Faster by removing 4WD.
 

I tried removing the drive shaft, front axle, and dogbones to see for myself what kind of difference it would make in speed and turning performance.

I already have the orange motor and gearset installed.

Wow! Not only is it way faster, but slightly lighter to boot.
Turning radius is way tighter.

It still goes on carpet just fine too!

cool, but I like mine to be able to drive over almost anything, we just need to make better gears so it won't drag as much with 4wd.

I guess what I am doing is building several different MTs, each with it's own capabilities.

Since my Monster Herbie crawler is almost complete, I figured I'd make a fast one too.

I have a couple more MTs, so it's not over yet.

EDIT

The other thing you have to consider is that these suckers aren't that stable at high speed, so 4WD or no, control might be an issue.

Okay, okay.

I re-installed the 4WD components. Why?

Because I think I like my MTs to be able to climb on stuff too! :D Much more fun that way!

It was an interesting experiment though.

I removed the front drivetrain also, thinking more speed and agility would be worth it. It does take away the whole MT purpose. But I gotta say, it has been easier to chase my chihuahua around the apartment!

You are actually wearing the rubber on ZZ MT tires down to the point of them needing to be replaced?

You gotta post some pics of your MT!