These things
Posted by loudribs@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 383 comments
There was a mad fad for these - anti-car sickness thingies that probably did bugger all other than look a bit daft - in the UK from the late-80s into the early-90s. Were they a thing in the States as well?
Over-Cranberry-4637@reddit
We just had a chain!
Santos_L_Halper_II@reddit
American here and this is the first I’m hearing of these things.
Hntrbdnshog@reddit
Ya same. WTF is this even supposed to do?
_Face@reddit
Separate idiots and their money.
Sit_Ubu_Sit-Good_Dog@reddit
I wonder if I can bring this wonderful invention state side. I know there’s a number of MAHA looking for alternative treatments and I think they’d love this. I’ll tell them it prevents COVID or some shit.
fractiouscatburglar@reddit
5G protection! Stop the gubment gettin in your head!
Ambitious_Jelly8783@reddit
Will it stop the frogs from beying gay?
bloodpriestt@reddit
plot twist: the frogs were actually (kinda) turned gay
MrVeazey@reddit
No, they were not "turned gay."
That idea was Alex Jones operating near the peak of his ability to free-form improv an elaborate lie based on a headline he barely read on Twitter or Drudge Report. He came so close to actually saying something worth listening to for the first time in his excruciatingly long career only to let his aggressive stupidity and laziness get in the way, and then he had to read an apology on the air because the company sued him.
It's very bad to let large corporations dump whatever they want to wherever they want to.
But Alex was never upset about that. That was just the grain of sense around which he built his pearl of bullshit. He wanted to trick gullible people who half-remembered the movie Jurassic Park into thinking there was such a thing as a chemical that made people gay so he could sell them water filters and "supplements" to make the fear he created go away. This has literally always been his business model because his first sponsor was a gold seller whose ads played on the fear of paper money losing its value in some near future disaster engineered by the "globalists" (which means Jews) to something-something literal biblical Christian devil.
DisposableSaviour@reddit
Sometimes I wonder if Alex Jones even knows what the queers are doing to the soil!
dontdoxmenow@reddit
Need an earth strap for my bitchin camaro. Just saw a poster that has them performing at a festival this summer. Didn’t know they were still going.
superthighheater3000@reddit
Ya know what Stewart, I like you.
Icecold_Antihero@reddit
BURROW OWL
shankthedog@reddit
Are you saying no frog ever turned gay because of government chemicals?
MrVeazey@reddit
You bet your Diamond Gusset jeans they didn't.
bloodpriestt@reddit
lol
Vprbite@reddit
Yes. But they will still be trans.
BossDjGamer@reddit
I fucking hope not
glazedfaith@reddit
Grounding out the 5g with a strip of insulator is 100% MAGA Approved.
iRveritas@reddit
I thought that was what tinfoil hats were for?
Open_Opinion4775@reddit
It grounds the car and protects it from foreign radio waves!!
Vprbite@reddit
Protect your car from EMP with a 500 dollar green led light
Vehicle Protection - EMP Shield https://share.google/q5HHVkbdH1xfcdcXQ
New_Stats@reddit
The vibrations prevents measles, probably
mousee3176@reddit
Protection from Chem trails
asyork@reddit
I've already seen grounded bed sheets that you plug into your wall, so why not?
ijustsailedaway@reddit
Man, there is a part of me that wants to start a business that sells those kinds of items to dumb people but I know I’d be the one that would finally actually be prosecuted for shenanigans.
Daemon213@reddit
If you do, I'll go in on it with you. We can even get red ones for the MAGA idiots.
TerribleRecord666@reddit
Slap a little red & white on there, and you'll have instant profit!
IceManYurt@reddit
Make them in the shape of bull testicles and you're probably onto something
OskeyBug@reddit
Tell them it protects from lightning too
thatguy420417@reddit
RFK Jr would probably hock it for you if you!
ArtaxWasRight@reddit
only if there’s a rotting woodland-creature-penis attached.
soulsteela@reddit
You can buy dildos with purple LEDs ya know to get that light inside the body. Definitely for Covid!
gdj1980@reddit
This legally qualifies as Touching Grass in 27 states.
sweet_pickles12@reddit
They don’t believe in Covid. Better stick with carsickness.
-piso_mojado-@reddit
“100% effective in preventing vaccine shedding” and you can’t be sued for false advertising because it’s true.
Anaxamenes@reddit
FDA doesn’t regulate supplements and snake oil like this anyways. No one is going to care.
kevville@reddit
They’ll just beat their kids with it
707Eman707@reddit
This is genius , make up a problem, sell the fix
Mordecai3fngerBrown@reddit
Well they are used to dissipate static and actually work for that purpose.
Brewcastle_@reddit
Sounds like a fresh market in the US. Where can I invest.
Grendelbeans@reddit
My thoughts exactly…partner
cosp85classic@reddit
The rust belt could pull in a lot of money by saying it eliminates the difference of potential generated by the tires to prevent rust and extend vehicle life.
Tdanger78@reddit
There was a lot of that in the 90s…remember that funky looking sticker you put under the battery of your cell phone that was supposed to protect your brain from the harmful cell phone? Pretty sure that manifested into the modern day 5G silliness.
llcdrewtaylor@reddit
I fell for that one. A few years later I got ms. It’s gotta be related.
bballcards@reddit
I thought the sticker was supposed to magically increase the reception in your phone? Or maybe there were two different snake oil stickers you could place under your battery …
Rapidwatch2024@reddit
(Pssss..They were the same sticker don't tell the fools.)
Tdanger78@reddit
Hell, maybe that’s what it was supposed to do. I know that the little teardrop shaped thing was definitely supposed to increase reception, or at least that’s what it was marketed as. We had them on the tips of our antennas in the Army as well. No clue if it actually did anything though.
jigga19@reddit
My idiot sister has a wire leading from her mattress to a metal stake in the ground outside her window. She says it “grounds her” and helps her sleep better.
