Front Carbide Wear

[1999 Fatboy]

I still run the stock twin keel skis with 4 1/2" and 6" Stud Boy runners inside and outside respectively, love the hour glass shape as they hook up like crazy on the groomed trails. I just checked them and the front of the carbides have worn considerably with little wear from the middle to the rear after 3000 miles, would this be considered normal or is a suspension adjustment in order? If so, what would anyone recommend? All settings are factory stock.

 

[allyammies]

Shim your skis it will do wonders.

 

[Vmax]

What can we use to shim rather than OEM

Thanks

 

[maim]

i usually use a chunk of rubber transport mud flap when i shim mine.

 

[yamadoo]

Agree you need to shim, I have used rubber, plastic, aluminum anything that doesn’t rot, rust etc under the rubber behind the ski bolt It will steer easier and better on groomed trails I usually look around and use what i have latest was a thick piece of plastic that worked great

 

[Kkurz]

I bought a nylon cutting board at the Dollar Store and cut it into shims.

 

[1999 Fatboy]

I'll try shimming and post the results

 

[grizztracks]

I ran a couple sets of the Stud Boy shaper bars on Curve skis and both sets wore out rather quickly just forward of center. This was on a Nytro with the ski rubbers shimmed. I liked the way the shaper bars handled but didn't like the uneven wear so I switched to Snow Studs round bar carbides which tend to wear more evenly.

Typically, you shim the ski rubbers to help reduce darting when using single keel skis. Dual keel skis usually don't have as much of an issue with darting. If you're going to shim the tuner skis in an attempt to correct the shaper bar's uneven wear I wouldn't over do it. Shimming the rear of the ski rubber transfers more weight to the rear of the ski causing heavier steering. Maybe start with 1/16 to 1/8" of shim to see what it does.

 

[1999 Fatboy]

I ran a couple sets of the Stud Boy shaper bars on Curve skis and both sets wore out rather quickly just forward of center. This was on a Nytro with the ski rubbers shimmed. I liked the way the shaper bars handled but didn't like the uneven wear so I switched to Snow Studs round bar carbides which tend to wear more evenly.

Typically, you shim the ski rubbers to help reduce darting when using single keel skis. Dual keel skis usually don't have as much of an issue with darting. If you're going to shim the tuner skis in an attempt to correct the shaper bar's uneven wear I wouldn't over do it. Shimming the rear of the ski rubber transfers more weight to the rear of the ski causing heavier steering. Maybe start with 1/16 to 1/8" of shim to see what it does.

The uneven wear is my biggest issue, darting doesn't seem to be a problem, thanks for all the tips.

 

[yamadoo]

The dollar store cutting board is just genius. Will keep in mind if I ever need to do again

 

[super1c]

I use old snowmobile belts.

 

[jonlafon1]

The carbides if set up correctly WILL wear evenly front to back.. No way will shimming skis affect steering in a negative way if done correctly.. Have been shimming Cat skis for years.. The trick is to get the right thickness on the shim to create even wear front to back. Also the skis can be difficult to install once a shim is placed in the rear portion under the the rubber ski saddle. I used everything from old slides to heavy duty mud flaps. 1/4 thick is a good starting point.. Once you shim them and swear some getting them back on, you need to check wear often to see how its wearing and adjust if need be..

 

[1999 Fatboy]

The carbides if set up correctly WILL wear evenly front to back.. No way will shimming skis affect steering in a negative way if done correctly.. Have been shimming Cat skis for years.. The trick is to get the right thickness on the shim to create even wear front to back. Also the skis can be difficult to install once a shim is placed in the rear portion under the the rubber ski saddle. I used everything from old slides to heavy duty mud flaps. 1/4 thick is a good starting point.. Once you shim them and swear some getting them back on, you need to check wear often to see how its wearing and adjust if need be..

For a lack of finding anything else at the moment, I used a 2" long piece of a paint stirring stick as a shim (1/8" thick) yesterday and went on a 60 mile test run. Too soon to tell about wear, but, it sure seemed to turn much better especially on the hard packed and icy sections of the trail as more of the rear part of the skis, runners and carbides were making contact, I was making tighter turns than the sleds in front of me without pushing, I might add that no more effort was needed to actually turn except for the fact that I had to hold the handlebar tighter through the turn because I was actually turning. Today, I'll be in search of an aluminum bar I can cut to replace to paint stick and you're right, it was a bit tough getting the bolt started with the shim, don't know if I could go any thicker. Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions, this is a great forum for tips and tricks for our sleds.

 

[jonlafon1]

For a lack of finding anything else at the moment, I used a 2" long piece of a paint stirring stick as a shim (1/8" thick) yesterday and went on a 60 mile test run. Too soon to tell about wear, but, it sure seemed to turn much better especially on the hard packed and icy sections of the trail as more of the rear part of the skis, runners and carbides were making contact, I was making tighter turns than the sleds in front of me without pushing, I might add that no more effort was needed to actually turn except for the fact that I had to hold the handlebar tighter through the turn because I was actually turning. Today, I'll be in search of an aluminum bar I can cut to replace to paint stick and you're right, it was a bit tough getting the bolt started with the shim, don't know if I could go any thicker. Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions, this is a great forum for tips and tricks for our sleds.

Your welcome. PM if you have any questions. I would look for rubber or plastics as a shim material.

 

[1999 Fatboy]

Your welcome. PM if you have any questions. I would look for rubber or plastics as a shim material.

I ended up using 1" wide by 1/8" thick aluminum bar stock I purchased at a local hardware store and just cut to length, drilled a hole and screwed it into the rubber, went in pretty easy.