Traction Limited, rather than torque

[Simon G]

I've been reading all these posts on motors and gears (and been struggling myself with gearbox design) when a thought struck me - it is quite possible that our robots may be traction limited, rather than torque limited:

That is, assume we had an infinite torque drivetrain. What would be the limitation on the robot if it was chained to a wall? At some point, whatever we were using for wheels / treads etc. would break traction and slip. Therefore, that traction limit would define the maximum torque through the system and propelling our robots, yes?

So I offer that we should be mindful that given all the power of our new chippy motors, we might easily reach the limits of traction, unless we design the whole system (including traction devices), rather than just the drive system. What's the point of designing a drive system that can handle 315 oz-in or more of input torque, when our wheels or treads slip at 150 oz-in?

Am I thinking this through correctly, or am I missing something??

My $0.02.
Simon