Pinewood Derby Car Tips NEEDED!!

[Barbossa]

This bad boy might help (model jet engine) :

 

[jodifla]

Isn't that the truth--the DAD'S CAR

We did Pinewood one year. At one point one of the leaders was holding up a car asking who's car it was. The DAD had to nudge his kid and told him "that's your car". The Dad's got more excited then the kids when their cars won. They finally just started an open division for the Dads .

Our pack has the family division, supervised division, and boy-only division. So they are competing for prizes against like competitors for fairness.

 

[live4christp1]

The basic wedge design as mentioned by a previous poster has almost always proven to be the fastest at all the Pinewood derby/Awana derby's I've been too. I know the weight and making sure your wheels etc. are right are a big factor but the dynamics of the car just make if faster I think. It's also the design that is featured as the winning car in the "Down and Derby" movie. We have never done a wedge car ourselves but know several scouts who have won many times with a wedge.

 

[perdidochas]

My children are participating in the Awana group at our church. They are having a pinewood derby type race. We got two blocks of wood with the wheels and things in the kits.

How on earth do you design these? I know we need to sand the wood into the shape we want, paint it and that is about all I know. What else do I need to know and how do I help my children make theres look nice and win the race?

Thank you so much!!

Having done pinewood derby for the past 5 yrs, the most important piece of advice. Let your kid do it. Don't take over. Let them have fun doing it.

Other advice:

1) shape doesn't really matter. Do what looks good.

2) Don't put the wheels on until the last minute. They have to be straight to win.

3) Don't stress about it.

 

[jcc0621]

but for BSA there is a regulation kit (which your council may or may not require, but ours does), .

BSA also disallows the use of liquid lubricants.

Definitely check and read the rule very carefully. As stated above every council/distirct/pack has different rules. One of ours is that you can ONLY use BSa approved equipment. (I.E. Weights, decals, wheels, etc]. Additionally all cars for the derby are weighed and logged in 2 weeks prior to the event. The Cubmaster then keeps the cars until race day.

Also as others have said you are going to have the kids who have very simple cars and those who have very complex designs. Last year we had one "kid" who designed his car into the Mach 5 and he was bragging that he was going to win. He lost EVERY heat it raced. Dad was not happy