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sonac36 wrote:I was wondering if a 2 wheeled vehicle would be permissible under the rules. I haven't built anything yet but I was considering something with 2 wheels.

I'm fairly sure it is permissible.
But how do you plan on having a 2 wheeled car that weights so much (or even if its really light) roll down a ramp without falling on it's side?

...or go (consistently) straight?

Balsa Man wrote:...or go (consistently) straight?

Very wide and flat wheels would keep the vehicle moving straight

chalker7 wrote:

Balsa Man wrote:...or go (consistently) straight?

Very wide and flat wheels would keep the vehicle moving straight

But with all the weight and motion they would have to be like really thick to stay balanced Edit: which would add a lot of friction with an axle.

Frogger4907 wrote:

chalker7 wrote:

Balsa Man wrote:...or go (consistently) straight?

Very wide and flat wheels would keep the vehicle moving straight

But with all the weight and motion they would have to be like really thick to stay balanced Edit: which would add a lot of friction with an axle.

Good bearings will minimize axle friction energy loss; wider wheels would mean more rolling friction enregy loss, though.

sonac36 wrote:I was wondering if a 2 wheeled vehicle would be permissible under the rules. I haven't built anything yet but I was considering something with 2 wheels.

There's nothing that prevents you from using only 2 wheels, but remember that only the wheels of the vehicle and the ramp are allowed to contact the floor.

*Standard disclaimer about this is not an official clarification, etc. If you want 'official' statements on this issue please submit a question to the soinc.org clarifications page.

He could be thinking along the lines of a segway

Right, I'm not saying it's impossible. I just wanted them to make sure their device will comply with all parts of the rules. I would be really impressed by a two wheel device that can balance well.

Hey guys. Thanks for all the quick responses! When I mentioned the 2 wheeled vehicle I thought of having some sort of frame with a wingnut braking system that would attach to the axles and hold some sort of weight on it. The reason for the 2 wheel idea was that I was thinking about ways to keep the center of gravity of the vehicle as high as possible. One thing in the rules that I am concerned about, however, is rule 3f: "The vehicle must have... a Measurement point on either side of the vehicle between the front and rear axles." Although the rules never say you have to have a front and rear axle specifically, it is implied that every vehicle will have a front and rear axle in 3f. Any ideas? Thanks again so much.

sonac36 wrote:Hey guys. Thanks for all the quick responses! When I mentioned the 2 wheeled vehicle I thought of having some sort of frame with a wingnut braking system that would attach to the axles and hold some sort of weight on it. The reason for the 2 wheel idea was that I was thinking about ways to keep the center of gravity of the vehicle as high as possible. One thing in the rules that I am concerned about, however, is rule 3f: "The vehicle must have... a Measurement point on either side of the vehicle between the front and rear axles." Although the rules never say you have to have a front and rear axle specifically, it is implied that every vehicle will have a front and rear axle in 3f. Any ideas? Thanks again so much.

That's a really good observation. As usual, this isn't the place for official clarifications, but I think the wording does require 2 axles. Of course you could potentially make the device 2 wheeled like a bicycle (as opposed to a segway)