Hi guys,
First, I have to say thanks. I've been researching PWD stuff for a few seasons now and this forum is just the best!
My son and I run Cadet cars: screw axles with lots of slop in the wheel-axle fit and an 8oz weight limit. We ran ok last year, but I felt like something was missing. This year we switched from graphite to oil this year and dropped .25 seconds off our best time! We ran in the mid 5.4s range last year. This year our best run was 5.218s, .009s off the track record. His car absolutely jumped off the starting line and pulled away from all competitors. Best competitor run was in the mid 5.3s.
First question: The car ran consistent 5.2's all night (12 runs due to a computer glitch that lost all results.) except for the very first run where it ran in the 5.4's. My car for the adult race did the exact same thing. Any ideas why this might happen? The only deviation I made from the typical oil prep I found on this site is I didn't wick off the oil after applying and spinning the wheels. I used a drop about the size of a pin head on each wheel.
Second question: We've got about six weeks until the Council race. The car is safe in our PWD box, sealed in a Ziploc bag. How would you re-prep the car? Do I need to do anything? Should I just add more oil? Do I need to completely re-prep the wheels and axles?
Thanks,
Jim
First, I have to say thanks. I've been researching PWD stuff for a few seasons now and this forum is just the best!
My son and I run Cadet cars: screw axles with lots of slop in the wheel-axle fit and an 8oz weight limit. We ran ok last year, but I felt like something was missing. This year we switched from graphite to oil this year and dropped .25 seconds off our best time! We ran in the mid 5.4s range last year. This year our best run was 5.218s, .009s off the track record. His car absolutely jumped off the starting line and pulled away from all competitors. Best competitor run was in the mid 5.3s.
First question: The car ran consistent 5.2's all night (12 runs due to a computer glitch that lost all results.) except for the very first run where it ran in the 5.4's. My car for the adult race did the exact same thing. Any ideas why this might happen? The only deviation I made from the typical oil prep I found on this site is I didn't wick off the oil after applying and spinning the wheels. I used a drop about the size of a pin head on each wheel.
Second question: We've got about six weeks until the Council race. The car is safe in our PWD box, sealed in a Ziploc bag. How would you re-prep the car? Do I need to do anything? Should I just add more oil? Do I need to completely re-prep the wheels and axles?
Thanks,
Jim
