Printable Pinewood Derby Cars Templates - Printable Templates Web2 (2024)

FAQs

What is the best design for a Pinewood Derby car? ›

The wedge is a classic and probably the easiest shape (besides keeping a block) to build your Pinewood Derby car. The Wedge is the foundation of many cool car designs, and it is designed to be aerodynamic and is a one-cut wonder.

Length: Car cannot be more than 7 1/8 inches long. Width: Car cannot be more than 2 3/4 inches wide. Height: Car cannot be more than 3 1/8 inches tall.

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.

For example, on a smooth aluminum track, a wheelbase of 4.75” offers a good balance between speed and stability. For a rougher track where instability could be a concern, the Race Team might consider going with a 5.0” to 5.25” wheelbase. New axle holes must be made to move or extend the car's wheelbase.

Baking your Pinewood Derby wooden block helps to remove the moisture so that you have more wiggle room to add extra weight at the end. Remember, every little bit of weight in the right place makes a difference! Bake it in the oven at 250° for about 2 hours.

Only sand enough to remove imperfections and make the wheel round as possible. You can get a wheel mandrel to put the wheel in your drill at Michael's, Hobby Lobby or various other hobby supply places. Go slow if you try to sand too fast the wheel will melt.

PUT MOST OF THE WEIGHT IN THE BACK

Science says the heaviest part of your car should be about 1 inch in front of the rear axle. The idea is that the farther back the weight is, the more potential energy you have because your center of mass is higher up on the track.

Axle Location: All cars must use slot in original block of wood for axle placement. No changes in axle distance or drilling of axle holes in the side of the car with a drill press will be allowed. Axle distance is 4 3/8 inches from the center of the front axle to the center of the back axle.

The important thing (aside from shop safety) is to get the car weighing close to, but not over, 5 ounces. Some scouts add weight to their car before it is painted or decorated, and then hide the holes or cavities that contain the weight with wood putty.

Where is the best place to put weights on a Pinewood Derby car? ›

drill one or more holes in the bottom of the car just in front of the rear axle and insert enough of the Fine Tune weight to bring your car up to 5 oz. Glue the weight in the hole. 8. Add the wheels and axles to your pinewood derby car.

The most important thing for a fast pinewood derby car is true, straight wheels and axles. Next, the wheels and axles need to be as smooth (frictionless) as possible. (You often get burrs on the plastic wheels that should be sanded down.)

The front axle hole needs to be placed at a precise amount higher than the rear axle holes to eliminate the problem of the front of the car being higher than the rear. This placement ensures the rear wheels are not in a toe-in or toe-out position. The front wheel steers into the rail to stabilize the car.

Decide which wheel to lift by sending your car down a straight line and seeing which side of the line it drifts toward. If it drifts left, raise the left front wheel. If it drifts right, raise the right front wheel.

Crafting the Design: Outline your Pinewood Derby car on paper, cut it out, and affix it to the wood block. Remember, a rectangular car is not an aerodynamic design. The most basic aerodynamic design is a simple wedge. If you don't have time to design a complex car, a wedge will work just fine.

PUT MOST OF THE WEIGHT IN THE BACK

Science says the heaviest part of your car should be about 1 inch in front of the rear axle. The idea is that the farther back the weight is, the more potential energy you have because your center of mass is higher up on the track.