Discussion
Hello all,
After a few years of swearing and general grumbling, I finally counted the speed bumps in the 4 mile part of my occasional drive to work in central london (the first 4 miles in SE London have the bumps, the last bit, in the centre, none). My poor car is going over 44 speed bumps there and 44 back home each time!
We all know that speed bumps don't do the car any good, but is there any evidence about the kind of damage and advanced wear that this kind of ridiculous count of bumps is likely to do (not counting pot holes and general crap road surface). Any automotive engineers out there or other informed opinions on what this will do to a car over time?
By the way, about 15 of the bumps have gone in in the last few months, and they are by far the worst- most steep and short so they really crash the car over them, going at 15- 20 mph...
thanks for your opinions- and even more if anyone has ideas about doing something about it!
After a few years of swearing and general grumbling, I finally counted the speed bumps in the 4 mile part of my occasional drive to work in central london (the first 4 miles in SE London have the bumps, the last bit, in the centre, none). My poor car is going over 44 speed bumps there and 44 back home each time!
We all know that speed bumps don't do the car any good, but is there any evidence about the kind of damage and advanced wear that this kind of ridiculous count of bumps is likely to do (not counting pot holes and general crap road surface). Any automotive engineers out there or other informed opinions on what this will do to a car over time?
By the way, about 15 of the bumps have gone in in the last few months, and they are by far the worst- most steep and short so they really crash the car over them, going at 15- 20 mph...
thanks for your opinions- and even more if anyone has ideas about doing something about it!
Yes they will cause a great deal of damage to the car when compared to driving over smooth tarmac. 88 speed bumps a day would certainly accelerate wear on rubber parts in the suspension like bushes and topmounts, they'll wear the dampers too, track rod ends, steering rack etc etc. Plus they'll put your geometry alignment out over time which contributes to tyre wear.
(that's one way) of them 90% of which were those really awful squared off rubber ones.According to my local spanner-man, they destroy springs. He's continually changing them around here (SE London, shockingly...). The trick is to find a route that has the humps that you can drive over by placing your wheels either side of them. Think they've introduced a lot of those on the local bus routes to stop the passengers continually hitting their heads on the roof.
Speed bumps really annoy me. I've written to my local council and my local MP about speed bumps in my village and have received no reply from either. I cited the following points in my e-mail:
1) Careful drivers (who weren't a problem in the first place) have to slow down, and reckless ones speed over them regardless, so what's the point in having them?
2) Road rage. When I slow down for them I've been shouted at and hooted because of it.
3) Air pollution and noise pollution as drivers accelerate between them.
4) Ambulances - the drivers hate speed bumps for obvious reasons.
1) Careful drivers (who weren't a problem in the first place) have to slow down, and reckless ones speed over them regardless, so what's the point in having them?
2) Road rage. When I slow down for them I've been shouted at and hooted because of it.
3) Air pollution and noise pollution as drivers accelerate between them.
4) Ambulances - the drivers hate speed bumps for obvious reasons.
Greenwich Ross said:
According to my local spanner-man, they destroy springs. He's continually changing them around here (SE London, shockingly...). The trick is to find a route that has the humps that you can drive over by placing your wheels either side of them. Think they've introduced a lot of those on the local bus routes to stop the passengers continually hitting their heads on the roof.
Do buses not speed through residential estates then? IME they do. So why should they be excused the discomfort of the blasted things?I don't know why we don't just all give up and turn all the roads over to these piss stinking, fume belching behomeths.
Dog Star said:
Greenwich Ross said:
According to my local spanner-man, they destroy springs. He's continually changing them around here (SE London, shockingly...). The trick is to find a route that has the humps that you can drive over by placing your wheels either side of them. Think they've introduced a lot of those on the local bus routes to stop the passengers continually hitting their heads on the roof.
Do buses not speed through residential estates then? IME they do. So why should they be excused the discomfort of the blasted things?I don't know why we don't just all give up and turn all the roads over to these piss stinking, fume belching behomeths.
Polynesian said:
Hello all,
After a few years of swearing and general grumbling, I finally counted the speed bumps in the 4 mile part of my occasional drive to work in central london (the first 4 miles in SE London have the bumps, the last bit, in the centre, none). My poor car is going over 44 speed bumps there and 44 back home each time!
We all know that speed bumps don't do the car any good, but is there any evidence about the kind of damage and advanced wear that this kind of ridiculous count of bumps is likely to do (not counting pot holes and general crap road surface). Any automotive engineers out there or other informed opinions on what this will do to a car over time?
