Sick of Vanilla, Fresh Pine or Frozen Ice? Give these 10 scents a try!
10.) Leaking Radiator
Few automotive fluids carry the same toxically sweet smell as coolant. There’s nothing like the odor of a leaking coolant hose leaking on an exhaust header to create that candy-like scent. And at least as an air freshener, you wouldn’t have to deal with all that annoying white vapory smoke that usually comes with it.
Suggested By: REX2RS, Photo Credit: Nick Harris via Flickr
9.) Hot Brakes
As long as the odor is distinct enough from the smell of burnt clutch, a hot brake air freshener could take the world of car odors by storm. Our own Stef Schrader explains the appeal:
It smells like I’ve been having fun. (Although if it was faked, I might smell it when I haven’t been having fun, which would be no fun at all.)
Suggested By: Stef Schrader, Photo Credit: Nic Redhead via Flickr
8.) Two-Stroke Dirt Bike
What’s better than the rasp of a two stroke motor going at it? The smell that the two-stroke produces as you bounce off the rev limited begging for traction on a loose surface.
Suggested By: 450X_FTW, Photo Credit: Gunner111 via Flickr
7.) Crayola Interior
If you aren’t #blessed enough to own a German car where the interior reeks of that weird crayon-like smell, then this would surely be something you would need. No longer would you have to envy the classic German car leather brotherhood!
Suggested By: Juan, Photo Credit: Michael Pittman via Flickr
6.) Freshly Washed Car
After the soap and the layers of wax go on, a car can turn into some sort of automotive car-wash cocktail of odors. How hard would it be to pour some carwash soap and wax onto a piece of cardboard to get the proper scents? And hey, if it smells clean, it probably is clean, right?
Suggested By: Diesel, Photo Credit: EthelRedThePetrolHead via Flickr
5.) Tires
Heck, they could probably even divide this into two flavors! New tires and freshly-annihalted drift tire. I could get down with either.
Suggested By: Chairman Kaga, Photo Credit: Raphael Orlove via Jalopnik
4.) Nitromethane
Because of the levels of nitric acid used for Nitromethane, prolonged exposure to this sweet, sweet scent of speed could probably kill you. Surely engineers might be able to turn that deadly smell of high-performance combustion into a simple (and less deadly) air freshener.
Suggested By: Quattro-luvr, Photo Credit: Ole Bendik Kvisberg via Flickr
3.) Brakleen
Though surely brain-damaging (teens, don’t go huffing this shit), this multi-use liquid’s chemical odor is one that most car guys could never forget. And that’s usually not a bad thing.
Suggested By: Brian Silvestro, Photo Credit: CRC Industries
2.) Wood And Leather
Who wouldn’t want the classic leather and wood smell of an iconic vintage sports car chemically contained in an air-freshener and strapped to the rearview mirror in their boring daily driver?
Suggested By: JayHova, Photo Credit: ozzadavies via Flickr
1.) Race Fuel
The universal scent of race fuel can be found at motorsport events around the globe. What better way to remind you of racing while on your daily commute than inhaling the very scent of it? Hopefully without the loss of any brain cells, too.
Suggested By: DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane, Photo Credit: Tino Rossini via Flickr
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day’s Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It’s by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: torbakhopper via Flickr