I've since discovered that the problem was that I had been going over these speed bumps too slowly! It has to do with the resonance time constant of the car suspension; go slowly and the springs have time to lift the car all the way up and there's more momentum on the way down the other side; go faster and the wheels are headed back down while the spring still has downward force, and it won't lift the car as far and it won't have as far to fall. Counterintuitive and self-defeating. Now I find myself following people through the parking garage and when they slow for the bumps I do too, so that I can regain speed when it's my turn...
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Sigh.
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