When designing and building a pinewood derby car, if you want the fastest speeds, builders need to reduce friction to attain the highest rates. In order to reduce the levels of friction, and to ensure the fastest speeds when you are building a pinewood derby car, there are a few things which must be considered in the building process. From the wheels used, the type of lubrication used, the size, weight, and various other factors and elements must be taken in to consideration when building the pinewood derby car in order to ensure the fastest speeds on the track.

First off, the lubrication used will help eliminating the amount of friction in the car. By lubricating the two surfaces, this is going to eliminate the friction, and create a fast pinewood derby car. Using a graphite based lubrication, and placing it on the axles and in the wheel’s bore, will help eliminate the higher levels of friction. Another good lubrication base is nyoill if it can be found in your local store. The right derby axles are another component to consider. The most friction occurs between the axles and the where the wheels meet. For this reason, the axle has to be as smooth as possible to ensure lower amounts of friction. Using sand paper or a sanding machine is a great way to smooth out the axles when building the pinewood derby car.

The proper derby wheels are also a component to the car. Making sure there are no imperfections, bumps, or divets, will ensure the smoothest wheel base. So, sanding down the wheels, and making sure they are fully rounded all the way around the wheels, is an essential piece to reducing friction. Additionally, by eliminating any imperfections, it will help ensure the pinewood derby car stays straight on its path. The weight should also be considered. A pinewood derby car which is between 4 to 6 ounces in weight should be the ideal weight. If there is more weight, this will add the inertia and force on the flat surfaces of the course, and in turn will help increase speeds.

Making sure the car always goes straight is also essential. If the car is going left or right, the axles may be crooked, or the wheels may have imperfections on them. Therefore, adjusting all of these things prior to entering the pinewood derby car in a race, is going to ensure the quickest speeds on the course as well. Additionally, this step will allow you to add lubrication, check the weight, and make sure all other aspects of the pinewood derby car are as perfect as can be, prior to entering it in a race.

By considering all of these steps, and making sure the least amount of friction is found between the wheels and axles of your pinewood derby car, is the most important step to building a faster pinewood derby car. So, checking all these steps in the building process, will ensure the quickest speeds on the track.

Revell Dragster Pinewood Derby Car Kit DerbyMax.com

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