At 11:12 AM 12/4/98 -0800, Aaron Christopher Finney wrote:
>This is giving me fits. There's something strange with my minivan, that it
>generates a *ton* of static electricity whenever I drive even a few
>blocks.
I seem to remember reading about this - perhaps in the "Straight Dope".
A quick www.dejanews.com search led me to a Toyota FAQ that confirmed
what I remembered.
Newer "low rolling resistance" tires don't contain as much carbon black
as they once did, which makes them more of an insulator, which means
as they turn they're picking up a charge relative to ground.
Other articles I saw mentioned this was a problem with AM radio
reception, causing sparks as the charge dissipated as you drove,
and for toll booth operators you'd touch during a drive.
Click and Clack wrote about it at
<
http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/CC/CC7147TXT.html>
Strangely, I also found an article about the magnetic fields
generated by rolling tires: <
http://www.microwavenews.com/3-98story4.html>
- John
Received on Fri Dec 04 1998 - 13:49:58 GMT