What speed doeas a transit van have to be travelling, when the front of it dips when it breaks ?

Question

Thankyou, but if it dips heavily at the front, does this mean it was travelling at speed when it braked ?

Answer 1

It simply has to be moving forward. Physics takes care of the rest. Even if you do not see it dip, it dips.

Answer 2

It's not a function of speed, but deceleration.  The harder the vehicle is braked, the more pronounced the "dip" will be.  You could be going 100 mph, brake gently and never cause the front end to dip.  You could also be going 5 mph and slam on the brakes, which would cause the front end to dip considerably.

When you slow down, you shift momentum from a neutral (level) bias forward, which causes the front end to effectively weigh more and puts pressure on the springs, causing compression and a dip.  Even if you had no front brakes, the same effect would occur.  Think of the movies, when a car or truck gets its rear axle ripped off, the front end dips, not the rear.