How Will A Car Perform With Square Wheels? | MythBusters | Season 8 Episode 20 | Full Episode

[@_Aly_00_]

17:13 "Somethings dreadfully wrong!" Yeah we can see one of the wheels on the ground in background behind you 😂

[@bsm130]

they didn't torque the lug nuts

[@WhitzWolf92]

@@bsm130At the risk of me just missing a joke... We don't know if they they torqued the lug nuts or not (no, it wasn't shown that they did, but this was not either host's first time turning a wrench and that's absolutely something that would be cut for time on TV), but it doesn't matter. They striped the threads clear out of the hub (see 17:37 - 17:39, those are not supposed to be smooth holes), at that point the lug nuts are totally irrelevant.

[@Sunprism]

Always love Adam's reactions to disaster. "Whoa, Whoa whoa whoa! *Breaks into giggles*"

[@bvoyelr]

I just like how the square wheeled truck energetically jettisons parts every time they drive it.

[@BIG-JIM-FINN]

I love when the wheel comes off on the first test. I was laughing so hard I was crying. -BIG JIM

[@qumaden]

I feel like television entertainment peaked with mythbusters; it has all been downhill since

[@williamdowling7718]

Yea but kids these days get to watch..... Mr beast... Oh God. We're screwed

[@Whin556]

Forged in Fire is the only TV show that I can honestly say is worth watching today.

[@TheRealJohnH3]

@@Whin556 Up until Wil left :( it is still enjoyable, but i understand why he left.

[@account-pi3nj]

mr beast is way more entertaining than mythbusters it's not even a competition 😂

[@asianapollo002]

​@account-pi3nj how old ru???

[@keithrice39]

I love how Jamie is slowly working through the engineering that lead to caterpiller treads (which are basically one long square wheel that also has the advantage of round ones). Seriously, no joke it's impressive.

[@fredhurst2528]

I don't think there was really anything to be confirmed, they just wanted to drive a truck with square wheels for the fun of it.

[@FreejackVesa]

I think that's a significant portion of their myth tests. 😂

[@vladtheimpaler9577]

This is why I love Jamie. He always dreams big and always dreams crazy.

[@borntoclimb7116]

And adam is the funny guy

[@sammy61187]

Wish he was more active on socials etc be cool to just see what he gets up to

[@louishoey]

Adam's utube channel tested is legit.

[@xSARGEx117x]

​@@JessicaH.97 because Jamie, for how much he was part of shaping my childhood, and I still like him... Is a stick in the mud. He's the boring twig in the mud in the hole in the stick in the mud. He's extremely level-headed 97% of the time. His "this is the most excited and energetic I've ever been in front of anyone who isn't my wife" is Adam's baseline. They're just too different, two incompatible people. And that's okay. You don't have to be everyone's friend. They could work together. They brought joy to many. That's all anyone could ever ask for. I do like when "friends on camera" are actually friends in real life. Back around 10 years ago I asked Nathan Fillion if he and Alan Tudyk were friends in real life or ever hung out after Firefly ended. He told me they had caught Game of Thrones together the week before.

[@barneyisabro]

@@JessicaH.97 Only partially true. Jamie is much older than Adam, and Adam is on record as saying their relationship is more mentor/mentee and professional coworkers than friends, hence them never hanging out. They have a lot of admiration and respect for one another, it's just not that kind of relationship.

[@Lagbeard]

It would be theoretically very possible to get a smooth ride out of square tires... But the speeds and forces required probably can't be provided with any realistic engine.

[@justanoman6497]

The lack of continuous contact would mean little to no steering I imagine.

[@samuel010898]

@@justanoman6497 or acceleration. The faster you go, the more time the wheel spends airborne. That’s probably why it started drifting as he tried to push it faster, with the lighter rear end drifting first. Not to mention it definitely completely trashed any unsprung parts of the drivetrain, the brakes falling off was crazy lol

[@aj7419]

sure... ...maybe if you lived in a different universe where physics are completely different it is absolutely practically (and for all intents and purposes, _physically_ ) impossible

[@tombattraw1410]

The real trick is to get a road composed of curves that fit the square wheels

[@pleappleappleap]

Having a square pneumatic tire might help.

