The Quick Release Tire

Wyatt Barrett

A Thesis Presented to the Central Magnet Faculty

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Graduation

May 2022
 Abstract

Our product, The Quick-Release Tire, is designed to take the complexity out of

the tire changing process. It uses an almost bank vault lock in order to attach a wheel to

the hub of an ATV. We want our product to serve as a proof of concept, paving the way

for manufacturers to adopt a simpler method with which to attach tires. In our research

we found, “almost a quarter of surveyed Americans are ‘clueless’ about how to change a

flat tire” (Spector, 2016). Having our product would allow those who are less

mechanically inclined to change a tire without the aid of the internet. While in most cases

one can simply look up how to change a tire, it is best that people have the ability to

change a tire if the need be. They could be caught in a dangerous area with a flat tire and

no cell service. Our product solves this problem by giving drivers an intuitive method of

changing a tire, requiring no prior experience or know-how. This product takes the skill

out of tire changing, allowing all to do it.

ii
I dedicate this work to the breaking of engineering designs thought to be set in stone.

iii
 Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge firstly my father. He taught me everything I know about

designing, building, and finishing projects. I would never have been able to do this

without the lifetime teaching I received from him. His advice was crucial throughout this

project, and I am so glad I had him as a backboard for ideas.

I also want to acknowledge my mother who not only encouraged me but was a big

help in clearing things off my plate so I could focus on my work.

Additionally, I wanted to thank R.J. who gifted me metal, and Sergeant Culp who

plasma cut our parts. Without their contributions, I could not have created our final

product.

Finally, I want to thank Bill Jenkins who served as our mentor. He had a large

working knowledge of the car industry and what consumers wanted. His advice was

extremely helpful in our initial designing, helping guide us in the right direction.

iv
 Table of contents

List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION............................................................................................. 1

Research Question ........................................................................................................... 1

Problem Validity ............................................................................................................. 1

Who Faces This Problem ................................................................................................ 2

Importance ....................................................................................................................... 2

Chapter 2: RESEARCH REVIEW ..................................................................................... 4

Societal Ignorance ........................................................................................................... 4

Safety Standards .............................................................................................................. 5

Patents ............................................................................................................................. 5

Gap Found in Research ................................................................................................... 6

Chapter 3: DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, RESULTS, AND DISCUSSION ...................... 8

Section 1: Conceptual Design ......................................................................................... 8

Qualification ................................................................................................................ 8

Process......................................................................................................................... 9

Designing and Prototyping .......................................................................................... 9

Section 2: Preliminary Design....................................................................................... 12

Final Design Iterations .............................................................................................. 12

Section 3: Final Design ................................................................................................. 17

v
Chapter 4: Conclusion....................................................................................................... 21

Study Summary ............................................................................................................. 21

Limitations ................................................................................................................. 22

Implications ................................................................................................................... 23

Suggestions for Future Study ........................................................................................ 23

References ......................................................................................................................... 25

vi
 List of Figures

Figure 1, Inspiration ........................................................................................................ 10

Figure 2, First Model ....................................................................................................... 10

Figure 3, First CAD Assembly ......................................................................................... 11

Figure 4, Printing Model .................................................................................................. 11

Figure 5, Plastic Model .................................................................................................... 12

Figure 6, Second Iteration Inspiration ............................................................................. 14

Figure 7, Preliminary Sketch ........................................................................................... 14

Figure 8, Wheel Rim ......................................................................................................... 15

Figure 9, Pin Slots ............................................................................................................ 16

Figure 10, Pins ................................................................................................................. 16

Figure 11, Hub Final Design ........................................................................................... 18

Figure 12, Final Design .................................................................................................. 18

Figure 13, Final Product ................................................................................................. 19

vii
 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

Research Question

What tool or device can be created that makes tire removal/attachment easier?

