Knowing how and putting the time in to build a car can give you a huge advantage over the rest. Esp if you start drilling holes vs using the slots. I helped some parents with their kids cars and the ones who drilled holes were faster. Then if you sand/polish your axles that also wins you a lot. Our pack is not that hardcore and most parents/scouts don't put that much time in to increase speed. I think that even if a parent decided to use an illegal wheel they might still not win because they didn't build the car very well. We have won our pack 4 times, sometimes with a big margin, and no doubt some parents would think we have cheated, but in truth we always stick to the rules. We get close to the limits of the rules but never cross them. My main concern is at the district level, we are not allowed to remove weight from inside the wheel, and we have someone knowledgeable checking the wheels, however I wonder if he would pick up on the cheetah or similar lighter wheels, esp with the volume of cars he needs to check. I see the difference but will he look for it? However I refuse to cheat just because someone else might cheat.
I agree! No one wins when you cheat, not worth it and teaches your kids a poor lesson.
That’s awesome you have won 4 years in a row! I’ve worried about the same thing this year, people thinking we cheated. 2 finishes in the top 4 does seem unlikely and can look fishy! But I can honestly say it wasn’t from cheating or other such means. We put hours into research and building until we found out what worked for us! I plan on having a repeat next year. With such strict rules, proper prep can be your only advantage, so that’s what we focused on.
We have a great pack full of upstanding people, so I don’t think anyone cheated! And our pack is great at providing the help needed for all the basics to get a fast car. Everyone is presented with information and demonstrations on debuting axles, COG, etc.
I just think some scouts/parents put in more time. Some do the basics. Some do nothing at all. Interestingly, here is a breakdown of times.
49 foot Besttrack.
3.67-3.71 range - 8 cars
3.73-3.75 range - 50 cars
3.76 plus range - 42 cars
It’s just interesting to me how there is that big gap between the fastest 8 and the other cars. There were a few that hit times in between, but average that’s the gap! My guess is the top 8 went above and beyond with research and prep. Cars in the middle did what was presented to them...debur, weight, etc... at the pack PWD work day. The final group assembled there cars.
Keep in mind, these are rough estimates.
