Air Shields and Fenders

I'm sure this question has been asked a million times. Do air shields and fenders make your car faster? I feel like I've gotten all the speed I can out of the ladder body, tungsten cubes at the back, thin wedge, axle and wheel prep, etc. there is to get. A couple of the few things I haven't tried are air shields and fenders. Do they work?

 

DD4H did a video on testing fenders for speed. I think it was a fair test and you can see the results. I have not seen shields tested

The Effects of Fenders on a Pinewood Derby car - YouTube

 

Yep, both increase speed. You’ll probably get about a .010-.015 speed increase in your times if everything else is equal and if the fenders are done well.

 

Yes, they will make your car faster as long as you maintain clearance with wheels and track.
Like John mentioned, it really shows in traffic.

 

Hello everyone, it’s been a long time since I’ve last made a post here! Probably since my boys were cubs… I’ve recently been bitten by the Pwd bug and found myself diving back in head first. To get to the point- air shields and fender’s increase speed if done correctly… I have yet to use air shields but just ordered a set. Before I attempt to install them , one quick question. Should the air shields be glued to the body square or at the 3 degree can’t of the axle? If it does need to be mounted at the angle of the axle how should one approach this?

 

Mount the air shields square to the body.

 

Thanks HurriCrane! Since you’re here, how about one more. When shaping the fender around the dfw, do you curb off the excess on the trailing side of the wheel twarrds traffic? I’m unsure if I should narrow the fender further back or sand it off abruptly and shoot the air to the right. Same thing with the inner part of the wheel top side trailing fender?

 

Not sure if I follow the question. There are two popular versions of fenders. Full fenders and x3 fenders. Full fenders are pretty straight between the wheels. The x3 has more of an hourglass shape. Both have proven results.
For trailing fenders, I try to keep the top, bottom and sides tucked just inside the area of the wheel.