BigJackHorner@reddit
Seems effective then lol
NickConnor365@reddit
And importantly, providing a sign for the rest of us.
fredrickdgl@reddit
well they use something sililar thst actually works to reduce voltage potentialofelectrica utility vehicles and they can be important especially around substations
amusedmisanthrope@reddit
Wait, I thought that was Truck Nutz
Vprbite@reddit
There's a number of products in the automotive field to do that.
"EMP Protection" comes to mind. It's 500 dollars for an LED light
https://www.empshield.com/vehicle-protection/?matchtype=e&network=g&device=m&adposition=&keyword=empshield%20for%20car&utm_term=empshield%20for%20car&utm_campaign=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=5309225077&hsa_cam=1903118787&hsa_grp=83751265611&hsa_ad=736863493389&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-997241054764&hsa_kw=empshield%20for%20car&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&matchtype=e&network=g&device=m&adposition=&keyword=empshield%20for%20car&utm_term=empshield%20for%20car&utm_campaign=Search+%7C+Branded&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=5309225077&hsa_cam=1903118787&hsa_grp=83751265611&hsa_ad=736863493389&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-997241054764&hsa_kw=empshield%20for%20car&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1903118787&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRE15Rap_m2nY-gzH0bLh0gtgAbAKswbZVI--D3L9vRS8Hn48KDPJKBoC6hgQAvD_BwE
Sebastian-S@reddit
Reminds me of these energy wrist bands maybe twenty years ago that were supposed to improve your balance
andrew_Y@reddit
KONY 2012
This-Guy-87@reddit
A fool and their money were lucky together in the first place...
ThresholdSeven@reddit
Just because someone is dumb doesn't make it okay to swindle them. In fact, that makes you even more of an asshole if you enjoy preying on the vulnerable.
DotNervous7513@reddit
Americans have their government to do that
spacepeenuts@reddit
Ill hold the money and the idiot can go somewhere else, preferably not Washington DC
TrixieBastard@reddit
I bet it's the same "grounding" concept that people have been applying to their beds lately 🙄
NewSpice001@reddit
So we have them in the military too to this day. Its to prevent static shock, and electrical discharge. Basically it grounds the car. For us it's because we use a 24 volt battery system and high voltage radios... No idea why it's on a civi car... Thats beyond me
OshetDeadagain@reddit
They're surprisingly popular in rural Canada - the amount of trucks I've seen lately with this is surprising. If it's not these it's plastic balls...
SXTY82@reddit
"Earth" means "Ground" here in the states. It grounds your car to the earth so you don't get rogue electrical build up and cause a spark from static.
No use unless you need to prevent a spark. So unless you are hauling flammable liquid or gas....
Still-Worldliness-44@reddit
They had metal in them I believe. I remember we got one for our car because it shocked the shit out of us every time we touched the door handles
zeller99@reddit
My mom's old '92 station wagon was notorious for zapping everyone when they would try to get out. I blame the tacky velour seats and poorly designed metal handles.
I'm pretty sure that 13 year old me probably tried to convince my parents to put these straps on her car to stop the static shocks.
Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit
Good thing no cars do that!
Mueryk@reddit
I could see this of fuel on haulers like you said or high voltage electrical maintenance vehicles(cherry pickers and such) where you want the path to ground to NEVER be the human being.
greatsamson3000@reddit
I work in metal fabrication, and I often see pipe line welder trucks with straps of copper dragging on the ground for electric safety reasons.
Bevier@reddit
Some vehicles get bad static. It's not fun getting zapped every time you get back in your car. The worst car in memory was the mid-nineties Neon—especially when the humidity was very low.
arcxjo@reddit
With rubber?
Bal-lax@reddit
& earth crystals
TexasPirate_76@reddit
Even rubber can be made conductive ... See ESD rubber.
altiuscitiusfortius@reddit
Ground the car. My grandma just drug a piece of chain. It calmed the dogs down in the car on road trips.
AxelNotRose@reddit
Reduce static electricity in the car.
AbeFromanEast@reddit
That looks like synthetic rubber, which is an insulator / non-conductive.
mechanical_marten@reddit
Believe it or not but modern car tires are actually conductive (to static charges in the thousands of volts) to eliminate static buildup on the chassis from the triboelectric effect caused by rolling friction. Tanker trucks used to have earthing chains that intentionally dragged along the pavement to prevent charge buildup in flammable non-conductive fluids like gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and naptha (see the UCSB report on a VM&P naptha explosion not too long ago).
nemosfate@reddit
Propane bobtails (tank trucks) have ground straps that drag also for that reason.
mechanical_marten@reddit
How could I forget propane and propane accessories!
AxelNotRose@reddit
There's metal inside.
JustHugMeAndBeQuiet@reddit
It's got electrolytes.
Fight_those_bastards@reddit
Oh, shit, the same stuff they use to make Brawndo‽
TragicHedgehog@reddit
Shouldn’t they use water?
Fight_those_bastards@reddit
What, like from a toilet?
JediNeo101@reddit
Brawndo has what plants crave
BreckyMcGee@reddit
Sure it does
FastWalkingShortGuy@reddit
It works on forklifts.
BreckyMcGee@reddit
Now I feel bad as a person who is forklift certified
TerribleRecord666@reddit
Never feel bad about being forklift certified! You are a god among men!
selfawarefeline@reddit
r/forkliftoperators
GhostPepperDaddy@reddit
How did this sub get banned lmao
AxelNotRose@reddit
No one was willing to moderate it.
