The Pinewood Derby is an annual event that cub scouts across the United States take part in. They design their own small derby cars from blocks of wood, attach the wheels, decorate them, and then participate in the race against other cub scouts. There are set specifications for derby cars though, and one of those specifications is a maximum weight of 5 ounces. There are several steps that can be taken to add weights to your derby car to make it faster, and they can be found in the steps within this article. Show
Purchase pre-made weights from your local boy scout store, or order them online here http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=CRAFTS&C3=DERBIES&C4=&LV=3&item=7602&prodid=7602^8^01RTL&. These weights are a set 2.3 ounces, and have pre-made holes with screws included for easy installation. Simply drill the weights into the underside of your finished car and you are good to go. More methods for attaching weights can be found in the other steps. Choose some bullet shaped fishing weights, in a weight measurement that is right for your car. You will need two weights, and you will need to remember that you want to get your car as close to 5 ounces without going over as possible. So if your car is already 3 ounces, you will want to choose bullet shaped weights that are 1 ounce each, these can be found in the sporting goods section of almost any store. Drill two holes in the back of your Pinewood Derby car. Do not drill the holes on the underside of the car, but on the back, so the weights that will be placed there will resemble mufflers. Do not make the holes too large, you want the bullet shaped weights to fit nicely within the holes, but have about half of the weight sticking out once glued into place. Place some super glue or wood craft glue into the two holes that you have just drilled on the back of your car, and insert the bullet weights securely into place. Put the car on a flat surface, and allow it to sit still until the weights have dried into place. In the following steps you will learn about one more method of adding weights to your Pinewood Derby car. Gather some loose change. You can use various different coins to add a different amount of weight. You can add quarters, dimes, pennies, or nickels, to come as close to the 5 ounces that you are allowed. Glue the coins in one flat layer along the underside of your derby car using super glue or wood craft glue. Do not make a double layer of coins on the underside of the car, as the car has to clear the track when it competes in the derby race. Visit the resources below for more information on Pinewood Derby cars. Things You'll Need:
TipDo not make a double layer of coin weights under your car, or your car will not clear the track. Use weights to decorate your derby car and make it look more authentic. Warnings:
Resources
Warnings
Writer Bio Based in Florida, Kathleen Bunn has been working as a professional writer since 2006. She holds and associate's degree in elementary education from Tallahassee Community College, as well as an x-ray technician's license from Keiser College. Machine Envy, LLC is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the Boy Scouts of America. Pinewood Derby® is a registered trademark of Boy Scouts of America. Derby Worx® is a registered trade mark of Derby Worx, Inc. Rail Rider™ is a registered trademark of Derby Worx, Inc. Awana® is a Registered Trademark of Awana Clubs International. Machine Envy, LLC is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the Awana Clubs International. is important because you want the longest possible push time while balancing stability. The further back you can move the weight distribution, the more kinetic energy your car stores up, which in turn translates into more push down the track. Because there are MANY more factors involved making a Pinewood Derby® car, there are many more articles to read. This article is only going to address the issue of weight.ITEMS NEEDED
Center of Mass — Gravity Pinewood Derby® CarWhat is COG?It is an important function in building a pinewood Derby® car. COG is the balance point of your car. This will be measured by using the ruler. the balance point where the car can balance on its edge is referred to the Center of Mass / Gravity.WHY is COG important?Putting Pinewood Derby® Car Weight randomly on your PWD car is not the key to getting the most out of your build. Center of gravity placement should be between 1⁄2″ – 1″ in front of the rear axle. This is true for all wheel base types. Whether you are using a standard wheelbase or an extended wheelbase. This has been determined not by mathematical formula, but by the PWD junkies with thousands of builds underneath their belts. Take notice of one particular detail. Type of pinewood derby car weight. It will not matter if your weight is lead or tungsten to achieve a fast car. Tungsten does not make a car faster per se, but it does allow more energy to be stored. So if you are on a budget and you have $24 to spend between tungsten weight or lighter wheels. The wheels will make your car much faster than the tungsten weight. If every car has the same wheels, the same axles, the car body and your car has tungsten your should be faster.Why the hype for Tungsten Car WeightsWhat tungsten does is allow you to place more Pinewood Derby Car Weight in the same amount of space which