Is it better to take a hit, or fall off the course to save time?

I started wondering on my 200cc runs if there are times where falling off the course would result in less of a time loss than taking a hit from a shell. For example, if I know a blue shell or red shell is about to hit me (using the warning indicator), would it be better to attempt to drive off the course so that Lakitu grabs me and brings me back (negating the shell since it won't be able to hit me)?

I've noticed that Lakitu is generally pretty fast at returning the player to the course, and a decent amount of the time he even comes close to dropping you off where you would have been if you didn't fall off the course (from my observation/estimation).

Are there any times where driving off the course can potentially save you time as opposed to taking a hit from a projectile? Or should one always avoid falling off the course at all times? The computers in 200cc races definitely seem to get more shells and projectiles which is rather annoying, and I was hoping that this method could potentially allow me to keep my leads.