dupont owners with track clipped every third

[Sasquatch]

I'm clipped every third on my apex ltx gt, put on over 2,000 miles last year with little to no wear. I don't buy that the rubber overheats the duponts simply because it's clipped every third, or normal slides would disappear in no time also. The thinking with a track clipped every third is that the snow is retained in the track and cools/lubricates that way.

The thinking was save weight and cost. Had nothing to do with anything else! In 05 when they came out with the every third clipped people where installing SLP slide savers in their tracks. I was melting the sliders off in less then 500 miles till I added the SLP's. After that I could get 12 to 15 hundred miles and I could coast the sled. Before that when you let off it was like the brakes where on and I don't mean engine braking! The amount of drag that the third window clipped put on the track was huge.

All clipped has less drag but more weight! I glad my XTX is all clipped.

 

[cemjr]

I'm putting Duponts on this year. I'm also going to a BC track and it has every window clipped BONUS

 

[Riceburner]

It is the track that takes the beating if not fully clipped guys , not the vespel slides.

My Turbo Apex has Duponts & had a track which was not fully clipped.

You could see the wear on the track from the Duponts in only 300 miles. I took that track off & put on a new fully clipped Hacksaw.

Maybe not quite so important with lower HP sleds, but with 300 HP under your Azz you don't want the track giving out on you.

 

[nadekeys]

I think people get overly concerned with the clipped every third vs fully clipped debate when there is probably more going on if you are having problems with slide wear. Otherwise how was I able to get 3000 miles on my stock sliders with my track clipped every third? Keep in mind I live in northeast Wisconsin, on a good day the trails are marginal so quite a few miles were on bad trails. After 3000 miles the slides still had a decent amount of wear on them. Now I have run the duponts with my same track, and the slides have barely shown any wear and my track looks fine after 2000 miles. I run my track a little on the loose side but not that far out of spec. I do ride moderately aggressive depending on who I'm going with. I also ride about 400 miles of 2-up on my apex per year (I have a seat jack) which would also lead to extra slide wear if it was a problem.

 

[Sasquatch]

I think people get overly concerned with the clipped every third vs fully clipped debate when there is probably more going on if you are having problems with slide wear. Otherwise how was I able to get 3000 miles on my stock sliders with my track clipped every third? Keep in mind I live in northeast Wisconsin, on a good day the trails are marginal so quite a few miles were on bad trails. After 3000 miles the slides still had a decent amount of wear on them. Now I have run the duponts with my same track, and the slides have barely shown any wear and my track looks fine after 2000 miles. I run my track a little on the loose side but not that far out of spec. I do ride moderately aggressive depending on who I'm going with. I also ride about 400 miles of 2-up on my apex per year (I have a seat jack) which would also lead to extra slide wear if it was a problem.

So does that make you the exception to the rule. Only stands to reason if you have good slider wear with stock slides that you will have exceptioal wear with duponts. I melted my stock sliders off on my XTX on one trail ride. 3500 miles on the duponts. Huge difference!

There where guys posting with every third clipped that there tracks where blistering where the sliders ran. I could stop on a hill and the sled would sit there with every third clipped on my warrior. Installed the SLP slide savers and same hill it would not sit in the same spot. It was way easier to pull the track around by hand on the stand with the SLPs as compared to without.

Steel is just more slippery then rubber. I guess it why they use rubber for tires rather then steel.

 

[Blue Dave]

I am not sure if it is the Duponts or the fully clipped track (because I installed both at the same time) or both, but I can coast much better now than with my original stock set-up.

With the original track and slides sometimes it felt like the brakes were on when I let off the throttle. Not anymore with Duponts and fully clipped Ice Ripper XT.

 

[evil eagle]

What is with the duponts? do they melt at a higher temp or they more slippery.
If they melt at a higher temp, I can't say anything other than it would be very hard on a track running it hotter. In perticular the fibergrass bars.
Does anyone know the trick with the duponts slides?

