this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2025
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xkcd #3167: Car Size

Title text:

'They really shouldn't let those small cars drive in traffic. I worry I'm going to kill someone if I hit one! They should have to drive on the sidewalk, safely out of the way.'

Transcript:

Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com

Source: https://xkcd.com/3167/

explainxkcd for #3167

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[–] lol_idk@piefed.social 60 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Just a few thousand truck flipping cars on the road might be a good start

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago

Can only drive on well-maintained streets tho.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 3 points 1 week ago

That has traffic-flipping vibes of the upgraded Agency Supercar from the game Crackdown. I like.

[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

What's the Lancia logo doing on there?

[–] lol_idk@piefed.social 5 points 1 week ago

Idk I just hot linked some random image on the internet

[–] Poop@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

I don't know where that's from, but it kinda has Lancia Stratos concept vibes to me.

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not to speak of the Lancia Stratos, the original cheese wedge:

cheese

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That one apparently did well in rally, so I have trouble seeing it as a ‘hugging the ground’ supercar. Even though Porsches and Lambos also were in rally.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's a bit of a misconception. Soft-sprung cars can be hella fast on roads.

But modern supercars are sprung so slow for downforce, to try to turn their bottoms into vacuum cleaners. But (outside of racetracks) its mostly for show and 'sporty feel,' as this downforce doesn't really kick in till like 90mph+. In fact, many racecars are faster around hairpins when sprung looser and higher.

[–] drath@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Just passed one of those on my work today. It was LADA 2108 with lowered roof and suspension planted all the way down. Kind of like hybrid of theese two:

It got stuck in a pothole at an intersection...