Driving on the Autobahn was much bumpier than I had anticipated.

#travel

Growing up, I watched European car shows, where the Autobahn was always depicted as the ultimate test track for fast, powerful cars. These cars were driven to the limit on long, open roads with no speed limits—what more could you want? Even Kraftwerk released an album about the Autobahn.

Finally, I had the opportunity to experience the fabled road for myself. My mom and I embarked on a drive from Prague to Berlin, covering a distance of around 250 kilometers, with a significant portion of the journey on the Autobahn. I had recently acquired a new car and was thrilled to put it through its paces.

The experience turned out to be extremely bumpy.

Chasing the horizon on the Autobahn

I discovered that much of the road is made of concrete, not asphalt. This means that hundreds of slabs (or sections) are laid end to end, with each section touching the next. At each contact point, there’s some rubber filling. It’s a clever and practical system, as the joints allow for expansion in the heat and contraction in the cold.

However, as a driver, it feels far less intelligent and not very enjoyable.

As soon as we hit the Autobahn, my car was bouncing and jolting over each joint in the road. It reminded me of the porpoising that the Mercedes F1 team struggled with a few seasons ago. It was like having a giant massage gun strapped to the underside of the car. At certain speeds, the inside of my ears even felt tickled by the vibrations!

Initially, I was concerned that there was something wrong with my tires, perhaps they were too cold, or maybe the suspension had bottomed out. However, as I focused on other cars on the road, I noticed their headlights bouncing up and down in the same manner as mine.

The temperatures alternated between -1 and 2 degrees Celsius, which I suppose means that the concrete had contracted, and the joints would have more space between them. These additional spaces would further contribute to the bumpy ride. 😵‍💫

Each of these horizontal lines marks a joint where the concrete slabs meet, essentially creating tiny bumps inside the car.

Overall, it was an intriguing experience, but not one I would eagerly repeat. My car is practically designed for this road, and while it was enjoyable to extend each gear to the rev limiter, the unsettling bumpy sensation and the feeling of instability compelled me to ease off the throttle far earlier than usual.

I can only imagine what the experience would be like in adverse weather conditions like rain or snow…

History of the Autobahn

The idea for the construction of the autobahn was first conceived in the mid-1920s during the days of the Weimar Republic. […] The autobahns were not primarily intended as major infrastructure improvement of special value to the military as sometimes stated.
Just days after the 1933 Nazi takeover, Adolf Hitler enthusiastically embraced an ambitious autobahn construction project, appointing Fritz Todt, the Inspector General of German Road Construction, to lead it. By 1936, 130,000 workers were directly employed in construction, as well as an additional 270,000 in the supply chain for construction equipment, steel, concrete, signage, maintenance equipment, etc. 

The propaganda ministry turned the construction of the autobahns into a major media event that attracted international attention
Source: Wikipedia

"Autobahn" is a 1974 song by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released as the lead single from their studio album of the same name. Recorded in 1974, the song is designed to capture the feel of driving on a motorway