how fast does the wind need to be blowing to knock over a car??

Question

its like storming really bad here (richmond VA) and the winds are amasing....but im wondering if its fast enough to make a car roll over?

i love thunderstorms♥ yay

Answer 1

depends on the car. sports cars and sedans won't flip easily. an empty van or panel truck is most likely to flip. a stationary vehicle of that type can flip in 75mph+. if it's already moving on the freeway then maybe 60mph wind, less in extrordinary circumstances or depending on driver reactions.

Answer 2

It depends on the car.

More specifically, it depends on the area presented by the side of the car, the car's weight, and how high off the ground the car's "center of gravity" is. It makes sense that a heavier car would be harder to blow over; but if a car his a tall profile, and a relatively high center of gravity(such as a large pickup or SUV) then the wind can get much more "leverage" to flip it over.

Note that the force of wind on any object is roughly proportional to the *square* of the wind's speed. In mathematical terms:

F ≈ C * v².

Therefore, if you double the speed of the wind, it's force *quadruples*.

I can only make an educated guess here, but I'll estimate, that for an average sized passenger car, you'd need winds of at least 80 -100 mi/h. For larger trucks and SUV's, that figure probably shrinks to 60 mi/h or less. "Semi" trailers and motor homes, which have a bad combination of poor aerodynamics, large side areas, and a high center if gravity, have been known to flip over in crosswinds of less than 40 mi/h.

Hope that makes sense,
~W.O.M.B.A.T.

Answer 3

75 to 85 MPH

Answer 4

80 miles per hour if car is setting still, less if moving.

Answer 5

fast enough to do something like that !!