6 Wheel Drives Without Dropped Centers

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by LeelandS

Hey Cam!

Someone from 25 will probably have to pop in to clear up the details, but here is what I know. 25 does use a 6WD with no drop. In the past, they have even gone up to 8WD, still with no drop. From what I recall, the secret lies in the wheels. Those massive drum wheels 25 has used in their drive system for years are from Skyway. 25 sands down the wheels so they are slick, and then cuts into them and adds tread as necessary. Here's a little more info on it: 25's Tires. While the thread is over 10 years old now, I seem to recall a thread in more recent years where the process is verified to still be alive.

Like I said, an actual member of 25 is going to need to provide the details, but that's the just of it.

EDIT: Here is a more straight-forward description of the design from a member of 25 - Link

When it comes to drive systems with speed and power, you'd be hard-pressed these days to find a team who surpasses 25 in both respects.

Regards,
Leeland

The process we use to cut our tires hasn't changed significantly over the years, so a lot of the information in those old posts is still relevant. We first shave down Skyway Bead-LOK wheels using a table saw (a couple of years ago we created a machine to help us with that process - see this video), and then cut the treads using a wooden jig.

Here's a thread from 2010 that generated some good discussion about dropping the center wheel: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=85763.

In particular, this post by Jared from 341 does a good job explaining some of the specifics of our drivetrain.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask (or come on down to Brunswick Eruption in November to check it out in person ).