
Suspension Stiffness and Cornering Speed
Medium
How does spring stiffness affect a car's speed around bends? Suspension systems absorb bumps and keep tires on the ground. Stiffer springs might help on curves but slow you down on straights.
You swap springs of different stiffness into a remote-controlled car. Then you run the car on three courses: a straight track, a clockwise loop, and a counter-clockwise loop. You time each run at both full speed and low speed.
Comparing the times reveals how spring stiffness changes performance on curves versus straight lines.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that the firmer the suspension, the faster the car is able to travel around bends.
Method & Materials
You will install springs of different levels of firmness into a remote-controlled car, and then measure the time it takes for the car to complete a straight course, a clockwise course, and a counter-clockwise course.
You will need a Tamiya customized remote-control sports car, springs of different levels of firmness, an electronic metronome, a stopwatch, blank paper and pen, and 40 AAA batteries.
Tinker Crate — science & engineering build kits for ages 9–12 — real tools, real experiments, delivered monthly. (Affiliate link)
See what’s includedResults
The results show that the hypothesis should be accepted. Overall, the stiffer the spring, the faster the car travels around bends. However, it is interesting to note that the springs of medium-firmness performed the worst for the round circuit.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it allows students to explore the relationship between the firmness of a car's suspension system and its speed around bends.
Also Consider
Consider experimenting with different types of tires to see if they affect the results, or testing the car's speed on different surfaces.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:
Related Science Fair Project Ideas
Roll a model car into cups filled with water or sand and see which protects a copper barrier best.
Medium
Build three bridges with different designs and test which one bends the least under a heavy load.
Medium
Build two bridge models from balsa wood and load them with weights to find which design is stronger.
Medium
Share this Science Project:
