Why do ppl do this ?

Grant said:
teams of german & japanese engineers spend vasts amounts of time getting any model of cars as good as possible.
and then come along the "athlone engineers".

exhibit a
a perfectly good and well engineered high performance car, with a strap-on dildo.
looks like an oversized tray table, attached with pop rivets.
have to wonder how much time was spent in a wind tunnel to get the variable aerodynamics right.
maar "dit lyk gevaarlik"
View attachment 1858059

exhibit b
this is plain pitiful
those wheels vs wheel arches.
a car continually conquered by loose pebbles on the road, driveways, speed humps - basically anything taller than 5mm
maar, "dit lyk gevaarlik"
View attachment 1858061
Click to expand...
That spoiler is for cutting bait when fishing.
 
Grant said:
teams of german & japanese engineers spend vasts amounts of time getting any model of cars as good as possible.
and then come along the "athlone engineers".

exhibit a
a perfectly good and well engineered high performance car, with a strap-on dildo.
looks like an oversized tray table, attached with pop rivets.
have to wonder how much time was spent in a wind tunnel to get the variable aerodynamics right.
maar "dit lyk gevaarlik"
View attachment 1858059

exhibit b
this is plain pitiful
those wheels vs wheel arches.
a car continually conquered by loose pebbles on the road, driveways, speed humps - basically anything taller than 5mm
maar, "dit lyk gevaarlik"
View attachment 1858061
Click to expand...
Hobby.
 
On really old cars, suspension, brakes, fuel systems can all be upgraded to more modern stuff.

Yes in most cases, engineers knows better, but in some cases, car enthusiasts wants to improve an aspect that original engineers did not consider.
 
Manufacturers (excl VW) have to comply with strict environmental laws like emission and noise.
Performance can be easily gained by removing these restrictions. Same with a ecu flash or plugin piggy back systems.

But I guess OP is more focused on the visual / exterior mods.
I agree that adding spoilers and cutting coil springs is just daft and influence the overall performance/driveability of the vehicle.
 
Cius said:
Utterly pointless. Car tyres are designed to be conductive, not insulators. Protects people during lightning strikes on vehicles.
Click to expand...


Old cars (especially from the pre-1980s era) often had **grounding chains or straps** dangling from the rear bumper or frame, touching the road. Their main purpose was **to prevent static electricity buildup** and reduce the risk of **spark-induced fires** when refueling.

### Why static buildup was a problem:
- **Rubber tires** insulate the vehicle from the ground, so friction between tires, air, and the road (especially on dry days) generates static charge on the car's metal body.
- **Dry climates, synthetic clothing, or carpeted interiors** made it worse—drivers and passengers could carry significant charge too.
- When refueling, a spark from the nozzle (or a person touching the pump) to the charged car could ignite gasoline vapors.

### How the chains worked:
- The metal chain dragged on the pavement, providing a **low-resistance path to ground**.
- This continuously **disscharged static electricity** from the vehicle to the earth, preventing dangerous voltage buildup.

### Bonus safety (sometimes claimed):
- In theory, it could also bleed off charge during **thunderstorms** to reduce lightning strike risk (though this was minor and not the primary intent).

### Why we don’t see them anymore:
- **Modern cars use conductive tire compounds** (with carbon black) that safely ground the vehicle through the tires.
- **Fuel nozzles and pumps** now have built-in grounding clips and vapor recovery systems.
- **Better materials and design** (e.g., plastic fuel filler necks) reduce spark risks.

So, those clinking chains were a clever, low-tech fix for a real (but now solved) safety issue.
 
Me myself I love those sleeper cars - one in my youth was a Morris Minor with a turbo charged V8 squeezed in - he had to take out the back seat so he could move the front seats back enough - but it looked bog standard from the outside. It was deeply satisfying to watch him humiliate the arrogant. Hehe.
 
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