Travel sick - Diesel?

MX5huggy

The vibrations of the engine are likely to be causing you a problem, how many miles a year are you doing? do you really need a diesel?

I felt quite sick once in a car that had worn drive shaft spines that caused a vibration between 40 and 60 mph. I don't normally feel sick in cars, only after 1hour plus of reading I might.

Strider590

Hmmmmm......... Worn DMF maybe?

Lum

Only car I've been travel sick in, in recent times, was a new model Fiesta I had as a courtesy car. Worst part is I was driving it at the time. Prior to this I haven't been travel sick since I was a kid.

It was a combination of high ride height, narrow width and gigantic lorry ruts on the M4 that did it. Once I encountered a load of lorries and moved into the middle lane it went away.

Notmyrealname

My MK3 Mondeo was a Ghia - lovely soft suspension.

My MK4 Mondeo is a Zetec - sporty suspension.

A few weeks after I got the Zetec the wife admitted she used to feel a bit travel sick in the Ghia but didn't in my new one because the suspension was firmer.

attila_

I'm sad I actually studied this. Your stomach has a natural frequency of around 4-8 hz. This is very slow kind of vibration, like a wavy motion (like on a boat). If a car bounce is within this range it wil resonate and cause an upset stomach. Hence why you always feel ill on boats (generally).

Cars with a firmer suspension will bounce at much higher frequencies whilst the most luxurious cars ensure they never reach this frequency by clever damping. Larger cars such as a big estate will most likely hit this frequency, particularly in the rear where rebounds take longer to absorb.

Generally the front seats bounce at higher frequency than rears so try sitting at the front. Check your tyre pressures, also get a mechanic to check you shock absorbers which may be knackered.

It has absolutely nothing to do with diesel engines.

redped

OP - what sort of car is it? As others have said, it may be due to the suspension on it. What I was a child, I always felt car sick in my Mum's Simca (1970's French car with really soft, wallowy suspension, for you young 'uns); never felt sick in any other car since.

flutterbyuk25

Have you tried the travel bands? I have vertigo and get terrible motion sickness at times and find these really help me.

http://www.sea-band.com/

I bought mine in Superdrug

HTH

forgotmyname

Vibration, Noise and movement. or a combination of the 3.

Over a cars life vibration and noise can change with the engine wearing in or wearing out even, And the tyre tread pattern and pressures.

Sitting in the front and pretending to drive seems to work, Ive heard that many times.

fatballs

I don't know enough about the difference between diesel and petrol cars to know if this can have any effect but other replies suggest it doesn't.

But if this helps: I'm the most travel sick-prone person I know and have tried it all. Sitting in the front and always looking at the road ahead, never EVER reading (even to look at a text on my phone is enough to make me feel a little bit sick), and not letting the car get stuffy are enough for short car journeys to be okay. For longer journeys, or boats and planes, I've tried almost every travel sickness tablet going, and the one I'd say works best is promethazine (Phenergan), available OTC. You take it the night before (and will sleep like a baby, I need help being woken up) and again on the morning of travel. It works wonderfully. Regarding non-pharmacological methods; I've tried the wristbands, and they don't work for me, but crystallised ginger is great to chew on if I'm already feeling sick.