02
03
Pinewood Derby Stories and Photos from Maximum Velocity
04
05
15
16
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
31
32
33
34
Methods for weighting cars is a popular topic among avid pinewood derby car builders. Everyone seems to have their own favorite method of adding the weight and adjusting the weight at the weigh-in. Techniques include:
- Under weighting the car slightly, then screwing small screws into the bottom of the car until the car reaches the maximum weight.
- Overweighting the car slightly, and then removing weight with a drill (only do this is you use true 'lead' for the weight. Lead is soft enough to drill without risking serious damage to the car - don't attempt to drill excess weight from zinc weights. Also, don't plan to drill out wood to reduce weight. Wood is so light that a considerable amount must be removed to have any significant effect on the overall car weight).
- Covering a weight cavity with a removable cover. After testing the weight, remove the cover, and add/subtract weight. Use some cotton balls or other light packing material to keep the weight pieces from moving.
My favorite method is to slightly underweight the car, and then use tungsten beads to add weight to the car. The beads are placed into small holes that have been pre-drilled into the bottom of the car. Add a drop of glue into each hole that will be used, press in the beads, and the job is done.
By the way here is a little speed tip: As you know, best speed is attained from the maximum weight. If the official scale is accurate to one-tenth of an ounce, a car can weigh as much as 5.04 ounces and still register on the scale as 5.0. So add enough weight to just tip the scale to 5.1, then remove one increment of weight. This will ensure that your car weighs the maximum allowable amount.
Good luck at your race!
P.S. You can find true 'lead' weight, tungsten weight (including beads), a nice affordable postal scale, and much more at our web site:
Maximum Velocity