If I have a four wheeled vehicle (small wooden block with metal nail axles and plastic wheels) and apply a force X to it, would it be made faster by keeping one wheel off the ground in order to reduce friction? My thought is that the remaining three wheels would then have more weight on them, and thus more friction -- but is this added force more than offset by the loss of friction in the missing wheel?
Update: After some back and forth with Ruben I think I have gathered the following --
The friction per wheel exists in both contact with ground and to a much greater degree contact of axle to wheel. There is a small and most likely negligible wind resistance component.
4 wheeling........3 wheeling
- Friction per wheel = F ...........................4/3 F
- Wind resistance = W ...................................W
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