Six Wheel Drive Question

[Loose Screw]

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

20 ran a 6 wheel drop center with colsons, while 340 ran 8 wheel, 4 traction, 4 omni. From experience at four different 2014 events that both 340 and 20 attended, the wheels on the ground made no difference in performance between the two machines, and as long as the team understands how to use their drivetrain, has well practiced drivers, and the other parts of the robot are also consistent, you should do well enough with either.

One thing I have to take into consideration as a coach when we design our robot is that as a Jr. High FTC team, driving experience is tough to come by. We try to have our drive team set as a mix of 8th, 7th, and possibly a 6th grader. This setup allows for a more "mature" team that has at least one member with prior drive team experience. As this allows for drive team experience, the underclassman usually transitions from driver/manipulator to drive coach, removing drive experience. My point here is that it's rare for us to have the same driver for more than one year. We have to account for this when we build our robot, so we can't go with more advanced drivetrains unless we dedicate a good few weeks purely for drive practice.