[@theZDOME]

As a laser cutter operator, when you do get your cutting conditions down, they do cut fantastic parts

[@dgthe3]

34:20 Look at that box jiggle!

[@jaydenjohner6901]

Got me feeling some type of way 🥴

[@peteleigh3658]

Ya got me lol

[@sharlharmakhis280]

no word of a lie it looks like that truck is twerking 🤣

[@xXxJustCallMeM]

So much torque it twisted the chassis off the line.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

I reject your reality and live my life quarter mile at the time.

[@lisadawne]

huge missed opportunity to call them "squeels"

[@JBBost]

Thanks for finally doing the full episodes!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Amberlisi]

34:30 the twerking truck bed LOL

[@HardxCorpsxKali]

31:33 I have no idea how I never knew this as a kid but 100% the cars would’ve worked had they been able to fuse them together at the very front. The pivot point would’ve allowed the cars to angle while staying connect but the way they have them combined it’s completely rigid.

[@LazyLemming2]

Turning the two cars might have worked better if there was a little bit of give/flex in the connection between them. Similar to a trailer. If two of the pieces of the cars were to wrap or hook around each other, there might be a little bit of a hinge.

[@yervler]

Jamie looks like Doctor Eggman at 17:40 lmao

[@davidmccarthy6061]

Common experience, with round wheels, that higher speed over bumpy terrain makes it feel smoother. Still tough on the suspension though.

[@AleksiJoensuu]

I think Mythbusters tried this myth once, too.

[@pyrho1]

Thank you so much for posting all of these full episodes

[@KingSvenDeluxe]

Square wheels are the norm in Canada, that's why Jamie likes them.

[@Bobal27]

26:43 I’m curious, did they try right pair offset 45 from left pair, or front pair offset 45 from back pair? Or was it just assumed that those wouldn’t produce better results than diagonal pairs offset?

[@cooljammer00]

I could have sworn there was a bit in this episode where they showed a car model with square wheels traveling on a road with big divots in it where the wheels fit perfectly in between so it was actually smoother than round wheels, but I can't find it now.

[@squidwardo7074]

I think it was on a vsauce video called "the brachistochrone" or something like that

[@andrewirving3982]

I remember it being an animation

[@samuel010898]

Some guy made a big video about it that became popular, but the problem with those designs (aside from needing an appropriate pattern to drive over) is that they don’t maintain constant velocity. This is easy to visualize; when the corner is down, the wheel has a certain effective diameter, but when it’s flat and the road comes up to match, it’s touching the wheel closer to the hub, so the effective diameter is smaller. So the odd shaped wheel maintains contact with the road, but it wouldn’t drive smoothly. Now having said all that, I’m going to try to find that video and see how wrong I am lol

[@Daniel-mk6ed]

For the square wheel truck wouldn't the differential change the offset stuff they were talking about unless you locked the steering or something

[@tomplayz4209]

I say for the date night 90º turn if it was repeatable and consistent (turning left would always turn right) it should be confirmed

[@names_are_useless]

Are you a real person?

[@josiahsimmons9866]

It did remind me of Cars, "turn right to go left" and whatnot. I wonder how it could have been if they chose to test it a few more times. Though, maybe they did and it just didn't make the edit!

[@JediSentinal]

Yeah, if they can pull off a 180 you could use the same technique to pull off a 90 with some modifications. But that's getting into the weeds for an entertainment show lol.

[@Eguzky]

35:45 Never thought I'd see a truck twerk, but here we are!

[@arthurmartin4616]

Being one of the emergency workers on site of mythbusters shoots must have been so surreal. On one hand, great for fans of the show. On the other, it must feel weird using the hose on a street so they can try to drift over it.

[@bloopasonic]

Many years ago, I was woken up in the dead of night by a very talented stunt driver conjoining his car to one parked on the side of the road. The cars were so expertly conjoined that all of his attempts at driving off were foiled by his wheels just spinning. It did not stop this fine gentleman from just keeping it floored. By the time the cops arrived, he was grinding the asphalt with his rims. The stream of sparks lit up the night sky.

[@MyDarkWorldX]

really enjoyed this episode! the concept of square wheels is just wild. but honestly, i think they could’ve explored more practical uses for different wheel shapes instead of just focusing on the square ones. like, wouldn’t it be cool to see how other unconventional designs could impact performance?

