Comments on: Speed Secrets of the Pinewood Derby

By: sciencegirl

sciencegirl — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:50:05 +0000

what is the secret to making long distance derby cars?

By: ygofan101

ygofan101 — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:16:32 +0000

my car got radard to see how fast it was and it got 48.9 mph

By: mickey

mickey — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:12:07 +0000

True… But its disheartening when your 5yr old can’t even place or have a chance against a car build by a father who is an engineer…

By: uwasp44

uwasp44 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:22:15 +0000

I did a derby with my 4 kids for the first time. They didn’t have the fastest cars but they were made by THEM. The only thing my hubby did was cut them out. The kids designed, sanded, painted and helped place the wheels. I was proud of them for working so hard. With these tips and seeing different cars at the race, next time they might do better. We had a lot of fun!

By: snake

snake — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:31:04 +0000

still don’t get it.

By: PowerToolsChallenged

PowerToolsChallenged — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:52:14 +0000

To avoid warping the block from the oven drying process (or risking the possibility), do you think drilling holes in the body to take out weight will do the same thing? If holes are OK, where are the best areas to drill?

By: willy

willy — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:21:14 +0000

it is very cool though it looks hard to make

By: 2nd place son

2nd place son — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:07:59 +0000

my son got 2nd place, and the trick was to create a wedge with a block of wood at the back, and LOTS of graphite on the wheels. an older scout beat him once, but other than that, he was undefeated.

By: Bobcat

Bobcat — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:58:18 +0000

Great tips guy all across the board ! Where is the best place to drill hole into the bottom of car ? And where is the best place to set any additional weights ? Thx

By: derby dad

derby dad — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:48:03 +0000

drilling holes will not slow the car down. but if u do want to fill in hole or fix a spot without adding weight I have found that dry wall plaster works great. easy to use sandable and comes in small tubes in hardware dept $2.50? And u can use it to cover up small dents scratches and nail holes in your wall befor u paint. so with kids being kids it wont go to waste.

By: Den mom

Den mom — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:17:10 +0000

If you drill holes in the bottom to reduce weight, will it slow the car down if they are not filled?

By: Den mom

Den mom — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:01:43 +0000

My boys need to remove more weight, the tip book mentions drilling holes underneath near the front, but does not mention filling them with anything. Will the car go slower if there are holes in the bottom? We need to remove front weight to add it to the back.

By: derbydad

derbydad — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:23:05 +0000

I agree. But if the race comes down to 1-1000 of a second it might help?

By: dirbydad

dirbydad — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:56:15 +0000

Lots of great ideas out there. If your going to make modifications to the car make sure your son is the one doing it. My 7 and 10 year old both did all the work on there cars to include removing bers and polishing the axels. Its not dificult. They learned alot and had fun doing it. Show them how on one and let them do the others. They enjoyed there first place den wins and 2nd and 3rd wins in the overals.

By: chiwea

chiwea — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:31:54 +0000

i agree only the axles and wheels matter
a dad in my pack made a smoken fast block

By: goodscout

goodscout — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:34:38 +0000

glue them!

By: Reigning 3 time champ

Reigning 3 time champ — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:47:36 +0000

really? did it work? how did you do it?

By: BSA Know it All

BSA Know it All — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:13:10 +0000

Eh, aerodynamics don’t matter. Graphite and the axles are what matter.

By: Niko

Niko — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:19:26 +0000

NO if you sand your axels it can go in in even and slow your car down you should probably just get a new set of Axel’s they sell them as far as I know of at micheals and BSA stores

By: Big t

Big t — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:37:20 +0000

I recommend to cut a notch under the front of the car

By: trey

trey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:10:19 +0000

i would recomend to cut a a slot under the car in front so when the pin go down the car has been movin the whole time

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:12:27 +0000

This is tricky. Some people advocate angling the nails or axles in the rear slots one degree backward to supposedly help prevent the wheels from making contact with the body. I think this would actually slow the car down because you would have the wheels working against each other when the car rolls down the track. The best and safest way to minimize wheel contact is proper wheel alighnment. Also, pack graphite on the car’s body where the wheels make contact. Washers are not acceptible.

