Brakes?

[Dthebassmaster]

Hi everyone! Newbie here. This site is almost as addicting as PWD racing. This is my son's third year of PWD. After winning the pack championship last year and doing better than expected at districts, we really got the itch!

I have a question on a braking system for our car. The pack runs a 42' aluminum track with a very short stop section. They tie a pillow at the end of the stop section and the cars usually end up slamming into the pillow and wedging themselves between the track and the pillow. My concern is about maintaining alignment as the car continues to slam into the pillow. Should we put some kind of a braking system on the car? My thought is having some sand paper at the bottom so it'll start slowing down once it hits the stop section. Although it won't stop the car from hitting the pillow, perhaps it can slow it down some? Any thoughts?

Thanks all,
D

 

[HurriCrane Racing]

I would avoid the sandpaper on the bottom of the car. It will tear up the foam in the stop section.
I would also drill the front axels a little farther back to leave a "bumper" on the car. This will take some of the stress and impact off the wheels. Last, I would glue the axels in with wood glue. This will mean that a K house groove will be a good idea to help in removing the wheels later.

 

[Kinser Racing]

I would avoid the sandpaper on the bottom of the car. It will tear up the foam in the stop section.
I would also drill the front axels a little farther back to leave a "bumper" on the car. This will take some of the stress and impact off the wheels. Last, I would glue the axels in with wood glue. This will mean that a K house groove will be a good idea to help in removing the wheels later.

+1

 

[Dthebassmaster]

Thanks, Hurricane! Pack rules don't allow us to move the wheelbase back, but you helped me to easily save my wheels even after gluing the axles in place. My next search will be how to make a k house groove. I better go find some old axles to practice on.

 

[bracketracer]

Maybe instead of sandpaper, try Shoe Goo back under the weights?

http://www.pinewoodderbyonline.com/post/show_single_post?pid=1279383747&postcount=14

 

[twistediron]

Super glue the front of the car this will make your bumper are very durable to shock from the stop section it stiffens the grain of the wood, a liberal coating , sand down the rough spots and paint or cover..

 

[GravityX]

I think keeping the stop section strips clean is very important. When the stop section strips get dirty it loses its effectiveness. I had suggested, some time ago, that cleaning the stop section strips with a lint roller helps keep them clean. Another thing that crossed my mind was, are they running graphite cars on this track? They may be "lubricating" the stop section with graphite, inadvertently, rendering the effectiveness of the strips.

 

[Dthebassmaster]

I agree that the stop strips should be kept clean. It's extremely short - maybe 2 feet before the pillow stop. We'll just have to deal with it. I guess everyone is dealing with the same thing so no advantage is gained or lost unless we lose a wheel... or four.

 

[derbychip]

Yes as mentioned, stop sections rubber looses its effectiveness. You can buy replacement rubber fairly cheap through best track... If its much of a concern, you could always get pack to replace or you could donate new rubber.

 

[BulldogRacing]

Buy new rubber like derby chip said and build them a stop section out of wood, and glue the new rubber on! Better then a pillow, LOL!

 

[Maglev]

For our pack and district scout races we wrap a thick XL bath towel around the back end of the stop section and then tuck it under the stop section - works better than a pillow as the added gradient helps slow down the fastest cars and traps them under the towel. The fastest cars go under the towel but are held there secure, be careful while removing. Best solution is to buy two stop sections and arrange them in tandem for hte pack/district race. There is always a lot of space in the gym/church hall.

 

[Dthebassmaster]

Maglev, you just reminded me what happened last year at the practice session. The pack sets up the track a week in advance for practice runs and fine tuning. It's an open session where anyone can come in. The boys retrieve their own cars from under the pillow. A few overzealous boys started grabbing other cars and yanking them out from under the pillow - grabbing them by the wheels, pulling them sideways and whatnot. One father-son team had a very fast car that fell victim to another kid grabbing it. It ended up getting dropped! That car never ran the same again. This year, I may voluntarily print some signs that tell them to only handle their own cars. Maybe my concern should be over other boys handling my son's car and stop worrying about the pillow.

Thanks again, everyone!