Description
Pro Extreme Derby oil is a highly-refined synthetic thin-film lubricant mixed with an ultra-low viscosity additive. When properly applied it outperforms any dry lubricant including graphite for pinewood derby racing. Pro Extreme oil is a mix of synthetic lightweight oil and some Extreme friction modifiers, you can see some of them floating in the oil.
Pro Extreme Derby oil .5 Dram
Benefits
- Easy and fast to apply – much faster and easier application than graphite.
- Clean application – unlike graphite, it won’t dirty up your nice paint job!
- Consistent performance – Pro Extreme Derby oil gives consistent performance, better than graphite.
Application
Pro Extreme Derby oil can be safely used with any brand of pinewood derby wheels. It is colorless, odorless, non-hazardous, and plastic-safe. The key to using a thin-film lubricant is that “less is best”. Applying too much lubricant will cause the viscosity of the lubricant to affect the speed.
To apply:
- Shake Oil before applying
- Put one drop of lubricant on an axle on the area where the wheel will spin.
- Rotate the axle so that the oil coats the axle.
- Touch the bottom side of the axle with the edge of a piece of printer paper. The excess oil will soak into the paper.
- Slide the wheel on the axle and mount the axle on the car.
- Repeat for the remaining axle/wheel sets.
Note that some races require dry lubricants. Although it will not foul the track or cause any mess, technically Pro Extreme Krytox is not a dry lubricant. Since we recommend that all race rules are followed, we also offer Max-V-Lube, a top quality graphite lube.
Important – Wheels lubricated with Pro Extreme oil will not free-spin (wheel spun by hand on axle) as long as wheels lubricated with graphite. However, when a load is applied (the car is run on the track), Pro Extreme oil will perform admirably. Typically, the free-spin time for a Pro Extreme oil-lubricated BSA wheel is 10-15 seconds. If the wheel does not free spin that long, remove the axle, wipe it off, and try again.
Q&A
How long does Pro Extreme oil last? Does it evaporate over time?
In tests, Pro Extreme oil will last more than 2 months and 50+ heats. It does evaporate, but very slowly unless the car is stored in a hot location.
Can you apply Pro Extreme oil and graphite?
Adding graphite would not help. In fact, it would slow things down. Graphite works best when dry, and Pro Extreme Krytox works best in a clean environment. So adding them together is counterproductive.
Can Pro Extreme oil be used on the outside of the wheel where it comes into contact with the underside of the axle head? How about on the inside wheel hub where it contacts the car body?
When you apply the lubricant, a little bit will get on the outside wheel hub. So it will reduce friction between the axle head and the wheel hub. You can also wipe a tiny bit on the inside wheel hub.
Can Pro Extreme oil be used on the tread of the wheels?
No, that could foul the track. For the tread, you could apply some graphite (which also fouls the track) or apply a polish. However, good results can be achieved without a coating. Simply polish the wheels with a fine abrasive.
When using Pro Extreme oil, can graphite be used as an abrasive to polish the inside of the wheel hub?
I wouldn’t use graphite as an abrasive, as it would be very difficult to remove all of the graphite from inside the wheel hub. Instead, I suggest using a water-soluble wheel bore polish such as the one we offer Here. Put a pipe cleaner in the chuck of the drill, place a small amount of the polish on the pipe cleaner, slide a wheel on the pipe cleaner, fire up the drill and polish for 10 seconds. Then thoroughly wash the wheel with water (use a pipe cleaner for cleaning inside the bore), and dry the wheel.
