Those little strips...

[thatsprettyshady]

... Often seen hanging off the rear of cars, next to the exhaust pipe, looked like they were made of rubber and used to lightly drag on the floor, usually on old cars

What were they for?
Why haven't I seen one in ages?

I'm very curious...

[Pebbles167]

Lightning earthing rod..

[marshalla]

anti-static strips, supposed to discharge any static build-up to earth.

[LuS1fer]

A fad - never understood how rubber discharged static...but then it didn't - how do I know? Well, er..... (whistles)

[wildcat45]

To earth the car allegedly stopping car sickness.

Last time I saw them was about 1990. My aunties neighbour with an immaculately clean MKV Cortina with every bit of Halfords tat on it you could imagine.

Anti static straps.
Rubber door guard things with yellow reflectors
Mud flaps with red triangles on them
Fins on the wiper arms
Sun strip (no names though)
Ball compass thing.
Stick on extra blind spot mirrors
Beaded car cover.

I was last there about 5 years ago. He had a Mondeo, but with much less tat. I guess most of that crap won't fit onto modern cars.

[jimbop1]

Yeh I always got told they were to stop car sickness.

[CharlesAL]

Same here with the car sickness... never believed it. Do they work? How?

[jimbop1]

CharlesAL said:

Same here with the car sickness... never believed it. Do they work? How?

I very much doubt it.

[r11co]

LuS1fer said:

A fad - never understood how rubber discharged static...but then it didn't - how do I know? Well, er..... (whistles)

They had copper wire running through them. The idea was to clamp it to an unpainted metal part of the car - the favourite being a chrome bumper.

[Matt UK]

The 'anti static' thing is a common urban myth.

They are actually 'speed sticks' and make the car go faster. They are only really only to be used by very experienced wheelmen / ex-racers.

[LuS1fer]

r11co said:

They had copper wire running through them. The idea was to clamp it to an unpainted metal part of the car - the favourite being a chrome bumper.

Mine didn't, I examined them closely.

[BHC]

LuS1fer said:

r11co said:

They had copper wire running through them. The idea was to clamp it to an unpainted metal part of the car - the favourite being a chrome bumper.

Mine didn't, I examined them closely.

My uncle's Astra (L-reg, I think) had a copper pattern in the rubber which zig-zagged down. That's the only one I've seen closely.

They're clearly pointless, otherwise all cars would have them as standard surely.

[LuS1fer]

BHC said:

My uncle's Astra (L-reg, I think) had a copper pattern in the rubber which zig-zagged down. That's the only one I've seen closely.

They're clearly pointless, otherwise all cars would have them as standard surely.

They are no worse then those stupid dolls people hang off their bumpers though.

[BHC]

LuS1fer said:

They are no worse then those stupid dolls people hang off their bumpers though.

True, at least there is possibly some perceived function. You used to see loads of them, but I haven't seen one for years now.

[Lowtimer]

The little blind spot mirrors were not a bad idea though. In fact their function has now been adopted by most modern mirrors which now have a 'wide angle' section at the outside edge, which is very useful for eliminating blind spots.

[mwstewart]

LuS1fer said:

They are no worse then those stupid dolls people hang off their bumpers though.

They originated from the Japanese Drift scene. The angle of the toy indicates the speed of the drift.

[LuS1fer]

mwstewart said:

LuS1fer said:

They are no worse then those stupid dolls people hang off their bumpers though.

They originated from the Japanese Drift scene. The angle of the toy indicates the speed of the drift.

I know but in truth all the indicate is how big a d*ck the driver is.

[northwest monkey]

wildcat45 said:

To earth the car allegedly stopping car sickness.

Last time I saw them was about 1990. My aunties neighbour with an immaculately clean MKV Cortina with every bit of Halfords tat on it you could imagine.

Anti static straps.
Rubber door guard things with yellow reflectors
Mud flaps with red triangles on them
Fins on the wiper arms
Sun strip (no names though)
Ball compass thing.
Stick on extra blind spot mirrors
Beaded car cover.

I was last there about 5 years ago. He had a Mondeo, but with much less tat. I guess most of that crap won't fit onto modern cars.

I bet he used to get the "Carnoisseur" catalogue

[surveyor]

jimbop1 said:

CharlesAL said:

Same here with the car sickness... never believed it. Do they work? How?

I very much doubt it.

No. A bowl to be sick into was far more useful. Or not reading in the car.

[kev1974]

wildcat45 said:

Anti static straps.
Rubber door guard things with yellow reflectors
Mud flaps with red triangles on them
Fins on the wiper arms
Sun strip (no names though)
Ball compass thing.
Stick on extra blind spot mirrors
Beaded car cover.

No witty plastic fingers trying to escape the boot?