Why a 3 Degree Cant?

[Pinewoodguy]

So my son and I were drilling bodies and he used a drill bit and not the SB rod, which turned out to give us a rear cant closer to 5 degrees. I still tested it and the wheels flew out. So out of the mouths of babes came the question... Why does it have to be 3 degrees?

I told him I wasn't sure and I would find out.

So I defer to the Pro's for the answer to the 3 Degree Cant question. Why? Benifits? Is more ok?
Thanks

 

[TRE]

cuz around 3 degrees is the fastest

 

[Kinser Racing]

You cannot deny the power of three.

 

[Pinewoodguy]

These answers will not be excepted by a 9 yr old! So how about some more technical answers!
Thanks

 

[Crash Enburn]

At 3°, the wheels will pull gently away from the body, without a lot of pressure against the axle head. At 5°, the wheels are putting a lot more pressure on the axle heads, increasing friction. Under 3°, the wheels may or may not move away from the body, and the car may be more prone to fishtailing.

I think your son will buy that. /images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif

 

[Pinewoodguy]

Thank you Crash! He will be happy with that answer! Thanks to all you guys, it's nice to be able to ask a question about any subject!

 

[ngyoung]

Yes. It is a balance. You want the wheels to ride on the edge and also not touch the body of the car. Ideally you would want them to ride between the body and the axle head and never touch either but that is impossible to achieve without perfect conditions and even then it would be a astronomical feat. So many have played with a number of angles and through trial and error as well as many races 3* is where the majority have found speed. PWD involves a lot of copycatting so one person tries something and starts to win, others eventually find out what they did differently and apply it to their car. They may not know why it makes it faster but it does. Sometimes the person that first started it stumbled onto something without really knowing themselves why it is faster. That isn't necessarily the case with the axle canting but 3* axles is one of those things that was figured out a long time ago.

 

[Kinser Racing]

These answers will not be excepted by a 9 yr old! So how about some more technical answers!
Thanks

WWhile testing for an optimal can't during developement of a jig to drill axles holes 3* was found to be the fastest.

This is the same thing TRE said.

 

[jrbryant68]

Man just goes to show you...I thought it was 3* because you needed 1* for every wheel that was touching.... lol.

Smart kids make you think..Brilliant kids make you smile.