By: Singleshoot1

Singleshoot1 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:46:34 +0000

Some people are whiners.our rules are what comes in the box.do check to make sure your pack has no additional rules.then do any tricks you can to make your car faster.there is nothing wrong with a winning legal car.do remember parents its about children. After setting your axles (nails) careful turn car upside down put a little glue on the end of the pointed part of the nails. Seen them come off on race day not a good think to happen

By: :]

:] — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:13:20 +0000

yes

By: CM3468

CM3468 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:12:51 +0000

I am at the wheel installation stage. I’m concerned that the wheels will slide from the outer end of the axle and scrape the body. Is there anything I can do to keep them in place?

By: bigbird

bigbird — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:35:48 +0000

yes it is ok

By: Geezer59

Geezer59 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:14:13 +0000

There are all kinds of web sites that tell you how to file, sand & polish the axels but we were told by Pack Leader and race officials absolutely not. We were to remove parts from box and to use as is to ensure even and fair races.

By: eagle1

eagle1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:36:31 +0000

Nice tip on the “10 little things” – we’re talking mini-seconds with each “little thing” but they do add up..

By: lumper01

lumper01 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:52:27 +0000

how do i make a derby car go faster any ideas thanks!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:21:16 +0000

does trail to eagle cover first class

By: Jaws

Jaws — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:39:01 +0000

if you want a fast car, you should

By: fishingxprt

fishingxprt — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:31:18 +0000

You can leave them just hammered in, but Ive been racing a wile and i recamend you super glue the bottom.

By: fishingxprt

fishingxprt — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:26:20 +0000

you want your car to work correctly, than yes you should

By: ExScoutDad

ExScoutDad — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:55:58 +0000

My son and I had great experiences building his cars together; he doing the labor and me in a supervisory role. In addition to the tips already listed, don’t forget that a good, smooth paint job can make a difference too. Light sanding between coats and finishing with a clear coat will help your speed and ensure you car looks good on the shelf in your room for years to come. Have fun!

By: Den Dad

Den Dad — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:58:50 +0000

In our Pack we do not allow three wheels on the track – it is a 4 wheel event. We also allow the polishing of the nails (axles) and you should definitely remove the burrs on the heads – this is what slows the car down right out of the box.

By: aa

aa — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:05:05 +0000

cool tricks they realy work

By: DerbyPhysics

DerbyPhysics — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:27:54 +0000

Larger mass means larger momentum. The larger the momentum, the longer it takes the frictional force to reduce the speed to 0.

By: #1 baseball fan

#1 baseball fan — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:25:41 +0000

Sometimes it helps to put a wheelguard over the axles. You could put a dab of glue near the axles just in case. Do NOT get glue on the wheels. I have a friend that put glue on his axles, and overnight the glue seeped onto one of the wheels. !t didn’t spin at all. Be careful and have fun!

By: hockeyman73

hockeyman73 — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:54:43 +0000

i got first in the pack thanks to this

By: dumboy

dumboy — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:22:17 +0000

it depends the way you want it.But I think maybe if you pound them in, it would keep the wheels on better. But I can’t guarantee the car will go fast.

Good luck!

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:31:31 +0000

Ok, thanks. We are baking the block today and are going to band saw out the car design. I will make sure we do not hammer the axles in.

By: 360scout

360scout — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:35:09 +0000

what should i use to enhance my wheels?

By: momx6

momx6 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:13:53 +0000

In the BSA kit the axles(nails) have ridges in them, is it okay to sand them off?

By: CRB Pack 121

CRB Pack 121 — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:16:31 +0000

Be sure to check your District’s rules before assuming these modifications are permitted. In our district, we must use only the materials in the derby kit (i.e., no precut cars from the hobby shop, non-BSA wheels and axels, liquid lubricant, etc.). Further, changing the wheelbase in many districts is a big no-no.

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:33:23 +0000

Agreed!!!!!

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:30:24 +0000

Awesome!!!! We also have Derby Clinics where the boys build their cars together with their dad or mom as a group. Try this with your pack. It is a lot of fun!!

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:25:55 +0000

Not necessarily!! My son has won multiple races and he has never had any car with the weight in the front beat him from the start or the finish. It is weird and seems to go against logic but any successful derby racer will tell you to place the majority of the weight in the rear of the car.

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:19:58 +0000

Too bad, I guess it depends on where you live. In our area, all of the winning cars had extended wheel bases. I guess it is up to the local rules.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:39:28 +0000

To add to this, if you bake Revell brand blocks that are made in China, sap will begin to ooze out. Yep, they aren’t using kiln dried wood so you wind up with a block that is useless because your car will weigh more on one side or the other.

