9 Powerful Pinewood Derby Car Designs Templates - Template Hq (2024)

Pinewood derby is a must experience for every Boy Scouts member. Thispinewood derby cars templates refers to a racing event for unmanned mini cars with no machine. Although unpowered, the cars could move because of the gravitation law. And since this derby become popular, many organizations aside from Boy Scouts held similar events with more proper arrangement.

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Tips on Building Powerful Pinewood Derby Car

As mentioned before, the pinewood derby car 100% depend on the gravitation to move. That’s why, to get a super and powerful car, it lies on how the design could escalate the gravity effect. For that reason, here some tips you could do to build a supercar for the derby:

1. Avoid Pointed Nose Design

The first step is designing your pinewood car. To do that, you could look for some pinewood derby printable designs on the internet. Then, you can start to draw your blueprint design by combining from what you printed. One thing you have to remember, that you should avoid the pointed nose design for your car. Because pointed nose couldn’t rest well on the pin at the start line, and it could make the car bumped around at the starting of the race.

2. Wedges Design, not Rectangular

Aside from avoiding the pointed nose design, you also should avoid the rectangular ones. The reason is that rectangular is not an aerodynamic design. Thus, by using rectangular shaped would make the wind block your car move. Remember, pinewood car could run because of the gravity force by utilizing the weight and height.

3. Dry Wood

To make your super car, you have to bake the pinewood for at least, two hours. That way, all the moisture would get removed. The result of this process would make your car become lighter. Thus, you can place more weight on the rear of your car, since getting more weight on the rear would add speed.

4. Maximum Weight as Possible

In the most cast, pinewood car shouldn’t weigh more than 5 ounces. For this matter, you should maximize this allowed weight. And if your finished car weight less than that, you can add other detailed accessories that allowed to get more weight. Also, you have to make sure the rare part weight more.

5. Installing the Wheels and Axles

You have to ensure that you get the alignment straight, this to make your car run smoothly. Also, glue the axles perfectly on their holes, and be careful not to get any glue on the wheels. And there’s some expert know-how to increase your car speed performance. Try to build a three-wheeled car, by making one of the wheels slightly smaller than others. The purpose is to make it run faster by reducing friction.

And also, put the front and rear wheels as far as (allowed) possible. Don’t forget to put dry lubrication to avoid friction between the wheels and the body. That way, the wheels would rotate smoothly with minimum friction as possible.

6. Distinct Design of the Front and the Rear

In this kind of event, you don’t put your car but an official. For that reason, you have to make sure others could tell which one the front part and which one is the rear. Because in several cases, the official personal failed to notice which one is the front part and put the car backward.

Let Loose on the Design by Utilizing These Pinewood Derby Car Templates

Although it’s a pinewood car, you shouldn’t limit your creativity. Put the best design for your car to make it as cool as possible. Also, you have to create a smooth surface by sandpapering to lessen the friction. Don’t forget to put paint your supercar to make it more impressive. There are many car designs at the Pinewood Derby Cars Templates PDF files below to get some inspirations.

The pinewood derby started as a Cub Scouts activity but become popular in out of Scouts community as well. The reason is that the event is fun. Not to mention, the challenge for the imagination in building and designing for mini cars is also thrilling.

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9 Powerful Pinewood Derby Car Designs Templates - Template Hq (2024)

FAQs

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

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.

What is the best body shape 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.

What is the most aerodynamic design for a Pinewood Derby car? ›

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. Download a Pinewood Derby car template PDF to help you create your design.

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

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.

Should I bake my Pinewood Derby block? ›

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.

Do heavier Pinewood Derby cars go faster? ›

Assuming all other factors are equal, a heavier car will be faster than a lighter car. The Pinewood Derby rules limit the weight of each car to 5 ounces.

Is it better to put weight on top or bottom of Pinewood Derby car? ›

The weight should not extend past the rear of the car. Glue bottom weights to the bottom of the block to bring the total weight (including wheels and axles) to 5 oz. Install some of the weight behind the rear axle and the rest in front of the axle.

Do fenders make Pinewood Derby cars faster? ›

Fenders can help efficiently direct the air around the wheels resulting in more speed. There are a few different types of fenders: Leading Edge Fenders: These fenders are placed in front of the wheels and help direct air over them, leading to a faster car.

Should you bend Pinewood Derby axles? ›

The fastest Pinewood Derby cars steer slightly into the center rail. This helps to stabilize the car and guard against the dreaded, speed-killing wiggles. This is accomplished using a precisely bent axle on the front wheel.

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

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.

What is the best balance point for a Pinewood Derby car? ›

For smooth tracks, set the balance point at 0.75 to 1.0 inch in front of the rear axle. For rough tracks, target 1.0 to 1.50 inches in front of the rear axle.

Which wheel should be raised on Pinewood Derby car? ›

Raised Front Wheel

The wheels are a significant source of potential energy drain on a Pinewood Derby® car. Raising the non-steer wheel (typically the front left) so it does not contact the track reduces the amount of energy used to start the wheels spinning.

Is a shorter or longer Pinewood Derby car better? ›

The longer the wheel base, the greater the turning distance (a short car turns much more quickly than a long car). A pinewood derby car should go as straight as possible, so a longer wheel base is an advantage.

What are the easiest Pinewood Derby car designs? ›

If you are short on time, consider a very simple design that requires only one or two cuts. For example, the wedge shaped design only requires you to cut the block on a diagonal. Hold the block so you are looking at it from the side, then draw a line with a ruler from the bottom left to the top right. Voila, one cut.

What is the best center of gravity for Pinewood Derby? ›

Many pinewood car building experts agree that the ideal CG location is about ¾” just forward of the rear axle (assumes a standard pinewood derby car wheel base of 4 3/8”).

What is the fastest speed for a Pinewood Derby car? ›

The Speed of Pinewood Derby Cars

The distribution plot below shows a range of speeds from 177 mph to 229 mph, with most cars exceeding 200 mph.

What factors might affect the speed of a Pinewood Derby car? ›

The following parameters made pinewood derby cars faster: using graphite on the axles and wheels, using lightweight wheels and polished axles, lifting the left front wheel and bending rear axles also raised speed.

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