Ever since our first video that went viral in 2005, people have been dropping Mentos into Diet Coke and other sodas for fun and hopefully for a little science too. No one has been more creative than the guys at Eepy Bird, who recently built a car that runs on Coke and Mentos geysers. This is their second attempt at the car and after some modifications and test drives, they ran it at a local race track.
Their geyser soda car is built using 54 bottles of Coke Zero and 324 Mentos. It runs on a piston mechanism with 6′ tubes attached to the soda bottles. The tubes each have a 6′ rod inside. The pressure from the reaction pushes the rods out of the tubes to push the car off the wall. It’s all coasting from there.
The video of their geyser rocket car has become popular on YouTube. Unfortunately, this isn’t something anyone can build and run themselves. If you want to run your own version of the Mentos Geyser Rocket, check out our Mentos Geyser Car. It’s fun, it’s science and it fits in your arms. Read some reviews on the Geyser car for more information.
We are showing our new Mentos® Geyser Rocket Car at the New York Toy Fair this week. Strap the car to a bottle of soda, like Diet Coke, drop in some Mentos® and let it take off. It goes fast and can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour and travel about 150 feet, so make sure you watch for speed traps if out in the neighborhood. The Rocket Car will be available to purchase this summer.
Science teachers have been doing the soda and mint experiment for years and years, but the original method used Wintergreen Lifesavers. When the manufacturer of the candies changed the diameter making them larger than the opening of the 2-liter bottle, teachers went looking for a substitute. MENTOS® candy did the trick, and proved to be the perfect candy to mix with the carbonated soda. For more information on the Mentos/soda reaction, read our experiment and watch the video that started the craze back in 2005.