Generations such as millennials and the elderly struggle with the process of changing

their tires. The elderly do not have the physical strength to loosen the nuts, and

millennials lack the knowledge required to properly change a tire. This can be

particularly dangerous because they may find themselves in a dire situation where the

only solution is to change the tire.

Problem Validity

There were a few initial sources found by the researchers that bolster the validity

of this problem and fueled the researchers to pursue a solution. The first of these found

was an article written by NBC about how many people in the modern era are incapable of

changing their tires. The article also incorporates generational differences regarding who

can change their tires; it states that, “Almost a quarter of surveyed Americans are

“clueless” about how to change a flat tire” (Spector, 2016). Another vital source found by

the researchers was an article written by Independent which backs up the claim made by

NBC, stating that over seventy percent of millennials are unable to change a tire on their

own. The researchers believed this to be a staggering number of people which justified

the need for a simple, easy to learn, system for changing tires. The final discovery by the

researchers was an article written ProCare Collision which argues that it is important for

all drivers to have the ability to change their tires free of assistance; the article states that,

while it may seem unlikely, the threat of being trapped somewhere due to a popped tire is

real. Some may argue that people could simply look up how to change a tire on their

1
phones, but the article points out that cell service can be lost, leaving those who don’t

know how to change their tires stranded.

Who Faces This Problem

Millennials are the largest group which faces the problem of not being able to

change their tire; Over 70% of millennials can’t change their tire without the aid of the

internet. This is a staggeringly large number of people especially considering that

millennials make up a majority of drivers found on the roads. Another group who suffers

from this inability to change a tire is the elderly but their inability sprouts from a different

source than the millennials. The elderly lack the ability to change a tire because they do

not have the physical strength to loosen the lug nuts. Most of them have the knowledge,

growing up in a time where the tire changing process was common knowledge, but few

are willing to risk pulling their own tire off out of fear of injury.

Importance

This inability to change a tire plagues society, and judging by the quickly

decreasing level of car knowledge from generation to generation, the problem is only

going to get worse. More often people are going to find themselves stuck due to their lack

of car knowledge. More often people will get hurt or killed, stuck in an area that they

can’t escape due to a lack of car knowledge. Places such as Montana and Wyoming have

scarce cell service which would prevent people from calling for help if a situation with a

flat tire were to arise. More often people will experience pain over something that could

be easily avoided if they would only take the time to learn how to change a tire. While

this is potentially a life-threatening issue, people would much rather live in ignorance

than solve the problem. They lean on the hope that this could never happen to them, but

2
as the old saying goes, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” It isn’t true that all the

people who do not prepare to change a tire will face the consequences, but those who do

end up in one of these terrible situations could potentially face the worst. Solving this

problem is vital because people have already decided it is not worth their time to learn

how to change a tire. Someone must come up with a solution that will help those who

don’t want to learn how to change a tire but someday will need to. A product which

allows users to easily attach and remove a tier is vital for the safety and comfort of

drivers far and wide, ensuring that even when caught in a tough situation, they can make

it home.

3
 Chapter 2: RESEARCH REVIEW

Societal Ignorance

The first major thing that struck the researchers was the sheer magnitude of

incompetence there was when it came to changing a tire. NBC and Independent

unearthed that more than 60% of a millennials are not confident in their ability to change

their tire in the case of a flat (Francis, 2018; Spector, 2016). They rely on their ability to

google how to change a tire in the case of an emergency, but this is a slippery slope.

ProCare (2021) displayed the flaws with the idea of being able to simply google

something; Often, people find themselves in a remote area with no service, preventing

them from looking up how to change a tire. Simply “winging it” also will not suffice for

the knowledge of a tire change. Many will fail to know how to use one of the many tools

needed to change a tire, such as those listed by threetwoHome which include a jack and

lug wrench (Hansen, 2021). Not only can “winging” be stifled by the lack of knowledge

regarding the necessary tools, there is also a real danger to improperly changing a tire.

