MythBusters · Video summary

Can You Actually Reinvent The Wheel And Have It Work? | MythBusters

The MythBusters tackle the age-old question of whether square wheels can provide a smooth ride, pushing a truck to its limits with custom-built square wheels and various configurations.

MythBusters · August 16, 2026 · 28-min episode · 4-min read

Can You Actually Reinvent The Wheel And Have It Work? | MythBusters

Key takeaways

🤔The initial hypothesis suggests that at a fast enough speed, the rough ride of square wheels might smooth out.00:26
💥The first full-scale test with all four square wheels in a flat orientation resulted in a bone-shattering ride and mechanical failure of the truck's wheel hubs.01:09
🛠️Designing a square wheel strong enough for a truck requires significant engineering, including reinforced centers and corners, and precise laser-cut steel components.02:43
टायरFitting standard rubber tires onto square rims is a major challenge, requiring a larger tire size and shims to achieve a proper fit.05:40
⚙️Small-scale treadmill tests revealed that a 45-degree offset configuration for the square wheels provided the most stable and least jarring ride.15:47
📈The second full-scale test with the 45-degree offset showed a progressively smoother ride at higher speeds, but still led to the destruction of tires and brake pads.19:38

Chapters

0:00Introduction to Square Wheels
1:42Planning the Experiment
3:18Designing the Square Wheels
4:54Fabrication and Assembly
7:00Mounting the Tires
11:30Round Wheel Control Test
15:07First Square Wheel Test (All Flat)
21:49Exploring Offset Configurations
23:52Small-Scale Treadmill Tests
27:25Second Square Wheel Test (45-Degree Offset)
33:23Off-Road Hill Climb Challenge
37:32Round Wheel Hill Climb Control
41:28Square Wheel Hill Climb Test

The digest

For centuries, the circular wheel has been the undisputed champion of smooth transportation. Its elegant design minimizes friction and distributes weight evenly, making it ideal for everything from bicycles to high-speed trains. But what if we challenged this fundamental principle? What if, instead of round wheels, a vehicle was fitted with square wheels? The MythBusters, ever curious about the limits of engineering and physics, decided to put this outlandish idea to the test.

The Hypothesis: Speed Smooths All Edges

The initial thought is that square wheels would provide an incredibly rough and clunky ride. However, the intriguing hypothesis posed was that at a fast enough speed, the difference between square and round wheels might disappear, resulting in a surprisingly smooth journey. This concept, born from a daydream, quickly gained traction and became the central myth to be investigated. To objectively measure the ride's smoothness, the team planned to compare the square-wheeled truck's performance against a standard round-wheeled vehicle, utilizing advanced instrumentation to capture vibration data.