Description
The
Graphite Coated BSA Steering Axle is a single BSA Axle (from the BSA Cub Scout kit) that has a slotted head and a 1.5 degree bend in the shaft.
The slot in the head allows you to easily turn your Steering Axle with a screw driver.
The 1.5 degree bend allows you to gently steer a front wheel left or right so your car rolls straight down the track.
Cars that roll straight win races!
Getting your pinewood derby car to steer straight is a critical speed adjustment and it is the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of building a pinewood derby car.
If your car doesn't steer straight, your wheels hit the guide rails, causing friction which slows your wheel as it turns, causing your car to lose valuable speed.
Our bent Graphite Coated BSA Steering Axle is made from one of our BSA Polished Axles so the burrs are removed, it is polished, a special graphite coating is applied, and the head is beveled to reduce friction where the wheel makes contact.
How to use the Graphite Coated BSA Steering Axle
- Just replace one of your front axles with the BSA Steering Axle
- Place your car on a slight incline to observe which direction it is steering
- Turn the Steering Axle slightly with a screw driver to make that wheel steer your car left or right.
- Your car should roll straight for 6 to 8 feet.
It’s as easy as that!
You can also use our
bent Graphite Coated BSA Steering Axle to create a Rail Rider car whereby you gently guide one front wheel into the rail while canting the rear wheels outward. Building a Rail Rider requires three bent axles. The fourth wheel, generally the front left wheel would be raised so it doesn't touch the track.
The BSA Graphite Coated Bent Steering Axle from Pinewood Pro…
IMPORTANT NOTE: You can not see a 1.5 degree bend with the naked eye!Just roll a non-bent axle on a flat surface, and roll our bent axle on a flat surface and you will see that the bent axle doesn't roll as smoothly.
Why is the bend only 1.5 degrees? ...because your axle only needs to be turned a few degrees to change the steering. A bigger bend will make it impossible to make the small steering adjustment that you need.
Note: Because this axle is graphite coated, we recommend graphite powder, not NyOil, as an added lubricant.
Product Code: 040317
