Learning and Understanding different drivetrains

[Oblarg]

Originally Posted by safiq10

Now in an effort to learn more about FRC and better understand it we are currently conducting research about the pros and cons on drivetrains. We want to understand why teams use a certain drivetrain.

Currently we are stuck on West coast drive... We are absolutely stumped on what benefits it gives and why we see some of the more elite teams using it?

It offers a wider wheel base, which is more stable, and easy wheel access (as wheels on high-traction drives tend to wear a lot, this is very helpful for facilitating maintenance).

On the down side, it makes maintaining the belts or chain a bit of a pain as they're generally run off pulleys that are mounted inside of the gearbox.