They peeled a bunch of bananas, threw them all over the road (not a public road, thankfully), and used a 2018 Audi RS5 for a traction test. They found that there was some slipping, but nothing significant in Mario Kart terms. Basically, if you got a real-life banana in Mario Kart, you’d probably be disappointed.
That’s not to say bananas aren’t slippery, of course. In fact, a study about the slipperiness of banana peels actually won a Nobel Prize in physics not long ago. The researchers stepped on banana peels, took precise measurements, and discovered that they have a coefficient of friction comparable to ice. I imagine the reason the banana peels didn’t work as well on the car is because it’s a finely engineered (and heavy) machine made to deal with adverse conditions… like a road full of banana peels.
Do you think a blue shell would still work on a real car? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Featured image: Nintendo
