Pneumatic Wheels vs Treads

[Michael Hill]

My concern with tread is that the current offerings are essentially untested on the field. The long lead time is also a deal breaker. The last time I can recall seeing tank treads on an FRC field was in 2006 with Karthik's triplets (perhaps I've missed a robot or two). But for the most part, most teams do not have experience with using them or maintaining them or dealing with their failure modes. Couple that with the long lead time of the Rhino treads, I know most teams aren't going to be able to practice driving with them. It's a scary situation all around.