Treat it with respect (drive like an old ****)

[Eric Tilley]

I noticed this comment regarding the current A class model in Honest Johns pages Front suspension vulnerable to damage by speed cushions if driver brakes too hard, too late. Also not suitable for rough tracks. The thoughts just goes through my head; is it better to just hit the cushion at speed rather than brake for it ? how coarse does your driving have to get before you b***** the bungies ?

 

[hawk20]

I noticed this comment regarding the current A class model in Honest Johns pages Front suspension vulnerable to damage by speed cushions if driver brakes too hard, too late. Also not suitable for rough tracks. The thoughts just goes through my head; is it better to just hit the cushion at speed rather than brake for it ? how coarse does your driving have to get before you b***** the bungies ?

The trouble with these comments by journalists is that when I've checked in the past they are often just based on a couple of people who have written to them and said they 'think it was caused by X'.

I brake and go over speed bumps at a pace that feels reasonably comfortable. If it is for me, I assume it is for the car.

 

[Eric Tilley]

Trouble with speed humps is that they are not all the same, you can be driving in an area and at 25 the car is just riding the humps smoothly and then the next one bang the car crashes over it, OK if it`s your locality and you know where the bad ones are . Perhaps they should be rated on something akin to the Richter Scale, painted with an appropriate colour (hold onto your false teeth there`s a purple one coming up)

 

[hawk20]

I agree. It is amazing and appalling that there is no British Standard hump. You would expect the DofT to issue a spec because this is a serious point, they do damage cars and they do cause a lot of noise and nuisance to nearby residents. Empty lorries crashing and banging over them make a lot of noise. Round here residents who ask for them, usually regret it.

 

[Myros]

I like those ones where they have a gap in the middle

and the hump is just about the width of your wheeltrack. Do you go for the between the wheels approach, and risk sumping it or exhausting it, or slow down and do a one sided approach? I do look for signs of grounding as i approach new ones.
Having said that, I have a hump-backed bridge into the car park at work, and that looks like it's had a road crew gouging it out, yet I've never grounded any of ours on it and I drive up at a reasonable pace. Some people must just enjoy flying at these things at speed.

 

[hawk20]

I try to get the wheels one each side but even with the S they are often too wide. Those who fly at them probably don't pay the bills!

 

[ShinyF1]

The worst ones are those that have the road surface worn on the the other side - you approach, brake, go over the bump and 'bang' the front apron hits the ground because the road has sagged. Annoying because you can't see it coming!

[Disappointed W210 with A/G sports suspension owner in London - why is the front overhang so long?]

 

[Rory]

I try to brake well before them and then gently accelerate momentarily before I hit them, then foot off before the back wheels go over. The theory being that the car will go slightly nose up maximising the available suspension travel.

I’ve absolutely no idea if this is a good plan or not, but it seems logical to me that if you're still braking (especially if braking hard) into a speed bump then you're hitting the already compressed suspension, which can't be a good thing.

 

[television]

I try to brake well before them and then gently accelerate momentarily before I hit them, then foot off before the back wheels go over. The theory being that the car will go slightly nose up maximising the available suspension travel.

I’ve absolutely no idea if this is a good plan or not, but it seems logical to me that if you're still braking (especially if braking hard) into a speed bump then you're hitting the already compressed suspension, which can't be a good thing.

I agree 100% with the above, all ways take your foot off the brake just before the hump

 

[whitenemesis]

I try to brake well before them and then gently accelerate momentarily before I hit them, then foot off before the back wheels go over. The theory being that the car will go slightly nose up maximising the available suspension travel.

I’ve absolutely no idea if this is a good plan or not, but it seems logical to me that if you're still braking (especially if braking hard) into a speed bump then you're hitting the already compressed suspension, which can't be a good thing.

I concur, one should never hit the hump with the front suspension compressed under braking.
Having said that I try and brake well before and crawl over them. Annoys the driver behind (had a few beeps) but WTF its my car and my wallet I'm protecting.
There should be a standard for these 'evils', surely if its in a 30 zone one should be able to drive over them at 30mph?

 

[Eric Tilley]

QUOTE Front suspension vulnerable to damage by speed cushions if driver brakes too hard, too late. Also not suitable for rough tracks. /Quote.

As this statement has been made about the latest model A class, not the earlier one, I would put money on the it being related to the adaptive suspension the current model has. I know the suspension stiffens under cornering motion to stop body roll. I bet it also happens under braking dip, the suspension goes rigid and bang ! Good bye front suspension.