[@Jess.the.mess23]

RIP Grant 😢

[@narufemkyuufankid]

I was waiting for this episode!

[@michaelmayhem350]

It's a square one

[@heartofdawn2341]

Square wheels would be an utter nightmare on ice or in the wet, or when going around a corner. And you'd need to keep all the diffs permanently locked so they don't end up out of sync, which only makes everything else so much worse.

[@Dimon12321]

44:30 Adam: It's like one of those "What are we doing?" moments Jamie: I think we have more of those moments than we do the normal ones LOL

[@TailOfThePup]

"Things are gonna start to get a little crazy in here". One of the best quotes ever!

[@xpndblhero5170]

Now I'm curious if octagonal wheels would work better..... 🤔💡😃 😂

[@Psychic42]

Yes. The more vertices you have on a regular polygon, the closer that shape becomes to a circle. You can think of a circle as a regular polygon, with an infinite number of vertices. so a pentagon would be better than a square, a hexagon would be better than a pentagon, and so on a so forth up to an infinite number of sides/vertices. There is also a cool video about designing a road that works best with a square wheel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnjbhIewlq53ac0 really fun video to watch and think about

[@justanoman6497]

@@Psychic42 I mean in the real world there is no such thing as a perfect roundness, they are probably just a couple hundred thousand sided polygons already.

[@Polysclips]

You're thinking in the wrong direction my friend... We need Triangle wheels

[@LUk3.M.]

@@justanoman6497 lol wut? This is the 21st century we have manufacturing technology to make perfect "roundness".

[@justanoman6497]

@@LUk3.M. perfect roundness doesn't exist in the real world above the atomic level (molecules are never round, so not even molecular level)

[@JDrapic]

That truck is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I am cackling! 😂

[@carlsoll]

13:37 Absolutely Nailed It :D

[@HardxCorpsxKali]

37:22 they mean they both turn the wheels in the same direction. If one driver turns left the other driver needs to turn his wheels to the first drivers right. Which is also left for the opposite driver. 😂 so they need to turn the same direction.

[@psinjo]

at 3:30... i've always wondered about the 'mythbusters blueprints' but that looks like a table you can just draw on? or is it a piece of paper on top of the table? sorry i'd love to get more information about it, anyone know?

[@stgigamovement]

Paper on top, because the blueprints were saved.

[@hizzy70]

The newest video you guys posted is unavailable in the Usa, just a heads up

[@danwarrjack]

Adam looks like he could be James Hetfield’s science brother Adam Hetfield

[@alexm4505]

Yeah = emc squared

[@goodnightmilk3047]

47:45 that poor camera

[@cheeseburgernetwork]

This has to be the most enthusiastic Jamie has ever been

[@heartofdawn2341]

This is a myth someone could easily push further on a small scale. Get some 2wd and 4wd RC cars, race them on a track through different conditions, and then see how they compare with square and round wheels.

[@mattdaddy_888]

even with the square wheels offset 45 degrees they won't stay like that permanently thanks to the differentials. That's why the first test went smooth but then rough again until the wheel fell off because the differentials allowed the orientation of the wheels to change independently from the other wheel on the same axle. Maybe try welding the differentials.

[@stokermeister3]

I’m certain the Borg would like that 😁

[@arthurmorgan7729]

Of course square wheels work! Have you been to Canada?

[@Helpline5815]

Anyone else think of the Island of Misfit Toys on this? The choo choo with square wheels on the caboose? This is the island of misfit trucks and myths. 🤣

[@RoniRonkoKovatch]

0:21 Is that truck twerking?! LOL!

[@TheLowBrassDude]

My wife HATES this episode. I love to remind her it exists

[@Sunflowercowboy]

Oh why

[@Moakmeister]

Why would anyone hate this episode?

[@TheLowBrassDude]

@@Moakmeister she hates that they said square wheels were plausible

[@teeheebrah6584]

I miss grant

[@Slotisfaction]

👏 enjoyed it, thanks for the amazing content

[@yaksubway9254]

Anyone know the music at 24:38 ?

[@ThrasherGnar]

A sheriff as a driving instructor, that’s hilarious.

[@Slotisfaction]

Idea! Connect 2 cars together with the steering and acceleration combined, then just use one car to accelerate and steer both.

