Speed Bumps

Speed Bumps

Author
Discussion

darrent

Original Poster:

630 posts

259 months

Sunday 6th October 2002
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Pick my car up on Saturday (yipee!) but just had a thought - the area I live in has several nasty looking speed bumps - anybody got any thoughts/comments - will I be OK going over these if I take it slow?

PS Does anybody know if you can "cash in" an existing Sprint Warranty - I think the dealer is pulling a fast one....

madasahatter

374 posts

267 months

Sunday 6th October 2002
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Excellent news that you are joining the "Fold".

Cerbera ownership for me has been great, but I was nervous for the first few weeks while I got used to the fact that it really does clatter like that all the time, and nothing is wrong. Also, coming from a Eurobox, a temperature gauge that actually moves is a little perturbing.

Speed Ramps are also a bit of a pain. If your suspension is standard (as mine is) then you will ground the bolts holding a protection "cage" onto the bottom of the car every now and again - never more so than when you visit Joolz

Basically, it depends on the ramp - but that doesn't help you. If it is a very narrow ramp (the front wheels are clear before the rears are on) then it better not be too high. 6 inches are you are grounded. If the ramp is wide, then being careful helps a lot (see below). Speed tables (not full road width, just a lump in the middle of the road) have to be taken carefully since the wheels don't lift the car off the road, and hence you stand a chance of making a horrible noise.

Being careful? Well, obviously if you hit it slowly then you can expect the suspesion to dip less, and hence the chance of catching the bottom is reduced. The slightly less obvious is clutch control. If taking it very slowly be sure to be gentle when engaging the clutch.....As the clutch engages the car sits down a bit......

The worst for me is multi-storey carparks, where the up ramps try and take the bottom of the car out at every opportunity.

Have a great time. I am, sure the ramps will be fine. The ones on the entrance to our estate look terrible, but the car gets over them no probs.

mlumb

2,354 posts

266 months

Monday 7th October 2002
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has anyone had any experience challenging the use of speed bumps? they seem to be springing up all over at the moment near where i live/work. many just cannot be negotiated in the cerb, i have to make awkward detours to get around,surely this is discriminating against those of us who choose to drive a perfectly legal sports car,its starting to really hack me off!!

Don

28,377 posts

284 months

Monday 7th October 2002
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Take it really slowly - and I mean practically stationary - get in 1st gear BEFORE the hump and travel at a constant snail's pace over 'em. This usually works for all but the most vicious humps.

Interestingly I get more trouble in my Boxster/Chimaera over the new sort of hump: The kind that goes ramp then a 6 to 12 foot plateau then a ramp down. The regular two foot kind are rarely any trouble.

The problem with the strategy I've just outlined is that the Mums in the 4x4s can ignore the humps completely and are likely to run into the back of you - so make sure you check your mirror and show the brake lights early.... ... they just can't believe that anyone could need to go so slowly

david010167

1,397 posts

263 months

Monday 7th October 2002
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No, but I wish someone would. Some speedbumps I feel are more dangerouse than the road was before there installation. I think that you can sometimes spend to much time contemplating how to best get over round the bumps, and not enough time lookiung at the road. I know this is an exageration, but we are talking about accidents that can happen in a split second, and the bump may consume that time.

I for one had a close call with a prat on a bike who believed that speed bumps are actualy ramps to launcht he idiot in front of my car, made me jump a bit and he had a few choice words from me. No harm done to either me, the car or him, but it could have been different.

David

quote:

has anyone had any experience challenging the use of speed bumps? they seem to be springing up all over at the moment near where i live/work. many just cannot be negotiated in the cerb, i have to make awkward detours to get around,surely this is discriminating against those of us who choose to drive a perfectly legal sports car,its starting to really hack me off!!

mlumb

2,354 posts

266 months

Monday 7th October 2002
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so how can we get rid of 'em?

maranellouk

2,066 posts

263 months

Monday 7th October 2002
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quote:


I for one had a close call with a prat on a bike who believed that speed bumps are actualy ramps to launcht he idiot in front of my car, made me jump a bit and he had a few choice words from me. No harm done to either me, the car or him, but it could have been different.

David

quote:

Got the order of importance correct

simond001

4,518 posts

277 months

Monday 7th October 2002
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Quick note on getting over speed humps.

Taken at an angle you can ensure that you always have one wheel on the hump, therefore lifting the centre of the car. And as for these new "islands" that councils seem to enjoy putting in the middle of carraigeways, I just drive down the centre of the road, and let everyone look at the Cerb!

Croydon Council were succesfully sued about 6 years ago when a Lotus driver damaged his car over a speed hump. Knowing how this country works now, yourr more likely to get sued by the council for scraping the tarmac off the speed hump!!!