Carbide length for 5.7 pilot skis on Nytro?

[Sledtime9]

I installed a set of 5.7 Pilot skis on my 2008 Nytro. I have the 121" track.

I put woody's 6" in the middle and Woody's 4" on the outside.

I Used Sly dog rubbers and everything went together great. I have it set at 3/8" of toe out.

I am now second guessing the 6" woody's in the middle. I don't have any studs and dont plan to add any. I ride 80% trails.

Anyone been running this setup? Do you think I should put 4" in the middle? and 4" outside? I dont like a front end push... But I am not too sure if it will be over stuck either.

Thanks for the advice. This site is great!

 

[bottlerocket]

You can put the 6" on the outside just to try it. With different set ups and riding styles you wont know till you try it.

 

[BADSLED]

I think you will be perfect with 6" in the center and 4" on outside. I always like to go with a more aggressive carbide and 4" was never enough. IMO, 6" is a minimum anyone should run, even without studs.

 

[SpecRTX]

I had that exact set up on my Nytro. It worked good on hardpack. However, if the snow softened up at all, it would push. I think the largest shaper bar you can run is a 7.5. I would run that in the center. The shaper will "catch" the snow better than the round bar.

 

[Sledtime9]

Anyone ever try shimming the outside 4" carbide?
I had a few people tell me to use a piece of 3/8 fuel line cut in half to shim the outside carbide and make it a bit lower.
This should make it a little more aggressive and catch a little bit sooner if the sled pushes.
I think I may keep the 6" center and 4" outside to start. I will throw a bit of fuel line in the pack and maybe I will try shimming and see what effect it has.

 

[bottlerocket]

I had that exact set up on my Nytro. It worked good on hardpack. However, if the snow softened up at all, it would push. I think the largest shaper bar you can run is a 7.5. I would run that in the center. The shaper will "catch" the snow better than the round bar.

If the snow softens up the shaper bar will help but the carbide length will have no affect. The host bar length is the same on a 4" shaper vs a 7.5" so Im thinking carbide wont help unless conditions are hard or icey. I put 6" shapers on the center and 4" shapers on the outside of 6.9s for this season but have no miles for feedback.

 

[Sledtime9]

I think I will buy a set of 6" shape bars to swap out after I try the 6" woody's and do a little testing this year on the trails.

Unless someone has already done some testing?

 

[dfroster]

I have some 6.9's on the way with 6" and 4" inch Woody's too. The fuel hose idea sounds interesting to lower the depth of the outder bar. What about sliding a washer down each outer bar stem as shims before mounting the bar to the ski? I suppose the bar wouldn't have nearly as much direct contact with the ski bottom using the washers as shims. Wonder what the draw backs would be. What do you think?

 

[Sledtime9]

I thought about washers as well. I think it will be stronger with the fuel hose as the surface area against the ski bottom will be alot more. There is alot of twisting force there.

I am interested in trying this setup for sure.
The shaper bars are also very interesting as people seem to think the square bar design seems to "grab" the loose snow better than the woody's round bar design. Should be interesting to do a little testing this year.

 

[Bradford]

I tried washers. They bent and got pushed up into the plastic. Larger thicker washers may have worked but I do like the hose idea

Brad

 

[Sledtime9]

Well I rode 130 miles last weekend in WI and it handled really well in most conditions. However in deep powder it did want to push a little. I think I may try the shaper bar in the middle.
But overall this sled is really good !

 

[Bradford]

I found that the pilots do push in the powder and if you do a search, you'll find that a lot of other people do too

Brad

 

[Essarex]

I have been running the pilots for three years now, one year on the SRX and two on the Apex. I feel they are the sports best kept secret. The dual keel minimizes hunting/darting better than a traditional dually, based on the wider spacing of the cutting surfaces. The concave under surface provides more float, and this is welcomed under the weight of a triple triple or 4 stroke. They are durable, light, cheap, and you can find carbides anywhere. You do not even need to use the second carbide to gain most of the anti-darting benefit. They will dart however, if the trail is hard enough to prevent the second cutting suface from reaching the snow, but soft enough to allow significant penetration of the center carbide. This is a rare surface condition however.

These skis are installed such that the outside carbides are facing outwards, away from the sled's centerline.

In what would appear as a chance act of fate, the designed in castor angle of the Apex spindle, provides the perfect ski lean in a turn, to drop the inside of the ski onto the trail surface. So, if one were to reverse the ski installation, by placing the outboard carbides inboard, that second cutting surface will be forced onto the trail at the exact same height as the center cutting surface.

Twice the carbide, twice the keel,,,,,you get the idea.

Does anybody have experience with this?