Quote:
Originally Posted by DonRotolo
In Lunacy, we did measurably (but only slightly) increase tractive force by using a total of 12 wheels on a 6-wheel drivetrain.
It is absolutely true that increasing the contact area does not affect traction if the weight stays the same. But to explain our measurements we theorized that if any small area of the floor (or wheel) was allowing more slip (say, due to some dust on the floor) the larger contact area would allow for a smaller percentage of the available traction to be lost.
We made our decision based on empirical data, so not entirely anecdotal, but in hindsight we probably would use only 6 wheels in the same situation.
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I'm not sure if Lunacy is the best evidence for this. The way wheels interact with the Lunacy field and the way the interact with carpet is pretty different. Because the treads "dig in" to the carpet, there is a normal force applied which makes the traditional friction model...well, not really fall completely apart, but it's not as accurate as it could be.