Stunt drivers, motocross riders and skiers all follow a projectile path after leaving a ramp. The jump distance depends on the speed at the lip, the ramp angle and the height difference between take-off and landing.
How to use the Car Jump Distance Calculator
- Take-off ramp height
- Landing ramp height
- Take-off ramp slope
- Take-off speed
- Gravitational acceleration g
Results update as you type, every field has its own unit menu, and everything is calculated in your browser.
How it works
The velocity at take-off is split into horizontal and vertical components. The flight time comes from the vertical motion until the vehicle reaches the landing height; the horizontal speed times that time is the jump distance.
Inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Take-off ramp height | Units: m, cm, mm, km, in, ft … |
| Landing ramp height | Units: m, cm, mm, km, in, ft … |
| Take-off ramp slope | Units: °, rad, arcmin, arcsec, mrad |
| Take-off speed | Units: km/h, m/s, mph, knots, ft/s |
| Gravitational acceleration g | Units: m/s², ft/s², g, cm/s² |
What each result means
- Jump distance = [vx]×[t]
- Flight time = [t]
- Maximum height above the ground = [Take-off ramp height] + [vy]^2÷(2×[Gravitational acceleration g])
- Landing speed = sqrt([vx]^2 + ([vy] – [Gravitational acceleration g]×[t])^2)
- Landing angle (below horizontal) = deg(atan2([Gravitational acceleration g]×[t] – [vy], [vx]))
Example values
How the main result changes when Take-off ramp height changes and everything else stays at the example values above:
| Take-off ramp height (m) | Jump distance (m) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 20.394 |
| 0.75 | 21.288 |
| 1 | 22.115 |
| 1.25 | 22.888 |
| 1.5 | 23.617 |
| 2 | 24.967 |
Formula
vₓ = v cos θ, v_y = v sin θ
t = (v_y + √(v_y² + 2g(h₁ − h₂))) / g, d = vₓ t
Worked example
Inputs — Take-off ramp height: 1 m; Landing ramp height: 0.5 m; Take-off ramp slope: 15 °; Take-off speed: 72 km/h; Gravitational acceleration g: 9.80665 m/s².
Results — Jump distance = 22.115 m; Flight time = 1.145 s; Maximum height above the ground = 2.366 m; Landing speed = 72.88 km/h; Landing angle (below horizontal) = 17.39 °.
Key terms
- Take-off speed
- Speed at the lip of the ramp.
Frequently asked questions
Why do real cars jump shorter than this?
Air drag, suspension compression and the car rotating in the air all shorten the jump.
What angle gives the longest jump?
Around 45° on level ground, but steep ramps also launch the car nose-up.
Can a car land safely from any jump?
No – the vertical landing speed must be within what the suspension and occupants can survive.
Does the car's mass matter?
Not for the distance without drag, but it matters a lot for the landing forces.