FastWalkingShortGuy@reddit
As a safety professional, I 100% understand no one being willing to monitor a whole community of forklift drivers.
selfawarefeline@reddit
pwn’d
buderooski@reddit
Illustrious-Debt-156@reddit
I saw it and immediately thought: Thats a grounding strap from a fork lift.
Zeqhanis@reddit
It does reduce static electricity, by static electricity doesn't cause motion sickness, which these were sometimes marketed for.
Stinkydadman@reddit
But why?
StunningEmissions@reddit
Supposedly to ground the car and prevent static electricity to reduce attraction of dust.
YoHabloEscargot@reddit
All cars in Easter Europe had them back then. My speculation is they served a function that US manufacturers designed their way out of.
hot_rod_kimble@reddit
https://i.redd.it/5pw7jxsw1twg1.gif
GenghisConnieChung@reddit
She’ll go 300 hectares on a single tank of kerosene!
jodytrees@reddit
Supposedly earth ground the car
tetrasodium@reddit
Probably convinced idiots to give someone money. Although I wouldn't be surprised if trucks carrying gas/propane/etc have a less obvious more functional way of grounding themselves
Brave_Cranberry1065@reddit
That’s the question I’m asking.
whenveganscheat@reddit
Let me ask you this: are interested in saving money on long-distance calls?
alwayssoupy@reddit
Are you interested in extended your car warranty?
whenveganscheat@reddit
So long as you don't inspect my car first, yes
Brave_Cranberry1065@reddit
😂
Monkmastaa@reddit
Prevent static shocks was the line I heard when I was young. You'll still see them on vehicles where I live
Eggsaladinurmouth@reddit
Supposed to prevent motion related nausea
GonnaGoFat@reddit
It was to ground the car lessening you chance of getting a shock when you touch your car. Mostly just a waste of cash.
Megalo85@reddit
I would guess a ground but the tires are the exact same thing.
Unplugthenplugin@reddit
Same and also WTF?
KeyNefariousness6848@reddit
It’s supposed to ground your vehicle especially since they’re always getting hit by lightning.
A_Bad_Man@reddit
It's called Earth Belt and has an electricity symbol on it so I guess it's supposed to ground your vehicle?
But it looks to be made out of rubber, and vehicles already have four large rubber objects in contact with the ground so..
codePudding@reddit
Create micro-plastics
soyverde@reddit
That’d be micro rubber…[insert joke about condom size].
SavingThrowVsWTF@reddit
🎯
ThaVolt@reddit
The EMP Shields lil bro
mcdeth187@reddit
Same snake-oil as 'grounding shoes' with the little copper rivet in them. You know what they say, "A fool and their money are soon parted"
Aggravating-Job771@reddit
man i legit thought those were just a uk thing fr
ChaucersDuchess@reddit
American here and completely lost as to what this is
shapu@reddit
I have definitely seen them. Not a lot, but a few.
brainvheart143@reddit
Same.
statistacktic@reddit
What do they do?
SXTY82@reddit
American here. I've seen them on trucks that haul explosive gas. Never heard of using one on consumer vehicles.
Sufficient_Turn_9209@reddit
I think it started in Japan in the drift community, which makes sense for those circumstances. But they started putting little hearts and symbols on them, because Japan, and they got trendy.
automaticmantis@reddit
I thought those were tow straps? This is something different
_Affexion_@reddit
They aren't tow straps, they are subway handles.
I would love to see how far you could tow a car with one, though.
automaticmantis@reddit
That’s right, now I remember
Opening-Restaurant83@reddit
It’s an untapped market. We could make millions.
LockPleasant8026@reddit
they usually have a red triangle reflector on them when I see them in Canada
seppukucoconuts@reddit
I’ve been in the automotive industry since the 90s. I’ve never seen these before either.
Bulky_Pop_8104@reddit
I don’t know if it go as far to say popular, but can confirm these were definitely around in Canada in probably the late 90s/early 00s
DMG_Danger@reddit
We had car testicles, instead!
scronide@reddit
Lived in the UK through the 80s and 90s and have never heard of these either.
New_Stats@reddit
I think they're trying to gaslight all of us into a Mandela effect thing. That picture is probably AI (I can't spot AI anymore unless it's super obvious)
Still-Worldliness-44@reddit
They were called snakes
Reddiculusness@reddit
lol , they were super popular in the 80s There's a guy at work with a 90s Honda dragging those grounding strips to this day .
ailish@reddit
American in my 40s, they've been around since I was a kid, and I still don't know what they were supposed to do.
projectx51@reddit
dissipate electro-static charges
ailish@reddit
Is there a purpose for doing that?
projectx51@reddit
For the carts, it's so you don't get the annoying shock while pushing. For vehicles, probably so that a dangerous static charge doesn't build up around fuel tanks.....although this is probably more useful for commercial/industrial vehicles.
ailish@reddit
I don't think the cart part was there when I responded.
The car thing... yeah I doubt that really makes a difference in regular cars.
projectx51@reddit
I think there are some that you can buy to attach to the cart when you're shopping.
rpmsm@reddit
Same
Total_Gift_51@reddit
Same
ThisCharmingDan99@reddit
Same here.
1upjohn@reddit
Ditto!
jrockcrown@reddit
We have them on scissor lifts for construction and welding trucks. They are to reduce static electricity. There is no metal in the strap
wolf_in_sheeps_wool@reddit
I didn't know what one of these was when I first used a scissor lift and thought it was broken rubber so I lifted it out the way, until the second zap I thought maybe there should be a way to ground this and connected the dots.
FoofaFighters@reddit
At my last job they just used little hunks of chain bolted to the lift truck counterweights. The noise just kinda blends into the background after a while.
Nervous-Smell-7861@reddit
Despite the incredible claims, they were just to disipate static electricity and they work.
I've never had a car with one. But I used to drive forklift in the high desert in eastern Oregon. In the dry air, forklifts would build up a static charge on the warehouse floor and the vinyl freezer curtains and constantly give painful zaps. Adding grounding straps stopped it.
