pic: Pigmice Northwest Drive

[lemiant]

Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350

Less, and thus lighter, gearing results in the same effective ratio, also the wheels are smaller. the weight savings might be enough of a reason, but smaller wheels and the associated gearing allow the motors to operate at a different, possibly more efficient part of the performance curves.

That is not strictly true. While at the same rpm the smaller wheels would go at a different (slower) speed, the gear ratio could be used to compensate. While there are fewer gears necessary to get the same speed,there isn't a change in the fact that, with enough gears, you can gear for any speed