Do Speed Bumps and Steel Plates Damage Cars?

By

plwp12

Usually neighborhood and/or parking lots will have a speed limit posted. It is best to go that speed or even lower. That is why the signs are posted...to let you know a safe speed for going over the bumps. If your car is low to the ground, the entire undercarriage can be damaged by hitting a bump too fast.

By

dietvanilla

low down and see if you can angle your car like the one person said with one tire over the bump and the other over the smooth road. Also as someone said before it really is depending on your car. Good luck

By

susanmajp

That is what they were meant to do--slow a person down, or else. Unfortunately, they don't seem to deter irresponsible drivers much and cause problems for drivers who are usually cautious. They do get everyone's attention though.

By

meggymolly

Hi Sandy, my garage mechanic told us that driving fast over speeds bumps damages your car suspension, so I always go over them really slow, meg.

By

xsnos2

Your speed over the bumps, should be minimal, not idling, but each car is different too. I had a 96 grand prix that rode low to the ground because it also had "low profile" tires. Any speed bump I came to, I had to "crawl" over it, and also try to approach at an angle so it was like 1 wheel over at a time. Always be prepared for them to be bad....there used to be one in a Green Bay, WI parking lot, that was so high any vehicle "bottomed out" which could tear off a muffler, dent an oil pan, etc. The guy who had it put in front of his store not only paid for others' car repairs, but also to have a lot of it ground down. You can tell how big/bad a bump is by looking at the scrape marks already going across them!

By

T&T Grandma

Set a glass of water on your dash, go over the bump at the speed it will not knock this over. Yes, there are conditions which can knock something loose in your car. And occupants inside the car can suffer injury as well. Till you suffer back injuries that can take years to overcome, just slow down. My husband was carefully going over one of these marked areas in a construction zone (guided through) and the dirt had shifted, the truck tire fell through and he has ruptured discs in his back now. Life time injury.

By

Deeli

Hi Sandy,
I don't remember the original question text exactly but I follow every new post on subjects where I've left a post and do remember that the posted answers , including mine, were approriate to the information supplied by that original question. I just want you to know none of the posts here were meant to be scathing or mean of heart and were appropriate for how the initial question was worded and hence why the comments of what speed bumps are meant for.

When I think of speed bumps I think of asphalt ones and, as I said in my original post, 5-10 miles per hour and you should be safe as far as not damaging your car. I sincerely hope this helps you feel better and know that no one was trying to pick on you.