raywest

8th Jan 2024

Speed (1994)

Question: When the bus enters the airport and drives over the spike strip, the tyres should have been shredded. Why did the bus not lose speed and therefore blow up?

DEvans

Answer: Spike strips are designed to deflate a tyre over a short time, not instantly, so as to avoid a blowout and possible accident. The tyres are going down over time as they should. That's why Jack has to tie the steering wheel in place, as it's harder to control the bus with the tyre shredding.

Ssiscool

Answer: Also, when the bus runs over the spikes, the camera is more close-up on it, and possibly some of the tires may have just missed hitting the spikes out of view of the camera. So, that would keep it speeding OK with just SOME of the tires shredded (but not all).

Answer: You wouldn't necessarily lose speed just because you've got a deflating tyre. It would become harder to control as the tyre deflated, but with an engine that can produce a lot of torque, there is no reason why it should slow down much, if at all. Also, as a heavy vehicle, it featured dual tyres on the rear which would've aided the drivability of the bus.

Answer: To add to the other answers, larger trucks and buses use different types of tires. Regular cars and light trucks usually have tires lined with two steel belts. Heavier vehicles use tires with four steel belts, making them more durable.

raywest

1st Jan 2023

Speed (1994)

Question: What did Payne mean when he told Jack "Do you know what a bomb is that doesn't explode? It's a cheap gold watch, buddy".

Answer: He meant that when he retired after years of hard, loyal work, he had little to show for it other than a small pension and being given a cheap gold watch. He felt cheated, used, and angry, causing him to resort to the extortionist kidnapping plot. He was basically a "ticking time bomb" that had been waiting to go off.

raywest