Barum-Tyres claims that an improperly seated (fastened) tire can result in a shaky wheel

with loud knocking which can be particularly dangerous for the driver (Barum-Tyres,

2021). While the wheel may not fall off due to slightly loose lug nuts, their affect can be

felt throughout the car. The steps involved when changing a car tire are each important,

ensuring the safety of both the driver and the tire changer. The researchers found an

article made by Tire Discounters who outlined, in detail, the process of changing a tire

(Discount Tire, 2021). They discovered that each step is vital for safety such as engaging

the parking brake to prevent the car from rolling off the jack, potentially landing on the

one changing the tire.

4
Safety Standards

Another area the researchers delved into was the safety standards used to measure

the car tires’ safety. This area is extremely important considering that a good tire can be

the difference between life and death when driving. In their studies, the researchers found

an article written by SEMA which described their testing process for tires (J2530 and the

Industry, 2011). These tests include radial fatigue, cornering fatigue, and impact fatigue;

the use of these tests not only ensures drivers of their safety, they also give drivers peace

of mind, knowing that the tire that they bought will not fall apart or break under pressure.

In the wheel manufacturing industry, it is not enough to simply produce a tire.

Manufacturers must gain the trust of their consumers, and there is no better way than by

passing their product through an esteemed test. The researchers discovered in an article

written by Performance Plus Tires, to their surprise, that there is actually no standards

that must be met by wheel manufacturers (Performance Plus Tire and Automotive Store,

2021). Companies that import aftermarket car wheels do not have to meet any kind of

standard or jump through any hoops. This is a scary idea which could lead many people

to leave the stock tires on their car, knowing that they are safe and fearing that an

aftermarket tire may be sub-par.

Patents

In their studies, the researchers found that there are some products designed to

simplify the tire changing process. The first of these was a patent for what looked like a

dolly, intended to pick up and move the tire off the car. This product makes the removal

part of the process much less physically stringent. While this patent seemed to be a very

5
clever solution to a problem, the researchers were never able to find a production version

of this idea. Another patent that the researchers found was for a 5 in 1 lug nut remover

made for a master’s thesis (Olorunfemi, 2020). This product is fairly self-explanatory; It

would turn five lug nuts from the input of one wrench. This makes the process of

changing a tire logistically simpler, not having to focus on tighten each lug nut or doing

so in a star pattern as is recommended by manufacturers. The researchers were able to

find this product on Amazon, but it was not produced by the same person who did his

masters thesis on it. The final tire changing design that the researchers found was in an

article by NASCAR in which they talked about the new single lug nut design coming to

NASCAR which is intended to be faster and simpler for pit crews (Albert, 2020).

Gap Found in Research

There is a large gap the researchers discovered for a product that will make the

tire changing process more user friendly, achievable by people who are not extremely

knowledgeable about the ins-and-outs of automobiles. Most products found require more

knowledge than the lay driver has. Most invested designers put their time into making the

process easier physically, but very few will design something that will make the process

simpler logistically. As shown in the researchers’ studies, people are more than often

clueless on how to change a tire. A product designed to make the process less physically

demanding will not be helpful to these people. If they do not know how to change a tire

in the first place, products designed to ease a step within the process will not help. Those

people will not even get to a place where the product would serve them. Here is where

the problem therein lies: people continue to design products to help change a tire, but

nobody is creating a product that will help people understand how to change a tire.

6
Designers assume that people will simply just learn how to change a tire, but it is clear

from the statistics that people are more than willing to live in their ignorance. No

company has really taken into consideration the idea of making the whole process

simpler and designing a product to remedy this. The only product that has really

simplified the process at all was the single lug nut wheels used by NASCAR. This may

seem like a solution, but the researchers discovered that these single lug designs require

far more torque than the typical tire to compensate for only being one lug nut. This may

suffice for NASCAR, but most young drivers (the ones who don’t know how to change a

regular wheel) simply don’t have the strength to loosen these more heavily fastened lug

nuts. This idea would never work on the wheel of a daily commuter for this reason. There

still lies no product which can do the job of simplifying the task of changing a tire

without making it too physically demanding for average people.