will yield more energy if placed further to the rear. For COG, Weight is Weight. The maximum weight is 5 oz. COG does not care whether it is wood, steel, lead or tungsten. Before spending all your available funds on just Pinewood Derby Car Weight, please understand this statement. FOR all my builds, I use lead as primary weight. Weight pocket (meaning how big a hole is drilled for lead) depends on car design. Small profiles will need larger pockets to offset their reduction in wood weight. Using tungsten putty, you can fine tune our balance point. If two car body builds are identical, except one uses lead, while the other one uses tungsten – the tungsten has an advantage if the wheels are the same. If the car builds are the same, and one uses lighter wheels. Whoever uses lighter wheels will have the advantage. Yea those 6 grams taken off those wheels mean all the advantage in the world and will beat a Type of Pinewood Derby Car Weight any day of the week.Where to make the Balance Point of Pinewood Derby Car WeightsThis balancing point (COG) will differ from car to car due to design, type of weight, type of wood, etc. The first thought that comes to mind is that the most potential energy would be a weighted rear bumper. This will not give you the fastest car. (Actually this type of weight placement will give the car too much push and will cause your car to fishtail down the flat of the track.) Putting the weight on the front, although gets you a slightly quicker start down the curve, does not prove to be the best weight placement for the remaining flat portion of the track. The closer to a 1/2″ COG (in front of the rear axle), the more potential for a faster car. From my experience, the closer the COG to the rear of the car, the more time it will take to tune it to its fastest speeds. For your first build, I suggest a 1″ COG. It will give you a more stable ride and will require less tuning time. This COG is good for wood tracks or tracks that are very uneven at the seams / section junctions. For a preliminary run at things, cut out your body. Sand it to near final sanding. Drill out the holes for your Pinewood Derby Car Weight. If you are using the solid plate lead weights, it will be more difficult to distribute weight to obtain the proper COG. I am a big fan of 1× 3⁄8″ hole drilled behind the rear axle, with 2× 3⁄8″ holes in front of the rear axle as close as you can get them. Then adding 1⁄4″ weights. If your build can accommodate 5⁄8″ holes, that would only require a hole in front of and behind the rear axle using 1⁄2″ weights.Pinewood Derby Car Weight – Best place for weight for Pinewood derby carCompletely stuff the rear hole – Always! This hole should always have the most amount of Pinewood Derby Car Weight. It will yield a faster body design. Next, take your scale, and then temporarily place the remaining weight on top of the car body. Add whatever Pinewood Derby Car Weight to the scale to see what you have to work with. From there you can determine if you have enough pocket space to make things work. For factory wheels, I suggest bringing the overall weight of the body to 125 grams of weight. Just a little bit heavier 128 – 129 grams for weight reduced wheels.Next start the balancing game.Take a ruler, attach it to some sort of base so that it can rest on the edge side up. Mark the range of 1⁄2″-1″ in front of the rear axle of your completed car, then start the balancing game. Add Pinewood Derby Car Weight to the front two pockets until you can get your car to balance on its own within that range. Use your best judgement. Some builders even drill multiple holes in the bottom of the car and use a good chunk of tungsten putty for final adjustments. By leaving the last ounce of ballast you can easily move the COG to the proper location. If you bring your car up to a higher weight, the less ballast material you have to adjust your COG. So it is a true balance game that is unique to each build. There are no wrong ways. Congrats, you now have the knowledge on where to place your weight and how to get it adjusted so that you have the best advantage.Where do you put the weights in a pinewood derby car?Best Location to Weight Your Pinewood Derby Car
When deciding on where to weight your car, you should try to reach a final balance point of the car 1 inch or less in front of the rear axle. To achieve this, place 2/5 of the added weight behind the rear axle, and the remaining 3/5 in front of the rear axle.
Can you use weights on a pinewood derby car?In most races, a Pinewood Derby car's weight is limited to 5 ounces. If your car weighs less than that, add coins or other weights.
What kind of weights can I use on a pinewood derby car?Tungsten is the best weight for your pine derby car because it allows you to pack more weight in a smaller area giving you more flexibility in your car design and more accurate weight placement for speed. Package contains eight 3/8" diameter cylinders with chamfored edges for easy insertion.
Should a pinewood derby car be light or heavy?8. Add Weight: Remember to make your Pinewood Derby car as heavy as the rules allow. In general, it's best to place weight to the rear of your car because a heavier rear increases speed.
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Can you put weights under a pinewood derby car?
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