PapaGuhl@reddit
These were everywhere (UK) in the 90s.
I now think the probability of dying in a car because of a lightning strike may have been somewhat overstated.
NextBestHyperFocus@reddit
I remember seeing them in Australia when I was young, and even then I couldn’t understand why. Your tyres are rubber, what the fuck is that little extra strip supposed to do that they won’t
wortcrafter@reddit
Australian and yep, I’d say about 10% of cars at one point had them.
NomadCharlieMike@reddit
is this the UK version of Japanese subway straps?
comradb0ne@reddit
I thought about forklifts when I saw this. They have a chain or something like this to ground them.
Antique_Effort_340@reddit
It just grounds the car so you don't get zapped by static build up. Funniest shit is when they attach them to a plastic bumper..
n3m0sum@reddit
Are these things coming back?
I haven't seen grounding straps since the mid 80s.
Supposedly protected you in the event of a lightning strike.
Cross_22@reddit
I remember seeing them >10 years ago but not since then. They are NOT pure rubber but have some conductive material in them to get rid of static build up. Supposedly tire composition has changed so that this is no longer needed in new cars.
In the past when my cars zapped me I would carry a gas discharge light with me to touch the door handle first. That worked too.
Leading-Summer-4724@reddit
I have never in my life gotten zapped by a car, but it sounds like you’ve had it happen several times…what kind of cars did it to you? I’m genuinely curious.
Cross_22@reddit
The worst one was a Nissan 200 about 25 years ago. It was a daily occurrence in the winter months.
CupcakeGoat@reddit
Could winter sweaters also be a cause for that?
Cross_22@reddit
Yes, though I don't remember getting zapped by other cars.
Leading-Summer-4724@reddit
Wild, I guess I must be lucky, or maybe I wasn’t in a cold enough place for it to occur.
Brownrdan27@reddit
I’d get shocked all the time from my 2006 Cobalt. Every time I got out I would get a zap.
poppykettle@reddit
I literally saw a car with one of these a few days ago (in Australia) and remembered they used to be relatively common here in the 80s-90s
MiaMagic2004@reddit
great, thanks for clarifying. very helpful pivot there.
CaveJohnson82@reddit
I remember those! I thought they were for static, and tbh I do remember getting static shocks of cars on occasion.
Born-Agency-3922@reddit
Fuel Tanker trucks still have these dragging behind them to discharge static electricity.
FakeItFreddy@reddit
We have them on our city busses too
gigorbust@reddit
Would this make a car less safe in a thunderstorm?
rearwindowpup@reddit
https://www.amazon.com/Static-Strip-Ground-Vehicle-Driving/dp/B08CXPMQLT?th=1
Just.... wow....
jazzmaster_jedi@reddit
Passenger: "I'm starting to feel car-sick." Driver: "Here. Chew on this." Passenger: "RRRRRRAAAAALLLLLFLFLFLFLFLF"
AngleFreeIT_com@reddit
This was the laugh I didn’t know I needed today.
YellowZx5@reddit
You too? Goodness the lol.
gdj1980@reddit
I use a butt plug tail that drags on the ground to prevent spontaneous human combustion. Im still here, so...
samwise58@reddit
That’s one way to stay grounded.
rangeo@reddit
Very RFK
yeahokguy1331@reddit
Jr.
Hillbillygeek1981@reddit
Yeah, the distinction is important. Pretty sure Bobby Kennedy is spinning in his grave at a velocity that could power the eastern seaboard if we could attach a turbine.
lafemmedangereuse@reddit
Whoa whoa whoa sounds like some kind of alternative energy that probably causes cancer
Zucc@reddit
Don't say his name! He'll see this and those things will become mandatory!
Jintokunogekido@reddit
He who must be shamed.
Zezu@reddit
“Spontaneous combustion” is one of those terms that instantly sets off the Crackpot alarm.
“Toxic” is another one.
To be clear, a piece of rubber can’t ground a vehicle. If it was metal, it could potentially prevent small shocks near fuel tanks in very low humidity environments. It certainly does nothing for any kind of motion sickness, besides maybe a placebo effect.
MilkSlow6880@reddit
So…it’s a steel belted rubber strap, right? I don’t understand what it is supposed to accomplish that the 4 tires made of the same things don’t do.
Global-Guava-8362@reddit
In Australia as a kid in the 80/90’s every second car had one of these hanging out the back
SookieCat26@reddit
I saw this today!
GuaranteeFit9312@reddit
Why is it rubber if its supposed to be a ground strap? It's not a conductor
Ancient_Narwhal_9524@reddit
https://rubberproducer.com/conductive-rubber-materials-and-applications/
lastcallpaul11@reddit
Keeps electric cars grounded. (I've never seen this before)
Background_Fish2946@reddit
Have y’all never watched toy story?
kellyasksthings@reddit
They made it to NZ!!!
Comfortable_Exit_282@reddit
So? In the UK, a flat chunk of rubber insulates a vehicle better than the rubber tires? Interesting
Bordone69@reddit
I have a fan to leave on in your room while you sleep to kill you if you live in S. Korea.
MacNeal@reddit
No, but we do have grounding chains on certain vehicles for specic reasons. Nothing to do with some imagined ailment though.
glazedfaith@reddit
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Unique-Bargains-Reflect-Car-Anti-Static-Strap-Earth-Belt-Ground-Wire-Noise-Elimination-34cm-Long/5018058489
MlsterFlster@reddit
I have never seen one of these before.
WhoYouBoo_eek789@reddit
Nah. But we still see truck nuts.
