Myth or Fact

[Yamadog]

Yeah I used to look like a pit stop at Lowes motor speedway - pull up to a stop sign lay her over stick a screw driver through the track window gun it and blow the junk ones off and beat a new set in and go.

I looked like a freak with 2 pr strapped to the tunnel for a day ride.

 

[grumpysanta]

I pre heat mine with a heat gun prior to installation and it makes them easy to install by hand

 

[Superman]

In steel carbon will go to a hot spot. Does UHMW act the same? I don't know but I do know alot of guys that believe in the process of starting off a new set of slides like this. Maybe it helps by seating (or forming) the UHMW to the track clips??????? Don't know I'm reaching here. Maybe we could call mythbusters

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

I am thinking a sticky poll would be good for hyfax wear? with details such as how many miles between changes, track type, studs, fully clipped or closed or open windows, extra idlers and size, snow conditions etc. I know they only cost $30.00 and don't take long to install....however like anything else nowdays what can we do to minimize our carbon foot print. After all none of us want to see snowmobiling be in danger by our tree hugger friends, we already are riding four strokes....saving gas and less pollution. So what can we do to use less slides. I know for a fact there is a lot of varaibles on slide wear. I own three RX1's all with differnet tracks and they are all very different on slide wear. My RX1 I installed a new track on last season, it has been eating thru hyfax ever couple hundred miles So here we go, I installed the kimpex 1.25 shotgun full open windows, every other clipped with 144 premolded stud holes with no studs and stock idlers with new rear guide wheels (blue directionals from yamaha) I am the lead sled and our trails are smooth hard packed and I am always diping into the powder on the side of the trail every chance I get. My son's has a 1.25 ripsaw with 96 studs and stock wheels, gets 1000 miles to his slides, he rides in back of pack. My wife's has the oe cone track with 96 studs and stock wheels and gets 2k miles, rides in middle. By the way they never dip into powder on side of trail. Mine and my son's has been using (oe yamaha) slides, my wife's I am using sno-stuff brand. I have bought sno-stuff brand and 96 studs for mine for this season to try, waiting for snow to give it a ride and will post results.

 

[Blue Dave]

Two comments:

1) Most guys change their hyfax way too soon. they always wear very fast right away and then if you leave them on they will run for a very long time looking like they are ready to be replaced.

2) Carbon Footprint? Are you serious? If you are that worried about your carbon footprint then you should sell your sled and buy a pair of cross country skis!

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

You will have to pry my sled from my dead cold hands. I am just trying to do my part to keep snowmobiling going on forever....sheesh LMAO

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Drilling holes or dimples in the sliders is just as like to hold sand and rocks as snow. Plus, this practice reduces the surface area of the slider and since surface area is a factor affecting wear response, this is unlikely to provide any real benefit

if you ride in rocks and dirt some MIGHT get into the holes,but i dont ride in those conditions.

ice racers for as long as i can remember have been drilling out their sliders OR running them down a table saw to gain MPH. Its something that many speed enthusiasts have done for ice running for yrs and yrs.

less material yields less friction and more speed,about 25 yrs ago FAST used to sell sliders with grooves cut out of them,and they claimed to add 3mph on top end,simply from less friction.

the other benefit of drilling the holes is I drill them all the way thru,always have.....this allows air and or ice/snow to be in contact with the ALUM RAILS which reduces their temperature overal which in turn allows more snow to stick to them and not melt out of skid so fast which inturn keep the slider cooler overal.

every year someone says this about drilling holes and i say same thing too..lol.

just my 2 cents.
dan

 

[Blue Dave]

You will have to pry my sled from my dead cold hands. I am just trying to do my part to keep snowmobiling going on forever....sheesh LMAO

Sorry for getting off subject. I just couldn't help myself. I am glad that you passed my "tree hugger test"! I just really hate tree huggers and I actually do miss the 2 stroke smell of my Viper.

As far as the subject of this thread is concerned I have tried the heating & cooling trick (didn't seem to help but sure made a mess of my track clips), the drilling holes trick (traps dirt & rocks and seemed to make things worse).

In the end I just learned to resist the temptation to replace the hyfax when they look almost worn out after the first few hundred miles. I just keep a close eye on them for a thousand or so extra miles.

 

[arteeex]

Less material does not equal less friction. The equation for the force of friction is: F = Cofficient of friction X Normal force. Surface area (having less material) is not a factor in the equation.

There's a simple test you can do; run one side with holes and one without and see which wears the fastest.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Less material does not equal less friction. The equation for the force of friction is: F = Cofficient of friction X Normal force. Surface area (having less material) is not a factor in the equation.

There's a simple test you can do; run one side with holes and one without and see which wears the fastest.

not talking about wear,talking about top speed. its faster,show it on the gun time and time again.

less material= more speed.

i like being fast...

 

[arteeex]

Sorry, I read "less material yields less friction" and misunderstood your point.

 

[maim]

hmm. do not know what i am doing right then because i am going on my 4th season on a cheap set of kimpex replacement sliders. might need to be chaged because of wear at the rear this year. 1st set did not make the breakin oil change. i added the marginal snow wheels with the kimpex, did not help as they where visibly melting in 4" of fresh snow. sucked up the front limiters in the skid 1" so the skis would stay planted at low speeds and that cured my slider wear. still running the stock ripsaw with every 3rd closed.


another trick is to run the narrower vmax plastic as it allows more snow in for cooling. still have not tried this as my brother always steals my set for his viper and replaces them with oe yamy ones.

 

[BIG BLACK WARRIOR]

The only sure way to get maximum life out of your hyfax is to own any other snowmobile besides a Yamaha. It doesn't matter if it was my wifes 1978 300 enticer or my 2007 apex, or any yamaha sled, any year between them, the fact is they all wear out alot sooner then they should.

 

[Grimm]

Regarding drilling holes in the sliders...I tested this out last year. I drilled one slider with holes, the other without... the result, didn't do a darn thing for longevity. Also, the slider I drilled holes in accumulated dirt inside...not good.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

The only sure way to get maximum life out of your hyfax is to own any other snowmobile besides a Yamaha. It doesn't matter if it was my wifes 1978 300 enticer or my 2007 apex, or any yamaha sled, any year between them, the fact is they all wear out alot sooner then they should.

thats because yammie insists on running there wheel to slider margin closer then all other brands...

135mm wheels are the norm on other brands,the slider to wheel margin is higher,they last dont wear out.

rode doos for 25 yrs and never would need to ever put sliders on my machs ever in 10,000 miles....put the 135mm wheels on yammie and it will be same.

i could push my machs down the trail they slid so easily....now with 135mm wheels on the rtx it does same....stock i could barely budge it

Dan