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Fastest Pinewood Derby Speed Wheels | Pinewood Pro

Discover Pinewood Pro's speed wheels for the fastest Pinewood Derby cars.

Joe Gargiulo
November 16, 2017
Pinewood Pro Blog

Fastest Pinewood Derby Wheels - BSA and Awana

Precision lathed wheels, engineered for speed

Which pinewood derby wheels are fastest?

All of our wheel designs were speed tested with hundreds of test runs using controlled experiments to prove which wheels are the fastest. The Speed Test number below is the average speed increase you can expect over Stock BSA wheels based on our experimentation. Remember, cars are timed to 1/1000th of a second, so even a small speed increase can make your car a winner.

FAST Wheels!

BSA Lightly Lathed Speed Wheels

Speed Tests

5.5% faster

BSA Speed Wheels - Precision Lathed

Lightly lathed inside and outside tread, hub stem and hub top, wheel edge

Awana Lathed Ultra-Lite Grand Prix Wheels

Speed Tests

9.7% faster

Awana Ultra-Lite Grand Prix Wheels

Official Awana wheels precision lathed so they are trued up, lighter and faster.
Check your Rules

FASTER Wheels!!

BSA Lightly Lathed and Graphite Coated

Speed Tests

7.5% faster

BSA Speed Wheels - Precision Lathed

Lightly lathed, then graphite-coated outer tread and hub reduces friction further

BSA Ultra-Lite Speed Wheels

Speed Tests

21.9% faster

Pinewood Derby BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels

Ultra-Lites are also precision lathed, but we remove additonal material. Note that all BSA markings remain.
Check your Rules

FASTEST Wheels!!!

BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels - Graphite-Coated

Speed Tests

23.8% faster

graphite-coated BSA ultra-lite speed wheels

Lightly lathed, then graphite-coated outer tread and hub reduces friction further for maximum speed

Outlaw Wheels
(Can NOT be used for Cub Scout Races!)

Speed Tests

32.6% faster

Pinewood Derby BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels

Ultra-Lites have additional material removed but all BSA markings remain.
Check your Rules

Stock BSA Wheels

BSA Replacement Wheels and Axles

Speed Tests

N/A

graphite-coated BSA ultra-lite speed wheels

Replacement Cub Scout BSA wheels. Nothing has been done to these wheels.

The wheels in your kit have imperfections that slow your car down. When races are won by 1000ths of a second, every speed improvement you make can give you the edge to win your race.

When a wheel is lathed, it is put on a high speed machine (a lathe) and spun very fast. When the wheel is spun at a high speed, a precision blade is gently applied to remove material and make the wheel perfectly trued to the center bore. Your wheel becomes perfectly shaped and balanced while removing material to make them lighter. We lathe your wheels in SIX different areas: the outer tread, inner tread, wheel rim and outer hub plus we square the hub where the wheel makes contact with the car body and remove the step where the wheel makes contact with the axle head.

The result is high performance, super fast wheels that have been winning races for over 15 years.
Fast wheels equals fast cars.

Pinewood Pro also performs an exclusive graphite-coating operation to our PRO wheels. Our exclusive graphite-coating reduces friction further to make your fast wheels even faster, giving you the winning edge.

...and we proved it with hundreds of speed tests.

BSA Speed Wheels - Precision Lathed

Precision tuned, super fast, lathed BSA wheels!

pinewood derby bsa speed wheels

  • Wheel tread is lightly lathed to make it trued to the center bore, so your car rolls smoothly and faster. All BSA labels remain and the wheel rim still has the beads.
  • Hubs are lathed and edge is squared to reduce friction and wobble where wheel meets car body
  • Wheel rim is lathed to reduce friction when wheel hits track guide
  • Special lathing process makes wheels .2g lighter, giving you a quicker start and faster rolling down the track

Rules Notes:

  • Should be legal in BSA races that allow removing mold marks and truing up wheel to remove imperfections.
  • All BSA markings are intact inside and outside of the wheel.
  • Rules are different for every race! Always read your race rules.
  • Questions? Ask your race manager!

Lightly lathed, precision tuned for speed

(set of 4)

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Awana Ultra-Lite Grand Prix Wheels

Precision lathed and tuned Awana Grand Prix Wheels

awana grand prix wheels

Official AWANA Grand Prix Wheels precision lathed to perfection. Our lathing process makes these wheels precision tuned and lighter weight giving you a fast start and precision rolling all the way to the finish line!

  • Outside tread is trued to be perfectly concentric with bore.
  • Outside wheel edge is lathed to remove mold stem and smooth rough edges to reduce friction when wheel hits guide
  • Weighs only 1.6g each.
  • Material is removed from inside the wheel to balance the wheel and give you a fast start.
  • Hub is squared so wheel rests squarely on the car when it touches, eliminating the chance of wobble.

Official Awana Grand Prix Wheels, precision lathed and tuned for optimal performance. Rule Notes:

  • Legal in Awana International races that allow removing mold marks and truing up wheels to remove imperfections
  • Rules are different for every race! Always read your race rules.
  • Questions? Ask your race manager!

