Oil confusion

[Papa V Racing]

I have read many topics and claims on different forums.... I have to use common sense to research everything before starting. With that being said I have to come to my own conclusion as who to go with and products to purchase. I know there are allot of good racers out there prepping cars how they will & with methods they may or may not share. That is fine, part of the hobby is to build and test, research and log the information of what worked and didn't work. If there is a system that works and you can afford it follow it... I am the type of guy that will follow a system that has been proven and work on the finer things eventually. I want to be able to do my own wheels & axles as I have to use what tools, equipment I have. Buying these items in the beginning is not going to happen. I will get the basic items to get going and as time and $$ allow get the better stuff I will. As I begin to race I will learn to improve in time. I personally can look past the Who Did what and Why, if I can't then I would never be able to decide on where to be. I can make an educated decision and be happy with it and not worry about the Drama.

Like with any Hobby it started somewhere and it evolves as people want to expand and improve it. Some more than others as the competition in the past had to be intense and looks like with some it created allot of issues as your read each forum.
I am not judging anyone on any forum as I am new and want to be able to talk to all and see what is out there. Again Common sense and my ability to understand things will allow me to do what I am truly out to do. Race and learn to become better.

DD4H has a big following as he has put in time for Research and Development to do something that others tried. If one reads his Sites testimonies of many people that bought his products and that they are current racers or racers dads. It is because the time spent doing what he did with the things he learned and tried to improve through out the years . I personally do not Know John or most racers on here but in my conversations with guys John is WELL RESPECTED!! He has done things for the hobby, his customers, as he built his reputation to where it is today. I have had talks with new guys that bought items from others that had issues and with John's no issues. So to me this speaks even higher volumes to me as I am in the right spot. I have not gone out and bought any other products to do my own self test and I won't if there is a system that works use it. If you are not wanting to try it don't. Not one person has pushed me to buying John's products, they have told me that the system works and it will save money in the long run and to research everything out there. Now that tells me they Believe and follow John's methods and they are doing it every race.

I am a new guy here and I can say that I have faith in my choices I have made here... I hope to be able to do the things I want in this hobby..

 

[Shade Racing]

While yall are talking about the (History of Oil) I have a little something to share. Carolina & myself became friends through racing at the District Level when our boys were Cub Scouts. He offered the use of his track to test my sons cars & we began to be close friends. We would talk & share ideas; tune & test together ever chance we got. Carolina would play we a car with oil & run one not all the time in the pure stock class at PDDR. He would always have better luck with oil on a car with heaver wheels & run graphite in the others. He step away from oil for a while & play around with different type of graphite for more speed; then when John (DD4H know as La Sound back then) started ECD & had the 1st pinewood derby national race in Greensboro N.C.; Carolina tested a car again with oil & saw some good speed so he tried some of his other cars with the same results. He just new La & the Jewkes would have something up their sleeve that would out run him in that race, but he ran every well in nationals that year winning 4 titles. That started the need for speed with oil, which DD4H mastered & had Carolina & myself scratching our heads. In my opinion Carloina's speed came from paying attention to cleanliness of his axles, wheel bores,& use of the selvyt cloth. Those where the days.

Oh by the way Carolina's special blend of oil he ran was straight Krytox. he did try different types of oil, but nothing that could give him that extra edge.

 

[W racing]

Oh by the way Carolina's special blend of oil he ran was straight Krytox. he did try different types of oil, but nothing that could give him that extra edge.

WoW!!! That is a secret I thought I would never know...

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

Oh by the way Carolina's special blend of oil he ran was straight Krytox. he did try different types of oil, but nothing that could give him that extra edge.

WoW!!! That is a secret I thought I would never know...

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

V my biggest problem with a few of these Snivics is that they will preach "we all work together" when they have no idea what to do but as soon as they get help then improve it they clam up and never offer anything they figure out. This same group had no problems posting everything we figured out all over the place but cry and whine when they get called out. The longer you race you will figure out exactly who will do this to you but I could save all the new guys a lot of time by making a list for them. It is funny how fast the sweet sharing at PWDR ended. NPWDRL RULES!

I have read many topics and claims on different forums.... I have to use common sense to research everything before starting. With that being said I have to come to my own conclusion as who to go with and products to purchase. I know there are allot of good racers out there prepping cars how they will & with methods they may or may not share. That is fine, part of the hobby is to build and test, research and log the information of what worked and didn't work. If there is a system that works and you can afford it follow it... I am the type of guy that will follow a system that has been proven and work on the finer things eventually. I want to be able to do my own wheels & axles as I have to use what tools, equipment I have. Buying these items in the beginning is not going to happen. I will get the basic items to get going and as time and $$ allow get the better stuff I will. As I begin to race I will learn to improve in time. I personally can look past the Who Did what and Why, if I can't then I would never be able to decide on where to be. I can make an educated decision and be happy with it and not worry about the Drama.

Like with any Hobby it started somewhere and it evolves as people want to expand and improve it. Some more than others as the competition in the past had to be intense and looks like with some it created allot of issues as your read each forum.
I am not judging anyone on any forum as I am new and want to be able to talk to all and see what is out there. Again Common sense and my ability to understand things will allow me to do what I am truly out to do. Race and learn to become better.

