During the winter, when I exit my car, a spark about three inches long jumps from my hand to the car door. Is there some way to avoid this jump start when I get out of my car? About how many volts am I getting with this experience?
Try to keep touching the metal of the car durning the entire process of exiting the car - that way you never have a chance to build up charge.
You’re probably getting from 5000 to 20000 volts per zap, although the energy contained in the zap is pretty small.
Arjuna34
There was a discussion about this here:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57990
(hoping the link works - I’m too lazy to figure out how to do them properly)
I have heard that the tires that are designed for low rolling resistance can contribute to this problem. If you can keep your car grounded by dragging a small chain or conductive strap of some sort, it should cure the problem.