pic: Team 980 "Thunder Bot" drive train

[Mr. Van]

We used Zip ties on our wheels last year. They work great and do not damage the carpet (at least in the configuration we used, with the smooth side of the tie out and the closing "zipper" off to the side).

HOWEVER...

According to the FIRST Q&A forums:

POSTED QUESTION:
Wire ties on wheels Posted: Jan 15, 2003 12:05 PM _
Regarding rule M17 under Robot Rules, it states, "Traction devices may not have surface features such as metal or hard plastic studs, cleats or other attachments." My team is not quite clear on what corresponds to hard plastic studs. Would wire ties attached to wheels horizontally across the wheel be considered hard plastic studs or cleats?
[Edited by: first on Jan 15, 2003 12:25 PM]

FIRST'S OFFICIAL REPLY:
Re: Wire ties on wheels Posted: Jan 15, 2003 12:29 PM _
Yes, wire ties attached to the wheels would be considered hard plastic cleats. The problem is that we have seen these systems used before and we have seen them damage the carpet. I question how effective this system would be on the wire mesh or the HDPE.
36F

Sorry to bring bad news, but we wanted to do this to our wheels also. Had to come up with an alternative.

-Mr. Van
Coach, Team 599