All the Scout races in our area won't let you doing any real work on the inner or outer hub or use non-BSA axles, so that's how we always raced and those I have helped since. I never did a comparison though, the rules were clear, so it didn't matter how fast another way was.
5Kids, have you seen any written rules for this Scout ? Unfortunately many Packs leave too much to interpretation, have unenforceable rules, etc. Is there anything written down ?? First suggestion would always be to try to find out in advance, hopefully with an email that can be their documentation. Opa's suggestion might work (mount the aggressive option, bag and carry along the conservative option), though I hate to see a Scout have to change parts during inspection - I would think it would carry a negative stigma for the Scout.
My first suggestion though for Scout races where they can't run machined wheels is to find some of the original Big Rig wheels. These were the original mold production and MUCH better than those after, especially those from last year which looked like JUNK. We had gotten some early-on BSA samples around the time they made the Big Rig wheels and they were FAR superior than what came even a year later. Most of these wheels had really good slow spin results which I believe correlated to being in good balance (and always were faster for us than those that didn't spin as well). Not many people have the little balance tool though.
I am not totally following the polishing bob discussion, because it would seem to me that this leaves more of the outside step. John's wheels and any other good ones have a concave surface so that the contact point is in the center where the least losses will occur. Whatever they do, you have to pair the nail head treatment with the wheel hub treatment.
