Pinewood Derby Cars | Maximum Velocity (2024)

Pinewood Derby Cars | Maximum Velocity (1)

Racing pinewood derby cars is a fun pastime enjoyed by thousands of people. Originating in the 1950s by the Boy Scouts of America, pinewood derby racing is a fun, friendly way to enjoy competition with your friends, family, church, or neighbors. Maximum Velocity is here to guide you through the world of pinewood derby!

If you are ready to purchase your first kit and begin the fun of building pinewood derby cars, be sure to check out our collection of valuable resources and products to ensure your next car reaches maximum velocity!

Easy Way To Build Fast Pinewood Derby Cars

The large number of products available for building a pinewood derby car can be very overwhelming. Which is why at Maximum Velocity, we’ve put together comprehensive car kits and bundles to help you save time and tool investment. Each car body is precision cut and accommodates the maximum weight at the proper position. Our Pre-Cut Kits come complete with car bodies based on winning designs. Each body also features pre-cut or drilled axle holes or slots depending on the specific design.

Kit Bundles take the car kits a step further, and include everything you need to build a competitive car. Take the guesswork out of what makes for a winning design! Each bundle comes complete with a Pre-Cut Kit, weights, prepared BSA wheels, lube and axles. Don’t be overwhelmed by sifting through countless types of grooved or smooth axles, molded wheels or weight kits. Instead, purchase one of our kits or bundles and rest assured that your finished design will be a winner!

If you do want to build your pinewood derby car from scratch, we recommend that you visit our “first timer” page for purchasing pinewood derby cars to see what recommended products suite your style. Make your pinewood derby cars go fast! Choose Maximum Velocity.

Purchase Pinewood Derby Cars from the Experts

With over twenty years of experience in pinewood derby, we possess the valuable insight you need to excel at your next competition. If you’re wondering why you should choose to purchase your pinewood derby cars from us, there are many reasons.

Pinewood Derby Cars | Maximum Velocity (2)

First, we keep the interest of the customer in mind by not selling you products that you don’t need. Many pinewood derby products on the market today either provide you no benefit or even slow your car down. Banners, flags and pennants may add some fun flair to your piece, but you may not be aware that the added wind resistance can cause your car to perform poorly! And some lubricants – like Dry White – actually gunk up your axles. Using a high-purity graphite is the best way to properly lubricate your car for maximum speed. We only recommend products that are needed to satisfy competition regulations or that can be used to prime your pinewood derby car for first place. We even offer comprehensive car plans that contain three race-winning designs so that you can come to each competition prepared to place.

Second, we have extensive experience and knowledge in building and racing pinewood derby cars, and we would love to share it with you. Randy Davis, founder of Maximum Velocity, became involved in pinewood derby when his children began participating in the competitions at their church. After noticing that a few families consistently raced fast cars, Randy put his background in engineering to use, figuring out the mechanics behind what makes a competitive derby car. For over twenty years, he has been providing valuable insight into the successful techniques used to create fast pinewood derby cars. By offering insightful information and high-quality products, tools and supplies, we’ve been able to help hundreds of children and their parents or mentors to enjoy the act of building cars together.

Third, we understand that you would like your order right away. This is why we expedite every order. Depending on the time of day the order is placed, we will either ship it same day or the next business day. Even better, we don’t charge a fee for expediting orders!

Trust The Experts!

At Maximum Velocity, our mission is to help children and their parents to build high-performance pinewood derby cars, and to have fun in the process. We strive to provide our customers with quality products and customer service at a competitive price. And though we can’t guarantee that your car with will a trophy, we can guarantee that you’ll be completely satisfied with our products and service. Contact us today to learn more!

Pinewood Derby Cars | Maximum Velocity (2024)

FAQs

What is a good speed for a pinewood derby car? ›

How fast do these things go, anyway? The distribution plot below shows a range of speeds from 177 mph to 229 mph, with most cars exceeding 200 mph.

What is the fastest design for a pinewood derby car? ›

To go fast, it's all about aerodynamics, and the best shape is a simple wedge. Just like a spoiler on the rear of a sports car, the wedge shape allows as much air to flow over the top of the car without hinderance while keeping the car pinned to the track.

Is it better to put weight on top or bottom of pinewood derby car? ›

Most PWD experts believe a car is faster when the weight is predominately placed towards the rear of the car. Why? Because most tracks are designed so a car rolls down the track on an incline from a height of 3.5 feet -‐ 4.5 feet before traveling down a long flat stretch.

Should I bake my Pinewood Derby block? ›

You'll want to help your Scout by baking the block in an oven at 250 degrees for one hour. Let the block cool overnight. Then, weigh the block quickly and accurately with a Pinewood Derby scale. Evaporating the water inside the wood allows you to distribute the weight differently, ideally toward the car's rear.

Can a Pinewood Derby car be too light? ›

First, the basics: Your car should weigh as much as it's allowed. In most races, a Pinewood Derby car's weight is limited to 5 ounces. If your car weighs less than that, add coins or other weights.

What was the fastest derby? ›

Fastest Kentucky Derby: 1 minute, 59.40 seconds. Fastest Preakness Stakes: 1 minute, 53 seconds. Fastest Belmont Stakes: 2 minutes, 24 seconds.

What is outlaw Pinewood Derby? ›

An Outlaw Derby is a Pinewood Derby with rules that are either identical or more lenient than the standard scout rules. It is generally done so that other family members besides the Cub Scout can build a car and enjoy the Pinewood Derby experience.

How to increase the speed of a pinewood derby car? ›

5 Quick & Easy Tips For Improving Your Pinewood Derby Car's Speed
  1. Put all of your weight in the back. ...
  2. Lube the car at the body/wheel friction point. ...
  3. Spend a fair amount of time on axle prep. ...
  4. Make sure your wheels are ready. ...
  5. Finally, once your wheels are mounted, check their alignment.
Feb 25, 2009

Are longer Pinewood Derby cars faster? ›

For pinewood derby cars, extending the wheelbase provides an advantage due to the following reasons: On Ramp-flat tracks2, best speed is attained by locating the center of gravity (COG) of the car as far back as possible while still maintaining stability (typically this is about one inch in front of the rear axle).

Is the wedge the fastest pinewood derby car? ›

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.

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.

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.

Is it legal to add weight to a Pinewood Derby car? ›

For most derbies, your car must be built with the parts found in the official BSA Grand Prix Pinewood Derby® kit - the wooden block, official BSA® wheels, and axles. Paint, decorations, decals, and weights can be added as long as the final car stays under five ounces.

What are good Pinewood Derby times? ›

Pinewood Derby Results. The average times with just weight added was 3.288 seconds. There was 0.188 seconds between the fastest and slowest car, about 23 inches. The average time was 2.994 seconds, about 44 inches faster than without graphite (0.353 seconds).

Does more weight make a Pinewood Derby car faster? ›

Aerodynamics have little effect in such a short race, but weight does and putting the weight at the back of the car will make your car faster on the flat of the track. Tungsten weights, in most cases, are best because of their high density. Lube the car at the body/wheel friction point.

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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