40 MPH Pinewood Derby Car- HOW TO

It's all fun and games until Mark Rober comes with his co2 powered car

Way back when I was in highschool, we had a competition to make dragsters that could accept CO2 cartridges OR model rocket engines (the teacher provided ones that were both 3/4" wide and about the same length). We ended up racing both, on separate tracks (one indoors, one outdoors). The tracks had relatively loose guide wires above them, and we were encouraged to put eyelets on top.
Everyone else went for aerodynamics, low-friction, etc. When it comes to this kind of sudden propulsion, I realized weight was the biggest factor, and ended up shaving my design down to being more or less a thin wooden shell over the propulsion chamber, with just enough strength to survive the force (and the crash into pillows at the end). We didn't have length requirements, so mine was only about 4-5" long. I didn't even need wheels, in the end, because my car just flew along the wire and finished before the next one would make it more than 1/3 down the track. It was hilarious.

I want to see the CO2 cartridge with some fins on it launched like a rocket.

If you're not first, you're last!! - Ricky Bobby

1:10 "If I don't finish, no one finishes"

or you can put a small model rocket motor in it

in reference to pinewood derby racing, i have thought of an alternative to the air propulsion which includes using a vacuum and blow system for the model cars .how its intended to do this is to suck the restrictive air from the front of the car and use it to propel itself by channeling the air thru the car to its respective points and blow it out thru the back. suction will be created by a fan that is also turned by air system . also because most of the denser material would be removed it makes the car lightweight against the forces of friction . i would like to see it in action, but i dont have a workshop of my own to experiment with it so i am still left in the dark .

6 years ago in pinewood derby I looked up pinewood derby cars and that’s when I started watching this channel

Hey Mark. I just wanna say thanks for coming to West Creek's career day. I really enjoyed your presentations and your amazing ideas. I am definitely a new sub. I'll make sure to tell all my friends about this channel. BYE!!!

I've never heard of this Pinewood Derby before but in Jr. High we did something similar but every car was powered this way. The canister was mounted horizontally (the track was flat) however and the cars were guided by fish line.

if you put the cartridge more to the front of the car, the front wheels shouldn't lift off

Love the idea. Totally doing this year for the 'Masters/Dad's' Race! Brilliant and Funny!

That was pretty awesome but nobody likes that one guy at the pinewood derby race with a c02 catridge and a staple gun trying to bend as many rules as he can. It was still a pretty nice vid though.

I remember building pinewood cars for a woodworking class I had in Middleschool. Only we had to use co2 cartridges, and it was a level, 15 ish foot track

Fast car! Looks like the LDS Church 👍🏼😀

Awesome!
My pinewood derby car went 3.023 in a race!
I got 1st Place overall

New fav KRplus channel found

Dude now i am going to kick butt with this piece of information. Thanks so much the video was amazing.

mark if you put the co2 tank thingy in between the weels it does not fly off the track

If you placed the cartridge farther to the front it would stabilize the car far more. In one of the clips you can see the front of the car dramatically lifting upon acceleration, which might contribute to that massive 60% failure rate.
Only a hypothesis though.

10:08 death race flashback 😂

I love it. So simple it's beautiful.

You should weight the bottom while making the top light to keep it from flying. Have it heaviest in the front

This one would surely benefit alot from better aerodynamics. Like the Formula1 cars. To keep it pressed to the track.

Mark Rober:
Scientist
Rover maker
Meme Man

0:15
I just loove this shot!

you have so many artistic ideas nice job you are very smart;)

I found this video SO hilarious! I was laughing so hard that after like 15 seconds there was tears on my nose and my throat was hurting.

i love the music you put in your videos. What is it?

I remember in the 60's my Father & I made a Pinewood Derby car while I was in Cub Scouts. My car didn't even make it to the end of the track! LOL Was lots of fun!

hey mark, I do have a question: why does the theory only work 40% of the time? is it because of the friction due to the wheels? or the direction of the thrust force depending on how you launch the vehicle?

Congrats on 1 mil!

WHAT CAMERA YOU USE ONBOARD THE CARS?

Try moving the canister position forward to the middle of the car. It should keep the front wheels on the ground more

I came to watch this the third time, because it's a good video, and because in my science class we'll have a rocket powered derby race like this.

I have a CO2 car that was super slim and lightweight until the powerhouse, so I thought it wasn't gonna go as fast but it won all of it's races (only 2) and it took 0.713 seconds to get from one side of the track to the finish line. (the track was about 1/3 the size of the width of a school gym)

1:08 it was at this moment that mason knew... he fucked up. XD

yeah you would need some combination of weight on the front of the car and the angle of the CO2 propellant, plus the horizontal positioning of the CO2 itself (relative to the axles of the wheels)

Against the spirit eh? So alcohol (spirits) rocket powered next.

I love your videos

This is great we are building co2 cars in class so now I'm gonna win thanks to u

Any thoughts on where that brad ends up after the car takes off? Seems it could become a missile.

I would think it would decrease the percentage of ballistic takeoffs if you were to mount the cartridge such that the center of gravity is directly between the 2 sets of wheels if not slightly forward of that, then hold by the rear when firing. In all of the slow mo shots, it goes wrong right of the bat because as it is propelled forward, the way your holding it precipitates the front end to raise slightly, as it does so, the aerodynamics perpetuate the lift until the back ends thrust propels it faster than the front end spinning it out of control. In the new design, you could reduce the effect your hand has on the trajectory as well as force the front end of the car down onto the track.

We only use these co2 cars in New Zealand but we have a guide wire to hold it down

What camera did you use to get the on board footage?

i loved pinewood derby in cub scouts but i found this video when i went to boy scouts so i cant try it out :(
great vid btw

My 7th grade shop class was co2 powered pinewood cars. Unfortunately I missed out on the awesomeness because I was "volunteered" to work in the library that 6 week period.

We made co2 powered cars in my technology class in high school and would go to other schools around the state for regional meet then state then nationals it was kinda like FFA but for all kinds of tech stuff like I even did bridge and trusses that were judged by how much they weighed vs how much they held

My class uses Co2 cartridges to propel our cars as well!!! Their so cool

I won 1st place racing co2 wooden car in wood shop class at 8th grade. I remember the cartridge angle was parallel to the floor and not angle at all. I made the bat mobile shape and it won due to light weight and aerodynamics lol. What can I say, I was before my time.

What are they using for camera's

I built a Battery operated Derby Car back in 2012 for our Parents "open class" race.. The car has not lost an entry yet, but I do not accept the winning trophy as my car goes back up the track faster then the cars come down it. (we tested it) I have never actually checked the actual speed of it though. Good stuff..

1:08 if I can’t get their you won’t either

Nice video mark i liked it

i will not use co2 cartridges but NOS cartridges

I was looking over the official BSA rules, other than possibly ruling that the modified nail gun is a "starting device" the CO2 canister is actually completely legal. Perhaps a remote firing system is in order?

What angledid you put the co2 cartridge at?

placing the can somewhere between the front and rear wheels will solve the imbalance problem that was throwing the car off track...
But heck.. that is one very fast car..... :D

#27 of the binge

Move the bore further up so the force vector points right at the center of mass

Im making CO2 cars in Tech of science! Also its fun watching all your vids at 12 am while eating a candy cane!

Sooooo there’s this thing in Boy Scouts that’s called Blast Car which is literally what you did. GG m8

Amazing 🥳

U know they have a competition called Blast Cars where you do this for every car. All the cars have a hole in the back for the co2 can. It's pretty interesting

My 2nd year of doing the pinewood derby I got 1st place with a really simple design.

we actually use co2 for our derby car racing, we dont have a hill just a straight track and a co2 piercing block , its FUN

Former NASA Scientist uses jet-propulsion to best kids in a pinewood car contest.

What did he use for jet propulsion

Add a front spoiler for more pressure in the front. (Just a little plastic part which puts more force on the front). Or use more weight up front. Then the car wont hop and will more likely stay in the track.

There must be lots of pinewood derby cars with jet propulsion at the music festivals I go to. I see than canisters everywhere

It’s still nice even though KRplus recommends this 8 years later

Someone PLEASE make a deja vu meme out of this

Background music?

Mark, can you make one that shoots glitter on everyone and films it from the cars point of view? Thanks for the vid!

If the track is magnetic, you could put a magnet underneath it.

As it uses co2 cartridge
It is polluting

awesome cool video thanks

In 8th grade we made Co2 cars to race on a guided string path.
I finished mine earlier so I made one to be rocket powered with a parachute. Very fast....

1:05 Bell Crano coming at ya!

I would look for hard wood with the lowes coefficent of friction, precision machine wheels and axles. And use something very dense like enriched uranium to weigh down the wooden body. So you will keept the spirit, but still anihilate everyone.

I would love to make one, but I would make the car wide enough to make the C02 cartridge look like an exhaust pipe.

The jet looked like a battery, melted at the end into a jet shape.

The car is drifting on the fail. Lots of style.

1:02 co2 car performed shingo's doboruu crashuu

I swear thats the building i had my pinewood Derby in when i was in cub scouts 6 years ago.

At 1:02 is like
*"If i don't get there, neither are you'*

In 7th grade I built a pinewood co2 car using cad that topped 70 mph!

What size co2 cartridges are they? + how to get?

A couple days Ago there was this co2 drag race and I attended it and I made this yellow sports car and like mines was the shortest and also It won against a long car

1:02
TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR IMA HIT YOU WITH MY CAR

When I did the Linwood derby I was given the best driver award. I didn’t put in a driver, and my car didn’t drive strait

Cool cars

This is old stuff we used those solid fuel rocket engines 20 years ago, you know the ones from the working model rockets hobby stores sell.

A fucking Rocket powered paper clip

Where do you get all that stuff

Add weight towards the front axel, if not that, then bore the hole more towards the front!

I have to wonder... the ONLY rule of the pinewood derby that I remember was you can only use parts contained in the official pinewood derby kit...
So if I hollowed out the entire car, sealed it, and put it compressed air, then put in a slightly tapered plug that only can stop that level of air pressure for mere seconds, then held it in til it was time to release the cars, my car would drop down and then shoot forward right as the ground became level after the drop.
That way,
1. I don’t accelerate on the drop
2. My car shoots off like a rocket past everyone else
3. I followed all the rules and only used parts from the official pinewood derby kit.
(Anyone who hollows out their car has air in the car, mine just has a lot of air stuffed in and held til just before the finish line...)
If only I had had KRplus back when I was a kid... different times... 👌

That is HILARIOUS!!!

it wil work better if you place the co2 rocket more forward

Mark make curiosity the mars rover that you worked on for 7 years as a Derby car