Roughtop or Wedgetop?

[itzdepresed]

Hello, I am from 3310 Team Black Hawk and this year we used 6" IFI Wheels with roughtop tread. We used the roughtop tread throughout the Bayou Regional and also the Dallas Regional, and went on the the Championship in St. Louis. After St. Louis we chose to attend the Razorback Regional in the offseason and when we arrived, during practice we realized that our tread was shreded and we were unable to climb the bridge as quickly as we desired. We removed our roughtop tread and switched to wedgetop, and we experienced significant increases in traction and speed. We used the wedgetop tread throughout the Razorback Regional and also the Indiana Robotics Invitational. Our wedgetop tread shows little to no signs of wear. I would highly suggest the idea of trying IFI wheels in the future.

Thanks,

Tyler Bledsoe. 3310 Black Hawk.

[Brandon Zalinsky]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

We're really looking for traction over wear resistance- it only has to live through one more competition. I think that we'll stick with wedgetop treads, in part because of Gary Dillard's observation that they may work better on smooth surfaces, like the ramp. If they're pretty similar, we'll stay with what we know. Thanks again!

[Ekcrbe]

We used black roughtop on 4x1.5" and 4x2" IFI wheels, and they're still running strong after five competitions and ~18 demos. The tread on our center wheels is worn considerably, but they're not bald and the robot still drives fine.

I also second the point on cutting tread with the band saw.

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Ekcrbe

We used black roughtop on 4x1.5" and 4x2" IFI wheels, and they're still running strong after five competitions and ~18 demos. The tread on our center wheels is worn considerably, but they're not bald and the robot still drives fine.

I also second the point on cutting tread with the band saw.

Where do you get black roughtop?


We've used wedgetop on both our 2011 and 2012 robots. 2011 experienced a lot of wear and tear over the course of a pre-season scrimmage, extensive driver training, regional, and championship. In 2012 we had to replace some tread during our second competition and then again before our first off-season event. Looking back, roughtop sounds like it would have been a better fit for 2011 in terms of wear but 2012 we would have stuck with wedgetop because it didn't slip on the bridge. In the future we are looking into Colsons because they are cheaper and last longer.

Brandon, you guys should get more wedgetop to finish out the season and you'll find uses for the leftovers down the road!

[Ekcrbe]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

Where do you get black roughtop?

I'm not heavily into mechanical or ordering parts, so I'll try to get back to you about that. I don't think we bought it this year, I think we just pulled it out of storage, so it could be difficult to track down.

EDIT: Sure, go with them.

[Aren_Hill]

Search McMaster for "incline conveyor belting" the SBR stuff is black

McMaster has always been my source for tread

[Chickenonastick]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

Where do you get black roughtop?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#rough-top-belts/=j4dcax

As far as the black tread goes, you would want the Extra-Grip SBR, not the "Oil-Resistant Neoprene."

[Brandon Zalinsky]

Originally Posted by Ekcrbe

We used black roughtop on 4x1.5" and 4x2" IFI wheels, and they're still running strong after five competitions and ~18 demos. The tread on our center wheels is worn considerably, but they're not bald and the robot still drives fine.

I also second the point on cutting tread with the band saw.

It's great that they've lasted that long, i thought the constant turning would rip those things apart.

[Ekcrbe]

Originally Posted by Flak-Bait

It's great that they've lasted that long, i thought the constant turning would rip those things apart.

I'm not really the parts lifespan expert, but from the responses here, I'm a little surprised too. We've got one more offseason event, and they'll have probably had enough after that.

[CalTran]

Kind of a thread bump, but between blue nitrile and black SBR, what do people suggest?

[Tom Line]

Where is blue nitrile available in the correct width for plaction wheels?

[MichaelBick]

You have to cut the blue nitrile to size with a bandsaw.

From what I've heard, 1.5" wide Colsons and 1" wide Roughtop have roughly the same traction. Colsons have better performance on surfaces that aren't carpet, like the bridge this year. If you increase the width of roughtop however, you can get really good traction on carpet. 973 ran 2" wide roughtop in 2011 and they could push everyone.

[Aren_Hill]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

Where is blue nitrile available in the correct width for plaction wheels?

Mcmaster Nitrile and a bandsaw or shear