Thankfully, our Cub Scout pack has a category just for dads, so I can build my own car. My son -- although I help with the more difficult and dangerous tasks -- is largely on his own. I believe it's important that his car be his own. That's not to say I haven't searched long and hard to find the best performance tips for making my car as fast as possible. It's my understanding that there are as many different rule sets as there are packs, so what I've tried to do is keep these tips as universal and broad-based as possible.
Be sure to double-check your pack's rules before your first cut into your pine block. Put all of your weight in the back. Aerodynamics have little effect in such a short race, but weight does and putting the weight at the back of the car will make your car faster on the flat of the track. Tungsten weights, in most cases, are best because of their high density. Do not paint the car on the small semicircle point where the wheels meet up with the body where the wheel well is on the car in your driveway.
Rather, sand this point to a smooth finish with a very fine sandpaper. Next, after masking off the body's paint, gently massage some dry graphite into the wood. But since gravity is a constant there is nothing you can do to get more! Fortunately, there are things you can do to get the most from this constant force. While our ally, gravity, pulls the car down the sloped track, our enemy, friction , is hard at work slowing down the car.
In every place where moving parts are in contact wheels rubbing on the track, the axles, the car body, and the guide rails friction is at work. Even the air flow over the car body is a form of friction that slows down the car.
A final factor that must be considered is momentum. In an automobile, momentum helps the car keep rolling when you take your foot off the gas. In a similar way, momentum helps a pinewood derby car to continue rolling as fast as possible on the flat section of the track.
So, to build a fast pinewood derby car you must maximize momentum and minimize friction. How is that done? Keep reading to find out how. Champion car builders have discovered many secrets for getting the most speed from a car. However, there are 5 Keys to pinewood derby performance. Whether or not you learn all of the extra little tricks, careful application of these 5 Keys will guarantee that you will have a competitive car.
Key 1: Lubrication - Quality lubricant; applied properly. Lubrication is an extremely important key. The difference in time between a well-lubricated car and a car without lubrication can be several tenths of a second or more this translates into several feet on the track. Most people use graphite for lubrication. Graphite is a form of carbon that comes in very small flakes. There are many varieties and qualities of graphite available at hobby and hardware stores, so make sure to get a good brand.
Cheap brands have a lower carbon content and include impurities. We offer Max-V-Lube brand which is a high-purity graphite, which has been proven to produce top results in pinewood derby racing. When lubricating with graphite, take the time to work it in thoroughly; a casual puff before the race is not sufficient. I recommend spending five minutes per wheel adding graphite, spinning the wheel, adding graphite, spinning the wheel etc.
Since graphite works best after a break-in period, don't re-lubricate between race heats. By the way, you will find it much easier and cleaner to lubricate before mounting the wheels and axles on the car. If you use a liquid lube such as Krytox , make sure to follow the recommended application procedure.
With liquid lubes, less is best. All frictional losses in a pinewood derby car come from the wheels and axles. Start by inspecting the parts in your kit to make sure they are usable. If a part has a serious flaw, replace it. Depending on the type of wheels you have, the preparation steps will change. If there are flaws on the tread surface or inside edge of the wheel, then use a Pro-Wheel Mandrel and some fine grit wet sandpaper to polish the wheels.
On some wheels, a Pro-Hub Tool can be used to round the inside wheel hub. Finally, polishing and waxing the wheel bore also reduces friction to increase performance. Key 3: Alignment - Car goes straight, or rail-rides. In order for the car to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, it needs to go straight.
If it zigzags down the track, it will travel a longer distance, but worse it will continually lose speed as it bumps and rubs against the guide rail. Also, when using axle slots, make sure that the axles are inserted perfectly straight. I am going to guess, however, that axle friction is lower than aerodynamic drag created by lift. Therefore, you would want to create a car with the lowest aerodynamic drag possible and work to drive axle friction to zero.
One thing I do know is that the axles can generate a LOT of friction. You also want to make sure that the wheels are perfectly round and balanced, with the axle hole dead center in each wheel. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe.
How can I make a pinewood derby car go faster? When cutting a Pinewood Derby car, you want to make sure that the wheels are perfectly round and balanced, with the axle hole dead center in each wheel.
Air resistance Axle friction Tire stickiness.
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