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 have reached Day #9 in our 12 Days of Wonder. Today’s spotlight science toy is Geyser Car.
Steve Spangler Science is celebrating the 12 Days of Wonder and highlighting our top 12 science toys and kits that are perfect to put under the tree. As blog editor, social media coordinator and mom of two budding scientists, I will share my review of each product. Steve Spangler Science also found 12 respected, popular mom bloggers to each test and review one of our 12 science gifts. I will include a link to their blogs and their honest reviews of each gift idea at the bottom of this post. Today, Sarah from Moose Tracks and Tater Stacks shares her review. The kit is also the Deal of the Day. So check our blog every day for the next few weeks to learn all about our 12 Days of Wonder.
Day 9 of the 12 Days of Wonder features the Geyser Car.
Today only, this kit is our DEAL of the Day for $12.50. Regular price is $24.99.
My Review:
I brought the Geyser Car to our Thanksgiving dinner. It served as our after dinner entertainment.
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.
While you may have never tried it, let’s be honest… you’ve thought about trying it… or making someone else try it. Drink as much Diet Coke as possible and then eat a few Mentos. It’s every 8th grader’s dream… either you spew a volcano of soda or you explode. Either way, it’s funny. Last night episode of Two and a Half Men just proves that one of the show’s writers is a science geek with a sense of humor.
Although I’m sure thousands of people (okay, 8th graders) have tried it, you just can’t turn your body into a human volcano with erupting geysers of diet soda. During the first year of my agreement with the company that makes Mentos (Perfetti Van Melle), there were rumors of a Brazilian boy who drank a bottle of soda and chased it with a roll of Mentos… and he exploded. I was asked by PVM to explain the science of why this can’t happen. This lead to the writers at snopes.com posting a great article on the Mentos and Diet Coke reaction with a reference to our site as part
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We are fortunate to know some pretty amazing mom bloggers and kid testers at Steve Spangler Science. We called upon this elite group of toy testers and reviewers to play with some of our Top 20 Gift Ideas this holiday season. We take the feedback from our selected reviewers and all customer experiences very seriously and use this information to make tweaks and adjustments to our product line. Nothing goes into the catalog or online without going through a rigorous series of tests. We value all feedback and comments on the experiments and science toys we carry.
Please visit the blogs below to read about some of the experiences our ‘moms in the field’ had with the true voice of our product line, their children.