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:35:42 +0000

Terrific book!! I like the fact that the author keeps telling you to check your local pack rules. My son has about worn this book out!!! Great book! Thanks for helping many boys dreams come true.

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:13:58 +0000

I agree about wheel alignment also proper weight placement. My son who placed first overall in his pack and district events two years in a row spent a lot of time with his alignment and weightt placement. The average time for his car in 2011 on a 42′ aluminum best track were 2.9500 seconds. His best time was 2.9014! Weight placement and alignment are the best tips for any body. It was a shame that he was too ill to race in our region race. Nice chatting with you.

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:01:13 +0000

Good point!!! In our pack it is legal to have three wheels touching and an extended wheel base. However; when in doubt check with your individual pack, district rules.

By: Malo

Malo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:57:13 +0000

Correct, it will not go out the bottom of the slot. Also, don’t use a hammer because you could bend the nail. Line it up well and push it right in with your finger or with another small piece of wood…Press fit

By: Malo

Malo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:53:36 +0000

Another speed tip: Use the power/cordless drill to polish off those burrs in the axle (nails) to gain more speed. Insert the nail tip in the power drill, tear off a 1/4″-1/2″ strip of 150 grit sandpaper, wrap it around the nail and polish that burr off first. Then use 320-400 grit after that, then work your way up. I go as far as 1000-1500 wet/dry paper to get is super smooth. Less friction=SPEED

By: 0000

0000 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:49:13 +0000

use the flakes of graphite and spin your weals

By: Derby goof

Derby goof — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:07:29 +0000

Supposedly to make the block lighter to add more non wood weight. The problem with baking the block is that it will more than likely cause the block to shrink a little amd warp. This will leave you with a block that is not square!! The block would have to be vertically grained to minimize this. Most blocks are slab grained with the grain not running at 90 degree angles from top to bottom.Don’t bake the block!!!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:45:00 +0000

I am helping my son build his first derby car. The race is Jan. 28th. I have a question. The wood block comes with the axle slots in it already. Do you just hammer in the axles and they stay in the slots without popping off the bottom? Seems like they would come off the car a lot… Any advice would be great!

By: gulpster

gulpster — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:26:28 +0000

same here, no axles

By: gulpster

gulpster — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:25:20 +0000

The purpose is to extract as much moisture as you can from the wood. Moisture is weight, and since you will be adding weight with painting, why not cancel some of that weight by eliminating water that serves no purpose from the wood.

By: Stringnalong

Stringnalong — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:20:13 +0000

Drying the wood eliminates extra weight from the block of wood. The only weight you want to add to the car is some type of metal. There are different densities from different materials you can use. The idea is to have all your weight as low as possible, (center of gravity). It gets pretty scientific after that. Only doing 1 little thing wont make much difference in the speed of the car. But, if you do 10 little things, that is the difference maker. Good Luck!

By: Mik

Mik — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:17:32 +0000

Boys life is great!!

By: dsingh

dsingh — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:28:03 +0000

what is the scientific reason to make it the heaviest so its the fastest

By: PMac

PMac — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:45:22 +0000

About half the tips in this article are illegal in our derby and would not past inspection. Glue on the axel, 3 wheels touching, Extending the wheel base are all against the rules, so make sure you know your rules before doing any of these tips.

By: jamelyng

jamelyng — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:57:59 +0000

Can anyone tell me the purpose of baking the block and making it lighter?

By: Scouting 9212

Scouting 9212 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:41:30 +0000

Here is the real secret: Let the boy make the car with your help. Don’t do it for him. Teach him that all ideas are valid. As adults we want to win, as youth, they just want to have fun. Enjoy your derby even if you don’t use all these speed secrets.

By: turboshark10

turboshark10 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:57:42 +0000

none of the rules say you can’t

By: turboshark10

turboshark10 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:32:57 +0000

oops, typo alert “youngest scout LAST YEAR to make it to the finals”.

By: turboshark10

turboshark10 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:29:19 +0000

I was the youngest scout to make it to the finals and I’m confident that with this help I’ll get 1st place for sure!;)

By: flatlander

flatlander — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:19:44 +0000

It’s a simple trick and doesn’t cost a dime. You still have four wheels on the car. Unless your rules prohibit it, you’ll probably end up with at least half the cars with 3 wheels touching the track just by sheer accident. You’d be suprised how many cars show up with a raised wheel without it intentionally being built that way. It is “do your best”…..right?

