Dear friends:

I have to drive my car over about 10 bumps in a parking lot every day. Even though I always try to go over the bumps as slowly as possible, I just do not feel very good for my car's suspension or drivetrain. Do you think my worries are reasonable? Thanks a lot for your precious information.

Best regards,

Eric

Try going over them at an angle. One wheel goes over at a time but not to worry, the car has lots of suspension travel.

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

Eric,

I go over them as fast as I can just to spite the bastards that put them there. One place they put a stop sign right in the middle. I guess I didn't see it one night because I ran right over it.

P E H

Eric,
Your diesel NEEDS to have suspension components that are NOT worn.
If the above is the case, then what you need are GENUINE BILSTEIN SHOCK ABSORBERS on your Mercedes Benz.
On the "Black Bomber", I encounter NO difficulty with speed bumps of any kind. Must remember to keep the speed down, so as NOT to make the vehicle FLY and then bottom the suspension out.
Good luck.
Spo out

I have to say I'm in the same camp as PEH... If there's reason to slow down (lots of traffic, can't see, kids running around), I'll gladly do it - but I don't need $(*&@ annoying bumps in the street to tell me to! So if I can, I drive like they're just not there...

One of the reasons my friends and I call my 300TD "the Tank" (in addition to its ability to mangle any other car that has run into it) is that it goes over these things like they aren't there. Same for dips (and we have a lot of them here, some quite huge).

It seems like this would have a horrible effect on the suspension, but in seven years of driving this car I haven't had any problems...

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

While in the shop years ago, the mechanic told me that they will not hurt anything but to stay off the brakes while going over them.

I guess he thought it might cause some kind of damage to them.

In my car, I don't slow down for parking lot speed bumps but I do slow down for the speed humps that are becoming increasingly popular in the neighborhoods around here. However, in my CJ7 I do as P E H does ( I hit 'em at about 40mph) which often causes me to leave the ground for a brief second or so. It's good fun and gets a great reaction from anyone that happens to be with me. I hate the ones that are in the streets...

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1982 Mercedes-Benz 300CD
1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D - stick

LOL - "Dead Policemen"..... thats slang for speed bumps that resemble grave mounds across small private roads and parking lots.

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'80 300SD/ w116
'79 240D 4-spd
'71 750cc Guzzi

previously owned:

'83 240D 4-spd
'77 280SEL 4-spd
'74 280/8
'72 250/8
'65 220Sb 4-spd
'63 220Sb 4-spd
'63 190c 4-spd
'61 220Sb 4-spd
'60 190b 4-spd

Most every city is having budget problems. They spend money trying to keep the pot holes repaired and the streets in overall good shape. Then they come along and put in speed bumps/humps over the smooth street. Why not just do away with the street department and in 3 or 4 years the roads will have so many pot holes no body will be able to drive over 30 mph anyway?

Seems stupid to me to try and keep good streets and then put those darn bumps on them.

They are talking about adding the bumps in my neighborhood. They added stop signs every 3rd or 4th block about 5 years ago trying to slow down traffic. Doesn't seem to work so now the bright ideal about the speed bumps. I wonder how much extra gas and premature brake wear are caused by all the extra stop signs now? Probably costing the public millions in extra fuel alone.

If they put the bumps around my neighborhood I'm going to pour gasoline on them at night to disolve the asphalt. Maybe they will get the point.

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JD

Just pray you never have to deal with "chicanes" like we have up the street from where I live. These are sort of extensions to the curb that jut out into the street farther than a parked car, alternating from one side of the street to the other, supposedly narrowing the street while still allowing cars to pass...

The assumption is that on a narrower street where people have to weave back and forth between this stupid roadblocks, people will dive slower. But it doesn't take a driver three seconds to realize, "Hey, I can just drive straight down the middle at my usual speed!" This is much more convenient than trying to dodge the *&^@$% curb extensions so that's what everyone (including myself) does.

So what have these things succeeded in doing? Not slowing down traffic! They just force both directions of traffic to drive down the middle of the street at each other! Only when people come upon an oncoming car do they start swerving from side to side to maneuver around each other, but since they're both already going normal road speeds that just makes the system all the more dangerous... especially when (as some jackass in a gigantic truck did to me a couple of days ago) one of the people refuses to move even a little to the side, forcing the other person practically on to the curb (unless there's a car parked at the curb... ouch!).

The whole idea of trying to slow down traffic with some kind of obstruction is absurd. For the price they pay to install and maintain speed bumbs/chicanes/etc. and the cost of wear and tear, extra gas, and annoyance, the city could easily send a cop out once a week or so to ticket the REAL troublemakers, leaving the rest of us alone...

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)