[@carlsoll]

25:23 Soooo funny 😄 how well this worked so quickly, love it :D

[@silvokristensen9982]

Thanks

[@CarAudioEnthusiasts]

ok so, the tire falls at 9.8 meters per second, SO at Some speed, the wheel would be rotating fast enough to Beat gravity and go corner to corner. the PROBLEM is even once it was totally smooth since only a tiny portion of the WHEEL is making contact with the surface, AND its Impacting each time, there is a total loss of traction both forward and side to side. so its essentially floating. this brings the other issue, once it STARTS floating, its no longer able to maintain speed. its like trying to take off in a wheel powered airplane.

[@thefreedomkiwi]

He's actually wrong about why it turned right, when cars drive forward the wheels in the front do the turning but when you drive backwards the steering is reversed with the taxi being front-wheel drive and the back wheels having near no grip it's essentially just the sports sedan driving in reverse but with the taxi front wheels doing the job of the sedans front wheels

[@bugnokumaguy]

Garage 54 did this already a few years ago, and also tried to improve upon it just over a year ago.

[@pathutchison7688]

Octagon wheels could lead to an automotive revolution 😂

[@Galaxius2117]

I think the only thing square wheels might be good for is on slippery surfaces such as ice. Or maybe during a flood where the corners of the square wheels could lunge the vehicle forwards in water. They definitely should be good on ice, though I'm not entirely sure because they could also continuously slip.*

[@brj_han]

They obviously need to try triangular wheels that will dig into the dirt better. Lol...

[@basildaoust2821]

Hey, if you always went straight on ice roads everyone who lives in Manitoba would be really happy, because what tends to happen is you do not always go straight and when the car decides it's going to spin you do not have any control if you a normal driver maybe some trained drivers would have no issue, I can't really comment on that.

[@Fredggie]

Living in Winnipeg. Can confirm

[@E4S65]

No lets walk. It's more comfortable 😂

[@TheChellybean85]

That squared wheeled truck be twerking! 😂

[@SantoshBansal-c2t]

Now I am wondering if triangular wheels would also work.

[@joeydanforth362]

The two car conjoined thing was inaccurate the frame they added was close to a weight of half a car.

[@williamdowling7718]

As a kid i never realized how much of this show was basically just preempting the complaints that fans would have. Now i can see how much unnecessary stuff they did seemingly to get our ahead of the kind of fan who would write in and say "yea but you didnt offset the square wheels and thats why it didnt work." Adam and jaime undoubtedly have plenty of car knowledge to know that unless they welded the differentials together, the wheels on a car/truck can spin at different speeds and thus offsetting the wheels before driving is useless. But if they just said "that wouldnt matter because..." It wouldnt be as entertaining and engaging as doing the small scale tests and then showing the silly idea in practice at full scale so we can SEE why it doesnt work. I appreciate the hell out of fhis show and i always have.

[@BlackSoap361]

No suspension mods? The suspension isn’t optimized for that.

[@dannyboy84]

I Reckon with the square wheels use wider trackshen to climb up the hill but the again I suppose that would be the round wheel

[@kylemaccauley6065]

6:37 Adam’s accent makes me laugh

[@alexanderlongberry4007]

i just noticed but you can see the wheel roll past the car at 17:09

[@YeeyeeToni]

Why’d yall restrict the breaking bad episode for the US?😭

[@NonTwinBrothers]

They uploaded a breaking bad episode??

[@YeeyeeToni]

@@NonTwinBrothersyeah like a breaking bad themed episode i watched it and then like not even 24hrs later it got restricted in the US

[@John-be5vl]

Square wheels do work extremely well in mud. Whistlindiesel proved that a few years ago

[@Obliticus]

What about staircases where the wheel size is in tune with the stair size?

[@brandonlink6568]

I'm surprised they didn't blow the diff out of that truck with those wheels

[@seanfoltz7645]

It actually looked like the tape was holding the square wheels back the first time.

[@Gowerrr]

Both drivers in the movie were steering and driving the whole time, why do they only test one vehicle in control? And if they couldn't turn at all on the open runway, why did they need to show again that they can't turn in an actual city block?

[@BarbaraStarling-ye2el]

i reckon they would do well on stairs

[@tootired76]

OMG!! Kari is 49 yo!!

