Reason for gearshifters this year?

[clandry94]

Is there any reason to use a shifting gearbox this year like the ballshifter? My team is new to non KoP gearboxes and was wondering if they would be useful or not.

[DonRotolo]

Advantages include a 'low' gear for aiming (better precision in moving the robot small amounts) and greater pushing power (there WILL be defense!), and a 'high' gear for getting across the field quickly.

[z_beeblebrox]

With 6 CIMs on the drive, I think shifting will be unnecessary. Because you have so much power to work with, you can have a lot of torque and a high top speed.

[usbcd36]

Not necessarily.

With six CIMs in the drivetrain, the limitation will likely be the battery, not the CIMs.

[rocknthehawk]

Not necessarily.

With six CIMs in the drivetrain, the limitation will likely be the battery, not the CIMs.

Traction will be a much more limiting factor.

[F22Rapture]

I would say that if your team wants to try to climb the pyramid, they aren't worth it. Every pound is going to count if you want to get off the ground, and I just can't see enough benefit of using shifters this year to warrant it.

**That said, they probably aren't going to get much cheaper, so if you don't have any go ahead and buy them so you can start experimenting later on.

Can any teams comment on the actual weight difference between the Super Shifter and/or Ball Shifter and the kop gearbox? They don't seem to list the weight of those items on Andymark.