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Curb feelers

J

jeffrefrig

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Okay, I know they're pretty much a thing of the past, but I just spent $575 getting wife's car's wheels repaired. It's a lease so everything has to be near perfect when you turn a car in and don't buy another one. The scratch & ding insurance and tire wear insur. is a useless waste of money; at least Chevy's. So anyways a friend suggested a $20 set of curb feelers to help out until the fall when I turn this thing in. I know they look stupid on a modern car (or any car for that matter!) but $20 is cheaper than another $175 a wheel repair, especially with gift-buying season approaching near the same time.
Perhaps my buddy is setting me up for some sick joke!? And no, I'm not interested in hydraulics or a $5000 stereo...
 
Do they still make ‘em? Haven’t seen ‘em in decades. To protect the rims from scuffing, I’ve used the plastic strips that attach to the outside edge of the rim.
 
Very common in the '50s. I don't know if they were a fad or something really useful.
 
rockquarry said:
Very common in the '50s. I don't know if they were a fad or something really useful.
Click to expand...

Just a piece of junk hanging on the side. They were quite popular for a while. Also in that era we had many cars with static straps. Pieces of rubber that dragged on the roadway. I guess they got that idea from the big gas tankers!
 
NYlakesider said:
Just a piece of junk hanging on the side. They were quite popular for a while. Also in that era we had many cars with static straps. Pieces of rubber that dragged on the roadway. I guess they got that idea from the big gas tankers!
Click to expand...

I don't remember static straps.
 
And there were porta-walls. I haven't seen curb feelers since I was a teenager. I don't remember static straps. I did once have a squirrel tail tied to the radio antenna of my 52 Chevy, but don't remember why.
 
Wow, I can remember seeing them on big Caddies when I was young. I thought they looked silly, but if you park next to curbs all the time maybe worth it. Looked them up and they are still made. Please post pics if you get them and install them.
 
rockquarry said:
I don't remember static straps.
Click to expand...

I do. There was a legend that they helped prevent car sickness. When CB became popular in the UK they had a resurgence due to some joker suggesting that static straps improved your ground plane. Uh-huh.:rolleyes: Discharging static from the car to lower the noise floor I might have believed, sorta kinda.
 
I don’t have an answers, just more questions.

If your wife curb rashed the wheels, why not let her pay for it.

And if she is in the habit do scraping curbs, why fix it until just before turn in time?

Have you ever heard Dave Ramsay’s take on leasing cars, and extended warranties?

And do not do curb feelers. Everybody in town will be calling things like Boomer and Gramps.
 
During the Dust Bowl days, there was so much dust in the air the static was really high. People would drag a short length of logging chain behind their cars to discharge the static.
 
Unless you're driving one of these, I'd say no curb feelers....

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[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTWZ2e0sLaQ[/ame]
 
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