[@gageguy]

By turning the taxi left, you push the rear of the sedan to the right. Why can't they see that?

[@niskanen19]

A square with 360 edges would probably be smooth

[@JTProud]

If the conjoined car could turn 180°, why couldn't it turn 90°?

[@stgigamovement]

It may be the turning of only one car.

[@thatroom]

what about star shaped wheels?

[@johnwpmusic]

If you need a bowel movement...don't worry...put them square wheels on your rig! Midas has you covered....buy 1 get 3 free!

[@alexbouchard3880]

This would have been much better if they used Reuleaux triangle

[@nugboy420]

Let’s do pentagonal wheels.

[@joshknight1620]

How about triangle or hex wheels?

[@spideymcgee4718]

They didnt refill and level the track before the square wheels had a chance.

[@brenthaymon280]

Mythbusters was one of the best shows on TV. RIP Grant 😭⚱️🪦

[@borntoclimb7116]

I Love the square wheel myth

[@jww84]

The square wheels might have done better on the hill if they were not offset

[@sumelar]

What myth are they testing in the 2 car bit? That an experienced engineering team can create a purpose-built frame strong enough to hold two cars together? Doesn't resemble the story they presented in the slightest.

[@marksica6776]

If at worst you don't succeed try try again 🤣🤣🤣

[@psychokitty444]

17:14 Boyz in a daze

[@PlymouthNeon]

goodby transmission!

[@Autumnliminal]

Rip Grant 🥺🙏

[@alexshank1414]

Only Canadians thought this feasible. Right, Guy?

[@tomplayz4209]

Square wheels can drive on a bumpy road if the bumps are specifically designed to match the geometry of the wheels. The concept involves creating a road with a series of evenly spaced, inverted catenary curves that perfectly complement the square wheels. This setup allows for a smooth ride despite the unconventional wheel shape. ### How It Works 1. **Wheel and Road Design**: The road has a series of bumps that are precisely matched to the dimensions and shape of the square wheels. These bumps act as a series of inverted, rolling hills, and the distance between the peaks is critical. 2. **Constant Center of Mass Height**: For smooth movement, the height of the vehicle's center of mass must remain constant. The unique design of the road and wheels ensures that as the wheel's flat edge rolls over a bump, the wheel's corner drops into a valley, keeping the vehicle level. 3. **Rolling Motion**: As the square wheel moves, the contact point shifts from one flat edge to the next, with each edge falling into a corresponding dip in the road. This mechanism prevents any jarring motion that would normally occur with square wheels on a flat surface. ### Practical Considerations While the concept is intriguing, it is generally impractical for everyday use due to the need for a custom-designed road and wheels. However, it serves as an excellent demonstration of physics and engineering principles, often used in educational exhibits or specialized vehicles like certain amusement rides. In summary, square wheels can drive smoothly on a bumpy road if both the wheels and the road are specifically designed to work together, ensuring a consistent ride height and smooth transition between contact points.

[@McPaulcommander]

Dead internet theory is real bros commenting ai generated commentary on a mythbusters youtube video.

[@hennessy6890]

​​@@McPaulcommanderi'm curious. How does someone figure out if a comment is AI generated? It could just mean that someone is knowledgeable about the subject. EDIT: looking at the OC's channel, I see TikTok videos and emo playlists so it might suggest they're in their teens. I think I kind of agree with you.

[@Jerryfan271]

@@hennessy6890 tone and structure of some models is really distinctive. They just don't write like people, even knowledgeable ones.

[@McPaulcommander]

@@hennessy6890 AI text has certain mannerisms of speaking which are all similar due to the fact that the data sets and information they trained off are similar. If you use AI often you can easily pick up on the mannerisms and formatting. To confirm that this was AI you can find free AI text detectors which use hundreds of thousands samples written by AI to pick up on it and give you an estimated percentage which this was. Considering it is my job to work with these systems for automation purposes I got pretty good at picking up what is and what isn't.

[@moomoo7614]

​​@@hennessy6890the hashes. Chatgpt uses that for bold & large text, it doesn't make sense in this context for someone to just use hashes for no reason. Same thing with the asterisks.

[@mmerkley402]

For sale: slightly used truck