Pinewood Derby (Need Help)

[KillJoy]

CR pine wood derby ?

 

That would actually be quite fun! I mean.... the Parent's usually make the car, or a good portion of it themselves....

 

:thumbup:

 

KillJoy

[Otis Nice]

CR pine wood derby ?

 

:thumbup:

[Mr. Jones]

http://i.imgur.com/g5HdFct.jpg

[Buckeye1647545503]

CR pine wood derby ?

 

We could have "scouts rules" and a "x.005" class lol

[DavidBaustert]

Aerodynamics, mass, and friction. I faintly remember doing the pine wood derby cars, but in high school, we made these Co2 powered dragsters. Pitsco I think? Similar concept.

[Otis Nice]

http://www.abc-pinewood-derby.com/images/cust-6.jpg

[Alex L.]

CR derby would be a blast.

[BloodRed]

Remove of as much wood as possible so that you can put all the weight in the back of the car.

[Buckeye1647545503]

So mine just got a kit... SO this is now of more interest to me. I want to discuss the WHY's of weight placement

[Furloaf]

Weight further towards the back increases the potential energy available.

[The_buster]

Me an my brother both raced these in scouts. My brother always had trucks and dad put the weight in the bed. I asked why and he said it took some weight off the front so it didnt dig in and it pushed the truck down the track. I used to be the line judge when I was in boy scouts for the ones in the mall, what I hated were the dads who didnt let their kids have any say. One guy wouldn't let the kid touch it.

[PGH STEELERS]

This one kids car cost over $1,000.00. That's were I lose respect. I do have some ideas and was thinking about buying one, but then that isn't what it's about, that's just me.

 

I did see something about if you can balance the car 3/4 from the back of the car, then this is idea weight? I need to find a place that has scales so that I can get this down to the act weight.

[AngryBMW]

This one kids car cost over $1,000.00.

 

:gtfo:

 

That is simply ridiculous. That father is completely missing the point and is not doing their son any favors.

-Marc

[Jackson1647545504]

:gtfo:

 

That is simply ridiculous. That father is completely missing the point and is not doing their son any favors.

-Marc

 

Teaching him how to win?

[Otis Nice]

Teaching him how to win?

 

Teaching him that daddy will give him everything he wants and do the work for him.

[Akula]

3 factors. Weight, high and far back. Wheels, smooth as possible. Axles, look at the axle surfaces, polish the axles. Add graphite, done.

[xlr8tn]

couple years back when we did my son's car I had the most problems because of not being able to do any practice runs with it to see how the car went down the track. Getting the toe was a pain using the nails and I had my weight forward on it which is all wrong. I made a little ramp to send it down here at the house and I could never get it to track right and looking back I think it was mostly because the weight was forward and made the car really unstable on take off. You want that thing to run on a rail. The kids that won it out here were the sons of the troop leader who kept the track at his house.....imagine that. No big deal....son had fun making it so it served it's purpose. Still a little part of me though that would like another shot at it knowing what I know now. My son wanted out of scouts because it was pretty boring really.

 

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj37/0rion_album/7resized.jpg

[PGH STEELERS]

Well to finalize this thread, my son took first in his den, 2nd overall which was pretty impressive due to all of the kids. He won best scout theme design as well. Things to remember for next year. Longer wheel base and how to master the (3) wheel contact. I didn't do the (3) wheel contact because I was affraid the car won't drive straight. I will master those two things next year. The kid who won over all (which Josh gave him some competition), was the kid who's dad spent all kid of money last year. Yes, he won again this year. His wheel base was longer and did the (3) wheel contact. Over all it was fun, I had a bunch of fathers come up to me and say that Josh knocked off a lot of good people this year. One father was pretty pissed at me, but oh well, sucks for him.

[zeitgeist57]

Daughter is going to be doing this for Indian Princesses…kits are being distributed next month. First time I'll be touching a Pinewood Derby kit in 20+ years.

 

Any other ideas, please feel free to share them. Is the "3-wheel contact" idea like the bacon car Randy posted above? Is that legal?

 

OP, congrats on your son's win! :thumbup:

[PGH STEELERS]

TooSweet had a good link. Here is another link to follow. This may sound stupid, but there are good books at the local library that I read and there are a lot of great ideas there.

 

http://www.pinewoodpro.com/pinewood-derby-howto-speed.htm

 

Thanks, Josh was very proud.

[Otis Nice]

Well to finalize this thread, my son took first in his den, 2nd overall which was pretty impressive due to all of the kids. He won best scout theme design as well. Things to remember for next year. Longer wheel base and how to master the (3) wheel contact. I didn't do the (3) wheel contact because I was affraid the car won't drive straight. I will master those two things next year. The kid who won over all (which Josh gave him some competition), was the kid who's dad spent all kid of money last year. Yes, he won again this year. His wheel base was longer and did the (3) wheel contact. Over all it was fun, I had a bunch of fathers come up to me and say that Josh knocked off a lot of good people this year. One father was pretty pissed at me, but oh well, sucks for him.

 

+1 for bacon car.

 

Why was another dad panty twisted?

 

Congrats to your boy. :thumbup: