Track angle VS weight placement

[EvilJester]

This question has been bugging me for awhile. At my sons pack we purchased a nice Best track a few years ago. We built his car accordingly. But our district runs a wooden track and the starting angle is quite a bit less than the best track he qualified on. I know aluminum VS wood are two different animals but what if you have two exact tracks just at different starting heights.
With the angles being so different, does this effect the placement of where the weight should be placed? In theory, your still starting at an angle and you want the connetic energy pushing the car on the flat. I would think the weight would still be placed the same. The cars would just register slower times?

Curious what you guys think.

 

[Crash Enburn]

You are correct, Jester. The *only* time there would be benefit to moving the weight forward (as in to the front) would be if you had a track with a roller coaster start — start on a near flat then roll over the edge to the hill — and I've never seen one.

Racing these cars is all about the physics. Getting your CoM as far back and low as you can gives you the biggest engine. After that it is mitigating all the frictions (rotational, aero, sheer, etc.)

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

THE pinewood derby rule... everything effects everything.