Installing Bent Axles On A Pinewood Derby Car

Feb 19 2026 Installing Bent Axles on a Pinewood Derby car. It's as easy as ABC!

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How to Install Bent Axles on a Pinewood Derby Car

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Bent axles can be used to:

• Reduce friction
• Align the car to run straight
• Adjust the car to use the rail riding technique

We recommend installing axles with a 1.5° bend for the front of the car and 2.5° bend for the rear.The axles heads are marked in the direction of the bend. Install the axles with the mark straight up.

The alignment procedure requires turning the axles while they are in the car slot. We recommend our axle pliers for this procedure. It will not damage the axle and make this process much easier.

Move all wheels so they are next to the axle head. Roll the car on a flat surface.

If the car steers to the right

If the left front wheel is next to the car body and the right front wheel is next to the axle head, rotate the left axle clockwise a little at a time until the car rolls straight (do not rotate past the 3 o'clock position). If the car still steers to the right when the axle is in the 3 o'clock position. turn the right axle clockwise a little at a time until the car runs straight.

If both front wheels are next to the car body, rotate the left axle slightly clockwise and the right axle slightly counter-clockwise until the car rolls straight.

If both front wheels are next to the axle heads, rotate both front axles slightly clockwise until the car rolls straight.

If the car steers to the left

If the right front wheel is next to the car body and the left front wheel is next to the axle head, rotate the right axle counter clockwise a little at a time until the car rolls straight (do not rotate past the 9 o'clock position). If the car still steers to the left when the axle is in the 9 o'clock position, turn the left axle counter-clockwise a little at a time until the car runs straight.

If both front wheels are next to the car body, rotate the left axle slightly counter-clockwise and the right axle slightly clockwise until the car rolls straight.

If both front wheels are next to the axle heads, rotate both front axles slightly counter-clockwise until the car rolls straight.

Return the the Axles

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