Weight limits: can old bridges handle modern cars?

[AdamW]

OK, so we all know that cars have got heavier all of a sudden in recent years (as I showed once on a very, very lonely evening the latest Corsa weighs the same as the earliest Astra). Presumably due to the fact they make cars out of girders to ensure their crash worthiness (crash worthiness?! What a funny expression!).

This evening I saw a 1.5-tonne weight limit on a bridge... seriously, 1.5 tonnes, 1500kg. My 'small family hatch' weighs 1150kg kerbweight, 1260kg including me (my Mum really outdid herself this Christmas ). So, no problem for me provided I don't have a bunch of fat mates in the car.

But, what about poor Eddie and his Japanzer? With a kerbweight far in excess of 2000kg, I guess that means it would be totally illegal for owners of such vehicles to cross such bridges. Looking at the Ford website, about 80% of Mondeo models exceed 1500kg kerbweight. In fact, I have seen quite a few 2-tonne limits which would still mean no big 4x4s. Eddie, is there a big sticker on your sunvisor advising you of minimum headroom and maximum weights?

Now I originate in a rather well-populated part of Surrey, yet still the bridges over the Thames are several miles apart. If you are in the middle of nowhere, unfamiliar roads, and come to a 1.5-tonne bridge in your 2.5-tonne car, will you really say "Oh no, I better turn round and find a different way to get across the river!"? Especially if you know that the next-nearest bridge will probably be a 20-mile detour? Thinking about it, if I was going up to say, Fort William, I would probably choose a Range Rover over a Rover, just in case I fancied (or had to) take it off-road.

Send for the special doctor, I'm thinking too much again

 

[securespark]

Point taken. As for crash worthiness, what you need is lots of deformation zones, "crumple" zones: areas that will gradually deform in an impact to absorb the energy, rather than girders! Am sure you know this, so I won't try to teach an elderly female relative to place the fragile offerings of chickens into her buccal cavity.

BTW, while we're on fowl, did you hear about the conditions in the hen house? The RSPCA described them as chickensian!!

Back to the bridges: I might be tempted to drive over hastily and not stop on the bridge!!

 

[AdamW]

Have you been at the gripewater again Simon?

What's in that stuff anyway? I seem to remember when my lil' sis (4 years my junior) was a babe I would nick the bottle of gripewater due to it's exquisite flavour.

 

[jasy]

OK, so we all know that cars have got heavier all of a sudden in recent years (as I showed once on a very, very lonely evening the latest Corsa weighs the same as the earliest Astra). Presumably due to the fact they make cars out of girders to ensure their crash worthiness (crash worthiness?! What a funny expression!).

This evening I saw a 1.5-tonne weight limit on a bridge... seriously, 1.5 tonnes, 1500kg. My 'small family hatch' weighs 1150kg kerbweight, 1260kg including me (my Mum really outdid herself this Christmas ). So, no problem for me provided I don't have a bunch of fat mates in the car.

But, what about poor Eddie and his Japanzer? With a kerbweight far in excess of 2000kg, I guess that means it would be totally illegal for owners of such vehicles to cross such bridges. Looking at the Ford website, about 80% of Mondeo models exceed 1500kg kerbweight. In fact, I have seen quite a few 2-tonne limits which would still mean no big 4x4s. Eddie, is there a big sticker on your sunvisor advising you of minimum headroom and maximum weights?

Now I originate in a rather well-populated part of Surrey, yet still the bridges over the Thames are several miles apart. If you are in the middle of nowhere, unfamiliar roads, and come to a 1.5-tonne bridge in your 2.5-tonne car, will you really say "Oh no, I better turn round and find a different way to get across the river!"? Especially if you know that the next-nearest bridge will probably be a 20-mile detour? Thinking about it, if I was going up to say, Fort William, I would probably choose a Range Rover over a Rover, just in case I fancied (or had to) take it off-road.

Send for the special doctor, I'm thinking too much again

This is definately a case for the theories post.....................FAIRYDUST WARNING ZONE...............

 

[2scoops0406]

WRT to weedy bridges, Simon has hit the nail on the head, don't dither ! The car doesn't have the weight and height anywhere particularly visible, however most height restrictions are 2.0m, so at 1.85m (not sure if this includes the rails) I have a few cm to spare (sometimes hit the aerial thou'). The kerbside weight is 2610 kgs, so I suppose I'll have to look at the weight limits a bit more carefully in future .

I wonder what weight limits exist round our neck of the woods, I hope they are enough to cope with large Massey Fergusons (!)

WRT to gripe water the main active ingredient used to be alcohol, you may have wondered why this made the little treasures drop off

 

[Thermo]

hmmmmm Gripewater

 

[masona]

I remember when my lad was young and has wind problem, I has to demonstrate how to take it from the spoon (couldn't get out of it!) geee I slept for 10 hours that night and it's cheaper than sleeping pills

Sorry off topic here

hang on a minute, it was AdamW that mention gripe water so it's not off topic

 

[swelec]

Just watched a motoring programme on Sky

They deliberately ran a 7 year old renault Espace into a new model Renault Espace

the new model having 5 star Encap ?? rating

The mess on the old version was incredible to see, whereas the newer model didn't even deploy the airbags as the sensors were not troubled enough to react

Tiffany Dell said if two old cars collide it would not have been so bad

The new models protect the owner to the detriment of anyone else involved - they are built like tanks

Ie that where the weight comes from ?

 

[AdamW]

Yes, exactly. For example, modern car doors have all kinds of strengthening beams built into them so in a T-bone collision you wont get crushed so easily. Just have a look how thick the door is on a new car, then at look at one on an old car. Then you have the pillars: A and C pillars are now considerably heftier than they used to be (and visibility has suffered because of it!).

An analogy to the increased weight would be that of convertibles over fixed-roofs. Convertibles have always been heavier, as the bodywork has to be beefed up to avoid flexing due to lack of roof. Modern cars are now beefed up to avoid people inside being killed.

I have to say though, I didn't entirely agree with Tiff "I don't even know how to go round corners properly" Needell and his statement of "two old cars crashing isn't as bad". There would be a minor reduction in danger for the people in the old Espace, but it wouldn't be significant.