studs vs no studs

[cemjr]

maybe this question has been covered but here goes anyway. I've studed every sled I've owned in the past but this one is differant. 2010 nyrto xtx. It's my first long track, first 1.25" track. To be realistic I'll ride it 60/40 on trail /off trail. I'm thinking I could do without the studs. I would also like a wider ski to help float the front end off trail, I'm thinking the cheepest way to do that is order yamaha mnt. skis and reuse loops off stock skis. So there are two questions, what do ya think ?

 

[YammyRX1]

Studs

It's not apples to apples but I had a Venture with 136" x .750" track and always worried about riders with studs stopping in front of me because my stopping distance was so much longer without them. The harder the snow the worse it was- especially on roads. I had a couple of close calls so for that reason alone I installed studs and would do it again.

 

[LazyBastard]

Sounds to me like you were riding too close rather than it being hard to stop. If you are riding behind someone, you should always do so with THIS assumption; somebody else will, without warning, come in from ahead of whoever is in front of you and perform a head-on collision, stopping them both INSTANTLY and right in your path. You should give yourself enough space to FULLY STOP rather than piling on to them. This distance, is naturally longer or shorter depending on conditions, equipment, and your own reflexes, and you need to take this into account when choosing your distance.

There is, despite legal requirement for certain things, like brakes, NO SUCH THING as unsafe equipment. It is perfectly safe to ride a machine WITHOUT BRAKES, as long as you take into account the time and distance it takes to coast to a stop.

 

[kinger]

Doesn't matter how much track you have if you need to stop or turn on bare ice in a corner studs can make the difference between a oops and a Phewww.

For skis find a set of used powderhounds, or other mountain ski (used) and you will float like a butterfly.

 

[apltx08]

I don't run STUDS and never will, I ride semi aggressive and lots of high speed and the last thing I need is a STUD pulling out end punching 1 of my rads! I'd go the PRE-STUDDED route for extra traction (ICE RIPPER XT/ICE ATTAK) without having to worry about studs pulling out...STUDS are for ICE riding or DRAG racing speed/radar runs, studs on groomed trails or on any amount of SNOW have no effect except slow you down with all the extra mass of weight you have to rotate...yes I agree on ICY corners /hills/lakes they're great, but if you mostly ride on SNOW you don't need them, I ride with others that have studs and we have more down time with sleds with than without cuz of stud damage to TRACK, Idles, RADS!...I ride an average of 6000 to 8000kms plus a year without any issues. my vote is NO STUDS!

 

[ahicks]

Have been riding a sled with no studs for about 5 seasons now. Going to agree with LB. It's about you! You should have a darn good idea of what it's/your limitations are before starting any kind of aggressive riding with it. Walk with it before you run it! If you don't know the trail, and conditions are "iffy" just slow down. Not a big deal - when faced with the benefits of running without studs.

That said, these newer style tracks have a LOT more traction, with no studs, than some are giving them credit for. They've changed big time if you haven't tried recently.

 

[kinger]

Its the same if you like your women built for comfort or built for speed, different strokes for different folks.

I myself on the trails I ride tight, winding, 180 degree turns of wisconsin studs are a must. Only guy without studs was my dad last year and he rolled his vector, he is 58 and not exactly a speed demon and he was well aware of his sleds capabilities and a corner caught him and flip-flop-bang-$1500 later he lay there with darn near a broken foot and back. That was first roll over he had in over 30 years and that was with a ripsaw track.

Do what makes sense for your area and where/how you ride not what guys on the internet are telling you.

 

[Len Todd]

The studs needed for an 1 1/4" + track are too heavy and tend to bend and rip the track. Also, I have seen several sleds with the backers bent or cracked, etc. Seen one with a hole punched in exchanger and a couple with gouges in the exchangers.

Then, ... guys only put 96 down the middle to protect the outer track bands from ripping. But then a 150 HP sled should have about 244 studs to avoid over stressing them on acceleration. So, ... I did not stud The RX-1. But, I was going too fast once and hit a frozen puddle and starting sliding sideways and darned near lost it. So I went with an Ice Ripper. It is not as aggressive as 256 real picks are. But it will stop just a quick and there is no more side sliding on ice, etc.

