Keep the weight in the back....it will fall longer....it has been debated
forever...trust me....the longer the majority of the weight is falling, the
faster the car goes. Center of balance should be about 1" in front of the
rear axel...further back, and the front wheels move around too much.

Polish the axels.....to a mirror finish.

Some sites to look at....

http://goaskgrandpa.com/sample01.htm

http://pinewoodfreak.com/2006/01/04/...es-and-wheels/

http://www.three-peaks.net/pinecar.htm


"John Blinka" wrote in message
. ..
Hi,

I'm in a predicament: I helped a friend a few years ago with a
small detail on a pinewood derby car he was building with his
daughter, and he won the tournament with it! That was a fluke,
but now my kid wants to race, and you can guess what her
expectations are...

Any thoughts on how to build a fast car are welcome,
but I'm mostly interested in hearing ideas about how to prepare
the wheels and axles. The kit we have to use contains 2
steel axles of about 1/8" in diameter and four plastic wheels
whose hubs are a loose fit on the axles. Interference with
the body of the car prevents the wheel from moving axially toward
the car centerline. A plastic snap ring fitting in a groove at the
outboard end of the axle prevents the wheel from falling off
in the other direction.

Rules are nebulous. I think we're expected to use the
wheels and axles from the kit and the car can't weigh more than
8 oz. And that's it. This is a low key event, and I want this
to be a father-daughter project, so I don't want to go overboard.

What I have in mind is minimizing friction through judicious
alignment and smoothing and lubrication. Any suggestions
on how to accomplish this? What sort of lubricant should I
use?

Thanks for any and all ideas.

John Blinka