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Use Science to Build the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car

SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven't used before.

For seven years, I worked at NASA on the Mars Curiosity rover. It is just like a Pinewood Derby car, except it has six wheels, it’s nuclear powered and it shoots lasers.

My Cub Scout son and I decided we would take the science principles I used while building stuff at NASA and apply them to making his Pinewood Derby car.

Take a look at some of those science principles in this video and check out my list of the most important steps for making fastest Pinewood Derby car possible.

SEVEN STEPS FOR MAKING THE FASTEST PINEWOOD DERBY CAR

Step 1 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

1. Max out your Pinewood Derby car’s weight at 5 ounces

Get as close as possible to the car’s maximum weight (usually 5 ounces) and make sure the heaviest part is about 1 inch in front of the rear axle. This is the most important step. Science shows 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. It works because the farther back the weight is, the more potential energy you have because your center of mass is higher up on the track. (Don’t put it too far back, or your Pinewood Derby car will become unstable and pop a wheelie.)

Step 2 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

2. Use lightweight wheels.

Using non-standard wheels is illegal in some packs’ races, but if it’s not in yours, this is a must-do step that will give you a 2.1-car-length advantage at the finish line versus a car with normal wheels. It works because heavy wheels take away from the kinetic energy (the energy something has due to its motion), which makes the Pinewood Derby car slower.

Step 3 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

3. Use bent polished axles.

Bending your Pinewood Derby car axles with a bending tool will make the wheels ride up against the nailhead, which creates less friction than if the wheel is bouncing around and rubbing against the wooden Pinewood Derby car body. See video above for details.

Step 4 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

4. Railride.

Railriding means you steer your Pinewood Derby car into the center guide track just enough that you keep the car from bouncing around. This helps reduce friction and saves energy for speed. See video for details.

Step 5 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

5. Create a Pinewood Derby car that is reasonably aerodynamic

An aerodynamic Pinewood Derby car’s design cuts down on drag caused by air. No need to get crazy here, but simply having a wedge-shaped Pinewood Derby car instead of the standard block out of the box will equal a 1.4-car advantage at the finish line.

Step 6 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

6. Ride on three wheels by raising one wheel off the track.

You will move faster if you have to get only three wheels rotating, giving you a 1.1-car advantage over an identical Pinewood Derby car riding on four wheels. (Check your pack’s Pinewood Derby rules to make sure this is allowed in your race.)

Step 7 for Making a Fast Pinewood Derby Car

7. Use lots of graphite.

Graphite is the best way to lubricate your wheels and axles. There isn’t a big difference in types of graphite, so buy the cheap stuff and use as much as possible. Be sure to get plenty around each wheel and on the axle.

THE WINNING CONCLUSION!

It works! After my research, my son and I wanted to do one final test to prove that this is a good list. So we built a simple Pinewood Derby car using this list in 45 minutes, and we beat the fastest Pinewood Derby car in our local race by two car lengths. Turns out, science works!

Mark Rober worked as a mechanical engineer at NASA for nine years. During this time, he worked on Curiosity, a car-sized robot that left Earth in 2011 and landed on Mars in 2012. Mark is well-known for his YouTube videos on science, engineering and gadgets.


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12 Comments on Use Science to Build the Fastest Pinewood Derby Car

  1. Wigwag which // January 2, 2015 at 10:32 pm // Reply

    Cool

  2. meant to be funny // December 31, 2014 at 10:27 pm // Reply

    This stuff is awesome thinking of doing it myself

  3. Wolf Den Dad // December 30, 2014 at 6:31 pm // Reply

    This has become the new go to video for teaching kids about the physics of pwd. The only thing he really got wrong was the axle bending. The adult pro racers do not bend their rear axles, they drill the rear holes at an angle to canter the wheels. The only axle they bend is the front dominant wheel to adjust steer for rail running. Scouts will most likely also have a hard time to properly get their rear wheels aligned using bent rear axles.

    Most of his tips arent tricks and most are legal. Yes the lightened wheels and aftermarket axles are illegal in most scout rules. The other stuff only a few may have extra rules to keep from canting the wheels or only riding on 3 wheels.

  4. Den Leader Dad // December 30, 2014 at 6:20 pm // Reply

    Only thing he really got wrong was saying the fastest derby pro racers use bent axles. They drill their rear axle holes at a canted angle. The only axle that is bent is the dominant wheel to adjust the steer. Most scouts will likely not be able to get their rear alignment straight using bent axles either.

  5. physics and science is a good way to win

  6. Aw2815 Scoutmaster // December 29, 2014 at 10:19 am // Reply

    Honestly, some of these tricks are illegal according to our rules. There is other tricks but I am not saying what they are. And there is books on the subject at your council office. 🙂

    You need to explain the rules to the boys and explain why the rules are there.

  7. I would like to thank Mr. Rober for sharing his speed tips and expaining the science behind each one. Very interesting!
    More importantly, I would like to thank him for pointing out which tips may be illegal! So it is very important that each Pinewood Derby participant be aware of the rules for their Pack’s race (and District race, too)! It would be a shame for a Scout to have his car disqualified because he followed some illegal procedure when building his car!

  8. EG Cub Scout // December 23, 2014 at 6:59 pm // Reply

    I know a nother way you can win but i am not telling you.

  9. EG Cub Scout // December 17, 2014 at 4:29 pm // Reply

    This will be helpful I have one in March 2015

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