One product that solves a similar problem is a quick release car steering wheel

which the researchers found in an article written by Get Jerry (Kirby, 2021). This device

allows its users to quickly take on and off a steering wheel. The device firmly locks the

wheel on with a series of locking ball bearings and a splined shaft. If this idea were to be

applied to a car wheel, the researchers believe that this may serve as a potential solution.

7
 Chapter 3: DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, RESULTS, AND

DISCUSSION

Section 1: Conceptual Design

Qualification

I decided this was a relevant problem for me to solve because I love cars, I have

lots of experience in metal craftsmanship, and I am close to a lot of people who have

spent their whole lives working with their hands. I also have a vast working knowledge of

mechanical systems, having spent a large amount of time as a child working and fixing

things with my father. Overall, my biggest qualification is simply that I have vast

experience in part fabrication and machine repair. I am also extremely driven, willing to

put in the hours to see an idea come to fruition. Additionally, I have the experience of

others to lean on. My father is a genius in the world of repair; there is nothing he can’t

fix, and my grandpa is the same way. He has been fixing things far longer than I have

even been alive. My mentor also brings a lot of experience to our product. He is a long-

time employee of the nearby Nissan factory, and he knows all the ins-and-outs of the

automotive industry. With all this experience, Ian and I believe that we can produce a

successful product. The one area where we may struggle though is in our ability to

machine our part(s). I have access to all the knowledge I could ever need, but I do not

have access to the expensive machinery required to craft the caliber of part we hope to

produce. Our product requires extremely tight tolerances which are extremely hard if not

impossible to achieve with the tools which I have access to.

8
Process

In order to solve this problem Ian and I are going to utilize the advice and

knowledge of my family and our mentor, running ideas and potential designs by them in

order to come up with the best design. Only after fully fleshing out the idea to our

advisors will we build a prototype, crafting it using parts produced by my 3d printer. Our

initial prototype will be a small-scale design in order to see if the idea will works

conceptually. After a successful small-scale design, we will move up to making a full-

scale plastic model. This will allow Ian and I to test fit the wheel and ensure everything is

in working order when attached to the Polaris Ranger. Once we have a full-scale plastic

model we are happy with, we will move on to making it out of metal, matching our

plastic prototype precisely. Finally, we will test it; if everything works perfectly, we will

be finished with our product, but in the likely case that things don’t work out perfectly,

we will make adjustments to ensure our product is the best that it could be.

Designing and Prototyping

Figure 1 was our starting point. It was from this rim that we designed our initial

prototype, ensuring that it not only fit but also function in this application. We measured

the diameter of the rim and the distance between lug nuts in order to make our prototype

proportional.

9
Figure 1
Inspiration

Figure 2 is a photo of the first part we CADed using Inventor. It was not perfect

and had to be altered later in order to work properly. Initially the holes for the pins to fit

through were too small and didn’t line up properly. Also, I failed to account for 3d printer

tolerances and was forced to give the part some leeway.

Figure 2
First Model

Figure 3 represents where our project really came to life. Here is our CAD

assembly of all the parts we had designed, and this photo shows how each and every

piece fit together and interacted. This is an exploded view (parts are spread out in order to

see how they fit together), and it shows how compact our design ended up. This

10
assembly, like our first part, had its flaws though. Tolerances were still an issue, and the

parts required far too much material to print which forced us to split them into pieces.

The CAD assembly also got corrupted while saving, sliding the bevel gears and pins to

the left (as seen in Figure 3), but we could still see our design was going to work.

Figure 3
First CAD Assembly

Figure 4 displays one of our first pieces coming off the 3d printer. This part was one of

the biggest pieces of our initial model and took over 8 hours to print completely. This was the

first of many parts (and all their iterations) to come. It is from this 3d printer that we learned a lot

about how we wanted things to work.

Figure 4
Printing Model

Figure 5 is a photo of our small-scale prototype, completed and fully working. It features

four linear screws which spin outward from the center. These screws then move pins outward

11
which slide outward and slip into corresponding holes, locking what would be the rim of the

wheel to the car.

Figure 5
Plastic Model

Section 2: Preliminary Design

Final Design Iterations

Initially, we planned on using our prototype outlined in the previous section as a

guide for our final design. After testing our model, it appeared to work very well, doing

its job efficiently, but after further consideration, we came across a few problems we

would face when moving from prototype to final product. The first of these issues was

that we could not find a metal version of the bevel gears we used in our CAD design or

really anything suitable for our purposes. They were not at any hardware retailers,

internet sales places, or custom milling shop. These bevel gears had served as a pivotal

point of our design; we could neither get rid of nor replace these parts on our product.

This meant our design was void. Additionally, our design did not have any sort of backup

or spring hold, meaning that at a given point the locking mechanism could jostle lose.

This would essentially disconnect the wheel from the vehicle, endangering the driver and

12
passengers. This is unacceptable as our first priority in making this project was safety.

We decided due to this lack of parts and unsafe nature that we needed to come up with a

different solution.

Following the failure of our first design, we decided to approach the problem

from a different angle. We set out to solve the complex problems associated with

producing a quick release wheel using simple, easy to make (or buy) parts. After much

deliberation, the idea of using an almost bank-safe design (inspired by the mechanism in

figure 6) came to mind which would use a rotating center piece with pushrods to transfer

the user’s input out from the center of the wheel unlocking the wheel (figure 7). This

would not require any hard complex pieces and would provide us with virtually the same

results. Additionally, this new design would allow for springs to be placed incrementally

around the center, pulling the pins through the slots in the hub. This would keep a tight

pressure on the locking mechanism, preventing it from vibrating loose and solving our

safety issue. Following further research, we discovered that a lot of the stress in a wheel

is carried by the spokes. In a paper written by Sourav Das, we found a diagram of all the

stress points on a wheel (Das, 2014). Our new design was strong in all the areas which

tended to experience the most load which was a promising sign. This new design seemed

to solve all the issues found in the previous iteration.

13
Figure 6
Second Iteration Inspiration

Figure 7
Preliminary Sketch

We decided this was a worthwhile idea and moved forward with development.

The first step was to draw the idea out to ensure that it was going to fit in the space

allotted (figure 7). Additionally, we checked to see if all the necessary parts were easily

attainable. We discovered that we could easily make the parts on our own, further

persuading us to follow this idea. Following this portion of research, I began to CAD the

design, so we could test fit the pieces of our product together. The CAD process took

some time, requiring multiple iterations, but we finally came to a design (whose pieces

are featured in figure 8, figure 9, and figure 10) that pleased us and could be made using

14
the parts and tools that were available to us. With the CAD models in hand, we could

finally have our parts plasma cut, but we ran into another problem. We needed to buy

sheet metal, but it was far too expensive; one sheet cost over six hundred dollars. This

was far more money than we could spend on a project, and it far exceeded our expected

cost. We had only accounted for buying the exact amount of sheet metal we needed but

were surprised to discover that sheet metal can only be bought in full sheets. This

unexpected challenge halted progress as we scrambled to find an affordable method with

which to acquire sheet metal. After reaching out to a few family members and friends, I

was given two pieces of metal, one three sixteenth of an inch thick and the other a quarter

of an inch thick. We determined that these pieces sheets of metal would be suitable for

our final product. In some further research, we discovered in an article written by Les

Schwab that carbon steel (the same as the steel we were given) was suitable and even

common in wheel rims (Schwab, n.d.), so we happily continued development. We had to

change our models in order to account for the varying thickness of our metal but were

able to produce a usable model. With this issue out of the way, we could move to the next

step in building our final product.

