How come there is no breaking noise when you throw a spark plug at a car window?

[BamBam215]

A few people I know had that happened when people try to break into their car. Apparently it doesn't make any noise when you break the window with a spark plug. Is there a reason why?

 

[Pepsi90919]

no.

 

[dighn]

the electrostatic field dampens sound energy

 

[BamBam215]

Originally posted by: dighn
the electrostatic field dampens sound energy

elaborate?

 

[notfred]

I've never tried it, but I guarantee that breaking a car window w/ a spark plug is not silent.

 

[Electric Amish]

WTF?

 

[dighn]

i'm just kidding

but seriously though. tempered glass shatters in a funny way. maybe if you disturbed it enough so that it shatters on its own it wont make so much sound instead of just hitting it with some large object.

 

[Cerebus451]

I heard about this many many (like 10) years ago. Supposedly it was just the ceramic portion of the spark plug, and it wasn't silent, but it made very little noise. I think it might be an urban legend, have to go check Snopes...

Edit: Or maybe not... reading this message it does sound like something that snatch-and-grabbers will use to break into a car.

 

[Crucial]

It's not loud but it's not silent. The glass is saftey glass so it doesn't shatter into big pieces and fall out. It will spiderweb and stay in place till you push it out. Thats why it's so quiet. There is no sound of glass splilling all over. And yes I have done it with the ceramic from spark plug. It works extremely well.

 

[BooGiMaN]

yeah i saw this on tv once...and the piece of ceramic they used was very tiny...like a very small pebble. i think they wet it first but i could be wrong...


i never understood why it works so well though

 

[BamBam215]

Originally posted by: csaddict
It's not loud but it's not silent. The glass is saftey glass so it doesn't shatter into big pieces and fall out. It will spiderweb and stay in place till you push it out. Thats why it's so quiet. There is no sound of glass splilling all over. And yes I have done it with the ceramic from spark plug. It works extremely well.

Tried it on your own car? so u dont actually use the entire spark plug, just the ceramic part?

 

[DrPizza]

okayyyyyy, so they break into your car, release the hood, spend 5 minutes taking out a spark plug, to throw at the next victim's car?

I highly doubt it would be silent. But shattering tempered glass isn't as loud as shattering a regular piece of glass or a bottle.

 

[thebestMAX]

You only dont hear it when the owner puts a .38 slug in your head at the same time.

 

[BamBam215]

 

[sygyzy]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
okayyyyyy, so they break into your car, release the hood, spend 5 minutes taking out a spark plug, to throw at the next victim's car?

I highly doubt it would be silent. But shattering tempered glass isn't as loud as shattering a regular piece of glass or a bottle.

Well of course. I mean there's no way you could buy a sparkplug at any of thousands of locations nationwide.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: dighn
i'm just kidding

but seriously though. tempered glass shatters in a funny way. maybe if you disturbed it enough so that it shatters on its own it wont make so much sound instead of just hitting it with some large object.

I've been in a car when the rear defroster got too hot and caused the rear window to shatter on its own. Definitely not silent.

It's a very distinctive sound when that safety glass shatters, but you're right that it doesn't travel as well as regular glass breaking.

ZV

 

[aircooled]

The glass breaking will make noise no matter what broke it. Safety glass will break into small pieces, but it still makes some crackling noise as it breaks and hits the ground.

 

[Squisher]

I had a buddy who worked at the Ford Glass Plant in the Rouge complex many years ago they used a small ceramic(carbide) ball that had these little spikes on it. This thing would break glass when thrown at it with no effort. They used them to break up the defective glass so it could be recycled.

 

[Yax]

I tried it on an empty pickle jar. Nothing happened to the jar upon inspection, but next day, it cracked in half. Strange. Try it yourself. (remember, just the ceramic portion of the spark plug).

 

[aircooled]

A spring loaded Center Punch is the best device for breaking auto glass.

 

[Crucial]

I broke the ceramic off a spark plug into small pebble sized pieces. The glass doesn't fall to the ground because there is not enough force to push the glass apart. It just spider webs the glass. It's suprisingly quiet.

My buddy and I broke apart a mortar and pestle and got the same results. We tested it on an old abandoned car.

 

[tranceport]

I see the police all over this thread. lol

 

[Techie333]

Does this work w/ new spark plugs.......im gonna try this..........can someone post pics of what the ceramic part looks like?

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: Techie333
Does this work w/ new spark plugs.......im gonna try this..........can someone post pics of what the ceramic part looks like?

The ceramic part is the white, non-metal part that looks like good dinnerware or, ceramic.

 

[deerslayer]

Interesting....