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136 Track Studded Down the Middle


with a 136 track you are going to get alot of push in the corner....studding the outside belts will also aid in the the push.....I went down the middle to give me some ice traction and as little push as possible... :D :D :D
 
I have an 03 shorty and was thinking about getting it studded for this winter. Ran all last season without studs, but the snow conditions in the midwest were more like good ice conditions. My dealer had talked about 192 studs, which seems consistent with what many others have posted on this site in the various stud threads. I noticed everyone seemed to always say "down the middle" but I never really understood the implications of the various patterns.

So I guess the "push" you refer to would be the same on the 121 inch track?
 
Yes the more aggressive you track the more push you will get....then better skis and more aggressive carbides you will need.
 
I'm going to play devil's advocate here, but there's another theory out there.

With a trailing arm Yamaha, there's not alot of 'leaning' around corners, it's pretty stable. With a A-arm front end, there's more body roll in the corners, which results in the inside edge of the track to have less weight, maybe even none if the lean is bad enough. This puts considerable pressure on the outside belt, which has no studs, and won't aid in the turning (on ice). With a traditional pattern with studs all over, the same situation will HELP the sled to turn. This is only on ice, for comparison's sake. On snow, the track 'should' help turn the sled, but I think studding the outside belts actually helps to turn the sled in most all conditions.

I talked with Scott Bergstrom about this at length, and put it to test on my sled last year. I experienced no extra push on my sled with the Extreme Max pattern. It's only 96 studs though.

There's lots of ways to go on this, I think it'd be very valuable to empirically test both theories! Come on MrSled, how about a head to head, kinda like the suspension shootout?
 
VMJ, your outside belts and the studs closest to the rail are your tractions studs....how can they help you turn...your skis help you turn.....LMAO
 
Interesting points VMJ. I assume the 96 studs were put in a Viper, not a RX-1. The conventional wisdom for the RX-1 is 192 studs and Woody's rule of thumb is 1.5 studs per hp, so this seems like the right amount. The only question is stud pattern.

I did a bunch of internet searches on this topic over the weekend and didn't find anything useful. So I guess I will ask my question to you "stud" experts. I want to stud my RX-1 primarily for safety, but also for some extra traction on icy trails and hills. Given that I ride the lakes and hard packed trails of the upper midwest, should it be down the middle or include the outside edges of the track?
 
MrSled, hehe. Next time we have SNOW, do a figure 8 in your yard (like I've got to tell you to do that, eh?!) You'll see how the inside belt either slips alot or isn't touching when turning quickly. This means that your center belt is takes most of the weight, with the outside belt actually grabbing and helping to push the outside of the sled around.

This is th sole reason I studded my sled with some in the outside belts. Like I said, I'd love to see a good test of stud patterns...step up to the plate big guy!
 
Here's what I am doing this season. I purchased a Woodys template that has several different patterns. The two patterns I will be using are the 144 (middle only) and the 192 (middle and sides). What is nice about these two patterns is that the only difference between the two is that in order to get to 192, you have to stud the outside belts; other than that, they are exactly the same pattern. I will try the 144 first and see how it rides and handles. If I need more bite or see the symptons vmaxjohn has stated, then I will increase to 192 by simply adding studs to the outside belts. Typically in the past, I have studded both the middle and sides but this year I wanted to try only studding down the middle.
 
I'm just studding down the middle but using a 189 pattern. It's a pattern I came up with and alternates 3-4-3-4. Most patters form a V and mine makes 3 V's. One 6 pitch, one 4 pitch, and one 2 pitch all interlocked. Hopefully I'll finish putting the studs in this evening and should be able to get a pic. I don't plan on putting any in the outside belt.
 
VMJ I can see your logic, but that body roll and loading the outside and center and uloading the inside happens AFTER the trurn is initiated. I am thinking that the push at onset of the turn will be less and the sled will tend to be 'loose' or over steer, which I want, with only center studding. But my biggest reason is of all the studs I have ever lost most are on the outside belt. The tow home last year for a whole in heat exchanger was also on the outside belt. Yamadoo
 
also, Did you ever notice the studs that are worn out are in the outside belts, thats also from Turning.....
 
studing

Man you guys must like to spend extra cash,on studs ha,192 for trail riding no way slows you down to much and if its saftey you need 96 is plenty,even for the rx1,now alot of you guys are running a 136 ripsaw track why even stud,the track is hooked up alot more than last years 121 for starters it is 1.25 height by 136 wow and most of the same people cry about ski lift,well hook up as hard as you can and see how much ski lift you have compared to half the hook,i would rather spin alot and make it thru the next corner w/skis on ground than all that transfer and ski in air,dont forget rotating mass is alot,so go weigh a bag of 192 carbides and backers,now think of all that extra weight turning up toward 100 mph,take the extra 15 lbs off and see how much faster your sled will go,alot,now if being quick is what u r after than stud the #*$&@ out of it,install 136 and make it 1.25 height,but dont exspect to beat the guy w/no hardware acrossed the lake unless its only 1/4 mile lol :p
 
Snowbeast, you're pretty much right.

If you run a non studded track however, and let it spin, you'll be ripping lugs off when on hard surfaces. I've done it on 2 sleds before I studded, now my actual track wear is minimal. I think my next sled won't be studded though, I'm planning on going with Trail Grabbers.
www.bergstromskegs.com

This way, I have the safety to stop on icy surfaces, but still have the top speed. I'll have to adjust my riding style of WFO out of the corners a little though, to help the lugs live long.

MrSled, are you being facecious?
 


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