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Unread 13-04-2010, 08:27
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Bongle Bongle is offline
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Re: Mecanum or Swerve?

Quote:
Mecanum drives are overrated, heavily. Often, people decide that they need the ability to strafe, or they decide "maneuverability" is important, so they jump to the conclusion that they should build a mecanum drive. Mecanum drive is a very specific tradeoff. You exchange drive efficiency, resistance to defense, and a bit of speed for strafing.
After our experience this year, I fully agree - our mechanums were not that reliable (the 6" andymarks weren't strong enough to get bashed sideways against the ramp repeatedly), we didn't strafe that often, and we were easy to push around.

Also, we had 1114/2056's 8WD tank drives at both our regionals demonstrating that maneuverability is more about a well-controlled high speed drivetrain and less about how many directions you can move.