I learned that copper & aluminum(track) interact and push away from each other would this make a faster car?

Question

I am a cub scout and our pinewood derby race is coming up and I want to find some ways to make my car faster. I learned that copper and aluminum interact and push away from each other. We have an aluminum track, would it be a good idea to melt some copper in the botem of my car? I was thinking that this would make my car go faster.

Albert

Answer 1

Over that short of a run, with that much distance between the track and car- probably not. But it is worth some research!

The big tricks are...
- good alignment of all wheels
- as close to full weight as possible, balanced about 2/3rds of the way between axles to the back,
- low friction (smooth axle shafts, no burrs on wheels, good lube, etc.)
- and a few other details you can find out easily enough.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hello Albert:

Interesting question. You should try it and find out.

Most of the top race winners say that making sure the axles are true and that have been sanded so that there is no burrs on the nail heads helps out quite a bit as well.

Keep on Scoutin'