 

[bottlerocket]

I was thinking that I would run no studs on my attak because of the weight issue/long studs etc. One season and that was it for me. In our riding area there is some road riding and trails with icy corners. You can say your not going to over ride it but you can't control other people on the trails. I studded for last season and what a huge different in putting the power down and not riding on the defense for breaking. Stud stud stud..... ps If the studs slow it down it would be on hard pack well above 100.

 

[yamahas]

I used to ride with studs then i got my phazer from the dealership went to a ride ended up bumping into the guy ingront of me cause i wasent used to the taking longer to stop. its really does make a difference. Should have payed attention more BUT it was my first 10 mins on my new sled lol

 

[aja636]

I am on the other side of the fence, I will not ride a sled with out studs, but where I ride there is a lot of road riding, ice/lakes and trails that can get icy in the turns after a busy weekend, I usually stay in the 1 pick per HP of the sled for "trail" riding, Racing on ice is a different set up completely.

Speed loss with picks is nothing, you will never notice unless you are running a timer system.

Plus there is nothing better then hooking up on a good hard pack road and lifting skis and going instead of the track spinning and doing a snow burn out!!

At the very least the Ice Ripper or Ice attack track look like a good alternative!

 

[ahicks]

I am on the other side of the fence, I will not ride a sled with out studs, but where I ride there is a lot of road riding, ice/lakes and trails that can get icy in the turns after a busy weekend, I usually stay in the 1 pick per HP of the sled for "trail" riding, Racing on ice is a different set up completely.

Speed loss with picks is nothing, you will never notice unless you are running a timer system.

Plus there is nothing better then hooking up on a good hard pack road and lifting skis and going instead of the track spinning and doing a snow burn out!!

At the very least the Ice Ripper or Ice attack track look like a good alternative!

Couldn't agree more! All they need to do is find a profile that works better in the loose stuff, use that same process on it, and I'm in! Until then, I'm just cooling my jets when there's the potential for ice - or I don't know one way or the other. FWIW

 

[2006nytro]

ya i wont have a sled with out them worth there weight in gold to me

 

[Sasquatch]

Ahh the good ole stud no stud debate. I ran for years without studs, never needed them. Then it started warming up a bit in the winter and low and behold icy corners, swamps that bring water to the top covering huge distances of trail in glare ice, rainfall mid winter slicking the trails up.

So when I replaced the track I went with a preholed 162 up the middle. I have to say I love it. Better grip on ice and hardpack.

Till I throw a stud through a heat exchanger I will continue to love studs. Close to 4,000 miles now and all the studs look in good condition as well as the track.

Course I went with a 1 inch lug, minimal stud length, only up the middle, I don't try to spin the track therefore trying to avoid ripping them out on rocks and stumps and I inspect on a regular basis.

So far so good!

 

[Sno-Xr]

Sounds to me like you were riding too close rather than it being hard to stop. If you are riding behind someone, you should always do so with THIS assumption; somebody else will, without warning, come in from ahead of whoever is in front of you and perform a head-on collision, stopping them both INSTANTLY and right in your path. You should give yourself enough space to FULLY STOP rather than piling on to them. This distance, is naturally longer or shorter depending on conditions, equipment, and your own reflexes, and you need to take this into account when choosing your distance.

There is, despite legal requirement for certain things, like brakes, NO SUCH THING as unsafe equipment. It is perfectly safe to ride a machine WITHOUT BRAKES, as long as you take into account the time and distance it takes to coast to a stop.

Wow, nice lecture LB! Using your theory, if Im driving my car down the road, I must take into consideration wheather or not the car coming towards me, may at any moment swerve into my lane. So my safest option at this point is to just stay home, lock my door , and order take out food from only family members willing to walk the food to my house.

I dont think cemjr is a 12 year old in need of basic riding tips, but rather a realitively experienced snowmobiler that lacks experience without studs.

Ive been riding studded sleds for over 20 years and havent had one track failure or damaged heat exchanger(other then minor nicks) because of studs. But I have had my back end sliding around more then I like and also had my wife role my srx on a lake because she came across a bare ice spot and got passed by the back of her sled when the track started spinning!

Stud,Stud,Stud for safety!

Sorry, but thats my opinion.