You’ve likely seen your fair share of wacky car ideas on the internet, but have you ever seen tires made out of…saran wrap? The guys over at the Novice Garage let their curiosity get the best of them and recently wrapped the clear-
So how does one even begin to create…saran wrap wheels?
The fellas begin by cutting the saran wrap to fit the width of the rear wheel, then use the engine to spin the thin plastic and create an exceedingly large “wrap”. Once the material is on, they use the natural weight of the dune buggy to compress the material and increase its density.
The only problem is, once the lift has been removed and the vehicle touches the ground, it compresses all of the plastic—leaving nearly no support between the metal and the asphalt. As a result, when the dune buggy begins to trudge along, sheets of saran wrap start ripping off the wheel.
And what better way to remedy a lack of plastic than by adding even more plastic?
Unfazed by the initial testing, the guys continue unfurling the saran wrap roll until it is about halfway finished, resulting in a wheel the size of a standard car tire. While the half roll still flattens down once the lift is removed, there is at least some space between the metal wheel and asphalt this time around. Satisfied with the results, the team uses the other half of the saran wrap roll to wrap the other wheel.
Once both wheels are wrapped, yet another problem rears its ugly head: the plastic just won’t stay on the wheels. Instead of using a vice to compress the plastic, the guys go for another, more flammable idea: they blowtorch the plastic to fuse it further together.
In the end, their initial idea didn’t work, so they decide to go back and make a new set of tires. These new tires are still wrapped around the rear of the dune buggy, only this time they are held in place by saran wrap which is also tied around the rim and wheels.
If you don’t mind the smell of burning plastic and the fact that your wheels are tearing away piece by piece with every mile, they work pretty fine. And while you surely wouldn’t take them on a cross-country road trip, the novelty of having tires made out of saran wrap is definitely there.
For more car shenanigans on a budget, head over to Novice Garage.
