Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

Yeah, we have never had a problem with the bolts. (Well, sometimes they're really hard to undue (so nylocks are nice, too)...) The main complaints here seem to be about the polycarbonate shattering.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

While I understand the thread is AM Plaction vs. IFI Wheels, for a dead axle wheel, I can not recommend Colson Performa wheels enough. I may sound like a broken record by now but... We have run them for the last two seasons and I don't intend to use any other wheel again unless absolutely mandatory. The cost to go to a Colson wheel is less than an AM or IFI, the hubs are available through West Cost Products.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

How are AM performance wheels compared to IFI wheels?

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

Although they are called "performance" wheels, they generally have the same advantages/disadvantages of plaction wheels. Though they can be used easier in a live axle setup than plaction/iFI wheels.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

The performance wheels have noticeably more grip, partly due to lack of a draft from the molding that occurs in plasticon wheel manufacture, but also because the aluminum rim is not as large, and contacts the floor less than the plasticon retaining ring. I would go with performance wheels any day, as long as you keep to the 4 and 6 inch sizes they are not that much heavier or more expensive.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

So would plaction wheels or IFI wheels combined with blue nitrile tread be an ideal combination?

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

Really? That's pretty cool. Didn't know that. Thanks!

Depends on how you use them. The wider the wheel, the harder it is to turn. With blue nitrile you have a lot of grip on the carpet, meaning a lot of turning scrub when you try and turn. So unless you're really experienced with them, you may find trouble turning with blue nitrile and wider IFI wheels, compared to the thinner plaction/performance wheels.

I've never had experience with the 1" width IFI wheels, so I can't say anything about them, but I've had experience with both wider ones, and plactions.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

While this is true, I have heard that the 2 in thick wheels wear better.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

During our season this year we found that a lot of a robots ability to push other robots actually comes from bumper placement. Because our robot was designed without the requirement of crossing the bump, our bumpers were lower than most other robots by about 1.5 inches. When we ran up against them our bumpers wedged slightly underneath theirs as well as pushed their robot up onto ours due to torque generated on the robot body along the axis parallel to the interacting bumpers and the floor, robbing them of grip in this way allowed us to easily push robots with similar traction characteristics to ours. I think that this might cause some miss-information about the effectiveness of smaller wheels, smaller wheels usually lead to lower bumpers which leads to better pushing power in matches.

TLDR: If two robots were exactly the same, but one had bumpers 1.5 inches lower, it would be able to push the other.

Re: Andymark Plaction wheels vs IFI wheels
 

Yes. That is the reasoning for some of the very unique bumpers we have seen this year.