More AWANA Grand Prix Speed Products

(set of 4)

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PRO BSA Speed Wheels - Lathed And Graphite-Coated

PRO Graphite-Coated BSA Speed Wheels are...friction-free!

graphite-coated BSA speed wheels
  • PRO BSA Speed Wheels have all the features of our Speed Wheels (above). In addition, the wheel tread, hub and rim are graphite-coated for a friction-free ride!
  • Our exclusive graphite coating reduces track friction, wheel hub friction and wheel rim friction. Our special technique is a perma-coating that will last right through the district races!
  • Get the Ultimate Speed Advantage. Only from Pinewood Pro...
  • Graphite-coated..........friction-free!

Rules Notes:

  • Should be legal in BSA races that allow removing mold marks and truing up wheel to remove imperfections, and that allow graphite lubrication.
  • All BSA markings are intact inside and outside of the wheel.
  • Rules are different for every race! Always read your race rules.
  • Questions? Ask your race manager!

Lightly lathed, graphite-coated PRO BSA Wheels

(set of 4)

Order Now

Pinewood Derby BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels

Precision lathed BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels

Ultra-Lite BSA speed wheels

BSA Pinewood Derby Wheels lathed to perfection. Our lathing process makes these wheels precision tuned while removing weight giving you a fast start and precision rolling all the way to the winners circle!

  • All BSA markings remain
  • Outside tread is trued to be perfectly concentric without removing the beads along the rim.
  • Material is removed from inside the wheel, while leaving all lettering in place. Weight is reduced by .5g to give you a fast start.
  • Hub is squared so wheel rests squarely on the car when it touches. This corrects the rounded hub in the new wheels that could result in wobble when wheels hit car body.

Tip: we highly recommend using our Axle Inserter/Puller Tool to insert and remove these wheels because Ultra-Lite wheels are fragile.

BSA Ultra Lite Wheels

Rules Notes:

  • Wheels are visibly thinner and may not be allowed in races that prohibit lathing or removing excessive material.
  • All BSA markings are intact inside and outside of the wheel.
  • Rules are different for every race! Always read your race rules.
  • Questions? Ask your race manager!

(set of 4)

Order Now

PRO BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels - Graphite-Coated

PRO graphite-coated BSA Ultra-Lite Wheels are...friction free!

graphite-coated BSA ultra-lite speed wheels

Our new PRO Ultra-Lite wheels have all the advantages of our Ultra-Lite wheels, then treads and hubs are perma-coated with graphite using our exclusive process.

  • Secret patented multi-step process to perma-coat with graphite-moly lube...the only wheels on the market with this! You can see and feel the shiny, smooth, friction-free surface! 
  • These wheels are super light, precision tuned, and friction-free. Your car will fly down the track like on a frictionless cushion of air.
  • Get the ultimate speed advantage.
  • Another Winning Secret from the experts at Pinewood Pro...

Tip: we highly recommend using our Axle Inserter/Puller Tool to insert and remove these wheels because Ultra-Lite wheels are fragile.


PRO Graphite-Coated Ultra-Light BSA Wheels

Rules Notes:

  • Wheels are visibly thinner and may not be allowed in races that prohibit lathing or removing excessive material.
  • All BSA markings are intact inside and outside of the wheel.
  • Rules are different for every race! Always read your race rules.
  • Questions? Ask your race manager!

(set of 4)

Order Now

OUTLAW Wheels!

Outlaw wheels - when the rules don't apply! (NOT for BSA Cub Scout races!)

outlaw wheels
  • We start with BSA wheels, then lathe the outside tread, inside tread, wheel rim, inside body, wheel hub and finally, we square the hub so it rests squarely on the car body when it touches.
  • The result is a super light weight, 1.2g wheel for Outlaw Races. Lighter is faster! Faster start, faster going down the track because there is less inertia required to spin them.
  • Note that ALL BSA markings are removed inside and outside, so they CAN NOT be used in BSA races!
  • The lightest wheels available.

Tip: we highly recommend using our Axle Inserter/Remover Tool to insert and remove these wheels because Ourlaw wheels are VERY fragile.

Outlaw Wheels, when there ARE NO RULES!

Rules Notes:

  • Not legal in BSA or Awana races. Outlaw wheels are for "Open Class" races that have no restrictions on wheel alterations.
  • Rules are different for every race! Always read your race rules.
  • Questions? Ask your race manager!

(set of 4)

Order Now

BSA Replacement Wheels And Axles

Official pinewood derby BSA replacement set of 4 wheels and axles

BSA replacement wheels and axles
  • Spare set of 4 official BSA wheels and axles.
  • No modifications have been made to these wheels or axles.
  • Good for spares, replacements or for experimenting with axle and wheel modifications.

Replacement set of four BSA axles and wheels

(set of 4)

Order Now
PINEWOOD PRO

Winning Tips and Hints

Pinewood Derby
Tips & Hints

If you are using 3/8" round weights, drill your 3/8" weight holes before cutting out the rest of the car because it is easier to hold the full block. Always use a clamp to hold your block before drilling or cutting. Safety First!

Pinewood Derby
Wheels Tip

Lighter wheels turn easier (they require less inertia). Lighten your wheels, as much as your Rules allow, which will give you a fast start out of the gate and faster speed down the track.

Pinewood Derby
Winning Hint

Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets contains all the tips you need to win your race. Updated annually with the latest tips and speed products, our book has proven results with 1000's of winners... but don't take our word for it! Read over 90 Customer Reviews and check out our Winners Gallery!

Pinewood Derby Car Racing: History of Pinewood Pro
Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets: Pinewood Pro Tips