how to adjust from a best track to a plastic track

[nwo racing]

Hi was wondering last year we was running on best tracks at districts with center divider went on to council had plastic track with outer walls set up as a rail car for districts hurt big time at council is there any true way to help the car out from this scenerio using all of johns stuff and cant wheels and the inches in 4ft also leading at council and car just bounced off walls since couldnt rail ride boy was sad cost him a trophy any help sure would help thanks

 

[M2/S2 Racing]

If you know it's going to be the same track then set up steering to run on the side of the track. The reverse of rail running

 

[txchemist]

In general, you would have narrowed your car buy 1/16" in the front.
If you can not build a separate car for the outside rail race, get a thin 1/8" wood shim that matches the side of your car with a drill hole also matching and move your DFW out close to the limits of the allowed car width and tune it to drift opposite to what you set up for a center rail track- drift to the outside.

 

[Kinser Racing]

In general, you would have narrowed your car buy 1/16" in the front.
If you can not build a separate car for the outside rail race, get a thin 1/8" wood shim that matches the side of your car with a drill hole also matching and move your DFW out close to the limits of the allowed car width and tune it to drift opposite to what you set up for a center rail track- drift to the outside.

You have to reverse the front wheel (so you're not rail running with the outside lettering) and somehow get a spacer in between the body and DFW to keep a tight gap.

 

[Gtdhw]

You have to reverse the front wheel (so you're not rail running with the outside lettering) and somehow get a spacer in between the body and DFW to keep a tight gap.

We have the same track at our pack race. For my Scout's cars that are competing, the rules state "All four wheels touching & flat across the tread". Here's the kicker, also in the rules "No rail riding". I asked about this, and pointed out how easy it would be to use stock non-straight axles, and have drift one direction or another, by pure luck. I asked what happens in the case that a car drift/rail rides just by luck? I was told by the "official starter" every year (assistant Scoutmaster) that "Well, we'll keep our eyes on the competitive cars, and if we see any of them riding a rail, we'll just use plyers and start turning axles until they don't anymore". Yikes! So naturally, we tuned the competing cars into straight runners (+/- 1/2" over 4'). I built a couple extra cars this year (pack rules compliant with the exception of straight tune). One of the cars, is identical in every way to my Tigers car, except it's set @ 4" over 4', and will ride on the outer rail. I built it specifically for a side by side race with the Tiger car, to see the difference in performance between the two. The downfall of what Kinser mentioned, is that we can't run any washers/spacers of any kind, so no reverse DFW for us, and we will be letter riding.

 

[Kinser Racing]

We have the same track at our pack race. For my Scout's cars that are competing, the rules state "All four wheels touching & flat across the tread". Here's the kicker, also in the rules "No rail riding". I asked about this, and pointed out how easy it would be to use stock non-straight axles, and have drift one direction or another, by pure luck. I asked what happens in the case that a car drift/rail rides just by luck? I was told by the "official starter" every year (assistant Scoutmaster) that "Well, we'll keep our eyes on the competitive cars, and if we see any of them riding a rail, we'll just use plyers and start turning axles until they don't anymore". Yikes! So naturally, we tuned the competing cars into straight runners (+/- 1/2" over 4'). I built a couple extra cars this year (pack rules compliant with the exception of straight tune). One of the cars, is identical in every way to my Tigers car, except it's set @ 4" over 4', and will ride on the outer rail. I built it specifically for a side by side race with the Tiger car, to see the difference in performance between the two. The downfall of what Kinser mentioned, is that we can't run any washers/spacers of any kind, so no reverse DFW for us, and we will be letter riding.

In my opinion, and I am very opinionated, this is communism! You're lucky or skilled enough to have a cookie? No cookie for you!

 

[nwo racing]

well since we cant add washers or shims or reverse wheel around do u set the steer the same over four feet going towards the wall or less than you would do going towards the rail also means would have to burnish the outside of the wheel letter to reduce friction am i right?

 

[M2/S2 Racing]

unless they have specific rules about how the car runs I would be pissed if someone started jacking with ANY car like that. I had to call a cub leader out one time because he started asking every scout how much involvement they had in the car and if he didn't think it was enough he was telling them they couldn't race. He had several boys near tears just because they didn't fit what he called "appropriate involvement" with out having it in the pack rules. This is the same pack that had a 17 page pinewood derby rule book. On one page it stated no modifications of the wheels or axles are allowed and two pages over it stated that axles can be modified.

