Pinewood Derby Car Wheel Alignment Tool (2024)

FAQs

How to use Pinewood Derby wheel alignment tool? ›

Push the ruled edge against the front and rear wheels on one side. Be sure that the rums of both wheels touch the ruled edge at all possible points. Holding the tool in place, pull the opposite set of wheels away from the car body and then be sure that they line up on the same lines of #4.

When inserting the wheels into the body, you want a small gap between the wheel's inner hub and the body itself. Too much gap and the wheels will move back and forth on the axles, causing the car to wiggle and lose speed. Too little space and the wheel will bind against the body.

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.

No loose materials of any kind (such as lead shot) are allowed in the car. No bent axels, and all 4 wheels need to be on the track. Once a car passes inspection and is entered into the race, only race committee members can touch it.

The rear wheels should be set at a 3-degree angle (camber). This angle reduces friction as only a tiny portion of the wheel makes contact with the track.

The easiest way to reduce friction is to lubricate the surfaces that cause friction. Lubrication is an essential part of pinewood derby racing. Purchase a tube of dry PRO Graphite with moly and shoot it onto the axle shaft and inside the wheel bore. Spin the wheel so the graphite works in.

Slide the axles and wheels onto the car and glue into place. Use an epoxy or nonresin glue, and make sure you don't get any on the surface of the axle where the wheel rides.

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.

1. Bake the Block: Start your Pinewood Derby car project by baking the wood block at 250 degrees for two hours. This removes moisture and lightens the block, allowing you to place more weight at the rear of the car where you actually want it.

How long should pinewood derby wheels spin? A long spinning wheel has less friction so the longer a wheel spins, the better. A good wheels will spin for around 20 seconds but the spin time can vary with the type of wheel, lubricant and with the amount of force used to start the spin.

What is the fastest Pinewood Derby car design? ›

It's okay to get creative with the look and design of your car. On the flip side of that, if your main goal is speed, you'll need to keep it simple. To go fast, it's all about aerodynamics, and the best shape is a simple wedge.

In general, the longer the wheelbase, the straighter the car will run, the fewer times it will bump the guide rail, and the faster it will be.

Your pinewood derby car will run faster if one of the front wheels is raised. Some race rules specify that all four wheels must touch the track so read your rules before following the steps on this page. Some blocks are slightly warped and will naturally have a raised wheel.