Gebandito@reddit
I’ve only seen these on forklifts to keep it grounded so you won’t get shocked
Jealous_Club_298@reddit
Electric shock absorbers in case lightning hitting the vehicle, they ground the electrostatic discharge. Tractor trailers use chains the same way when traveling.
Zugg73@reddit
The last time I saw a grounding on a vehicle it was a 65' Gleaner Model A combine, and it definitely needed it given the amount of moving parts on it.
bridymurphy@reddit
We used to use grounding straps for tanker trucks. I’ve thought about that when I got out of the car and got a static shock.
MidichlorianJunkie@reddit
These were all over Vancouver BC about 15 years ago. I don’t know if Canadian tire gave them away at some point, but every 3rd car had one.
kanakamaoli@reddit
We just either used a chain dangling down or conductive rubber tires on petroleum tankers to dissipate static discharge.
CaptServo@reddit
Are they trying to electrically ground a car with a piece of rubber
prosequare@reddit
I know a few farmer types who use these. They’re steel braid embedded in rubber and help prevent static shocks around fuel tanks, especially in dry winter. No idea if OP’s picture is the same thing. In industry, this is covered by 29 cfr 1910.
MattheiusFrink@reddit
and in my industry it's 14 cfr 25.899, 27.610, and 29.610 :D
Honest_Tutor1451@reddit
That would explain why I saw something like this on the back of an ambulance once years ago. I have never been able to figure out what it was but it was throwing lots of sparks.
Deron_Lancaster_PA@reddit
Yes, there is often a heavy duty chain hanging down off the rear axel for grounding both static and RFI interfere of thier sensitive electronics. SEPARATE system from the snow traction chains.
usmcnick0311Sgt@reddit
Ambulance have chain mechanism for snow
selfawarefeline@reddit
Wait what does the chain do?
Anachronism--@reddit
It’s called onspot, it flings the chains under the tires and apparently works.
tjdux@reddit
There are a style of "tire chains" that mount a device similar to a lawn string trimmer on the frame near the tire and the chains spin and go under the tire as the vehicle drives.
They appear sketchy as fuck but I've only ever seen videos here on reddit of them. He'll, probably only the one video reposted lol.
selfawarefeline@reddit
Woah that’s scary! But actually really cool. I wonder if it’s connected to the driveshaft, and that’s what allows it to spin.
giuseppezuc@reddit
School buses in my town uses this system. But we rarely get snow, and if we get two inches, snowday!
Efficient-Log-4425@reddit
The use them when transporting ordnance via semi trucks too.
brainvheart143@reddit
It dose have a pic of lightning on it idk. But the tires already ground the car, which is what I assume you meant. My parents always said the safest place to be in a thunderstorm was a car, I used to be so scared of them.
Redhddgull@reddit
But…isn’t that what rubber tires do?
desidiosus__@reddit
A) Don't all cars already have 4 rubber things that connect the car to the ground?
B) Rubber isn't a conductor. Good luck grounding something with it!
selfawarefeline@reddit
I’ve seen these on buses before
Humble-Ad218@reddit
As an electrician, I had always assumed they were steel! Lol
rearwindowpup@reddit
Looks like theres a wire in the center, although I still don't expect this does much of anything.
ThaVolt@reddit
In comparison to like... Idk... 4 tires. 😂
rearwindowpup@reddit
The wire in the tires is neither exposed nor connected to vehicle ground
ThaVolt@reddit
Irrelevant
Khelben_BS@reddit
I'm pretty sure the tires already do that.
TrollOnFire@reddit
Wire is bonded from the frame then runs down to the ground where it keeps the vehicle at the same electrical potential as the ground
Grashopha@reddit
Quite the opposite. Rubber insulates, not conducts.
SirPsycho4242@reddit
This is incorrect. Car tires are made to be somewhat conductive in order to dissipate static
georgecm12@reddit
AFAIK: The carbon black in the tires, combined with the steel belting, can allow the tires to be a conductor.
Kalel42@reddit
I think it's mainly the carbon black, but you are correct.
iolmao@reddit
There's a little strip of metal in it, I think.
audiate@reddit
Oh I get it. They’re those magnetic balance bracelets they sold in mall kiosks, but for cars. 100% scam.
sick_of-it-all@reddit
No he said they were popular in the ‘80s too, so I’m guessing it’s like a slap bracelet for your car. You wear a slap bracelet, your car wears a slap bracelet. Sounds fly and dope to me.
chickenlogic@reddit
No, it’s more of a Swatch watch for your car.
Dacoww@reddit
There was a fad I saw recently about people doing this for bed sheets.
GenericDave65@reddit
That’s the first thing I thought of too. If you see someone wearing one then you could probably sell them one of these too
iolmao@reddit
ahahah as far as I remember their goal was to ground the car to avoid static electricity. Motion sickness was totally new to me until today!
No idea if it worked for electricity, with or without the little wire in it but theoretically speaking yes, it COULD work but I'm afraid it didn't.
zzz242zzz@reddit
Fire starter
bassman314@reddit
Doesn’t look twisted to me…. Yet..
Soma2710@reddit
Definitely a trouble starter, or at the least a punking instigator.
iolmao@reddit
Hey hey hey
jeff77k@reddit
If only there were an easier way for a car to have rubber meet the road...
JoeyRottens@reddit
All joking aside, there are versions of this that are required in hazardous locations for certain equipment. I once had to rec screws a piece of bare copper to my plastic cart so that it would drag on the ground and "equalize the potential". Thier circus, thier monkeys.
NadaButH8@reddit
Grounding.
Some utility companies require them on work trucks.
curious_era_@reddit
I would see cars or trucks occasionally with these and my mom always told me it was so if they got struck by lightening, they’d be grounded. This could be total “mom myth” or not. I to this day still don’t know! 😂 do you, OP?
