Rover not getting any traction?

[MrUberGr]

So I built this rover and sent it to the Mun. Now that I'm there it seems to be completely useless. It takes to long to steer and it's acceleration is crap. Why is this happening?

[GROOV3ST3R]

Perhaps it's too light? Gotta remember that gravity on the Mun is a lot lower than on Kerbin and you don't have any atmosphere to keep you from flipping (with wings ofc). I'd remove the middle wheels and make sure they all face straight down. Also, you might want to think about replacing them for TR-2L wheels instead which have more traction.

[MrUberGr]

Hmm, indeed. The suspensions are barely flexing at all... I used these ones because on Kerbin they do so much better, plus they are faster than the small ones. So you suggest either smaller/less wheels, or heavier rover?

[GROOV3ST3R]

Yeah, add weight very low to the ground and replace them with the ruggedized wheels. Not the very small ones, the other gray wheels, they are a similar size to these. Kerbin is different to Mun, you do need some substantial weight there.

[Vanamonde]

Switch to the "ruggedized" wheels. They were added to the game specifically because the other wheel types have such poor traction in low gravity.

[helaeon]

the mun is hard to rove on. If you get going fast, you're going to have a bad time so don't worry too much about speed but good control is necessary.

Here are a couple of things I figured out.

Put linear RCS ports on the rover pointing straight up. That way if things start getting squirrelly or you need more traction you can translate into the surface and give yourself down-force.

SAS as the very bottom of the rover parallel to the ground also helps (if you catch a crazy jump it also gives you the ability to right the rover before landing). Be sure to turn SAS on and off when you change pitch and grade on the surface otherwise it is more of a hindrance than a help.

Think about rover designs much like those RC cars that you can flip and drive any way, that there is no "up" position on the rover, both ways are up. then put a bumper that if it lands on its side it will cause the rover to roll to one set of the wheels.

Protect important things with girders. the ones that can take 80m/s of crash tolerance. Protect your wheels with those as you'll have no kerbals to service them.

Quicksave, a lot... sometimes you'll be rolling down a hill get going a little too fast and your wheels will self-destruct.

It is also a good idea to figure out what wheels are your steering wheels. Probably only your front wheels should steer on a 6 wheel design, maybe the front and rear. Center wheels helping steering make things very hard. It can make a world of difference. Same with braking. Center and rear wheels brake, maybe only rear. Unless you like flipping over when you hit the brake key.

Edited February 11, 2014 by helaeon

[MrUberGr]

It is also a good idea to figure out what wheels are your steering wheels. Probably only your front wheels should steer on a 6 wheel design, maybe the front and rear. Center wheels helping steering make things very hard. It can make a world of difference. Same with braking. Center and rear wheels brake, maybe only rear. Unless you like flipping over when you hit the brake key.

How can you designate which wheels will brake or not? There is a lock/unlock steering option, but no lock/unlock braking .

I made dis:

What do you think? Pretty steady and when it happens to liftoff I can manage it in the air with the reaction wheels before it lands. Plus turning on SAS will most likely prevent flying in to the air on a hard turn.

[Jay7sun]

A winch and grappling hook on front and back of all my rovers, u just never know when u'll need it. Awesome fun too..

[rhoark]

If you have a lot of gyros, you can pitch up to give the back wheels more traction.

[relin]

I've heard of people putting a PB-Ion pointed straight up and using it to push down just a little. Considering how long those things can burn with just a little fuel, it's a great way to get some downforce.

[Claw]

How can you designate which wheels will brake or not? There is a lock/unlock steering option, but no lock/unlock braking .

I made dis:

What do you think? Pretty steady and when it happens to liftoff I can manage it in the air with the reaction wheels before it lands. Plus turning on SAS will most likely prevent flying in to the air on a hard turn.

You can turn on/off brakes in the tweakable menu in the VAB. You can't change the stat in flight (stock KSP).

Some people also report turning off SAS helps control, but if you prefer it on then drive it that way. Just make sure your rotation keys are different from your driving keys.

[PPR]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but is it possible the wheels are not level? That would explain the problems you've experienced (no traction/steering).

[jpinard]

A winch and grappling hook on front and back of all my rovers, u just never know when u'll need it. Awesome fun too..

What mod are you using for that?

[Claw]

What mod are you using for that?

It is probably in reference to KAS.