The One with the Last Post

So race day as definitely a fun experience. My car ran successfully but unfortunately did not cross the 12 metre mark. Congratulations to Kelly's group and Ludwig's group for passing the 12 metre mark(sorry if i forgot anyone else who beat the 12 metre mark). Their runs were very impressing. I don't know the exact distance my car ran because i don't know how to read a tape measure but i know it past 5 metres for sure.

Trial number one was alright for me. When it was time to release my car it traveled and went past the 3 metre mark, then the 5 metre mark. It didn't go as far as i wanted to but I'm glad it went somewhere.

Trial number two went a little further than the first trial i think. I remember the car not going straight because it ended up on the right ride of the tape measure.

Overall I think i did my best and tried to build the best car i could

The One with the Variations

So the last couple of days, I've been tested out different variations of cars I made.
Each car ran fairly well and reached the 5 metre mark.


















This is the original car i made, as you can see there are some changes. At the end of the car i cut a section off so i could angle the balloon and cause the car to have a better push.


















So, I added a tube to the end of the balloon and I figured that it worked better then just the balloon itself.
















So as I did my car trials, I found out that the balloon would fly backwards and then block the airflow. The straws I stuck together and tapped onto the car acts as a hood and it doesn't allow the balloon to fly backwards. I have to say, that it works quite well. I also brought down the size of the back wheels because they didn't really do anything.
















This car took a lot of work because I had to put the logo on, and I added a piece of wood to make the car heavier. The wheels took especially long because I had to glue everything straight so that the car would also roll straight. It took a while to glue the wheels onto the axle also because if the wheels weren't straight the car would turn.


This could possible be my final car, I still haven't decided if i want to put the straw hood on.

The One with the question

So I decided that the model I posted below will be my final idea. I am still working on it and I have made some changes on it and I still need to make many more changes. I tested it the other day and it runs more than 5 meters, the only problem was that it didn't go straight. I'll try to have a video out soon. Even though my car's a long way from being finished and running smoothly, it's getting there.

My question for my peers is...

Does anyone know where to find some decent balloons?

I discovered that after a certain time a balloon has been used, the elasticity doesn't work as well as it did in the beginning and so, the air is being pushed out slower than the first time it was used.

Thanks and good luck

The One with a model

I created another design that has originated from one of my first sketches from my first blog.

Body: cut off the edges and curved it so it would cut off some weight and possibly run faster.

I used this type of material that is a layer of Styrofoam between two cardboard papers. It is sturdy yet light
















Unfortunately I wasn't smart enough and I didn't realize that the background was also a piece of white paper so the body of the car is sort of camouflaged


Wheels: I created my own type of wheels. It's basically made up of a piece of cardboard and layered off with two pieces of sturdy paper plates. As like the body of the car it is sturdy yet light. To finish the wheel, i started to cover the sides with tape so that the wheel doesn't fall apart.

















One major problem I had was that the balloon was touching the wheels, so i added these slanted panels that raised the balloon to a slant.
















The Straws underneath the body are guides that the sticks that are connected to the wheels run though them. It allows the axle to spin freely


The car ran about 2 metres and then hit a wall.

Some things i need to adjust are the wheels and the slanted panels. I need to glue the wheels onto the axle exactly at 90degrees in order for the car to run straight. The panels i made are to low so i still need to raise them so the balloon doesn't hit the wall

This may or may not be my final design, I don't know yet

The One with No Air

OK..I know I've been posting a lot lately..but i think i have my final idea

I will use two long balloons, attached to the front just behind the wheel and then attached to the axle on the back. In the front, i will take apart a clip and clip the two balloons in place.

That will ensure that the two balloons will stay. This balloon car will not need air. To power the car, you will need to wrap the balloons ends to the axle and roll the car backwards, as a result, the balloons will wrap around the axle stretching the elasticity. The greater the times the balloons are wrapped around the axle, the more rotations there will be in the wheels.

As for wheels, I will try to find a light sturdy material since the frame of the car will be processed stud wood, the type in your walls. I chose this type of wood because it is fairly light, but heavy enough to keep the car on ground

I hope my idea will work as planned

The One with the Logo

Original Balloon Car Inc. Logo

The One with the Idea

I realized just the air alone from the balloon won't be strong enough..

The elasticity of a long balloon might be stronger than just the air from a regular balloon.