[EricH]

Originally Posted by smistthegreat

All of your information is correct, but you make a couple of incorrect conclusions. Yes, live axle is when the axle itself is powered, and dead axle is when only the wheel is powered. Also, you are correct about the drop center making it turn like a 4 wheeled drive. However, this 4 wheeled drive now has a shorter wheelbase, making it easier to turn. The whole point of dropping the center wheel is to shorten the wheelbase enough to where it turns smoothly without adding slick or omniwheels

And the other implied conclusion--dead axles don't need a drop--is also an incorrect one. A 6WD, dead or live axle, without the drop will act almost exactly like a 4WD with all traction wheels (there are exceptions, like FRC25); so will an 8WD without any drop.