Pinewood Pro Explains Pinewood Derby Axles Everything You Need to Know If there’s anything we’ve learned over multiple decades of winning Pinewood Derby races, it’s that all axles are not created equally. And that’s especially true of the axles included in the official BSA kit! The axles you’ll find in the official BSA kit often have bumps, burrs, and other imperfections. Those irregularities can cause friction and ultimately slow down your derby car. The pros at Pinewood Pro turned to years of racing knowledge and experience to bring you two distinct axle types: BSA Enhanced Axles with perfection-focused modifications made to official BSA kit axles, and PRO Machined Axles we’ve engineered in-house, from scratch, that start perfectly and finish flawlessly. As always, we highly recommend checking your race rules to ensure that your choice of axles is compliant. Results are guaranteed: we have the speed tests to prove it! Explore All Axles What are the main differences between Pinewood Pro’s Pinewood Derby Axles? Our Pinewood Derby axles fall into two main types: BSA Enhanced Axles and PRO Machined Axles. BSA Enhanced Axles begin as axles from the official BSA kit. We then modify them to remove imperfections through our expert lathing process, and we enhance their overall performance through a series of additional track-tested upgrades, which are explained in the detailed graphic below. PRO Machined Axles are modified to remove imperfections through our expert lathing process. They are additionally designed with ultra-smooth nickel plating, plus a slightly oversized shaft and a strategic groove in the shaft to reduce wheel wobble. Those details are just the beginning; keep scrolling to the explainer graphic below for all the info! What’s the deal with bent axles? Pinewood Pro offers 1.5° bent axles and 2.5° bent axles. These axles are recommended for slightly more experienced racers. A 1.5° bent axle is to improve or adjust steering. Use it to help a car run straight, or to assist in building a rail rider-type car. 2.5° bent axles reduce friction by orienting the wheels toward the axle head in a process known as “canting.” They can also be used for rail riding. Our bent axles come in both BSA enhanced versions and PRO machined versions. Always check your race rules to be clear on compliance! Which axles are right for my race? Here’s everything you need to know about each of Pinewood Pro’s different types of axles, starting with: BSA Enhanced Axles Polished BSA Pinewood Derby Axles (4) | Official BSA Axles The base model for BSA Enhanced Axles. Lathed shaft to eliminate imperfections Polished shaft to reduce friction Beveled axle head to reduce friction Only $10.95 Order Now Polished BSA Pinewood Derby Axles (4) | Graphite Coated Includes all the features of the base model, plus Exclusive graphite coating for lubrication + additional speed Only $11.95 Order Now Polished BSA Pinewood Derby Axles (4) | Grooved & Graphite Coated Includes all the features of the base model, plus Exclusive graphite coating for lubrication + additional speed Secret groove cut into the shaft for holding graphite Only $12.95 Order Now PRO Machined Axles PRO Pinewood Derby Speed Axles (4) | Polished The base model for PRO Machined Axles. Polished, nickel plated, perfectly round Slightly oversized shaft diameter to reduce wheel wobble Tapered head to reduce friction Only $7.95 Order Now PRO Pinewood Derby Speed Axles (4) | Polished & Grooved Includes all the features of the base model, plus Two strategic grooves for storing graphite and eliminating wheel wobble Only $10.95 Order Now PRO Pinewood Derby Speed Axles (4) | Graphite Coated Includes all the features of the base model, plus Two strategic grooves for storing graphite and eliminating wheel wobble An exclusive, lightning-fast graphite coating Only $11.95 Order Now PRO Pinewood Derby Speed Axles (4) | Magnetic Steel Includes all the features of the base model, plus Two strategic grooves for storing graphite and eliminating wheel wobble Steel construction that surpasses even the most stringent magnet testing Only $14.95 Order Now Bent 1.5 Degree Axles Bent 1.5° Polished BSA Pinewood