Hump back bridges.
Discussion
This is something I don't get, why do hump back bridges seem to have an attraction which makes you want to put your toe in just enough to catch air, went over one the other day and the temptation to give it just enough speed to get airborne was really strong, I have a feeling that had I been on my own I would have jumped it. From looking on the Internet this seems to be a common problem with us petrolheads, we see these bridges as a challenge to be conquered (jumped).
How many people have had to fight and either succeeded or failed to beat it and what was the result?
I'll just mention the one I faced was a perfect ramp with a decent run off area on the other side and I now have an urge to jump it.
How many people have had to fight and either succeeded or failed to beat it and what was the result?
I'll just mention the one I faced was a perfect ramp with a decent run off area on the other side and I now have an urge to jump it.
A friend of mine was showing me a decent hooning road:
"Okay matt, you can do around sixty on this road until the corner, then you brake down to about 30"
"Mate theres a little bridge just ahead?"
"Yeah thats fine, its not as big as it looks, the suspension will deal with it"
Car goes flying, suspension bottoms out, horrible sound
"Mate what the hell?"
"Oh yeah, sam broke his golf down there a while ago"
I've wised up a bit since then.
"Okay matt, you can do around sixty on this road until the corner, then you brake down to about 30"
"Mate theres a little bridge just ahead?"
"Yeah thats fine, its not as big as it looks, the suspension will deal with it"
Car goes flying, suspension bottoms out, horrible sound
"Mate what the hell?"
"Oh yeah, sam broke his golf down there a while ago"
I've wised up a bit since then.
LukeSi said:
twazzock said:
Jumping it as in jumping it in your mum's car which you don't have a full licence to drive yet?
The thing with humpbacks is you can't see what's coming over the other side usually so my usual urge is to slow right-the-fck-down rather than hammer over it in an attempt to get 'air'.
I would never dream of jumping a car i don't own, and the bridge was low enough to see over. The thing with humpbacks is you can't see what's coming over the other side usually so my usual urge is to slow right-the-fck-down rather than hammer over it in an attempt to get 'air'.
d offspring of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and Herbie.Destroyed the exhaust on my old rover going over one at 20. The ex girlfriend wasn't amused at her dog lying on the roof either. Not fun.
One lad from my college course a few years ago put the engine of his MK3 astra into the boot of a 2006 V70. The owner was out of the car checking the damage from a pheasant and had stopped 2 - 3 meters after the peak. Lucky guy.
One lad from my college course a few years ago put the engine of his MK3 astra into the boot of a 2006 V70. The owner was out of the car checking the damage from a pheasant and had stopped 2 - 3 meters after the peak. Lucky guy.
Many moons ago I used to work for a company delivering tyres in a naturally aspirated VW LT28 and on my run there was a hump backed bridge you could catch a little air on with the van if you tried hard enough, anyway cue one Saturday morning and I'm out in the bigger and considerably quicker LT35 TDi to collect old casings and I forget that I'm in the faster van when I come across the bridge, and as its early Saturday morning I wasn't hanging about on the quiet country roads,
Cue me hitting the bridge about 15-20mph faster than normal, getting a LWB LT35 airborne, and landing VERY heavily nose first, cracking the windscreen from one side to the other and the stereo flying free of the dashboard with such force that it ripped some of the wiring with it, needless to say it wasn't easy explaining that when I got back to the depot.
Cue me hitting the bridge about 15-20mph faster than normal, getting a LWB LT35 airborne, and landing VERY heavily nose first, cracking the windscreen from one side to the other and the stereo flying free of the dashboard with such force that it ripped some of the wiring with it, needless to say it wasn't easy explaining that when I got back to the depot.
There is a hump back bridge near me which is at the bottom of a valley on a straight road - you can see if the road is clear ahead for about half a mile either side of the bridge.
I jumped it in my MR2 (once) and I jumped it several times in my £300 Nissan Silvia.
It was fun, but not the sort of fun I need to experience again.
I jumped it in my MR2 (once) and I jumped it several times in my £300 Nissan Silvia.
It was fun, but not the sort of fun I need to experience again.
There's one near me with a half mile straight each side and clear visibility, we used to jump it when I first passed my test in my nova over 20 years ago. I used to do it all the time in company cars too (mk4 escorts) but wouldn't do it these days, the RS is far too heavy!
Thinking out it, we used to hit it at anywhere between 50-70 or so, oh to be young and stupid again! One Out of two isn't bad lol
Thinking out it, we used to hit it at anywhere between 50-70 or so, oh to be young and stupid again! One Out of two isn't bad lol
Edited by djdestiny on Monday 26th March 09:14
Edited by djdestiny on Monday 26th March 09:14
put my first car through a cow field fence backwards, after I bottomed out jumping a bridge. I used to hit it quite fast anyway its pretty open. but that time I got brave, I've calmed down these days. never did know what happened to the cows.
VR
VR
Edited by VR6 Turbo on Monday 26th March 09:24
The op is right, there is a hidden trigger signal in hump back bridge warning signs that make you want to behave like Luke and Bo Duke!
A couple of examples from my youth:
Greasy weirdo friend of a friend had a courtesy Volvo from Drayton motors and went over on bridge several times, to see how high he could . . . . . chassis bent!
Dwarf weirdo, talked Mangoletsi into letting him test drive a Alfa 155 TC . . . . . same deal as before, but this time the exhaust downpipe (where it does a 90 degree bend into the main system) was squashed flat!
A couple of examples from my youth:
Greasy weirdo friend of a friend had a courtesy Volvo from Drayton motors and went over on bridge several times, to see how high he could . . . . . chassis bent!
Dwarf weirdo, talked Mangoletsi into letting him test drive a Alfa 155 TC . . . . . same deal as before, but this time the exhaust downpipe (where it does a 90 degree bend into the main system) was squashed flat!
Three teenagers in a, at the time, Vauxhall Nova 5 door. Driver sees a humpbacked bridge, decides to "jump" it. Gets it wrong, crashes into a fence. Puts one of the wooden bars into the engine, killing it. Puts the other into the cabin hitting the pillar and buckling the roof (and narrowly missing TWO people - instant death I think)....
Anyway, driver then had to call for assistance AND explain to his mother about her car - it was a modified motobility car for his disabled mother, who had been waiting for 6 months to get the modifications to the car and he trashed it within 6 weeks. Nice.
I think the phrase would have been "awkward".
Humpbacked bridges never appealed after that - but love watching the 1000 Lakes rally though!
Anyway, driver then had to call for assistance AND explain to his mother about her car - it was a modified motobility car for his disabled mother, who had been waiting for 6 months to get the modifications to the car and he trashed it within 6 weeks. Nice.
I think the phrase would have been "awkward".
Humpbacked bridges never appealed after that - but love watching the 1000 Lakes rally though!
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