pic: 233 Let the Build Begin
 

Re: pic: 233 Let the Build Begin
 

OK, first of all this was not in the parking lot - this is a back porch, essentially.
Second of all, we're not doing driver practice "in asphalt" and we probably won't "on asphalt" - driving in the middle of the street at KSC is not a good idea - the treads are for driving on concrete. I'm just messing with you notaPINKtruck.

By the way, the treads are a great custom Frankenstein idea - taking the durable tread of pneumatics and giving them the ruggedness of metal wheels - very cool. And the best part is that the retrofitting also included a free cleaning courtesy of the pit crew, so 2k7 looks as good as new - it's like ship date all over again!

Re: pic: 233 Let the Build Begin
 

Why didn't you use those wheels last year? When I looked at your bot at the championship you had AM preformance wheels on it.

Re: pic: 233 Let the Build Begin
 

No those weren't AM performance, but we did use AM tread. The wheels pictured (and used all last season) are custom machined. Right here they're taking them off, removing the AM tread, and replacing it with the outer casing of a pneumatic wheel.

Re: pic: 233 Let the Build Begin
 

Quote " Why didn't you use those wheels last year? When I looked at your bot at the championship you had AM performance wheels on it."

Well, we actually did use the wheels with that tread at the Florida regional and half of the Las Vegas Regional. We found out, after receiving heavy defense, that the tread didn't give us the lateral traction that we wanted, so we had to switch to AM. The pneumatic tread was designed to have a larger surface contact with the floor (when the tire is pressed down, it would conform to the ground) but when we stretched it over a rigid wheel, we lost that benefit.
This year's wheel design is a secret - I wonder what it could be. . . ?