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How to Balance a Soap Box Derby Car

A soap box car is not permitted to have a motor or other form of power. The only thing that is permitted to make a soap box derby car move is gravity. You are, however, allowed to steer it and to provide it with a braking system. To a certain extent, those systems rely on the balance of the entire car. If the car is not properly balanced, your soap box car will veer off in the wrong direction, making braking a bit more of a challenge as only one wheel is getting stopped properly.

Things You'll Need

Soap box car
Level

Instructions

Balance a Soap Box Derby Car
- 1
  Use a level to see if the chassis is sitting correctly on the frame. This is usually easiest by placing the level across the driver's cockpit. If the chassis is not level, its weight will not be evenly distributed throughout the car and can cause an imbalance.
- 2
  Level the wheels and the frame before placing the chassis on. Lay the level across the top of the base and see whether the wheels need to be raised or lowered, as well as whether or not the frame needs to be sanded to help with the balance of the car.
- 3
  Change out stripped nuts or bolts if they have begun to allow the wheels to spin freely or if they are no longer keeping the surfaces of the car in their proper positions.
- 4
  Be sure to sit centered in the soap box derby car to help increase its overall balance. If you notice that the car is behaving differently, try shifting your weight inside the car from one side to another to help make steering and braking easier.
- 5
  Place steel weights into the car to help increase its overall balance. The weights need to be placed in the car at specific points to ensure that they are a help and not a hindrance.

Soap Box Derby