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I have been invited to present on the Prius in the morning and was just told that they want to drive it into the gym. I'll have to navigate a standard US curb. Has anyone driven a Prius over a curb (intentionally) without bottoming out?

Can anyone think of some ramps or something to help out (maybe at walmart or autozone)? I'm not concerned about getting the front wheels over, my main concern is getting the rear wheels over without bottoming out the under carriage in some way half way from the front wheels to the back.

Thoughts, Suggestions?

11011011

PS: Sorry for cross-posting, I needed a wide exposure.

Dan,

I have some ramps that I bought at Advance Auto Parts that I use for oil changes.

http://www.advanceautoparts.com/default.asp

There's one in Cypress. They are kinda pricey......$40 IIRC?......but they will be all the ramp you need. I actually bought 'em initially for the doggone EBH.

I don't have experience with curbs, but my guess is that scraping would be involved.

Can you get to it using a standard sidewalk? If so, would you be able to use one of those slopes down to the road intended for wheelchairs?

If not, consider approaching from a wide angle rather than head on -- so that you get one side up and then the next side up. That should help reduce the possibility of scraping the underside because of the angles...

Get a pair of 2x6s from the lumberyard, lay them over the curb as a long & cheap ramp, and you're set.

Get a pair of 2x6s from the lumberyard, lay them over the curb as a long & cheap ramp, and you're set.I was afraid that a 2x6 would buckle under the weight of the car. Each one would be supporting maybe a lot of weight.

I have some ramps that I bought at Advance Auto Parts that I use for oil changes.Both of these help me get the front wheels over, but I still have to make it from my front axle to my back axle without the under-carriage bottoming out. Think I'd need a 4 foot ramp at least.

11011011

Here's the problem as I see it:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/diagram.jpg

making a long enough ramp to elevate the back axle (and under-carriage).

11011011

if you have a 4" curb to go over, 3 2x6s will do fine: 2 high at the curb and 1 high in front of the 2. If its a taller curb, still will be ok. And they'll take the weight just fine laying flat on the ground... heck we drive dumptrucks up curbs that way.

Ok seen your sketch, how high is the curb. Hmmm... what is min ground clearance on car? if taller than curb shouldnt be a problem

Dan, my ramps are high and long enough to potentially do the job and avoid your problem anyway. They are probably 1 foot x 4 feet? Don't quote me on that.

The ramps I have are not metal. They are pretty tough and durable, but any contact with the Prius is likely to do more damage to the ramps.

Here they are:

http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=BLI&MfrPartNumber=11905&CategoryCode=3400

Pretty close to my size prediction...........

Use 2x6's set lengthwise and stacked. The loading will be completely flat against the ground and the extra length will avoid belly-scraping.
18

Andrew, looks good, that will be a good solid base, and depending on height of curb, probably longest board maybe 4'?

Use 2x6's set lengthwise and stacked. The loading will be completely flat against the ground and the extra length will avoid belly-scraping.
Yep, that will do it. I'm getting a two 8' boards and cutting each in to two pieces, one 2'8" and another 5'4". So I'll have 2 2x6x2'8" and 2 2x6x5'4". That will give me a 4" step. I know it will fit in the Prius since I've slept in there and I'm 5'7".

Thanks.

11011011

The ramp has to be well over 53" long so the rear wheels will be on the ramp when the bottom of your car is lowest.I think the Prius has a 106 wheelbase,so peak "lowness" will be about 53" past your front tire.Six feet-72" might be OK.
You will need to support whatever wood you use with bricks(or wood) or it will break.Cheapest would be to use a bunch or 2x4x92" studs-with studs as supports also.You can always find a use for 2x4's.

Luck,
Charlie

Hi Dan

___Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill. Get a running start and hit the curb at 50 + mph. You won’t scrape a thing … you might lose 4 wheels and a transaxle however :D

___Just block up the curb and drive up almost parallel to the curb as Sean spoke of earlier in the thread. You won’t scrape anything unless the curb is really tall.

___Good Luck

___Wayne