-blogs-fro...
Yes, wind can be dangerous, but cars aren't Tonka toys that can be chucked about.
The Queensferry Crossing has wind deflectors. The rest of the motorway either side of it doesnt.
Alot of trucks still use the more sheltered Kincardine bridge in proper high winds.
QuickQuack said:
sherman said:
QuickQuack said:
trickywoo said:
Depends if it’s town or country and gusting vs sustained. Also of course what you are driving.
I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
That's way overcautious. Forth Bridge is closed to high sided vehicles when wind speed is 50 mph or above,cars are still allowed, Queensferry Bridge is open to high sided vehicles in winds up to 70 mph. I won’t go out on a motorbike if it’s even high 20s mph.
In a car gusting 50 would have me staying in.
https://www.theforthbridges.org/news-and-blogs-fro...
Yes, wind can be dangerous, but cars aren't Tonka toys that can be chucked about.
The Queensferry Crossing has wind deflectors. The rest of the motorway either side of it doesnt.
Alot of trucks still use the more sheltered Kincardine bridge in proper high winds.
QuickQuack said:
Doesn't matter, you've completely missed the point in your rush for oneupmanship. Those are very high, very long bridges over water. If it's safe for a high sided HGV to cross the Forth Bridge at up to 50 mph winds, it's jolly well safe for a bloody car to drive on a normal road at that speed and then some. Furthermore, the 3.3m wind deflector strip on the Queesferry Bridge isn't actually that tall, barely one and a half storey high, and that makes it safe for high sided HGVs to cross the bridge at up to 70 mph, so cars which are not really high sided, or even high sided HGVs in urban areas with buildings many times taller acting as wind deflectors, will be absolutely fine. They'll also be fine on most motorways and country lanes, too. Yes, there might be the odd fallen tree blocking a road, so be careful, but you always need to be careful anyway.
Queensferry crossing has a 40mph limit tonight as the Storm passes through and is closed to high sided vehicles, caravans and motorcycles.Its not really any better than the bridge it replaced.
https://www.traffic.gov.scot/traffic-information/b...
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