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Vehicle Static Ground Strap

27K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Hemissary 
#1 ·
Any truths to these? Looking for ANYTHING to keep the dust off the hatch of the Magnum.

 
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#2 ·
I was under the impression that those are pretty useless. Never heard of them keeping the car less dusty. Mostly just blah blah about motion sickness.


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#4 ·
Right on , the motion sickness thing is just another snake oil they cam up with. Originally they thought this strap would help for lightning strikes , then to prevent shocks and sparks at gas stations from the static electricity(probably the one truth)and whatnot. All in all , I don't think it'll help with static cling (dust)to the rear of the car , BUT , it's only a 20$ investment to find out. I'd like to hear the results.

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#6 · (Edited)
Those particular straps do work; they are rated @ 3KΏ / ft (relatively low resistance) to ensure aggressive dissipation of static charge (used by Industry on indoor vehicles in dangerous materials environments). I've had one on the Magnum for years.

Because all vehicles are (electrically) isolated from the ground (rubber tires) and create friction (by-way of air drag forces across all surfaces), a static charge develops. Now depending on dust particulate, if it is at a different potential (opposite polarity to charge on vehicle) it will be attracted to the vehicle's surface.

When the vehicle stops moving and the GND strap touches earth, that potential static charge is dissipated to ground (@ 3KΏ - it doesn't happen instantly). Now, if the vehicle's surface is truly clean, with just dust sitting on it, when you drive away all that dust simply sloughs off.

Any existing film (pollution deposits for example) on the vehicle will significantly alter the effectiveness of a / any static strap. In the pic below, you can just make it out in front of the header. More to the point is that no matter what, as you drive down any paved surface the tires are picking up and aerating laid down oil / grease from other vehicles as well as petroleum distillates that are leaching out of the pavement itself. It takes very little time for turbulence across the back end of any vehicle to become ladened with deposits. This in of itself will make it difficult, if not impossible (especially on Magnums) for dust, now stuck to deposits to simply slough off.

Strap was cut down and mounted under a transmission bell housing bolt:

 
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#7 ·
So have you ever noticed the dust fall off the car Simon? I’d love a way to keep the back clean:)


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#8 ·
So have you ever noticed the dust fall off the car Simon? I'd love a way to keep the back clean:)

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Its rare; there's been times where Magnum was spotless from a recent wash, some dusty travel, stopped for lunch, got back in and stopped some time later to once again see a spotless paint.

Again - pollution fallout and aerated petroleum-based deposits that are present anytime one drives makes rear hatch deposits a fact of life. Dust picked up, once it settles on those surfaces is likely to remain until washed off.

With the above in mind, any expectation that there's anything that will prevent the rear of any vehicle from collecting dust is non-existent. Especially the more vertical / flat-like surface of Magnums that create significantly more turbulence than other platforms.
 
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