Is it just me, or are rovers COMPLETELY USELESS?

[magnemoe]

Reaction wheels can stabilize a rover when it is flying off the ground due to some unforseen object in its path. A.K.A when launched.

But even then they should be disabled under normal operation.

I drive fast rovers with reaction wheels on, main reason for rover crash is that they get into spill after hitting and bump or they bounce after landing on one wheel.

This simple rover, 1 2x2 and four 1x1 plates four wheels, reaction wheels, probe core, docking port, batteries and solar cells.

Driven this on Mun a lot, Jeb style driving as in full throttle while trying to get airtime. No permanent damage from driving, wheels breaks if doing too insane jumps or small jumps at speeds over 50 m/s.

Jumps who damage wheels also tend to make kerbals fall out of their seats, this is why I think about adding some sort of cage as they tend to end up hundreds of meters from the rover.

[Galane]

For going downhill, don't use the brakes at all! Set action groups to toggle the motors on the front and rear wheels.

When going downhill, disable the front wheels and periodically hit the reverse key to apply counter torque on the rear wheels. They'll slow the rover down without flipping it over like braking with all the wheels or reversing all the motors can.

Counter torquing the motors is also far less "grabby" than using the brakes and can't lock the wheels so you're less likely to slide the wheels.

As for MechJeb's speed control, it doesn't do squat to limit the speed of a rover rolling freely downhill.

Lost your way? Use MechJeb's landing autopilot as beacon. Pick a location on the map then watch the distance. If it's getting less, you're driving the right way. If you have rockets on the lander it'll also save you in the event of a "terrain assisted launch". Quickly poke the land somewhere button and it will level out and land. Set the parking brake before you touch down. If you're using it for direction guidance, click quicker on abort then land somewhere.

Now that I know that fuel pipes have to go on backwards to get Kethane converters to fill fuel tanks that're out of direct line fuel flow, I can continue my R&D program for a Kethane mining Mun rover. Minmus is easy, the gravity is so light my first rover design works there, can land and has enough fuel to get back to orbit.

As for useless, I still have the stock rover stuck in a crater on the Mun. I may take some of my missiles there and try a bit of orbital bombardment to get rid of it.

[chrisb2e9]

Here is my lander which I have used on the mun and Minmus.

Low to the ground, wide'ish, long. The steel girders, in case if flips. RCS to flip it back over.

I sit that thing on the top of a lander. land it on the mun. there is a girder and a stack separator attaching it to the top of the lander. once I detach the separator. I use the rcs to fly it off the lander and onto the mun.

I have never landed it on it's wheels. but the steel girders take the abuse like they were designed to and then i just use the rcs to flip it over.