Are two speed transmissions worth it?

[thefro526]

After numerous discussions with team members and doing a bit of research I'm still wondering are two speed transmissions worth the money, weight, time, etc... I am speaking more along the lines of the AM gen 2 shifters not a custom one off application. It seems that in most cases it depends on stratagies but in a overall statement are they worth it?

A few people on my team believe that there is no point to having them. I always say to them that we've always had robots in the mid speed range ~7-8 fps and I'd love to have two speeds somewhere around 5 fps in low and 10 fps in high. It seems that we always try to tell our alliance partners yeah we are offensive primarily but we can play defense but it always seems to be that we never have the required power to push other robots out of the way. Not saying that we need super pushing power or light speed but I would love know that I have a little extra power and a little extra speed.

Also are my speeds a bit off? Would the speeds that come out of the transmission be higher or lower with normal gearing (KOP gears)? And what experiences have you had with your teams transmissions? My GMP (Grand Master Plan) is some kind of six wheel or eight wheel drive (like 1270) with IFI high traction wheels. Any advice on 6 or 8 wheel two speed drive trains would be greatly appriciated

-Dustin