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Whee Shocks

 Putting Joy back in the Ride
  (+33, -1)(+33, -1)(+33, -1)
(+33, -1) 		  [vote for,
against]

A retrofit to existing automobile shocks that would include sensors that would sense a sudden expansion of the shock pistons caused by going over small hills, railroad trestles, etc. The sensor would be connected to the sound system inside the car.

Just as when we were kids, when the car goes over the small hill or undulation, the system emits a big "WHEEEEEE!" to elicit feelings of joy and whimsy to the ride. For those drivers and passengers that wish not to be bothered with the audio cue, a "WHEEEE!" indicator would light on the dashboard if the sound was muted. The icon would be a seated person raising hands and legs.

—Cedar Park, Apr 27 2003

Whee Shocks http://members.shaw...ages/wheeshocks.htm
Prototype dashboard / sound effect [Cedar Park, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Faux Muscle Cars http://www.halfbake...aux_20Muscle_20Cars
somewhat related idea targeted for adults [krelnik, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

and weeeeeeeeeee! http://www.albinobl...com/flash/weeee.php
Gonads and Strife. (edited URL) (rated PG-13) [Cedar Park, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Hahahaha http://imgur.com/gallery/Jd5Zl
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 28 2016]


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Annotation:







       Sounds like a great idea... for those that have moved beyond the joy & whimsy childhood phase. :-) Fortunately for my bank account, I haven't progressed past that point.   

       I am willing to test it though! I can give ya a list of "whee-able" hills... will the shocks be adjustable at all, so you can ensure that your vehicle is in sync with your own personal "whee"?
—BayRatt, Apr 27 2003
   

       I like it.
Would it also make an "Ungh" sound whenever you accidentally hit a pothole or an unnoticed speed bump?		   

       Nice gearing in that car too!
—Shz, Apr 27 2003
   

       I'll say.
—bristolz, Apr 27 2003
   

       ++Good
—thumbwax, Apr 27 2003
   

       The 'car' is actually a Mazda MPV mini-van.
—Cedar Park, Apr 27 2003
   

       Thanks for bringing a nice childhood smile to my face. Wheeeeeee!! I love this (+)
—Pericles, Apr 27 2003
   

       "Nice gearing"? 71mph at 3200RPM? Not bad, but doesn't seem too unreasonable...
—supercat, Apr 28 2003
   

       “71mph at 3200RPM” [supercat]? Looks like over 100 mph to me.
—Shz, Apr 28 2003
   

       Yeah, looks like 102mph or so to me, too.
—bristolz, Apr 28 2003
   

       Never mind. Misread the tiny numbers on my screen.
—supercat, Apr 28 2003
   

       I confess I didn't vote for this originally, but the sound effect (and dashboard icon) in your link convinced me.
—krelnik, Apr 28 2003
   

       ... Awesome !! May I suggest Automobile Foam Padding for the ceiling of the vehicle... ?
—mahatma, Apr 28 2003
   

       This is a great idea. I'd also like to have it say "Can we do that again?" when you come to a full stop (if there has been at least 1 "whee!" since the last stop). It should sigh with contentment when you put the car in park.   

       If the system could be integrated with Northstar and other GPS navigation systems, it could be programmed to say "Go faster!" as you approach particularly fun bumps on routes that you've taken before.   

       In fact, there should be a database of popular "Whee!" sites, so that you could be advised of fun spots as you approach them, or you could even plan a Saturday day trip to a "Whee!" site in your area. You could plan or alter routes to frequent destinations to include as many "Whee!" sites as possible. Another advantage is that you could be warned to secure your coffee and croissant (of course) before you actually hit the "Whee!" bump.   

       This all sounds like more than just a "Whee!" bit of fun.
—dijontoothpaste, Apr 28 2003
   

       I'd like to see a similar feature that would bring back my childhood: A simple device that detects whether you're going up or down a hill, and the riders hear "uuuuuuuuuup!" or "doooooooooown!" (the word "up" increases in pitch and has to continue until the top of the hill is reached; likewise for "down," but with decreasing pitch).
—hinkle, Apr 28 2003
   

       When I was quite young I'd always wonder if the driver were insane or something, as our car approached the top of a hill. Since I couldn't see the road past the top of the hill, it always seemed kind of reckless to me to just drive right over the top without even slowing down.
—beauxeault, Apr 28 2003
   

       [UB]: It's global, as far as I can tell. I haven't seen any of their Zoom Zoom ads with anything like this, though.
—Cedar Park, Apr 30 2003
   

       When I first saw the topic i must've misread it. I thought this was an idea for sock-based catheters for in-car use.
—Trodden, Apr 30 2003
   

       [Trodden]: all I can say is "EEEEWWWWWW!!!"
—Cedar Park, Apr 30 2003
   

       //Isn't there a symbol on the dash, that shows the little guy enjoying himself // I dread to think.
—po, Apr 30 2003
   

       Needs more strife.
—rapid transit, May 25 2003
   

       I would be most wheeful if the seat also gave a honk when the shocks compress. +
—Tiger Lily, May 25 2003
   

       And it should go, "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrr," when going over a cattle grid, so that it comes out sounding like, "uyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuyur."
—friendlyfire, May 25 2003
   

       Four words: Whoopie-cushion air-bladders.
—RayfordSteele, Jun 30 2003
   

       [friendlyfire] - speaking of cattle - if the car's going to make all these noises for us, then obviously we will need a device somewhere else (not part of the shocks) which says "MOOOOOOOOOO" whenever cows are visible.
—hob, Jun 30 2003
   

       And tunnels...it should honk in tunnels as well. Maybe make a train noise for good measure?
—little dog laughed, Jul 01 2003
   

       Bo and Luke Duke would love "y'all"! +
—muzer, Oct 10 2003
   

       wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! That is the coolest thing I have ever read on this forum.
—kcarsrule, Jan 06 2004
   

       tip: sample another category   

       belated +1 for Cedar.
—po, Jan 06 2004
   

       Every so often I come back to this idea just so I can click on the button in the first link. It cheers me on dreary mornings for some reason.
—krelnik, Jan 06 2004
   

       Fantastic! I love this [+]
—Frankx, Aug 03 2006
   

       Bun ! [+] But mainly for the description of the icon !
—monojohnny, Aug 03 2006
   

       + I didn't know there was sound on the link until I read [Krelnik]'s anno.
—Zimmy, Aug 23 2006
   

       If you double click the "weeee!" button as rapidly as possible, it sounds like a room of small kittens. Just thought I'd add that in there. [+]
—Hunter79764, Aug 23 2006
   

       I can't believe I haven't seen this before. Sounds unsafe, but since this isn't presented as a serious idea, I'm neutral. But...the "Whee" button in the first link pushed me over the crest. [+]
—Freefall, Aug 29 2006
   

       Churning in honor of [Cedar Park] revisiting the HB today.
And if your croissant was one (of many) that flew off in the bumpy 2004 ride, now's a good time to put it back.
—lurch, Jul 02 2010
   

       What did the snail say when he rode on the turtle's back?   

       Wheeee!
—nomocrow, Jul 03 2010
   

       yeah pretty much though I just looked and it said "Wheel Shocks"
—FlyingToaster, Jul 04 2010
   

       Whee socks! With grips in the toes to get a running start!
—nomocrow, Jul 06 2010
   

       As opposed to wee socks, with a waterproof lining to stop them leaking?
—pocmloc, Jul 06 2010
   


 

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