Figure 8
Wheel Rim

15
Figure 9
Pin Slots

Figure 10
Pins

We then set about getting our parts plasma cut by our SRO, Sergeant Culp. This

proved to be more difficult than expected as we collaborated, hoping to reach a shared

end goal. We found that it is often hard to translate three dimensional ideas between

people, but after talking through the parts and the process, we were able to come to an

understanding of each other and have our parts cut.

With the parts in hand, we began assembly. Since we had the plastic model,

building our final product was as simple as copying the plastic model with metal parts.

16
We began by sanding down the edges of all the parts, ensuring that the final product

looked clean and refined. We took our time assembling in order to assure our product was

of the highest quality and functionality possible. As an experienced welder, I was

responsible for tacking the metal together, welding with care to ensure that we had strong

connections between parts. We attached the pieces together, slowly working from the

bottom of our product (where the hub connects to the axle/rotor) up. This was a long

tedious process, requiring hours upon hours of work, but eventually, we finished

assembly, happy with what we had accomplished.

Section 3: Final Design

Our final design consists of two main pieces; the first of these pieces is what we

called the hub. This section of our design (shown in figure 11) features four bolt holes at

its base. These four holes correspond to the studs which the wheel is typically attached to.

These holes allowed us to bolt our idea onto the vehicle. From the base, the hub extends

upward via a cylindrical steel tube to its upper portion. At it’s top, the hub has four sets of

tabs poking up, each with a hole near it’s top. It is from these tabs that the pins on the rim

slide in and lock the rim into place. In addition to the tabs, the top features four holes.

These allowed us to fasten the lug nuts using an impact wrench.

17
Figure 11
Hub Final Design

The second piece of our design was the rim which attached to the tire (figure 12).

This piece of our product served all the jobs of a traditional tire while also holding the

bulk of our locking mechanism. The majority of our rim came from a repurposed rim

which we cut the center out of and replaced with our design. It features a sort of bank

vault system, but instead of having the user push pins out into locking slots, springs pull

pins inward locking the two pieces together; users must turn the center to push the pins

out of the locking slots.

Figure 12
Final design

18
 The testing of our product was very simple. We simply attached our product

(figure 13) to the Polaris Ranger and put it through its paces. First, we tested how easily

we could take it off and put it on. Initially, everything seemed difficult to turn and stiff,

but after multiple times attaching and removing our product, the joints worked loose, and

we discovered that the wheel was quite easy to take off and put on. Next, we tested the

products drivability. In order to be safe, we took this process slowly with increasing

levels of difficult. First, we simply took the Ranger off the jacks leaving our wheel under

the weight of the Ranger. Next, we just sat in the Ranger and shook, ensuring that the

wheel can handle more than just the weight of the Ranger. Finally, we began to drive,

starting off slow, but building up speed as the product held up over a longer time. We

eventually reached a speed where we felt our design proved its worth (about 15 mph) and

quit testing. We did not want to endanger ourselves, so we opted to take things easy. We

believed based on this testing that our wheel was a success, and began planning for

further testing.

Figure 13
Final Product

19
 Additionally, many people wondered whether our product would be applicable to

races such as NASCAR and Formula One, so we decided to test how quickly we could

remove the wheel (even though this was not the intended use of our product). We

discovered that we could have the tire off the vehicle in roughly one second if all things

went correctly. In an article written by Car and Driver, we learned that a Formula 1 pit

crew can remove a tire in about 0.8 seconds (Maddireddy, 2019). This amazed us because

we were able to remove our wheel within half a second of this time. Another interesting

thing is that we were able to almost tie this time, but unlike the people in Formula One,

we were able to do it without the use of power tools. Upon further research, we

discovered in an article written by Art if Gear that the fastest time changing a set of tires

with non-power tools was about 59 seconds (Acoba, 2015). We estimate that while

meeting the same credentials as this world record, we could do it in less than half the

time. This means that (though we had not planned for it), our product could be used in a

competitive racing scene assuming that they can withstand the forces at play.

