🏎️ M3 Gearboxes: How Cars Go

Cogworks Racing needs one car that can crawl up a steep hill AND sprint down the straight. The secret is the gearbox.

Engineers, Advanced. Engineer Stamp: Transmission Tech.

Lessons

1. The sliding-gear gearbox: Old cars had gears you slid into place. Crunch! Let’s build one.
2. The clutch gearbox car: Driving rings let you change gear without grinding. How?
3. Hill-climb gear test: Which gear climbs best? Which is fastest? They are not the same answer!
4. The three-speed car: Three speeds from one motor. How do compound gears stack up?
5. Design Day: Hill-climb contest: The race track has a monster hill and a long straight. One car must do both.
6. Showcase: Cogworks Hill-Climb Cup: Combined score: hill success × flat speed. Pit crews can change gear between runs.

Design challenge

Build a motorised car that climbs a 20° ramp and also races 2 m on the flat as fast as possible.

Engineering ideas

• Gearbox
• Clutch & Driving Ring
• Compound Gears
• Gear Ratio: Fast or Slow

Standards: MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3