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If your 4-wheel drive has wheels at 4 corners, then a 2-wheel drive with the wheels in the middle and casters in the corners will turn MUCH easier.
Our machine for the past two years was the standard 4-wheel drive. In a straight line, it was a beast for power and speed, but when we turned, but was pretty gut-wrenching. You could hear the whole drive train getting stressed. 2 years ago, we actually broke our drive trains a few times during turns. Last year we made everything beefy enough to hold up, but if the battery wasn't at peak power or the motors were warm from use, we couldn't turn well at all.
This year we're going for speed, so we went with 2 center-wheels. Taking out 2 wheels, the chain, and a lot of the weight in our gearbox should have a noticeable effect on the interia of the system. We're hoping we gain back a significant amount of power in inertia reduction alone.
The key to 4-wheel drive is getting just the right amount of friction so you have the power for movement but enough slip to turn well.
Also remember, 4 wheel drive means more parts and mechanisms that can go wrong.
If 4-wheel drive was the be-all-and-end-all of motion systems, every car on the road would have it.
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