There would be a camera or a special sensor in front of the car detecting all holes and bumps on the road. If the hole/bump is of a suitable size (less than the vehicle length), the wheel would be pulled up so that it doesn't touch the road at all. Since most of the bumps and holes are across the whole road width, the wheels on left side of of such a car could be shifted forward by a foot or two, otherwise the ride above a speed-bump would be more like horse riding :)
-- slovakmartin, Sep 01 2005

Pothole detector pothole_20detector
By [masukomi] [skinflaps, Sep 01 2005]

Have you tried driving a car using only three wheels, even for a short distance?
-- wagster, Sep 01 2005


//Have you tried driving a car using only three wheels//

Yep, a Reliant Robin.
-- skinflaps, Sep 01 2005


Surely having tried a reliant robin, you're right with [wags] on it being a bad idea to drive on three wheels?
-- david_scothern, Sep 01 2005


Yep, good fun when you fill the back of one full of breeze/cinder blocks though.
-- skinflaps, Sep 01 2005


There was an amusing moment on Top Gear recently showing some dude going round the Nurbergering in a Reliant Robin fitted with a 3500cc Rover engine. And wheelie bars.
-- wagster, Sep 01 2005


Maybe you could replace this with a double-wheel-per-wheelwell device, where two smaller wheels replace each regular-sized wheel. The two smaller wheels are linked with a bar, and the suspension rides on a hinge in the center of the bar. This way the car would only drop half the height into the pothole.

Of course, instead of one bump there would be two as both wheels drop one at a time into the hole. But I think the ride would be four times smoother than with a single wheel, right?

Plus it would look cool.
-- junglefish, Sep 01 2005


I beleive some militaries are researching a similar technology for off-road vehicles.
-- discontinuuity, Sep 01 2005


Sounds like bass-ackwards active suspension.
-- oxen crossing, Sep 02 2005



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