Can the Corvette Tire Win the Tire Ski Jump Competition?
They say the difference between acting like a hooligan and being a scientist is that scientists write things down. In the spirit of such a saying, I would love to present you the video below, from the wild and wonderful world of Japan, where a group of enterprising “scientists” decided they wanted to see how far different sized tires would travel off a competition-ready ski jump.
To test out this, ummm, physics experiment, the group gathered tires of several different sizes and types. They have a large tire like you would find on earth moving equipment, some general passenger and truck tires, an F1 racing slick, and a low profile piece of rubber that we’re assuming is a Corvette tire, judging by the icon displayed next to it in the video.
The hooligans… er… scientists proceeded to set each tire loose down what appears to be an Olympic regulation ski jump. And in the name of science, they recorded what happened.
It’s basically the best six minutes of your week.
Again, since this is science and that means we write things down, they offer the size and weight of the tire before they drop it down the ramp, then the overlay the tire’s speed as it leaves the ramp, and finally they document how far the tire travels.
I’m not going to spoil the outcome, but I can say that I was oddly surprised by the way the tires behaved and the distances they achieved. It really is fascinating.
The video is a little old and grainy though, so I feel that maybe I should try to recreate the experiment to ensure the conclusions still hold up. If you need me, I will be trying to convince my boss why I need to expense the rental fee and insurances costs for a ski jump.
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
