Speedbumps . . . how hard on your car?

[Mandarax]

From Car Talk:

@Click and Clack

Speed bumps are one of those things that can really turn a car to junk.
…
Each time you hit a big bump, the fenders get a little looser, the windshield creaks a little more, the dashboard develops a few extra rattles. And before you know it, every time you go over a bump, the glove box flies open, the radio stops playing, and your visor falls down in front of your eyes. And this is exactly how cars get turned into heaps.

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

If I’m not mistaken it would be possible to force a reduction in speed by devising a bump that has breaks in it. The idea would be that you slow down to negotiate your car through the break rather than over the bump.

Speed bumps as we have them now are evil.

[GiantRat]

Two mini-bits:

In high school, I was late for driver’s ed class. So, I tore into the parking lot and sped of the “speed jumps” fast enough that it felt like I “caught some air,” so to speak (about 60 mph, I’d guess), and skidded into a parking spot. I got thrown out of driver’s ed for that (but they let me in after some persuasion).

More relevantly, about 6 months ago, I lost one of the brackets (wish I knew the real term) that holds the radiator in place because of a speed bump in a parking lot with a 15 mph speed limit. I was, for once in my life, going BELOW that limit, but the front end bottomed out any way. So now I carry a bent piece of cheap steel or aluminum (not sure which) in my back seat - as though I’ll ever bother to have it replaced.

[Pushkin]

@casdave

These bumps are made to a certain width so that bikes canget inside, and buses can and wagons can straddle them

There’s a stretch of street in Belfast where the bumps are so wide apart that you can easily fit a car through (if, of course, there is no opposing traffic)

And having lived in Northern Ireland my parents experienced speed bumps long before they came into vogue in towns and cities as a traffic calming measure. Dad’s solution to getting over them smoothly, especially in a big car, was to brake sharply before crossing them and then accelerate over them. The idea was that braking and then accelerating would raise the car off its front suspension and give maximum travel when crossing the hump. No idea if was a good idea or not, the peace process took them all away when I got my own license!

As (another) aside, there’s concern that larger vehicles hitting the bumps can actually cause damage to nearby houses.

[Ludovic]

@Pushkin

There’s a stretch of street in Belfast where the bumps are so wide apart that you can easily fit a car through (if, of course, there is no opposing traffic)

And having lived in Northern Ireland my parents experienced speed bumps long before they came into vogue in towns and cities as a traffic calming measure. Dad’s solution to getting over them smoothly, especially in a big car, was to brake sharply before crossing them and then accelerate over them. The idea was that braking and then accelerating would raise the car off its front suspension and give maximum travel when crossing the hump. No idea if was a good idea or not, the peace process took them all away when I got my own license!

As (another) aside, there’s concern that larger vehicles hitting the bumps can actually cause damage to nearby houses.

It seems to give a smoother ride on my Kia Rio to do exactly that over 15 MPH-rated bumps: speed up to over 15 MPH, then brake hard so that you’re in the middle of a brake when you’re going over the speed bump, but your speed is still around 15MPH, then as soon as you hit the bump (or just before,) accererate. Maybe it’s just psychological but it seems to not jolt me as much as just straight-up 15 MPH.