# Stupidest product design you’ve experienced **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621 "2023-03-25T02:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/561 "2023-05-22T16:39:03Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > Our Chevy Volt won’t go over 98 mph (I’m not the driver in the family who found that out). Chevrolet apparently throttles the top speed on their vehicles by design. So why does the speedometer go higher than _that_? Yes! My Accord’s speedo ‘tops out’ at 140 mph so in-town driving speeds are squished into the first 1/8 of the needle’s sweep and 80mph is at the middle. I have no idea if the car will actually reach that speed and have no intention whatsoever experimenting to se if it can. My 1994 Suburban OTOH has a maximum of 90mph on its speedometer and it easily reaches 80. At the top of the dial is 45mph. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/562 "2023-05-22T17:52:09Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > > [@InternetLegend](#): > > > > Chevrolet apparently throttles the top speed on their vehicles by design. So why does the speedometer go higher than _that_? > > Yes! My Accord’s speedo ‘tops out’ at 140 mph so in-town driving speeds are squished into the first 1/8 of the needle’s sweep and 80mph is at the middle. Standard-parts-bin speedometer dial (or standard-template-formatted virtual screen speedometer “dial”). For which you want a wide margin. And at least in the case of Hondas, they tend to be popular among “tuners” who will juice them up. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/563 "2023-05-22T19:39:43Z")
Also, I think, back in the 70’s when the speed limit was 55. Speedo’s only went up to 85 on some cars. I think that sort of pissed some people off. But considering some of the ‘box stock’ stuff that came out of the late 70’s and early 80’s that was probably the top end anyway. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/564 "2023-05-22T20:17:42Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Also, I think, back in the 70’s when the speed limit was 55. Speedo’s only went up to 85 on some cars. I think that sort of pissed some people off. Wasn’t there a regulation in the late 1970s - early 1980s that mandated that they only go up to 85? I remember reading blog posts about how the Mustang SVO got around that by having the _numbers_ stop at 85, but the speedo had red hash marks that went beyond that. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2023, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/565 "2023-05-22T20:49:08Z")
I missed the edit window, but yeah, speedos that went beyond 85 were illegal during that period. The Jalopnik article even quotes the text of the law. > **[The Ford Mustang SVO Had A Hilarious But Possibly Illegal Speedometer](https://jalopnik.com/the-ford-mustang-svo-had-a-hilarious-but-possibly-illeg-1847033278)** > > The Man wouldn’t let this car boast about its true, latent potential with an honest speedometer ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/566 "2023-05-23T00:47:55Z")
The whole idea was to make the new 55mph limit seem plenty fast enough, not just barely 1/4th of the way up the meter. So sort of Idiocracy in reverse. And yes, the “don’t tread on me” crowd went absolutely apeshit when that law came out. They didn’t have an internet (nor Fox News) to share and amplify their outrage but it was real. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/567 "2023-05-23T00:52:34Z")
They had Sammy, which is enough. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RvV3nn_de2k/maxresdefault.jpg "Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k) ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/568 "2023-05-23T14:02:05Z")
This isn’t really a stupid design but I just don’t get why it’s used. Why are athletic socks sold in ziploc-type bags? Do they want us to store our socks in the bag after purchase? To me it’s just unnecessary and I would think more expensive. There are other items that I’ve noticed come unnecessarily in those kind of bags, I just can’t remember any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/569 "2023-05-23T14:10:33Z")
Sometimes people want to feel the fabric on socks before purchasing them, so the ziploc-type bag allows for that. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/570 "2023-05-23T14:25:29Z")
'Zactly. The public will tear open the bag to feel the merch, then nobody will buy the torn-open bag because cooties. The ziplock lets everybody, but especially the merchant, get what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/571 "2023-05-23T14:44:59Z")
My opinion of a torn-open bag won’t be changed by the fact that it’s been re-sealed. And you can get the same effect by putting a small circular hole in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/572 "2023-05-23T14:52:45Z")
True on both. But if it is a ziplock bag, presumably most of the feelers will have opened the bag that way. Which can be closed up leaving no evidence, whether the feeler or a store clerk does the closing. Sure, some fraction of feelers will stupidly tear the bag anyhow. Ziplocks are harm reduction from the merchant POV, not a damage-proof shield. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/573 "2023-05-23T15:10:37Z")
I just came inside from experiencing two stupid product designs. The wife’s car, a 2019 Highlander, just indicated that one of the tires had low pressure. It did not say which tire (unlike my 2017 Ford Edge). Then, when I was checking the pressure in each tire, nowhere could I find the recommended PSI for said tire. I’m sure it was imprinted somewhere on the tire in a small hard-to-read font, but I couldn’t find it. I certainly could read the manufacturer of the tire, the style, and even the size, but the PSI was not obvious. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/574 "2023-05-23T15:12:23Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > nowhere could I find the recommended PSI for said tire. I’ve always found that information on the driver’s door edge. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/575 "2023-05-23T15:13:23Z")
Huh. Good to know. When she returns this evening, I’ll check it out. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/576 "2023-05-23T15:18:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > True on both. But if it is a ziplock bag, presumably most of the feelers will have opened the bag that way. On these bags, above the level of the zipper, the bag is permanently sealed. The zipper only becomes accessible at all after the permanent seal is torn open. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/577 "2023-05-23T15:19:01Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Then, when I was checking the pressure in each tire, nowhere could I find the recommended PSI for said tire. I’m sure it was imprinted somewhere on the tire in a small hard-to-read font, but I couldn’t find it. I certainly could read the manufacturer of the tire, the style, and even the size, but the PSI was not obvious. As I understand, and cites like [this](https://www.quora.com/When-putting-air-in-tires-should-you-go-by-the-door-jamb-PSI-or-the-tire-sidewall-PSI) agree, you should go by the PSI on the door jamb, not on the tire itself. > [@](#): > > The pressure Marked on the sidewall is an Absolute Maximum given by the tire manufacturer who has no idea what vehicle it will be mounted on. If you use that pressure it is almost guaranteed it will be wrong for the car - too high and likely to mishandle or wear unevenly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/578 "2023-05-23T15:28:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > True on both. But if it is a ziplock bag, presumably most of the feelers will have opened the bag that way. > > On these bags, above the level of the zipper, the bag is permanently sealed. The zipper only becomes accessible at all after the permanent seal is torn open. Ahh. We’re talking about two different packaging methods. Agree completely with your thoughts about the heat sealed bags that also have a ziplock for reusability. I mostly see those in the context of food, not clothing. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/579 "2023-05-23T18:42:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve always found that information on the driver’s door edge Except my old VW, the information was on a sticker inside the fuel door. Every single time for 17 years that I had to put air in the tires, I’d stand on my head to read the sticker on the car door, not find the tire information, then remember it was on the fuel door. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/580 "2023-05-23T21:15:39Z")
People need to feel socks that are sold by the dozen? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=30)