Wheels

[Tendan]

Would it be better to get green or orange T81 wheels? I know green has better traction and could reduce skidding, but they also deteriorate faster. I don't want to have to replace the wheels before the state competition in early March.

Why T81 as opposed to T40? Won't they just take more energy due to being heavier and lower your center of mass?

What do you mean by taking more energy?

[MadCow2357]

Out of curiosity: if one could purchase banebots wheels at custom sizes (disregarding price), what sizes might be most ideal for vehicle events in general?

My Thoughts:
- In terms of diameter, my preferences would probably be 3" or 4".
- I could also see cases where a 2" would be most ideal.
- Most of the time, width doesn't matter much - but back in 2019 I remember searching for, to no avail, tall thin wheels that could minimize the width of my buggy (can bonus).
- T81s have always seemed a bit thick and heavy to me (~2 cm), so personally I'd be quite interested in something closer to 1 cm.

Anybody have opinions regarding ^ ?

[unphayzed]

Would it be better to get green or orange T81 wheels? I know green has better traction and could reduce skidding, but they also deteriorate faster. I don't want to have to replace the wheels before the state competition in early March.

Why T81 as opposed to T40? Won't they just take more energy due to being heavier and lower your center of mass?

What do you mean by taking more energy?

Hi Tendan,

The reason that heavier wheel require more energy to rotate is due to the concept of rotational inertia. Put simply, rotational inertia is the the amount of force required to change the rotational velocity of an object, or in other words, rotate an object. The more your wheels weigh, the more force/energy is required to rotate your wheels, making your vehicle slower.

Additionally, having heavier wheels will take away from the amount of weight you can use towards optimizing the center-of-mass of your gravity vehicle, reducing your speed as well.

I hope that this answered your question! If you have any more questions, I have made a blog post covering the basic of Gravity Vehicle that may help you out: https://unphayzed.com/2020/05/04/gravit ... damentals/

[unphayzed]

Out of curiosity: if one could purchase banebots wheels at custom sizes (disregarding price), what sizes might be most ideal for vehicle events in general?

My Thoughts:
- In terms of diameter, my preferences would probably be 3" or 4".
- I could also see cases where a 2" would be most ideal.
- Most of the time, width doesn't matter much - but back in 2019 I remember searching for, to no avail, tall thin wheels that could minimize the width of my buggy (can bonus).
- T81s have always seemed a bit thick and heavy to me (~2 cm), so personally I'd be quite interested in something closer to 1 cm.

Anybody have opinions regarding ^ ?

Hi MadCow2357,

In terms of the size of your wheels, there really is no need to have them be any bigger than 3". The reason that I am an advocate for this is because:

1) Unless there is an important need to make your vehicle thin, like the battery buggy bonus you mentioned, using larger wheels for the purpose of making your vehicle thinner would only take away from your car's stability.
2) With larger wheels, especially banebot wheels, you are dealing with a lot more weight and rotational inertia.
3) Depending on how your vehicle is designed, having larger wheels at the back of your car will cause your gravity vehicle to need to sit lower on its ramp to abide by the rules, reducing the potential energy you have to use.

In terms of wheel thickness, having thicker wheels is a sfer option regardless of the extra weight, at least in my experience, because it significantly improves the stability of car and will help it travel straighter.

I hope that this answered your question! If you have any other questions this post I made might help you: https://unphayzed.com/2020/05/04/gravit ... damentals/

[GodOfCars]

does banebots sell the shafts for the hubs or do people just buy them from a hardware store?

Unfortunately, banebots does not sell shafts, so you're gonna need to buy that yourself. I know that ace hardware usually has pretty good axles for a good price but not much selection. If you need a custom size or something you might have to order online.

[MoMoney$$$;)0)]

Out of curiosity: if one could purchase banebots wheels at custom sizes (disregarding price), what sizes might be most ideal for vehicle events in general?

My Thoughts:
- In terms of diameter, my preferences would probably be 3" or 4".
- I could also see cases where a 2" would be most ideal.
- Most of the time, width doesn't matter much - but back in 2019 I remember searching for, to no avail, tall thin wheels that could minimize the width of my buggy (can bonus).
- T81s have always seemed a bit thick and heavy to me (~2 cm), so personally I'd be quite interested in something closer to 1 cm.

Anybody have opinions regarding ^ ?

Hi MadCow2357,

In terms of the size of your wheels, there really is no need to have them be any bigger than 3". The reason that I am an advocate for this is because:

1) Unless there is an important need to make your vehicle thin, like the battery buggy bonus you mentioned, using larger wheels for the purpose of making your vehicle thinner would only take away from your car's stability.
2) With larger wheels, especially banebot wheels, you are dealing with a lot more weight and rotational inertia.
3) Depending on how your vehicle is designed, having larger wheels at the back of your car will cause your gravity vehicle to need to sit lower on its ramp to abide by the rules, reducing the potential energy you have to use.

In terms of wheel thickness, having thicker wheels is a sfer option regardless of the extra weight, at least in my experience, because it significantly improves the stability of car and will help it travel straighter.

I hope that this answered your question! If you have any other questions this post I made might help you: https://unphayzed.com/2020/05/04/gravit ... damentals/

Clearly you spent a lot of time on this website, so kudos to you.

However, I always use small wheels, since I found that they have good balance or Banebots wheels and they work well with the design we use. Also have found that smaller wheels=greater accuracy (at least for us).

[Tendan]

Why T81 as opposed to T40? Won't they just take more energy due to being heavier and lower your center of mass?

What do you mean by taking more energy?

Hi Tendan,

The reason that heavier wheel require more energy to rotate is due to the concept of rotational inertia. Put simply, rotational inertia is the the amount of force required to change the rotational velocity of an object, or in other words, rotate an object. The more your wheels weigh, the more force/energy is required to rotate your wheels, making your vehicle slower.

Additionally, having heavier wheels will take away from the amount of weight you can use towards optimizing the center-of-mass of your gravity vehicle, reducing your speed as well.

I hope that this answered your question! If you have any more questions, I have made a blog post covering the basic of Gravity Vehicle that may help you out: https://unphayzed.com/2020/05/04/gravit ... damentals/

I was asking for clarification as to whether they mean more energy to accelerate, keep in motion, stop, or whatever else.

Also, I checked out your website and videos, you've done a great job explaining this event and others. Hopefully, it will help out those who are just starting GV this year.