Grew up in Ohio in the states. Not a high class thing to do by any means 😂
brandt-money@reddit
Some people hanging these things from their back bumper. I rarely see them - it's always a boomer though.
Beginning-Top6332@reddit
In Australia they were marketed as a device that will lessen car sickness in kids.
karaloveskate@reddit
American here and this is my first time seeing this
anchises868@reddit
I’m still electrician enough that I got the reference, but no, I’ve never seen anything like that before just now.
Anachronism--@reddit
They are common on dragsters, fuel trucks and other vehicles where static electricity could be dangerous. I don’t see any connection to car sickness…
Odd_Newspaper_5018@reddit
Had one on my 2000 cavalier AND Sunfire lol cut them off
Open_Opinion4775@reddit
Anti-car sickness thing? Do your cars get sick over there? Lol
junkmail0178@reddit
We had (and have) truck nuts
aroundincircles@reddit
Were they for car sickness? I always heard they were for static electricity so you would accidently catch on fire at the pump. (which is something that can happen, it's why you shouldn't get back into your car while pumping gas).
VinylHighway@reddit
They’re for extracting money from dumb people
Tacrolimus005@reddit
Ok, so how do I become a middleman for this?
VinylHighway@reddit
First lose any sense of morality
aroundincircles@reddit
Well yeah, They didn't actually do anything at all, I just had never heard of them for car sickness, that doesn't even make sense.
VinylHighway@reddit
I don’t see how car sickness is caused by a lack of grounding a car ;)
aroundincircles@reddit
exactly what I'm saying. At least the static electricity thing I could see how people would believe that. Earth is an electrical term that is used like "ground", in that you're grounded or connected to earth to discharge electricity.
loudribs@reddit (OP)
That’s how they were marketed over here. Sure they used to be in the Innovations catalog (which was a bit like our version of Skymall).
aroundincircles@reddit
But that doesn't even make sense? How do people over there think car sickness/motion sickness works?
baudmiksen@reddit
The sickness builds up in their heads and then buying shit like this helps them discharge some of it. They don't work for me tho shit just keeps building
jazzmaster_jedi@reddit
My mom would have used it to beat my ass well again.
Zooxer77@reddit
Only an utter twonk would fall for this!!
FishDawgX@reddit
Never heard of these before today. But what’s even more wild is everyone here posting about car sickness like that’s a thing. What does it mean for your car to get sick?
aroundincircles@reddit
LOL, not sure if you're joking or not so... I assume they mean car sickness as in motion sick. I get VERY car sick if I am not driving. My brain can't handle the motion of the car without me being in control of the motion. Sea sick is also a thing, Some people get sick on a boat but not in a car, others get sick everywhere. I typically don't get motion sick on a boat, I've been on a lot of them and I have only been sick when the water has gotten really rough. (was caught in a tropical storm once when fishing in Mexico, I puked everything I had eaten the previous 6 mo.).
Motion sickness happens because your body thinks you've been poisoned, so it tries to purge the poison by making you puke.
CarmenxXxWaldo@reddit
My trick at the pump is I take a drag of my cigarette before starting it then if I have any static ill just zap my lip instead of the gasoline on my fingers.
ExtraAd4090@reddit
My mum told me the car sickness thing, I remember as a kid thinking that was absolute bollocks.
AntiSonOfBitchamajig@reddit
This isn't needed due to modern tires having carbon black in them. Carbon black is added to tire rubber to make them electrically conductive, creating a pathway to ground for static electricity built up by friction during driving.
BUT, static will build up on insulated vehicles if there isnt a path to ground. Which is why the US military still uses a static discharge wand when attaching grounded cargo to helicopters.
NetworkPresent8228@reddit
American here they are common on trucks working around natural gas specifically on transmission pipeline jobs where undetected leaks may be present
personguy@reddit
States here.... wtf is that?
Also, I was taught, in school mind you, that a power line down on your car meant stay in the car as the tires insulate you. If whateverthefuckthisis conducts electricity youd be cooked. Literally.
Rapidwatch2024@reddit
Its a grounding strap so you dont get shocked with electric discharge because you are in a vehicle that has rubber wheels. They are a thing here on public transit buses for sure.
BryceKatz@reddit
They do absolutely nothing for car sickness.
Assuming that strap is conductive & is properly mounted to the frame, it will ground the vehicle to prevent static shocks when you get in or out.
If it's rubber or mounted to plastic, the only thing it does is separate a fool from their money.
C-Redd-it@reddit
😵💫 what is this thing? As far as I can see, the only thing this could be good for is maybe static discharge. Like an indoor only solid tire forklift. Im truly puzzled.
Possible_Management4@reddit
I remember seeing them on the west coast of British Columbia in the 90’s.
Redactosaurusrex501@reddit
You see these on ordnance handling vehicles like forklifts and jammers to keep static potential from building up.
QuestionStupidly@reddit
Helicopters have them, due to static build up from rotor blades. At least AH-64a’s do.
Howling929@reddit
Is it suppose to be the little game where you had to place those 🚗 on the tracks perfectly and they would zip around… red/blue cars and black tracks with the two lines in center or whatever…. Ya, I think it’s imitating that..?
Alternative-Light514@reddit
lol, I thought it might be to ground your vehicle so you don’t blow yourself up putting in gas
KawaiiMaxine@reddit
THATS WHAT THOSE THINGS ARE
HYThrowaway1980@reddit
Also this:
White dog turds.
gowithflow192@reddit
Hhahaa
yarnmagpie@reddit
Not sure of the brand but we had those on our vehicle. I’m in Canada.
Odd_Soil_8998@reddit
Is this like truck nuts for aura crystal crowd?
Prairiemadra@reddit
Canadian here....my grandparents had one on their car throughout the 70s. I was a notoriously bad traveler as a kid, and we roadtripped from Manitoba to BC and back every year. I was so drugged up on Gravol, I think I slept through Saskatchewan until I was a teenager 😂. I imagine if there was ANY product on the market that promised relief from car sickness they would have jumped at it.
I don't believe it worked.
nhranger@reddit
I’ll assume it’s meant to ground the vehicle incase the 4 tires spontaneously disappear. 😂
alvinofdiaspar@reddit
In Canada and yes it was big in the 90s.
TomPalmer1979@reddit
Nope, never seen this in my life.
_Internet_Hugs_@reddit
No, the only worthless rubber things hanging off our cars are Truck Nutz.
Scrimshaw_Hopox@reddit
It has gotten so bad that they have convinced the aviation community to start installing them.
The1Zenith@reddit
Nope. I guess we weren’t stupid enough for these.
concreteghost@reddit
Been at the Performative Game multi generational
WaterAirSoil@reddit
This is about as dumb as the whistle tip mufflers
SynthWaveNomad@reddit
WTH is that? lol
leicanthrope@reddit
Wouldn’t a ground strap connecting the battery and the chassis do the job better and look less dorky?
BlueProcess@reddit
I've seen something similar on hazmat vehicles but it was to ground the vehicle
TigerIll6480@reddit
Large freight-hauling trucks sometimes have chains for this purposes.
Clean_Usual434@reddit
Never seen that before
The_Arch_Heretic@reddit
I'm in the states. What the fuck is that? Have never seen one until now.
Jameseatscheese@reddit
I had a car that used to shock the hell out of me every time I got in.
I always wondered if one of these "grounding strips" would've helped.
rosephoenix19@reddit
It's to keep your car grounded. Same as those magnetic bracelets that kept your body centered. This does the same thing. It allows your vehicle to achieve its energy chi and Zen.
averagemaleuser86@reddit
Ground straps. So we have these on man lifts at work to discharge static while using them in hangers where aircraft get painted and while working with volatile fluids like jet fuel and such.
KeyNefariousness6848@reddit
Same thing happened ages ago, but with chains
Jonas_VentureJr@reddit
Something similar was sold back in the 80’s/90’s to help ground your car due to noise over the radio. Not that it worked .
TurtleSandwich0@reddit
I've seen that used for pickups working on utilities. Never in any other context.
The_Lloyd_Dobler@reddit
Man, I really should start selling pointless things to dummies.
Myzx@reddit
Nope. Thanks for sharing this interesting page from your cultural history
Moist-Palpitation-97@reddit
Wtf how is that supposed to help with car sickness
Dragon_Emulsified@reddit
Yeah, came in and out with the CB Radio fad.
SwedishIngots@reddit
They hold the earth down
Bub697@reddit
/r/Earthing
fbody1985@reddit
My scissor lift at work uses those.
Roderto@reddit
I remember seeing these in Canada now and then. I never bothered to look up the science but always assumed they were just a scam product.
Powerful_Leg8519@reddit
If something like that cures car sickness I would have known about it by now.
I’ve tried every witch doctor method there is. Only one thing helps. Not getting in the car.
akaky-akakyevich@reddit
These were definitely a thing in the States all the way back into at least the mid 70s. I’d heard they were for “electrical grounding”, but even as a kid I had to ask: “if they really help, why doesn’t every car have them?”
TinaKedamina@reddit
We use them on scissor lifts/ fork lofts and other construction equipment for static electricity. They work well for that.
loztriforce@reddit
Anti static, like if you’re hauling fuel you don’t want sparks anywhere near you.
ChainBlue@reddit
Grounding straps. Usually see them on certain industrial vehicles. Might see them on fork trucks and scissor lifts and the likes as well. Some places may require the equivalent on footware. Going boom sucks.
pnw__halfwatt@reddit
These were used by some radio nerds to increase the ground plane.
Psychological_Ad2080@reddit
Lawd, if I didn't have a conscience, I'd have Scrooge McDuck money...
SuccessfulOwl@reddit
They were common in Australia in the 80s
HalfFrozenSpeedos@reddit
My dad SWEARS by them, even after I pointed out that rubber is an insulator and not a conductor.
Then as a kid I got the word salad gas lighting lecture for the umpteenth time that to this day has left me doubting what I know.....
Hopsape@reddit
I know sunflower farmers drag chains behind the combine to ground the machine during flower/seed harvest. Oil builds up quite a bit and creates a real fire hazard.
FluffusMaximus@reddit
Never seen this in my life.
AwkwardFactor84@reddit
I always saw these on the gas pipeline worker's vehicles in my area, NW Indiana. I think there must have been a practical reason for them. Not sure what that is though.
mizlurksalot@reddit
We had them in western Canada, I’m sure every pickup truck had one! Apparently it dissipated a buildup of static electricity? That’s what my mom told me at least when i was a kid!
nzungu69@reddit
back in the day these helped reduce or eliminate static intereference with the radio caused by the ungrounded exhaust system. i had one on my '78 morris marina for this reason and it worked a treat 🤷♂️
LendogGovy@reddit
When I got stations at Aviano Air Base, Italy in 1994 they were all over the place on cars. Last time I saw them on cars was when I left in 1998.
XPav@reddit
They're for making you think you're in F1.
Old_Interaction_9009@reddit
"...does bugger all than a look a bit daft" is the most Bri-ish phrase I've heard since anything and it's being filed immediately into my lexicon
Real-Mode-3417@reddit
Old autobody trick. Cuts down on contaminated paint jobs. Probably more placebo than anything
platypus_farmer42@reddit
I’ve never heard of them being marketed for car sickness. I always thought it had to do with static electricity
MukYJ@reddit
Same
treemoustache@reddit
I only remember them as a grounding wire for cars with high powered fancy sound systems.