20
 Chapter 4: Conclusion

Study Summary

In our study, we set out to make a product capable of safely completing the role of

a wheel, but additionally, we wanted the wheel removal process (which is necessary to

change a tire) to be easier in simplicity and physical demand. We sought to create this

product after discovering that over half of millennials are not confident in their ability to

change a tire. This is a staggering number, and judging by the downward trend of car

knowledge, we believe that this problem is only going to get worse with time. It is

dangerous for people not to have the ability to change a tire as they could be stuck in a

dangerous place and/or situation in which the only way to escape is to change a tire.

While this scenario is less likely since people can just look up how to change a tire on the

internet, we wanted to make sure that regardless of the situation, people would be able to

change their tire.

We began prototyping using the technology of 3D printing, hoping to see if our

ideas were not only feasible but also the best solution to our problem. This method of

designing, theorizing then printing out all our ideas, led to multiple different locking

systems each with its own flaws and benefits, but one stood out as the best solution. It

was first and foremost feasible for us to build. It also seemed extremely structurally

secure, ensuring its safety. We chose this idea as our best shot and continued to the next

phase of producing our final product. We had our parts laser cut out of quarter inch and

21
sixteenth inch steel. With our plastic model as a template, building our final product was

as simple as copying our prototype but with metal parts.

After welding and bolting our final product together, we attached it to our side-

by-side ATV in order to test it. We started off small, driving very slow and taking soft

corners, but as our product continued to hold strong we began to speed up, taking sharper

turns faster. We did this until we reached about 15 mph. We thought this was a safe place

to conclude our testing, having proved that our product can hold up to the stress of

driving. We also used our mechanism to pull the wheel off to see if it was still

functioning as intended, and it worked perfectly.

Limitations
While building our product, our main constraint was the tools we had access to.

Starting this project, we knew that we had the tools that we would need to create a

working product, but after working on our final product, we discovered that we could not

create our parts with the accuracy we wanted. We could only get our parts precise enough

to work, but they were not precise enough to work as well as we would like. Some parts

fit loosely together, allowing some play in our final product. This can be unsafe as things

may jostle loose which could release the tire from the vehicle.

Cost also served as a limited factor to on our final product. Prices of steel are up

nearly 200% from 2020. This meant that we only had the budget to produce one final

prototype. We could not remake anything. If a part were to break, we could not have

more parts cut. We were forced to test all our preliminary designs with plastic rather than

metal which would have given us more information about how things would turn out.

This meant that our assembled metal project had to be our final product. This constraint

22
prevented us from incrementally testing ideas with metal to see how strong they were.

We could only look at the parts and hope that they were enough to bear the forces exerted

by the ATV.

Implications

Our research and development show that there are other, simpler ways to attach a

tire. While our designs and product were not perfect, they served their purpose, doing

everything that we hoped that they would. If nothing, our work demonstrates to

manufacturers that there is another way. Tires have been attached in the same

complicated way for years. Nobody has dared to break free of the traditional lug nut

design. Our hope is that from our research big companies like Ford, Chevy, Nissan, and

GMC might break free of the safety of using the same wheel attachment method but

rather try to optimize it, like we did. As two high school students, we were able to come

up with a somewhat viable design. If these large companies with their vast resources

were to step in, we believe that a product could be made that is fit for production. This

would mean that more people could benefit from this quick release car wheel design,

making the world a better, safer place.

Suggestions for Future Study

In the future, it would be great to see more research done in this field. There has

been very little if any research done on alternative methods of wheel attachment. This is a

complicated task which requires engineers to balance both functionality and simplicity. If

one wants to solve this problem, we suggest that more than just two minds are put up to

the task as each and every detail must be meticulously thought out. Another necessary

thing is access to heavy machinery with experienced machinists. Building this device

23
requires heavy duty parts that are not only strong but precise. In order to create these

parts, one must have experience in machine work.