DD4H has a big following as he has put in time for Research and Development to do something that others tried. If one reads his Sites testimonies of many people that bought his products and that they are current racers or racers dads. It is because the time spent doing what he did with the things he learned and tried to improve through out the years . I personally do not Know John or most racers on here but in my conversations with guys John is WELL RESPECTED!! He has done things for the hobby, his customers, as he built his reputation to where it is today. I have had talks with new guys that bought items from others that had issues and with John's no issues. So to me this speaks even higher volumes to me as I am in the right spot. I have not gone out and bought any other products to do my own self test and I won't if there is a system that works use it. If you are not wanting to try it don't. Not one person has pushed me to buying John's products, they have told me that the system works and it will save money in the long run and to research everything out there. Now that tells me they Believe and follow John's methods and they are doing it every race.

I am a new guy here and I can say that I have faith in my choices I have made here... I hope to be able to do the things I want in this hobby..

 

[rookie]

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing. I stumbled on this place by accident about a year ago and almost never found it. I knew nothing about PWD cars and was just looking to help my kids with theirs. At the time, I never really knew how much testing and work was required to make a car fast. This thread helps me understand.

Looking back, I am amazed at how much people here shared to help some clueless rookie build a very fast car. Not even close to competitive with the champs, but very fast for scouts. Kinser, one of the fastest racers out there was very patient and helpful. I'm glad to see him back here again.

Unfortunately, like any PWD novice when you type in Pinewood Derby in Google (at least last year), John's sites were way down the list, so I ended up at the higher listed sites and bought a bunch Derby Worx stuff before I came here. Fortunately, I did not get rooked into too many jigs and axle bending tools and wheel shavers, etc. I almost bought the super deluxe kit! I did end up buying some wheels, axles and tools though.

I have since bought a bunch of stuff from DD4H, including the DVD, wheels, car kits, axles, oil, etc. I'm not a pro, but IMHO, the stuff I got from DD4H was just better. Even though they may be a couple bucks more (anyone with Google knows this), I think they are worth it and I think there is more innovation here. I can buy anywhere and I have no particular reason to buy from DD4H, except that I think it allows me to make faster cars. I suck at the oil process, but will still keep trying....

I have no bone in the PWDR, NPWDRL thing, but as and interested observer, I did note the fastest racers at PWDR were mid pack at the last NPWDRL.

Just one last thing: John you need to get your sites higher up the Google search results. It would save parents a lot of grief and money.

 

[Mr Chips Racing]

I love this posting. It tells it exactly how it is. Being a Utah boy I thought I would get some help from the Jewkes and to my surprize 4 years ago.... I was totally on my own. It took a trip to Carolina to visit John to get my 1st taste of success with his willingness to help. Now he is a Utah boy and we are great friends. I have heard it all. I've seen the magic happen. After 4 years in this league I still can't get it quite right but I know where the problem lies. It has been so fun to see people advance and to see others leave. This league is so much fun. I hate soap opera's but there are times when some guys have an over active amount of drama. The info that is available now is unbelieveable. How to burnish in graphite was a huge seceret back in the day. The oil..... I saw hundreds of cans wrapped in foil to cover what the contents really were. Polishes, everyone was on their own. Today I believe many racers use a version of John's oil process. Some work, some don't. Believe me when I say that I have tried dozens of things looking for the next best thing. Funny thing is, its been tried by others and although fast, not the fastest out there. There are so many posers and whiners. After 4 years do I hold any titles? Nope but I am not a cub scout crying. I build and race because I enjoy it. My time will come when I can be a top contender if I just apply the knowledge I have and not do the short cuts which have cost me. The fact is this is the ONLY place that has the largest percentage of honest racers. I have said it in other postings and I will say it again. I am happy to help. I will not tune your car but pm me if you have questions and I am certain you will advance by speaking with me. Keep in mind. I do spend a good amount of time at the Rocky Mountain Raceway. Haven't any of you questioned why DD4H isn't racing this season? Ha I do. Something is cooking up in the kitchen of DD4H and ya'll just wish you knew what is brewing. Stay tuned but like every racer, there are some things that just don't come out too quickly.

 

[Dixie Derby Dude]

Insightful thread,glad I found this place and really glad I live in Utah..the warmer end of the state though!

Sounds like Utah might be the hot bed of PWD.

Anyways,reading about who did or didn't come with an idea/technique,
reminds of my drag racing days.....just on a less expensive scale.
GOOD STUFF!

 

[MBL Racing]

Wow, just found this thread. Thanks John for sharing some of that inside info on the recent history of PWD . Like in many industries, there will be front runners and innovators then there are copycats or those who ride someone else's coat tails (put their name on a slight variation or even an exact copy of something) and try to make a buck off the success of the originator.

Anyway I said all of that to say thanks again for all you've done and continue to give to this sport. Without it I wouldn't have had the joy of lifting some big trophies last Sat at our pack championship. I can't wait for future breakthroughs.

Mark