BongwaterJoe1983@reddit
SadPhase2589@reddit
I was stationed in Japan 20 years ago and most cars had one over there.
_Moregone@reddit
We had one of these on our 1998 Honda Civic hatchback. I do think it legitimately worked. That car would shock the hell out of us. We bought it new and there was nothing wrong or tinkered with. Just crazy static.
Fearless_Store_335@reddit
My Dad's Crimson Volvo 940 had 2 of these to alleviate car sickness. Bit like a tech dream catcher.
IamREBELoe@reddit
I had a truck that would shock me every time I i left the vehicle. Something about that truck made static build.
I took a small chain and did this. Fixed it.
But not sure what this rubber strap is supposed to do...
arrbez@reddit
Keeps the aliens from reading your thoughts
Greedy_Street_891@reddit
It remember seeing these as a kid in Canada. I thought they had something to do with electricity. 🤷♂️
Asleep_Onion@reddit
Never seen this before, but definitely this isn't going to do fuck-all for car sickness. If anything, it might reduce your chances of getting a static zap when you touch your door getting in or out. But even that probably wouldn't work well.
Tdanger78@reddit
Never have seen this before
Thamnophis660@reddit
No, but the fad 90's car products were anti-theft devices like The Club ™️.
torklugnutz@reddit
I should probably get one of these.
Leather-Arachnid-417@reddit
I like truck nuts
lechydda@reddit
Wow that’s wild! I saw a car earlier this week at my gym (in New Hampshire) with a piece like this hanging off the back and I remember thinking that he’d clearly not gotten the memo that mud flaps are supposed to go over the tires .. that, or something on his vehicle was seriously failing.
TIL this is an actual thing.
Or maybe that guy at my gym just had a tiny shred of a mudflap left, lol.
regnare@reddit
Never heard of these. What is car sickness? Is that like motion sickness? If so, how would this help?
iolmao@reddit
I doesn't. I think OP is European, saw a LOT of them in Italy in the 80s.
That, plus wind deflectors and rear window curtains with Marilyn Monroe.
People having those things on cars were very much like Lebowski
ProfZussywussBrown@reddit
I used to see metal strips embedded into the pit boxes for Indycar or possibly F1 races, back a couple decades probably. The cars would make contact as they pulled in, discharging static. For preventing fires during refueling.
That’s the only similar thing I can think of. Never seen these as a consumer product in the US
jbt55@reddit
Yes seen them in the states, always heard they were to help prevent static build up in the car.
Greybinson@reddit
Ha! I remember these and thought they always looked silly. I remember there was usually two of them, one on each side of the rear end.
No-Juice8483@reddit
American and was driving in the late 80s. Never seen them here.
Azmtbkr@reddit
Wow haven’t thought about these things in decades. I have a memory of asking my parents what these were and they told me that they were “noisemakers.” I don’t remember them being especially noisy, but maybe they had no idea either and just wanted me to stop asking questions.
VinylHighway@reddit
Yes
I saw a car with like 6 of them lol
loudribs@reddit (OP)
You always knew someone’s parents were a bit weird if they had these.
VinylHighway@reddit
I usually saw them on souped up Japanese enthusiast cars by non parents
Hyper_Applesauce@reddit
Are you maybe thinking of tsurikawa? There's a whole thing with cloth pull handles on your tow hooks with that subculture. They look kind of similar but don't usually touch the ground.
ChristyLovesGuitars@reddit
Yeah, I’ve never heard of this. How was it supposed to relieve car sickness?
stangAce20@reddit
42 and Ive Never seen that before
TheVenetianMask@reddit
Saw plenty of these in Spain back in the day too. To be fair up to the '70s a lot of rust buckets still had steel bodies.
bikeonychus@reddit
Oh my god, I remember seeing those things everywhere as a kid, but I thought they were for earthing your car in the case of being struck by lightning?
Hynch@reddit
This, like most holistic products, is a grift. The anti-vaxxers, preppers, and ultra religious types all love stuff like this because it helps push their narrative that medicine and technology are evil and this will protect them from harm caused by either.
Expensive-Day-3551@reddit
Yes, big pharma just wants your money! Not like all these wellness people trying to sell you stuff. Wait…
Wapiti_whacker82@reddit
This is the American version, Truck Nuts. It doesn't do anything for static electricity and is absolutely terrible.
edwardturnerlives@reddit
never have I ever seen this
lickmybrian@reddit
Dont the tires do this?
Blackboard_Monitor@reddit
Just a scam for gullible people.
pienofilling@reddit
I'd totally forgotten about those things!
I knew they were supposed to be for static electricity but I had never heard before that they were supposed to help with people being car sick.
melanthius@reddit
Maybe it helps charge up their crystals
DrMcJedi@reddit
We have grounding chains for metal carts to dissipate static buildup…but this is a new one.
OldArtichoke433@reddit
Yeah, those are a rare sight and were never very popular in the U.S. but they were around in the 70’s and early 80’s for eliminating static discharge. Their was an old wives tale that static buildup caused motion sickness for occupants in a vehicle a d this was marketed for this as well as zapping yourself upon exiting the vehicle.
Modern tires do a good job of grounding the vehicles today because of additives used like silica etc.
Ghoulie_Marie@reddit
I've seen them on vehicles that carry flammable materials and need to reduce the chance of sparks by grounding the vehicle
MuffinMatrix@reddit
Never heard of or seen these in my life.
Seems like a solution to a problem no one actually has.
bearlysane@reddit
Yeah, I remember those grounding strips… and deer whistles. Don’t see either anymore.
ArenSteele@reddit
I saw them occasionally in Canada in the 90s. Understood they were a grounding line for the "super common" event of having a power line fall on top of your car.
JackBlackBowserSlaps@reddit
Never heard of this madness lol
1upjohn@reddit
Me either. What is this?