By: Soggy Bottom Boys

Soggy Bottom Boys — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:11:46 +0000

Our pack is FULL of people that say ‘I don’t like that’ or ‘that’s not fair’ What is fair is that you follow your rules and spend time with your boys making and creating the car. My boys design the car, paint the car and I help it GO (faster) I use as many tips as i can get and pass it on to them so they will do them later

By: shnasta

shnasta — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:10:35 +0000

Derby rules for us is to use BSA derby axels.

By: AwesomeMan

AwesomeMan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:27:06 +0000

I love this! I will try it!

By: Jill

Jill — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:00:22 +0000

For Pinewood purposes, the nails in your kit are called “axles.” Most packs cannot use real “axels” on thier cars. But those look COMPLETELY different than nails.

By: Racer X

Racer X — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:24:56 +0000

Remember, do your best on your wheels and axles, but it is the wheel alignemnt that wins the race. The Scout stores have some great tools for building a great car and getting a good alignment.

By: mw3

mw3 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:57:17 +0000

what about the wheels?

By: stickler...

stickler... — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:16:49 +0000

I don’t like the idea about raising one wheel to cause less friction…that doesn’t sound fair. Not to mention it is a four wheel vehicle….no where does it say you can use 3 wheels that I have seen.

By: stickler...

stickler... — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:16:18 +0000

I don’t like the idea about raising one wheel to cause less friction…that doesn’t fair. Not to mention it is a four wheel vehicle….no where does it say you can use 3 wheels that I have seen.

By: Cubmaster

Cubmaster — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:58:34 +0000

Before you build, ask. Nothing sucks the life out of a scout or the derby committee more than a car that does not meet the event specifications. While all of those ideas sound GREAT, and they probably work, some of them would violate the rules of your pack. district/ council derby.

By: About the Kida

About the Kida — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:09:12 +0000

so this is still for the boys right?? I mean most 7-13 yo boys can do this alone. Just make sure after you build it give HIM credit so he gets his awards.

By: curly

curly — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:59:41 +0000

imade graphite ports as the car moves down the track it puts more onthe wheels.

By: Rambo#1

Rambo#1 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:15:07 +0000

2first places!

By: e

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:22:51 +0000

cool info

By: shrimp

shrimp — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:37:00 +0000

That is weird we are aloud

By: shrimp

shrimp — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:22:30 +0000

Im trying it right now!

By: Gomez

Gomez — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:04:12 +0000

I think this is real is cool because of the ideas

By: me45

me45 — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:55:48 +0000

Reuse your already polished axles.

By: Me

Me — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:30:53 +0000

Our Pack 131 isnt allowed to use axles.

By: dance girl

dance girl — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:34:29 +0000

Congrats at least you went to the nationals

By: dance girl

dance girl — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:33:24 +0000

I reccomand using nails instead of axles. We had a practice race 1 week ago and the people who use nails are more likely to win. I used axles but I lost. Hope I helped. Peace out )

By: trikster

trikster — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:46:54 +0000

AWESOME!!!!!

By: Spongebob Pinewood Pants

Spongebob Pinewood Pants — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:47:09 +0000

I won the same way, my wheels said #13 on the insides but it won anyhow. I painted with sisters water kolors. I forgot to build it early and we was in a hurry.

By: MarioKart

MarioKart — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:40:54 +0000

I one a metal to. I got secend place in my pack. Their is three guys in my den.

By: Scout kid

Scout kid — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:37:53 +0000

What is kwick start trick?

By: Speedy

Speedy — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:29:31 +0000

I got second in the nationals. This comments are grate!

By: Huge

Huge — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:50:26 +0000

No, it is just the opposite; the farther back the weight is the longer the car has to pick up speed. You want the weight back far enough to where the center of gravity is about 1.25″ ahead of the real axle; being too far back can make the front too light and jump off of the track = broken car/axles. Good luck!

By: neonnissan55

neonnissan55 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:07:18 +0000

man this helped alot my indy car has never lost

By: RegMaster

RegMaster — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:14:40 +0000

Yes, they do allow a block car. We had a boy one time just put paint the block, put the wheels in and he won!!

By: boy44

boy44 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:51:01 +0000

ditto

By: justintime

justintime — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:25:17 +0000

2 bad

By: robokid

robokid — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:02:05 +0000

yummy