Product Development & Testing
The construction methods and the running gear and axles used in our touring caravans need to satisfy exacting requirements. All new touring caravans need to be as safe as possible and have the best build quality, issues that are taken very seriously at Explorer.
The large surface areas of the front and side walls of a caravan are fully exposed to head and side winds. These factors, combined with the weight of the vehicle and the higher centres of gravity present special challenges to our engineers.
Every new and ongoing development is accompanied by extensive studies and driving tests, many conducted jointly with or by our supply partners.
Stability and handling of a high performance car may rely on firm suspension, but not many cars have cupboards full of crockery! Driving tests conducted by Explorer and BPW at the DAF Vehicle test centre in Eindhoven and the Dutch Safety Inspectorate in Lelystad, were used to establish the current touring caravan designs. During these tests every possible influence on the damping of caravan movement whilst being towed was painstakingly examined.
On the test track manoeuvres were undertaken in all driving conditions and on a variety of road surfaces. This included endurance tests on the notorious Belgium pavé road that proved the strength, build quality and reliability of our caravans over the equivalent of 13,500km. We have even undertaken a 24-hour high speed endurance trial around BMW's performance centre track, the purpose built Rockingham Raceway, as a means of testing both high speed stability and vehicle reliability in a way that far exceeds normal conditions experienced by our customers.
The information and data obtained in all of these tests is used to develop the caravan and running chassis to the highest standards, as in the case of our braking system that achieves deceleration values far in excess of statutory regulations.
