The best method is to hold a rubber band against the edge of the wheel with your thumb then carefully work it onto the wheel with your other hand picture 1.
Rubber band cars for distance.
The aim of this project is distance.
While you can certainly use a paper towel tube for your car i chose a sturdier tube that came from a box of aluminum foil.
Without the rubber bands the wheels will spin out and waste energy before the car overcomes its inertia and begins moving.
Anything below 20 meters is a failing grade.
How to build a simple rubber band powered car out of household materials.
This rubber band car tutorial comes right out of the pages of one of my new books rubber band mania.
A great working elastic band powered car 0 00 0 20 testing 0 20 1 22 building the b.
Winding the rubber bands requires energy which is supplied by you.
With the rubber band cars the rubber used is made up of long polymer chains that in their natural state are all wrinkled up.
And only utilize one rubber band for it s main power source.
It must travel at least 20 meters and best of all is above.
When you wind up the rubber bands to power the car you re forcing the polymer chains to straighten out which creates elastic potential energy.
The video below shows a thirty foot run would have been longer but the trans.
Repeat with all 4 wheels.
It s a thicker cardboard and will definitely hold up better.
Long distance rubber band car.