Does anyone have any experience with a dual-drive board but with the front wheels (opposite the tail) under power? Can anyone foresee any possible problems with this? Carvon direct drive have been delayed too long and there is not room between the trucks for the motors and the battery, and I don’t want motors under the tail. So I was considering front wheel drive…
To clarify, I mean the front wheels under power with the motors on the front side of the front trucks
Handling is compromised when it’s Front wheel drive.
In what way? Have you tried it?
My concern is normally my front truck takes more abuse…
I had front wheel drive Hummies, for awhile, when some VESCS were down on my 4WD hub build. I thought it was fine.
I think Hummie also had a board like that.
I will add my experience with dual diagonal is that the front motor causes a lot of torquesteer when you hammer the throttle. It’d seem that with both motors in the front, it’d just stiffen the steering a bit the harder you’re accelerating. Which may actually be a benefit…
I ran a single front motor for a while on a penny board for the exact reason you’re doing it, I didn’t want a motor under the tail and no room undrr the deck, inside the trucks.
It worked fine, there was slight loss of traction when accelerating due to my weight being shifted backward, but the motor held up well, even when I accidentally rammed it into a curb. Sk3 motors are pretty robust.
Front wheel drive is interesting.
I’ve messed around a bit riding my board backwards. I think there’s potential for better braking.
Theoretically accelerating from the front should be more stable, but braking could maybe introduce speed wobbles? I’m not sure how fast you need to be going for either of those to come into play.
The one thing I do like is that to accelerate you have to keep your weight forward. If I were to teach somebody to ride, I think it’d be good to do it on a FWD board so they learn to keep their weight forward.
I rode lunasicc’s trampa as a front wheel drive… Because he’s got bindings, and they are configured for goofy foot.
Idk much about it though. Didn’t really get on too well with it. maybe because im a bit of a n00b. I only rode it probably 2 or 3 miles Maybe would have ridden it more, but the bindings freak me out.
He has jenso’s E-Toxx Direct Gear Drive on 8" pneumatics.
@squishy654 's buddy has a fwd board. Maybe he can help.
It’s a chain drive dual, mounted on the front truck facing rearwards.
I was toying with the idea of front wheel drive when i built mine, it does seem like the better setup on paper. I think the reason i didnt was because of the appearance. I might switch phase wires and give it a go.
everytime I try rear I go right back to front.
How does rear feel to you when you try it? Is there any way to describe what you don’t like about it?
its been so long I don’t remember more but it feels more stable somehow. besides how it just feeling unexplainably better it definitely is best for steep down hills or quick stopping. and I stand on the front of the board a lot to begin with.
I am interested in the FWD concept as is more traditional DH freeriders because it also means the rear wheels are free and predictable for sliding as a breaking method. We put together a proof of concept sort of thing, it’s still being worked on, but it’s meant for a pro DH skater to learn on…the chains are way too noisy and I don’t like them…
I would say steering might be a bit compromised. Braking is not as nice as it is harder to control the balance while braking
Plus side is that weight is in front… easier to lift up nose, with bindings, at least for me… might be also more stable while accelerating.
Ive tested with single motor, with dual drive braking and steering might feel a bit different
couldn’t you theoretically trim the motors based on lean for better handling?
You could with a fully-populated ESC based on the HW6.4 design but a lot of them aren’t fully-populated and either way, the firmware hasn’t been created. I’m not sure how that would specifically help with front wheel drive, it seems it might help with either one (front wheel drive or rear wheel drive) but I don’t know that it’s been tried.
I don’t think that would catch torquesteer though because the deck doesn’t lean, just the trucks lean when the unpowered wheel picks-up off the street
Well, front just tends to be more where the steering feel comes from. Whether because of wedging/deweding, tighter bushings in the rear, or other reasons.
It could pick up some torque steer I think, but I’m not sure it would do anything. I mean, the whole reasons to trim would be when you have both wheels powered on the same axle to allow them run at the appropriate speed for the inner/outer diameter of a turn. My Eskates just this dinky thing, but I imagine that on more powerful setups turning ends up fighting against the motors target speed a little bit.