Inexpensive Weights

[gpraceman]

I found out awhile back that Harbor Freight has some weights that are inexpensive and easy to add to a derby car. I found these in my local HF. These are the same type of weights that we used for the Ford Fast Track racing series for Girl Scouts and worked beautifully. These weights are normally used for balancing the wheels of real cars. They come in 1/4 ounce increments, so it is easy to figure out how many segments you need. They have double sided foam tape on the back, so just peel and stick to the car. These are zinc plated steel, so no worries about lead. Not as dense as tungsten, of course, but they are far less expensive. A $8.99 package of these has 12 oz of weights. Enough to do several cars.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quart ... 67225.html

[whodathunkit]

Cool idea Randy!
Another alternative for some inexpensive weights..
May be to use 3/8" steel round rod that can be cut to size and found in most hard ware stores as well.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-8-in-x-36 ... /204273959

[gpraceman]

Cool idea Randy!
Another alternative for some inexpensive weights..
May be to use 3/8" steel round rod that can be cut to size and found in most hard ware stores as well.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-8-in-x-36 ... /204273959

That's a possibility, but cutting it up could be time consuming. What I like about he segmented weights are how fast you can get the car up to weight. All you need is a pair of scissors to cut the foam tape backer.

[FatSebastian]

A $8.99 package of these has 12 oz of weights.

I recently saw these in a local HF, now at $9.99. However, if one uses their 20%- or 25%-off coupon (usually issued around holiday weekends), this becomes pretty cost effective and convenient for those near a local HF retail store.

I still have on-hand plenty of adhesive segmented lead (currently $12.75 for 12 oz from Maximum Velocity). If one is able to tolerate the use of lead (Pb) and doesn't have the HF coupon, the lead segments seem like an appealing option as well...

[FatSebastian]

A $8.99 package of these has 12 oz of weights.

I recently saw these in a local HF, now at $9.99. However, if one uses their 20%- or 25%-off coupon...

I recently purchased several sets of the 1/4-oz (67225) (now regularly $7.99) and 1/2-oz (67226) (now regularly $8.99) wheel weights, using a Harbor Freight coupon good for 30% off for up to five items that are below $10.

The 1/4-oz package contains 12 ounces total, each piece 3/4" x 5/8". For only $1 more retail, the 1/2-oz package contains 24 ounces total, each piece 1-1/4" x 3/4". The latter is obviously the better value in terms of mass quantity, but the larger weights are just slightly curved (not perfectly flat), presumably because they are designed for a wheel rim.

We hope to make these style weights available at our next build day for anyone wanting an easy-to-apply incremental weight or preferring a lead-free option.