History Main / SpikedWheels

** Chariots were arguably on their way out from the moment horses that could carry a rider were available. A charioteer has to control a whole team and killing or wounding even one horse will drag the rest down with it. All chariots need a driver as well as a warrior whereas it is possible for a cavalryman to control a single horse with leg pressure and reins while wielding weapons. Perhaps most importantly chariots need a industrial base whereas horses can depend solely on what a pastoral society can provide. This allowed HordesFromTheEast to get in on the fun of mass homicide in a big way where they were limited in the time of chariots.

* Boudicca never actually used these as British charioteers actually played the part of 'battle taxi' for a (noble) warrior, transporting him into the fray and providing a means of escape if it went badly. Eastern forces ''did'' use scythed chariots as a shock weapon but they became rapidly obsolete as the professional armies of Macedon and then Rome produced countermeasures.

[[quoteright:350:[[JamesBond http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GW359H200.jpg]]]]

* Happens in ''{{Grease}}''.

[[quoteright:350:[[{{JamesBond}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GW359H200.jpg]]]]

You're catching up the other guy's vehicle with your {{Cool Car}}, but he won't let that happen since he's a {{Mook}} or doesn't want to lose the [[WackyRacing Wacky Race]]. So, he's going to smash his car against yours. Not content with simply trying to run you off the road or [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope shove you off the cliff face]], he's going for maximum damage. He's placed [[SpikesOfDoom spikes]] on his wheels that now act as a cross between a [[ThisIsADrill drill]] and a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]], and will tear your unprotected tires to shreds on contact. A must have for [[ChariotRace Roman chariots]].

* Used on ''{{Film/Gladiator}}'' to cut a fighter's legs.

* ''{{Mythbusters}}'' proved that spiked wheels are always effective in a race as long as the design looks reasonable enough to work. Size doesn't matter that much when it comes to damage, but design does matter for reuseablity, with simple pipes with triangles cut into them being effective and reusable far moreso than complicated props.

* In the ''{{Warhammer}} Fantasy Battle'' game, chariots of some races get upgraded with these, increasing the number of enemies they can run down when they charge.

* In ''SaintsRow 2'' and ''3'' you can buy them for your cars. The spikes pop out when you pick up a bit of speed. Unfortunately, they don't collide with pedestrians, only vehicles.

* This was used in the chariot race episode of ''PhineasAndFerb'' in a ShoutOut to ''[[BenHur Ben-Hur]]''.

* The Invisible Car from ''{{Megamind}}'' has these.
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* In ''SaintsRow 2'' you can buy them for your cars.

* The Scythe Chariot is an upgrade of the regular chariot in ''[[VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires Age Of Empires: Rise of Rome]].''

* JamesBond had a car that popped retractable barbed spikes from the center of his wheels that destroyed enemy tires, ''originally'' used on the Aston Martin in ''{{Goldfinger}}''.
** In ''TheLivingDaylights'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMqP7v0uSFU Bond used]] FrickinLaserBeams instead.

* The movie ''DeathRace'' (2008or9) had this in abundance, with one vehicle having large enough spikes to go through the car door and kill the people inside.

* Used by Nelson in the episode of ''TheSimpsons'' where he races against Bart.
* Turbine, one of the villainous Road Crew in the ''{{Ben 10}}'' episode "Ben 4 Good Buddy", has retractable wheel spikes as one of the armaments on her car.

[[quoteright:350:[[{{JamesBond}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GW359H200.jpg]]

[[{{JamesBond}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GW359H200.jpg]] You're catching up the other guy's vehicle with your {{Cool Car}}, but he won't let that happen since he's a {{Mook}} or doesn't want to lose the [[WackyRacing Wacky Race]]. So, he's going to smash his car against yours. Not content with simply trying to run you off the road or [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope shove you off the cliff face]], he's going for maximum damage. He's placed [[SpikesOfDoom spikes]] on his wheels that now act as a cross between a [[ThisIsADrill drill]] and a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]], and will tear your unprotected tires to shreds on contact. A must have for [[ChariotRace Roman chariots]].

* ''TheMask'' had these on a chariot in "Baby's Wild Ride," which he used to take out some charging bikers. "My chariot's equipped with enough features to make Ben Hur *drool!*"

* ''{{Mythbusters}}'' proved that spiked wheels are always effective in a race as long as the design looks reasonable enough to work. Size doesn't matter that much when it comes to damage.

* ''Mythbusters'' proved that spikedwheels are always effective in a race as long as the design looks reasonable enough to work. Size doesn't matter that much when it comes to damage.

<<|VehicleTropes|>>
<<|WeaponsAndWieldingTropes|>>

* Vigor, the champion of the [[GladiatorGames Nobilian arena]] in ''SecretOfEvermore'', fights from his spiked chariot. The wheels can cause considerable damage. The catch is, [[TheCombatPragmatist you're on]] ''[[TheCombatPragmatist foot]]'' . . .

* The Scythe Chariot is an upgrade of the regular chariot in ''[[Game.AgeOfEmpires Age Of Empires: Rise of Rome]].''

[[{{JamesBond}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/GW359H200.jpg]] You're catching up the other guy's vehicle with your CoolCar, but he won't let that happen since he's a {{Mook}} or doesn't want to lose the [[WackyRacing Wacky Race]] so he's gonna smash his car against yours, and he's prepared, he's put [[SpikesOfDoom spikes]] on his wheels that now work effectively as a [[ThisIsADrill Drill]] and will tear yours to shreds on contact. A must have for [[ChariotRace Roman chariots]].

* MostTriumphantExample would be the ''BenHur'' ChariotRace. This is also the Trope Codifier.

** And when he actually used it on another car it got stuck and the entire wheel was torn off.

Commonly called Boudica spikes (at least in the UK) after the "Queen" that fought against the occupying Romans in England around 60AD.

* This was used in the chariot race episode of ''PhineasAndFerb''.