Pinewood Derby Q&A

What is the best car design, to win the pinewood derby in cub scouts?

Public Comments

1. I have seen many designs win the race, but what thay had in common is not the design. The wheels should be lightly sanded so all bumps are off but are still round, all wheels should be touching the track, and the weight should be at the max, equally distributed, and no oil on the wheels (use powdered grafite).
2. I agree with Father fixit, the other elements all work in conjunction with the design. But to simply answer you question, a majority of the time it is the wedge that wins. The wedge will win IF you have max weight distributed near the center of gravity, your wheels must be balanced and aligned, you must lubricate with graphite. It also depends on your track. Our Pack track is aluminum and very fast. The district track was wooden with a different slope. So even though we took 1st in the Tiger Den, 4th in the pack, we actually ended up beating the other 3 boys from the pack at districts because of the different track. So, again all the above factor into making a fast car. More than anything....the design YOU choose and YOU work on with your adult partner is the BEST design you could ask for. After all it is about having fun and spending time together. Winning is just the icing on the cake. :-) And there is a saying in boy scouts...CHARACTER COUNTS. Good luck on your car.