By the way, about 15 of the bumps have gone in in the last few months, and they are by far the worst- most steep and short so they really crash the car over them, going at 15- 20 mph...
thanks for your opinions- and even more if anyone has ideas about doing something about it!
The nearest solution seems to be Specs, but the real solution is speed limit linked throttle control.After a few years of swearing and general grumbling, I finally counted the speed bumps in the 4 mile part of my occasional drive to work in central london (the first 4 miles in SE London have the bumps, the last bit, in the centre, none). My poor car is going over 44 speed bumps there and 44 back home each time!
We all know that speed bumps don't do the car any good, but is there any evidence about the kind of damage and advanced wear that this kind of ridiculous count of bumps is likely to do (not counting pot holes and general crap road surface). Any automotive engineers out there or other informed opinions on what this will do to a car over time?
By the way, about 15 of the bumps have gone in in the last few months, and they are by far the worst- most steep and short so they really crash the car over them, going at 15- 20 mph...
thanks for your opinions- and even more if anyone has ideas about doing something about it!
Dog Star said:
Greenwich Ross said:
According to my local spanner-man, they destroy springs. He's continually changing them around here (SE London, shockingly...). The trick is to find a route that has the humps that you can drive over by placing your wheels either side of them. Think they've introduced a lot of those on the local bus routes to stop the passengers continually hitting their heads on the roof.
Do buses not speed through residential estates then? IME they do. So why should they be excused the discomfort of the blasted things?I don't know why we don't just all give up and turn all the roads over to these piss stinking, fume belching behomeths.
As for the humps . . . living in Milton Keynes we have both the deterioration of tyres from the roundabouts on the main roads and then EVERY estate deteriorates any movable part on the car via the humps. And they are not even consistent. Some are ridiculously high and steep (even scraping my Skoda which is not a low car). I wouldn't own a Ferrari around here.
davepoth said:
Depends on the type - all of the "pillow" style ones around here had to be made a bit narrow so they could get a gap between them on our narrow roads. Subsequently they are small enough to straddle with my daily drive so I don't slow down for them at all...
They mainy use pillow style bumps around here, and while I can straddle them in both the Celica and the MX5, I can hear the latter scraping against the top of the bump 
gazchap said:
davepoth said:
Depends on the type - all of the "pillow" style ones around here had to be made a bit narrow so they could get a gap between them on our narrow roads. Subsequently they are small enough to straddle with my daily drive so I don't slow down for them at all...
They mainy use pillow style bumps around here, and while I can straddle them in both the Celica and the MX5, I can hear the latter scraping against the top of the bump Curious.
What annoys me is the inconsistency in the height as along out road you can do a max of 20mph over them but one you have to take at 5-10mph and they have the cheek to put 20mph signs up 
Makes no difference to the chav in the Corsa who consistently does well over 30mph down the street
Makes no difference to the chav in the Corsa who consistently does well over 30mph down the street
I'm the one who would have be doing <5 mph over them in the MR2.
I bet everyone following me was happy though as it reduced the chance of accidents, decreased fuel use, lowered polloution and helped everyone get where they were going quicker.
Then everyone woke back up in the real world.
I bet everyone following me was happy though as it reduced the chance of accidents, decreased fuel use, lowered polloution and helped everyone get where they were going quicker.
Then everyone woke back up in the real world.
There are some on a particular road in Sheffield that my car simply can not get over....no matter what speed...they are simply too high. My car is low but not excessively so.
I think they are ridiculous inventions and totally inappropriate on many of the routes on which they are placed.
I think they are ridiculous inventions and totally inappropriate on many of the routes on which they are placed.
hesnotthemessiah said:
There are some on a particular road in Sheffield that my car simply can not get over....no matter what speed...they are simply too high. My car is low but not excessively so.
I think they are ridiculous inventions and totally inappropriate on many of the routes on which they are placed.
There are regulations for their construction, if they don't comply, inform the councilI think they are ridiculous inventions and totally inappropriate on many of the routes on which they are placed.
I did that for one around here that people kept knocking splitters off on - all I got back was a very snotty letter informing me I must be mistaken as they're all preformed castings and there was no way their skilled road engineers would put them in wrong.
So people are still knocking the bumpers off their cars over it.
w
kers.
So people are still knocking the bumpers off their cars over it.
w
kers.I'm sure I heard of some good ones which register your speed and inflate of over the speed limit. I guess there's a higher cost to these but surely a better solution as rewards driving at a designated safe speed. Or make all roads play tunes if driven at the correct speed in the way that American road does from vibrations on the types, again rewards correct driving as opposed to ruining the cars of those that don't slow down and also affecting everyone who is within the limit.
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