PUT MOST OF THE WEIGHT IN THE FRONT The idea here is that putting the weight near the front of the car gives it the tiniest bit of “head start” over a car with its weight near the rear. Or, perhaps placing the weight on the front of the car — in these cases, at least — forces the car to ride smoother down the track.
How do you weigh a derby car?
Best Location to Weight Your Pinewood Derby Car
When deciding on where to weight your car, you should try to reach a final balance point of the car 1 inch or less in front of the rear axle. To achieve this, place 2/5 of the added weight behind the rear axle, and the remaining 3/5 in front of the rear axle.
How do you weigh a Pinewood Derby car at home?
Sand and paint your block but do not add the wheels. When the paint has dried, mount the weight on the top of your car as far to the rear as possible. The weight should not extend past the rear of the car. Glue bottom weights to the bottom of the block to bring the total weight (including wheels and axles) to 5 oz.
Is it better to put weight on top or bottom of Pinewood Derby car?
Weight should be placed towards the rear of the car. You can drill the weight holes in the bottom, side or rear of the car as shown in these examples. Stay at least 1/8″ away from the axle slots.
What can I use for weight on Pinewood Derby car?
Pennies are exactly 3/4″ in diameter and weight about 0.1 ounce each. Weigh your car and then add pennies to the scale till you reach the desired weight. I’ve been told there are two rules to the Derby: – If your car is overweight, you are disqualified.
Where is the center of gravity on a pinewood derby car?
Many racers try to place the center of gravity (COG) of their car at a certain distance in front of their rear axle. You find the COG by simply balancing the car on a fulcrum (a ruler or paint scraper will do), and measuring how far in front of the rear axle the balance point is.
Should you bake your pinewood derby car?
Per the Pinewood Derby rules, the weight of the car shouldn’t exceed 5 ounces. One way to ensure your car doesn’t go over the weight limit is to bake the block! Naturally, wood holds water, and water adds weight. You’ll want to help your Scout by baking the block in an oven at 250 degrees for one hour.
Does a heavier pinewood derby car go faster?
Much has been written about the physics of pinewood derby cars, and this is one rare case in racing where heavy = fast. 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.
How do you add weight to a thin pinewood derby car?
drill one or more holes in the bottom of the car just in front of the rear axle and insert enough of the Fine Tune weight to bring your car up to 5 oz. Glue the weight in the hole. 6. Add the wheels and axles to your pinewood derby car.
What is the fastest shape for a pinewood derby car?
wedge
But aerodynamics rule the day, and the best shape is a simple wedge. Just like a spoiler on the rear of a sports car, the wedge shape allows as much air to flow over the top of the car without hinderance while keeping the car pinned to the track.
Does a longer wheelbase make a pinewood derby car faster?
The longer the wheel base, the greater the turning distance (a short car turns much more quickly than a long car). A pinewood derby car should go as straight as possible, so a longer wheel base is an advantage.
Can you use duct tape on a Pinewood Derby car?
No tape will be allowed and no other lubing or modifications will be permitted.
How much should a Pinewood Derby car weight before paint?
about 4.9 ounces
Adding weight. The bottom of a wedge body with holes drilled for weights. Before painting the block, you will want to add enough weight to bring the block, wheels, axles, and any accessories to about 4.9 ounces.
What is the best weight for Pinewood Derby?
5 oz.
The more your pine car weighs, the faster it will go on a downhill ramp. Most rules specify a 5 oz. maximum weight. Most Pinewood Derby cars weigh between 1.5 oz and 3.5 oz (depending on design) without weights so a car may need 3.5 oz or more of additional weight.
How do race cars remove weight?
Don’t weight around—get moving, quickly.
- Remove the spare tire and jack.
- Remove the rear seat and package tray.
- Remove the entire heating and air conditioning system with all its components, lines, hoses, ducting, vents, and electrical harness.
- Remove the radio and speakers.
- Remove the windshield wipers and wiper motor.
What is the best weight distribution for a race car?
50-50 Weight Distribution
For a high performance road car, what is the ideal weight distribution? For RWD front engine, 50-50 weight distribution. It’s the layout of choice for RWD performance cars from BMW, Mercedes etc for many years.
What does Wedge do in a race car?
Compressing the spring of a left-rear wheel or adding wedge puts more of the car’s weight on that corner. This adds pressure to that end of the car just like putting the paper wedge underneath the table leg. As with the table, the corresponding diagonal corner of the vehicle gets more of the car’s weight.
How do you reduce drag on a Pinewood Derby car?
The easiest way to reduce friction is to lubricate the surfaces that cause friction. Lubrication is an essential part of pinewood derby racing. Purchase a tube of dry PRO Graphite with moly and shoot it onto the axle shaft and inside the wheel bore. Spin the wheel so the graphite works in.
Should I sand my Pinewood Derby wheels?
Running the drill at low speed, carefully sand the tread area of the wheel just enough to take off the mold “flash” at the outside edge of the tread and smooth the tread area down to take out the “dimple” which is typically where the wheel was cut off the “sprue” or mold tree.
Does graphite help Pinewood Derby car?
Powdered graphite is an excellent lubricant to reduce friction on pinewood derby axles. Why do you want to reduce friction on your axles? It’s simple physics; reduce friction to make your car faster. Stated another way, the fastest cars have the least friction.
What is a good Pinewood Derby time?
Pinewood Derby Results. The average times with just weight added was 3.288 seconds. There was 0.188 seconds between the fastest and slowest car, about 23 inches. The average time was 2.994 seconds, about 44 inches faster than without graphite (0.353 seconds).