First, the basics: Your car should weigh as much as it’s allowed. In most races, a Pinewood Derby car’s weight is limited to 5 ounces. If your car weighs less than that, add coins or other weights.
As far as where you should attach those weights to your car … well, let’s just say opinions differ.
Our expert says if you do this correctly, you will beat a Pinewood Derby car built exactly the same — except with the weight toward its front — by 4.6 car lengths.
Well, we’ve heard from multiple field testers who claim that they’ve finished near the top of multiple Pinewood Derby races by placing the majority of their weight near the front of the car.
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.
So where should you place your weights on your Pinewood Derby car? The ultimate answer is: It depends on who you ask. Our advice: Put your weight wherever you want, and spend most of your time polishing your axles. That’s a great way to reduce drag and increase your speed.
If the weight is placed towards the back of the car, it has longer to "drop" (by several inches) than if the weight is placed towards the front of the car. This difference is highly significant in terms of race times. Therefore, weight should be concentrated towards the rear of the car.
Science says the heaviest part of your car should be about 1 inch in front of the rear axle. The idea is that the farther back the weight is, the more potential energy you have because your center of mass is higher up on the track.
For most derbies, your car must be built with the parts found in the official BSA Grand Prix Pinewood Derby® kit - the wooden block, official BSA® wheels, and axles. Paint, decorations, decals, and weights can be added as long as the final car stays under five ounces.
Get as close to the allowed maximum weight (typically 5.0 ounces or 141.75 grams) without going over. Get as much weight as possible, as far back in the body as possible, while remaining stable.
Use the high grit (1000) sandpaper to sand the edge of the wheel while spinning it with the drill. Do not over-sand; you want to sand just enough to remove the flashing. With modified wheels, you'll want to sand off any burs from the cutting process but don't round over the edge.
Push until the wheel touches the car body. The base is designed to leave the proper gap between the wheel and body. 5. The axle will need to be glued if it slips easily into the car body.
If you decide to glue them in, it will add at little weight, so leave some room to spare. We ended up using six pennies. With the pennies a snug fit, and the hole on top, we didn't even bother with glue. You can get the pennies out by slapping the car against your hand.
1. Pinewood Derby Car Shape: The Wedge. The wedge is a classic and probably the easiest shape (besides keeping a block) to build your Pinewood Derby car. The Wedge is the foundation of many cool car designs, and it is designed to be aerodynamic and is a one-cut wonder.
To go fast, it's all about aerodynamics, 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.
All cars must pass the following inspection to qualify for the race: Width shall not exceed 2-3/4 inches. Length shall not exceed 7 inches. Weight shall not exceed 5 ounces.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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