Help with design project
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
From: Seattle WA
Help with design project
Hi Everyone,
I'm studying to be a mechanical engineer, and for my design class project I'm supposed to collect some surveys relating to Car Ramps (ie the wedges you drive up on to raise your car). Basically we're trying to design a new ramp out of a special recycled plastic.
I was hoping some of you guys would have insight you could share about physical or functional requirements.
Anyone have any comments relating to these questions?
1. What do you like about drive up ramps.
2. Why/when/where do you use them?
3. What don't you like about them?
4. Any ideas for improvement, features or enhancements you'd like to see?
Thanks
Alden
I'm studying to be a mechanical engineer, and for my design class project I'm supposed to collect some surveys relating to Car Ramps (ie the wedges you drive up on to raise your car). Basically we're trying to design a new ramp out of a special recycled plastic.
I was hoping some of you guys would have insight you could share about physical or functional requirements.
Anyone have any comments relating to these questions?
1. What do you like about drive up ramps.
2. Why/when/where do you use them?
3. What don't you like about them?
4. Any ideas for improvement, features or enhancements you'd like to see?
Thanks
Alden
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,186
Likes: 45
From: detroit area
i know the problem i have is that the front on the car hits the ramp before the tires do..... so you almost nee a shallow run in the beginning then slop up gradually.........a concave slope then level out....
why does it have to ba a ramp.... why not a set of stacked levels.... like stacked 2x8s......
b
why does it have to ba a ramp.... why not a set of stacked levels.... like stacked 2x8s......
b
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
Pretty much the only problem I see is that the spoiler hits the ramp before the tire does on a low car like the C3, but it also does on my '04 Cavalier. Another minor issue is that wide tires sometimes don't fit nicely. Good luck with your project.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 106
Likes: 2
From: Pullman WA
The main reason I don't like the car ramps you drive onto is that almost every single garage has a somewhat slick concrete floor, and of the two sets of car ramps I've used (one metal and one some type of plastic) slide out from under the tires when you try to drive onto them inside the garage, the ideal place to use them, so what I have done in the past is take 2x4s and put one end against the wall and the other end against the ramps to get on them, but they still slip out when you back off. So, when using car ramps I have always had to use them outside in the driveway. I almost never use mine.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,362
Likes: 7
From: Brazos TX
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
1. a.you don't have to jack up the car and use jack stands. b.they compress the suspension by keeping the vehicle weight on the wheel
2. use them in the garage when I need the suspension compressed
3. a. I agree that the biggest issue I have is a ramp has an angle that is too steep for a low or long nosed car drive up without hitting it. b. aligning the ramps parallel to the car can be difficult in confined spaces.
4. a. Ramps should have positive stops or depressions to keep from driving off the end. b. cheapy laser pointers could be used to help align the ramps. c. mirrors on the front/outside of the ramp would help the driver see where he is on the ramp without needing a second person to spot for you.
Good luck on your design project. Are you going to cite the forum in your report? Also, I have a compact solution to 3.a. but you should do some of the work, eh? Show us what you come up with. Go Huskies (even though I didn't attend U dub my childhood was spent in Seattle)
2. use them in the garage when I need the suspension compressed
3. a. I agree that the biggest issue I have is a ramp has an angle that is too steep for a low or long nosed car drive up without hitting it. b. aligning the ramps parallel to the car can be difficult in confined spaces.
4. a. Ramps should have positive stops or depressions to keep from driving off the end. b. cheapy laser pointers could be used to help align the ramps. c. mirrors on the front/outside of the ramp would help the driver see where he is on the ramp without needing a second person to spot for you.
Good luck on your design project. Are you going to cite the forum in your report? Also, I have a compact solution to 3.a. but you should do some of the work, eh? Show us what you come up with. Go Huskies (even though I didn't attend U dub my childhood was spent in Seattle)
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