 

[sheetwright]

I will never used them again. I have ripsaw quiet track, clipped every third. The duponts are eating through my clips after 1500 miles. So I switched back to extra wheels and regular hyfax

 

[nadekeys]

I think people get overly concerned with the clipped every third vs fully clipped debate when there is probably more going on if you are having problems with slide wear. Otherwise how was I able to get 3000 miles on my stock sliders with my track clipped every third? Keep in mind I live in northeast Wisconsin, on a good day the trails are marginal so quite a few miles were on bad trails. After 3000 miles the slides still had a decent amount of wear on them. Now I have run the duponts with my same track, and the slides have barely shown any wear and my track looks fine after 2000 miles. I run my track a little on the loose side but not that far out of spec. I do ride moderately aggressive depending on who I'm going with. I also ride about 400 miles of 2-up on my apex per year (I have a seat jack) which would also lead to extra slide wear if it was a problem.

So does that make you the exception to the rule. Only stands to reason if you have good slider wear with stock slides that you will have exceptioal wear with duponts. I melted my stock sliders off on my XTX on one trail ride. 3500 miles on the duponts. Huge difference!

There where guys posting with every third clipped that there tracks where blistering where the sliders ran. I could stop on a hill and the sled would sit there with every third clipped on my warrior. Installed the SLP slide savers and same hill it would not sit in the same spot. It was way easier to pull the track around by hand on the stand with the SLPs as compared to without.

Steel is just more slippery then rubber. I guess it why they use rubber for tires rather then steel.

This is true when both surfaces are dry. If your track is running dry of course you'll melt your slides. Rubber is very slippery when wet, which is what it should be if you are in snow. I'd say your XTX (the XTX skid in general) is the exception, as everyone knows it eats slides for breakfast, standard ones and to a lesser extent the duponts. I'm merely stating that there are more variables in this equation (track tightness/alignment/etc) than strictly clipped every third vs. fully clipped as far as slider wear goes.

 

[Sasquatch]

What is with the duponts? do they melt at a higher temp or they more slippery.
If they melt at a higher temp, I can't say anything other than it would be very hard on a track running it hotter. In perticular the fibergrass bars.
Does anyone know the trick with the duponts slides?

They run cooler then stock slides! Ran down an ice road with no lube at 60 mph stopped when I reached the groomed trail and checked the slides and track clips. They where cool to the touch. I have zero wear after 3,500 miles on my track clips!

 

[yamajammer76]

So far I have done about 750 miles on a set of Dupont slides. I have a stock Nytro XTX with the 1.25" fully opened Ripsaw clipped every third and I don't see any abnormal wear on the track clips other then the normal shine and some grooves from sand, etc. The rubber on the track where there are no clips looks fine as well. The slides are worn about 2 mm at the worst spot for wear so I am thinking these will make it about 1,500-2,000 miles on the XTX which is a miracle since it used to wear out stock slides in about 600 miles.

If I had one complaint it seems the inserts run out just in front of the idler wheel before the rails make the upwards bend. There is a little more wear in this area, however the wheels are now taking the pressure off so I don't think it will wear much more in this area. Those wheels were free spinning when I first had the sliders put on.

Of course for the most part I have ridden the sled in pretty good snow conditions this year and I try to get off the trail every so often to kick up some snow for better cooling and lubrication. I am pretty much a 70 on - 30 off trail rider. If you are running on hard pack all the time you might experience more clip and track wear or faster slider wear.

 

[WinderFab]

I also have DuPont with track clipped every third and have about 2100 k with no problems yet,
It all depends on snow conditions...

 

[Sasquatch]

3,800 miles on the Duponts. No wear on the track clips that I can see. Duponts seem to be holding in there but they are very thin at the last idler.

Going to put new ones on now in prep for the TY ride. I figure 3,800 miles with a fat guy on its back the duponts did well on the ole XTX!

 

[alsops]

Just replaced my DuPonts at 8200km!
They still had enough left but didn't want to take a chance.
No issues with clips and still original stock track nearing 20,000 km.
I ride hard like every other XTX owner and times on crap gravel etc.
Used to burn reg sliders every 500-1200kms
$165 we'll spent.

 

[Psycho Dave]

Mounted DuPonts for this season on my Venture Multi Purpose. On my first ride of the season I could smell rubber when running. The trail was soft and I pulled off the trail in to the powder as often as I could. Now my track looks like this, not the best picture but it is possible to see that the track has melted.