Derby Steering Axle (1) The base model for 1.5° Bent Axles from the official BSA kit. Begins as a standard BSA axle from the official kit Lathed shaft to eliminate imperfections Polished shaft to reduce friction Tapered underside of axle head to reduce friction Easy-turn slot in the axle head for simple adjusting Only $5.95 Order Now Bent 1.5° Graphite-Coated BSA Pinewood Derby Steering Axle (1) Includes all the features of the base model from the official BSA kit, plus An exclusive graphite coating for lubrication + additional speed Only $6.95 Order Now PRO Bent 1.5° BSA Pinewood Derby Steering Axle (1) The base model for 1.5° Bent Axles engineered in-house, from scratch, by Pinewood Pro. Begins as a PWP PRO axle Lathed shaft to eliminate imperfections Polished shaft to reduce friction Nickel plating Easy-turn slot in the axle head for simple adjusting 1.5° angled shaft for straight steering Two strategic grooves for storing graphite and eliminating wheel wobble Only $4.95 Order Now PRO Bent 1.5° Graphite-Coated Pinewood Derby Steering Axle (1) Includes all the features of the PRO base model, plus An exclusive graphite coating for lubrication + additional speed Only $5.95 Order Now Bent 2.5 Degree Axles Bent 2.5° Polished BSA Pinewood Derby Axles (2) The base model for 2.5° Bent Axles from the official BSA kit. Begins as a standard BSA axle from the official kit Lathed shaft to eliminate imperfections Polished shaft to reduce friction Tapered underside of axle head to reduce friction Easy-turn slot in the axle head for simple adjusting 2.5° angled shaft for friction reduction + increased speed Only $9.95 Order Now Bent 2.5° Graphite-Coated BSA Pinewood Derby Axles (2) Includes all the features of the base model from the official BSA kit, plus An exclusive graphite coating for lubrication + additional speed Only $10.95 Order Now PRO Bent 2.5° Polished Pinewood Derby Axles (2) The base model for 2.5° Bent Axles engineered in-house, from scratch, by Pinewood Pro. Begins as a PWP PRO axle Lathed shaft to eliminate imperfections Polished shaft to reduce friction Nickel plating Easy-turn slot in the axle head for simple adjusting 2.5° angled shaft for friction reduction + increased speed Two strategic grooves for storing graphite and eliminating wheel wobble Only $8.95 Order Now PRO Bent 2.5° Graphite-Coated Pinewood Derby Axles (2) Includes all the features of the PRO base model, plus An exclusive graphite coating for lubrication + additional speed Only $9.95 Order Now Your Axle Options, At a Glance Still have questions about how to leverage axles to surpass the competition? Reach out to our Pros anytime at proteam@pinewoodpro.com or via the chat bubble at the bottom right of your screen! And for even more winning insights on building the ultimate derby car, check out Winning Secrets, which has been helping people win races for over 20 years. Pinewood Pro Winner's Circle We went undefeated in every race! Seeing his eyes pop out of his head when his car kept winning was priceless! Thank you for making this a fantastic experience for us. - Kyle and Wayne, CA The Awana graphite wheels & machined axles assisted my daughter's Grand Prix car to win 1st in class for Speed. Her car also won 2nd in class for Best Design and Paint. - Brian, FL Your PRO Super Speed Axles and Precision Lathed Speed Wheels were amazing! The look on my son’s face says it all. Thank you! - Stephen, MI PreviousNext PINEWOOD PRO Winning Tips and Hints Pinewood Derby Tips & Hints The best part of Pinewood Derby is designing a unique, cool car that you can call your own. Don't worry about aerodynamics because it is almost insignificant. We identify dozens of other speed tips in Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets that rank far above aerodynamics. Pinewood Derby Wheels Tip A lathed wheel means the wheel was turned at a high speed and "sanded" with a cutting tool. Lathed wheels are perfectly tuned around the axis of rotation, giving you the highest performance. 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 1000s of winners... but don't take our word for it! Read over 100 customer reviews and check out our Winners Gallery!
