What happens when lightning strikes a car?

Lightening strikes an auto:



A convertible would be dangerous:

Theoretically, nothing, as long as all four tires are touching the ground AND you aren't touching any metal surfaces in the car. Have I ever been in a car struck by lightening? No. Would I ever want to be in a car struck by lightening? No. Would I bet my or anyone else's life on it? No.

A buddy of Mr. 2's got hit by lightning.  Fried out all the electrical components, fattened one tire, and completely blew another one clean off the car.  I forget what all else happened, but what a mess!
Oh, btw, he wasn't in it.

What was that bit in the 1st vid going on about having the exterior of the car specially made to conduct electricity? Or was he trying to say that ALL cars are made that way?
If it's the former, then he cheated. Boo.

I have a fiberglass roof on my Jeep. I wonder how that would hold up.

2cent wrote:A buddy of Mr. 2's got hit by lightning.  Fried out all the electrical components, fattened one tire, and completely blew another one clean off the car.  I forget what all else happened, but what a mess!
Oh, btw, he wasn't in it.  

What was that bit in the 1st vid going on about having the exterior of the car specially made to conduct electricity?  Or was he trying to say that ALL cars are made that way?  
If it's the former, then he cheated.  Boo.

""A typical lightning flash is about 300 million Volts and about 30,000 Amps. "

They only put 800k through the car

Crusader wrote:I have a fiberglass roof on my Jeep.  I wonder how that would hold up.

prolly explode if it had any faults in it that allowed water into it

Crusader wrote:I have a fiberglass roof on my Jeep.  I wonder how that would hold up.

Not well.

The bolt would have to pass through the fiberglass to the inner roll bar (I'm assuming they still have those) or windshield frame. That would explode the top.

Your head would be inches from the roll cage. Would you be okay? I don't know.

For what it's worth, Jeeps have had fiberglass tops since 1976; and before that, Blazers and Broncos had fiberglass tops all through the 1970s. I don't recall any mass casualty events involving open-body SUVs with fiberglass roof pieces on them.

So...you're probably good to go...but you have a bit more exposure, shall we say.