The question of whether or not this product is viable to be produced needs to be

answered. We may have proved that a product can be made which allows users to easily

remove a wheel, but this only matters if producers are willing to manufacture this device.

We did not have the facilities to answer this question, so further research needs to be

done in this area. Additionally, our final product was a bare bones design, and could be

heavily optimized and improved by those who have the resources to do so. It would be

great to see a more refined version of our design (or other designs that complete the same

task) in the future.

24
 References

Albert, Z. (2020, March 2). NASCAR moving to single lug-nut design for Next Gen car.

Nascar. https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/03/02/nascar-single-lug-nut-

design-wheel-next-gen-car/

Are your Wheels Safe?. (n.d.). Performance Plus Tire and Automotive Store. Retrieved

September 14, 2021, from https://www.performanceplustire.com/tech-info/are-

your-wheels-safe/

Francis, G. (2018, April 04). Nearly %75 of Millennials Unable to Change a Car Tyre

Finds Study. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/millennials-

change-tyre-practical-car-maintenance-diy-rewire-plug-a8288211.html

Hansen, T. (2020, February 28). List of All the Tools You Need to Change a Tire.

threetwoHome. https://threetwohome.com/what-tools-do-you-need-to-change-a-

tire/

How to Change a Tire. (2016, April 27). DiscountTire. Retrieved September 14,2021,

from https://www.discounttire.com/learn/change-a-

tire?ef_id=Cj0KCQjwkIGKBhCxARIsAINMioIT01Qfx2Tp6Jrqo23wL7CpFM5t

Ddk0SxDE0eHlE0bOn-

gk2b59yPgaAqLqEALw_wcB:G:s&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkIGKBhCxARIsAINMioI

T01Qfx2Tp6Jrqo23wL7CpFM5tDdk0SxDE0eHlE0bOn-

gk2b59yPgaAqLqEALw_wcB

J2530 and the Industry. (2011, March). SEMA. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from

https://www.sema.org/news-media/press-release/j2530-and-industry.

25
Olorunfemi, B.J. (2020). Design and Development of a (5 IN 1) Multi-Lug Nuts

Remover and Tightener [unpublished master’s thesis] Federal University Oye-

Ekiti.

Spector, N. (2016, September 27). 60% of People Can’t Change a Flat Tire- But Most Can

Google It. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/draft-60-

percent-people-can-t-change-flat-tire-most-n655501

Tightening wheel nuts: Why is it so important?. (n.d.). Barum-Tyres. Retrieved

September 14, 2021, from https://www.barum-tyres.com/car/expert-advice/safety-

driving-tips/tightening-wheel-nuts

Why it is important to know how to change a flat tire. ProCare. Retrieved September 21,

2021, from https://www.procarecollision.com/why-it-is-important-to-know-how-

to-change-a-flat-tire/

Maddireddy, M. (2019, November 18). The Fastest Pit Crew You May Ever See Set a

New World Record of 1.82 Seconds. Car and Driver.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28567721/fastest-pit-stop-german-grand-

prix/#:~:text=Their%20new%20time%2C%20set%20on,a%20fresh%20set%20of

%20rubber.

Acoba, P. (2015, June 7). Car Wheel Change Under a Minute. FanSided.

https://artofgears.com/2015/06/05/guinness-world-record-car-wheel-change-

under-a-minute/

Kirby, C. (2021, December 14). What is a Quick Release Steering Wheel. Get Jerry.

https://getjerry.com/insights/quick-release-steering-wheel

26
What’s The Difference Between Aluminum and Steel Wheels?. (n.d.). Les Schwab.

Retrieved March 31, 2022, from https://www.lesschwab.com/article/whats-the-

difference-between-aluminum-and-steel-

wheels.html#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20wheels%20today,variety%20of

%20finishes%20and%20sizes.

Das, Sourav. (2014). Design and weight optimization of aluminum alloy wheel.

International Journal of Scientific Research. 4. 1-12. 10.29322/ijspr.

27