driving under semis

bb4re said:
...by a bunch of 16 year olds. I don't see the glory of the whole exercise. If you even drive next to a semi, you will notice that the windshield would hit, unless your car is lowered.
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How'd you notice if you haven't thought of doing it? Lol and lowering cars is kind of a common thing.

Carl_Auer said:
When you see it done in the movies, every safety precaution is taken, both the vehicle and the truck are modified. Nothing is left out to ensure the safety of everyone involved. I have a friend in LA who is a camera operator for TV and movies. He is a car nut (newer euro cars, has a Audi RS4) and throws camera rigs on his car all the time for practice shooting. He and I were talking about the original Fast and the Furious, where the Hondas zip under the semis at the beginning. Not only is the semi trailer modified for more clearance (something like a 12" lift), the specific Honda that zips under the semi is slammed to the ground and the roof is chopped a couple inches. Windshield was replaces along with all other glass to lexan, heavy duty roll cage installed, and filmed at night to try to hide some of the modifications. The car that is filmed in most of that scene is not the same car that is slipped under the truck, and they were moving at about 25-30 mph when the car slipped under. The wonder of post production and editing makes it look like a normal honda (ok, a tricked out honda) could do it easily. And your right, this is something my 18 year old nephew would want to do, but he would want to Ken Block drift under the semi trailer going backwards.
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Good info.

Dr.Auto said:
I've thought about it..... and if I found a PARKED semi i'd try it. My X with 20" slicks is about 41" at the vary top of the windshield. and It's been dropped quite a bit.
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Really? I swear that I read somewhere they're 42" stock, but I'll believe you over my memory lol.

I started this thread to get info like these two ^^^ I KNOW it's a stupid idea, I think that I made that clear. I wanted to hear stories if someone had done it, had seen it done, what would need to be done, etc.
Jeff, are you a cop or ER or something? I'm just curious, if so then thanks for all you do!
Anyway, I'm more or less done with this thread. You guys can keep it going if you want but I'm going to unsubscribe to it. Thanks for all the helpful info.
 
Well...I have owned 7 X's...

...four have been lowered. Just because I have noticed that the top of the windshield still sits a tad higher than the bottom of a semi trailer while driving next to them doesn't mean I have thought about driving under one.
I have also noticed that airplane propellers spin quite rpidly. Doesn't mean I have thought about walking into one.:dead:
 
Wanted to

In 1965 or so I had an Austin Heally Sprite "Bugeye" and a dangerous urge to do this.
I checked in a parking lot and it was doable.
I was scared that the Semi's driver will stop like mad once he saw me in the mirror going under his rig.
For a long while I'd keep two lane away from the big truck just to avoid that uncontrollable urge.
But then' I am not known for sanity.
 
My '62 Sprite (non-bugeye) easily fit...

...creeping slowly under a parked semi. It also easily went under the gates at parking lots. S l o w l y. (as did my '69 Spitfire a year later.) There are lots of snaggy things under vehicles and suspension dynamics running on poorly maintained roads makes it unpredictable.

It comes down to a risk / reward tradeoff: The local university, years ago, set up a huge trebuchet and was flinging stuff into an open field. Hundred yard range. Car tire and microwave oven sized stuff. The debris field was probably 50 yards long and 20 yards wide.

After watching a dozen "launches" from the sidelines I asked if I could place the camcorder "downrange" facing the trebuchet and record for a while. Well, the students who had not taken statistics yet refused, citing the destruction of my camcorder! Eventually the crowd jeering them, they allowed me.

They loaded several multiple warhead loads with watermelons, TV sets, and all sorts of projectiles. They tried to hit the new target, but no, nothing even came near the camcorder. It was then I explained to the students that the odds were nil of them hitting the camcorder. But that I would never even consider standing there because of the potential of injury and death. Risk / reward tradeoff. Everything really boils down to that.

And as I walked away I casually mentioned to them that it wasn't MY camcorder -- I'd borrowed it from a friend. :grin:
 
My spitfire would probably have fit

as it was only 40" to the top of the windshield. I still wouldn't try it, though. My fear was less about the fitting than making sure that I kept my speed timed to the truck, even while beneath it when I couldn't see. I agree with the others, the only way to do that (if at all) is when it is in a controlled environment.
 
According to carfolio.com

The Fiat X1/9 is 46.1 inches high for a 72. that being said I would never try this on an open road but when I had my first X my boss blocked my ability to leave work by parking behind me. there was a brick wall to my left a brick wall in front of me and a trailer no truck to the right this trailer was scotched and was probaly sitting higher the normal in the front. I drove under as the say slowly went in and told my boss good day.
 
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