 

[Wombatchewed]

We had the same track issue the two last years (Besttrack for pack and no center rail plastic track for the Council race). I replaced the bent steering axle with a straight axle and set the cars up to roll as straight as I could get them. We finished 1st,2nd,3rd both times. My idea was to get as much out of the straight as possible before the cars brushed the outside wall. The plastic track is junk IMO and the cars got banged up in the stop section.

 

[LightninBoy]

We have the same track at our pack race. For my Scout's cars that are competing, the rules state "All four wheels touching & flat across the tread". Here's the kicker, also in the rules "No rail riding". I asked about this, and pointed out how easy it would be to use stock non-straight axles, and have drift one direction or another, by pure luck. I asked what happens in the case that a car drift/rail rides just by luck? I was told by the "official starter" every year (assistant Scoutmaster) that "Well, we'll keep our eyes on the competitive cars, and if we see any of them riding a rail, we'll just use plyers and start turning axles until they don't anymore". Yikes!

Is this crap getting worse every year or is it just that we hear about it more because of forums like this?

 

[Crash Enburn]

17 pages?! /images/boards/smilies/eek.gif I'm sure that the bit on axles was the only contradiction in those pages. /images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif

 

[M2/S2 Racing]

it gets frustrating. I host workshops twice a year for our pack to help anyone with their cars. this last time, I had parents show up and when they found out I wasn't going to do the work for them, they left. then they are the same ones who complain. I will explain, demonstrate, guide, and enable but I will not do it for you.

it was ridicules Crash Enburn, after just a quick look through I asked my friend how many cars made it down the track (if it wasn't for them having a best track they probable wouldn't make it). Then he told me that he was at the PWD committee chairs house the night before and he was busy filling and polishing nails. go figure

 

[Wombatchewed]

The whole idea and what is cool about the Pinewood Derby in Cubscouts is creating a fun and creative environment. A project that a kid and his parents can create together and learn. I have seen some questionable wheels and axle heads that look like they didn't come in the box but I don't say anything. It's about having fun and not all about winning and who cheated etc.

 

[jrbryant68]

Here is the way I see it and I am probably going to be strung up for saying this. As adults we have learned that we don't always win. We learned that sometimes there are people who worked harder, longer and dedicated themselves to being the best at something. We learned that early on in our childhood and we grew to accept it, because that is life. I have helped my sons and daughter build cars for the last 9 years and I have a bunch of wins under my belt and I have some loses. Our pack rules are pretty stringent yet not really enforced, but our council rules are quite vague and the basics are checked. This sets up a sure defeat at district nearly every time. One of the rules is must run std wheel base at our pack and it is the same at district, however they didn't bother to check that at pack level and that car won the pack, but was not allowed to run at district. You are not allowed to run anything at either but graphite, however they don't truly check to see if there is ant graphite on or near the axle, at least giving the appearance of running graphite. there is no mention of rail riding, but you may run a bestrack at pack and then someones homemade wood track at district that causes cars to hop at every joint....

That along with a million other complaints being said, I push the rules as far as I can. If it doesn't spell it out or it is questionable as to if they might call me and my son out on it, but provides an advantage we might try it. Yes, this is a father son event, and there are clearly cars that a 7 -8 year old did not build, however they are going to compete against cars that a 12 year old did not build either. As my sons and I build cars I ask questions of them. "Why do we do this particular step?'' They need to know some of the principals, but an 8 year old cannot tune a car or get the right can't nor can most 12 year olds. We approach this as a team sport. We will work on it together they design the car with direction of cool or fast input from me.I will help or do certain things that they are not skilled enough to do. Is that cheating? I don't think so. I think we are being competitive. We will surely win some and maybe lose some, as we will all through life, with people bending pushing stretching the rules to the enth degree. They will have better equipment, better training and work harder to get where they are and they will be the ones who succeed. If we happen to be the one that is on that day great, if not we keep plugging away.

Ok I am now stepping down off my soapbox.