Pinewood Derby

Help Your Cub Search Earn The Pinewood Derby

The Pinewood Derby is about more than winning. It is about the process of designing the car, the actual effort from a mother or father and son, and the excitement associated with rivaling fellow Cub Scouts. But as two-time Super Bowl Vince Lombardi observed, “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?” Here are some helpful tips to help your Cub Scout be victorious in the Pinewood Derby:

1. Minimize friction on the car.

Friction is your car’s number one enemy, so reduce it as much as possible. The Pinewood Derby isn’t a beauty contest. So it’s OK to sacrifice some of your car’s aesthetic value in order to build a faster car. You can make your car more aerodynamic by making cuts into the side of the car. The wheels are another important area where you can significantly reduce the car’s friction. That includes friction between the wheels and the (center) guide rail, the wheels and the car’s body, and the wheels and the axles.

2. Add multiple light coats of paint.

The bottom line is that your car’s paint should be 100% dry by the day of the Pinewood Derby race. Adding heavy coats of paint can prevent that from happening. The paint will take longer to dry, which could then stick to the car. Instead, add several light coats to the car.

3. Decrease the car’s air resistance.

You can do this by using a car design that’s closer to the ground. By decreasing air resistance on the vehicle, you’ll increase its speed.

4. Put as much weight on the rear of the vehicle.

This will help to increase the car’s acceleration at the beginning of the race. Lead is an ideal material to use, although basically any heavy metal could also be effective. Some options are to purchase lead from a hobby store, or use a torch to melt it.

5. Reshape the car’s wheels.

But before you take this step, learn if it’s permitted for the Pinewood Derby event. If shaped wheels are authorized, then you can use a mandrel that gives the ability to turn your wheels via a hand drill. This is a drastic way to make your car’s wheels significantly smoother. The key to shaping the wheels is to reduce their mass. This will reduce how much energy is needed to turn them. As a result, more energy will be available to propel the car forward. Another method is to reduce how much of the wheel’s surface area touches the track. If the wheel’s surface is angled, then a narrow portion of it will touch the track.

6. Get the weight right.

The secret is to get your own car’s weight as close to the optimum quantity allowed without going above this. The secret is to obtain your vehicle’s pounds as near towards the optimum quantity permitted without exceeding this.

Is actually presently there a magical formula that will assure your own boy success at a Pinewood Derby competition? No, but these tips will give him the best chance at crossing the finish line first. The key is to take the right approach, and then make the right adjustments.

Fast Pinewood Derby Car 2008 Scout Race

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