| Author | Message | ||
     Midknyte |
Someone here must know... My wife's SUV generates a LOT of static. We pick up a really good spark off the door when we get out of it. Annoys her greatly. I pretty much understand the hows and whys that it is being generated. Want to know instead, how to dissipate it. Would a drag wire underneath, hangin off the frame, ground this away for us? | ||
| Lovematt  |
I would suggest a ground strap...got mine at napa and it is under the car. Just make sure that it touches the frame+body (metal on metal) to make sure. | ||
| Hans  |
Midknyte, The static originates from the rubbing of your wifes clothes against the seat while leaving the car. Wholen clothing and plastic seats make wonderful firework, specially if the soles of her shoes are well insulated by thick rubber. Try a blanket of the same material as the clothing over the seats and then shoes with leather soles. She will get rid of it: Guaranteed. Chains or grounding wires from the car have no effect at all. Happy Christmas and enjoy your SUV. Hans  | ||
| Djkaplan  |
Seems like the tires would do the same thing a ground strap does. I read years ago that some cars are worse than others about static discharges. I can't remember exactly where I read the article, but it blamed certain manufacturers tires on the static build-up and discharge. | ||
| M1combat  |
Tires are rubber. They are not conductive. | ||
| Reepicheep  |
They actually add carbon to tires (for various reasons) and it effects conduction. Some car / tire combo's are worse then others. And it could be the seat, or the car. | ||
| Midknyte |
It happens to me as well. Is that groundstrap Lovematt mentioned something that drags/touches the ground as I inferred? | ||
| Blackbelt  |
let me guess your SUV is a chevy (GM) vehicle? all my cars and trucks have been really bad in the winter about the static problem.... and my father in laws dodge isn't bad at all... go figure | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
The dry winter air is extremely conducive to static build up. This isn't a plausible solution but you could try a humidifier in your car. | ||
| Davefl  |
Try using a can of Static Guard. It is made for spraying on clothing to get rid of static cling but sprayed on car seats it helps cut down on the lightning strikes.  | ||
| Midknyte |
A chevy? Well' I'd buy that before I'd buy a Ford  It's a Hyundia, Santa Fe (SP???) | ||
| Spiderman  |
Live with the annoyance! Discharging the spark on the door is a LOT Better than discharging it at ohh lets say the gas pump. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"It's a Hyundia, Santa Fe" Interesting. That article I read that pointed towards the tires as being the culprit for static discharges also said that Japanese OEM tires had the most problems. | ||
| Ray_maines  |
Buy a car with leather seats! | ||
| Rek  |
A service pick-up dragging a ground strap started 15-20 fires along the road a few miles north of here just this fall. The poor guy was very embaressed (sp?) by the whole affair. It left an intersting mosaic of charred landscape in his wake. Rob | ||
| Unibear12r |
A discharge between person and door indicates a static build up between person and car not car and ground so a strap will not help unless it is from your wrist to car metal. Have her use static guard, change clothes or use a seat cover first. Or crawl out instead of sliding as its the rubbing that creates the static. Women's clothes are notorious for this. I've been told that around 10 people in the US die from spark discharge while at the gas pumps every year. It's almost always women sliding in and out of the car during pumping of gasoline. If your vehicle is new this will likely fade with age as the seat's fabric or stainguard breaks down. | ||
| Outrider  |
We were out with another couple this week in their year old Grand Cherokee. All four of us were getting zapped exiting the vehicle and both women looked like something from the SciFi channel with their hair held to the headliner via the static electricity. Thanks for the Static Guard tip. Now I know what to get them as a humorous Christmas gift. Hope it works. Any other suggestions? | ||
| Midknyte |
I personally don't care about it and am able to put up with it. It's a point of contention for her, and for that sake, if there was something that could be done, I'd like to help her out... | ||
| Timbo  |
I'm reading this thread with interest because my '04 Dodge zaps me most every time I get out of it. So much so that it has changed the way I exit the vehicle. Now when I get out I press my thumb against the door very deliberately, as if making a thumb print. At least this way I don't brush the door and get zapped on a more sensitive part of my body. Sometimes at night it produces a pretty good size spark. This is the first vehicle I have ever owned that does this and it is pretty annoying. So much so that now when I get out of the truck and don't get zapped it surprises me. | ||
| Hans |
As said: The high tension will be generated by the rubbing of clothes against the seat and the person is loaded towards the car which looses its load easily by the tires. Keeping a metal part of the car in touch, while your are rubbing your back against the seat will prevent a spark. Even a lacquered part will do. Woolen seat covers, once very popular, will help very well. Shoes with leather soles are sometimes enough: Even without a nail, just piercing the leather, as bridge for the statics. That anti static spray for the seats seems me the cheapest and easiest solution. I have no experience with that. Every five years this subject will be repeated, and the "experts" from car magazines will come always with the "solution" of the strips or a chain on the car, supposing that the car was loaded. (Indeed true for some car-tire combinations, but very low chance you got them) I myself was once a believer of the loaded car theory. Made wild gestures, while there came a serviceman of a gas station, walking to my car, while gas was still leaking from the hose. Expected every moment an explosion and big fire on that crowded gas station. But the guy was already busy to fill the tank while I rushed from my seat, pulling the strongest spark ever.  Made a jerky movement and explained my strange conduct to the serviceman, concluding that I considered to buy another car. "Buy a new suit" he said only. That gave the clue. Hans | ||
| Sparky  |
Hans has the answer: hold a grounded metal part of the car before moving while exiting. The next best thing if you've already built up a charge is to discharge the spark with your keys. You won't feel it then. This works inside buildings too. Sparky | ||
| Outrider |
Wow...a plethora of good advice and one from a guy with a username that indicates he should know..."Sparky." LMFAO...and the "F" stands for freezing. Is only 4 degrees F here and I loathe the thought of having to go out today.  | ||
| Mr_grumpy  |
The problem, as already stated, lies in the buildup of static due to the clothes/upholstery interface. The solution is blindingly obvious... DRIVE NAKED, You know it makes sense!  | ||
| Outrider |
Oh wow...Coffee out the Nose again! Thanks Grumpy, you just made my day.  | ||
| Midknyte |
Just noticed something yesterday upon reflection to one of the responses. Our keys for this car are those nice, cute, fancy, plastic/rubber coated fob types. And as such, when we pull them out of the ignition, we are insulated from the ability to dissapate a charge to a default metal surface/pathway. I've got a regular spare cut key in my wallet. I'm gonna switch out her key and see if that solves this for us. | ||
| New12r  |
Michelin makes a "green" tire that hondas have to use to dissapate static. Yeah Jap cars build up a lot of static, dont know why tho. |
