Soap Box Derby Science Fair Projects

Soap box derby science fair projects explore the family fun activity of go-karting. A go-kart science fair project can explore a variety of aspects of the sport including the design of the go-karts body, steering system, breaking system of wheel design. If you are a go-karter or if you are interested in a fun science fair project topic then this one is for you.

If you are interested in creating engineering based science fair projects then you will want to look at a specific aspect of a soap box derby kart's design. You will first need to explore the basics of this element and then you will need to manipulate the design to see what happens.

The first element that you can manipulate with soap box derby science fair projects is the shape of the go-kart's body. You can manipulate the length, the width, the depth and the weight of the body. These changes will impact the performance of the go-kart and potentially even the drivability of the kart.

Paragon Sports 15000+ Items & Free Shipping!
See what is on sale today!

Another variable that can be manipulated with soap box derby science fair projects is the steering system. Elements within the steering system that you can manipulate include the length of the steering rod, the size and shape of the steering wheel or mechanism and the location of the steering mechanism. You can also examine how the steering design interacts with other elements of the go-kart's design.

The breaking system is another important aspect of the go-kart's design. When manipulating this element you will have some constraints. First, you may be limited by the rules for soap box derbies. If you aren't focused on designing a go-kart for racing then you are free to alter the breaking system as you see fit. For example, you can compare the effectiveness of hand breaks versus pedal breaks or you can compare the effectiveness of manual breaks to hydraulic breaking systems.

The final element that you can experiment with is the design of the kart's wheels. Wheel design can be modified by changing the width of the wheels, the type of rims that are used, the inclusion or exclusion of an inner tube and even the material that the wheels are made from. The position of the wheels can also be experimented with to see if wheel position impacts the performance of the go-kart.