To stud o not to stud???

[dzglaser21]

At the start of last season i put 144 picks down the center. I was just curious to know why some peole are against them. I couldn't imagine not running them i think they make for the best. Open discussion here just lookin for reasons and thoughts

 

[p0wd3rp1l0t]

i ran 3500mi w/o studs and 3600 mi w/ studs and found very little diffrence on trail and i still didnt hook up on bare ice. i ran 162 studs down the middle on my rage and now bought a new track and will not be studding due to longer track-1.5" track and also no need to since ripsaw hooks very well on hardpack and low snow conditions

 

[NY_Nytro]

I think I'm skipping the studding this year. I've studded my last 5 sleds but after riding my buddies sled last year that was not studded I'm 90% sure I'm not going to do it.

My luck is that I'll find that icy hill that is impossible to get up without studs this year and be kicking myself.

 

[Turtle]

Most of the trail conditions I run in are hardpacked snow. I rarely ever run in ice. Therefore, I just stick with the 1.5" ripsaw. The lugs are nice and stiff, and will penetrate the hardpacked snow.

I had only one sleds with studs, and I really didn't care for them. They are a maintanence thing. And I also didn't care for the scratches on my driveway and garage floor. And they tend to tear up trailers. It's also easier to get traction at the gas station without studs.

I don't run studs - just taller lugs.

 

[Bob Miller]

I've studded in the past, but the Ripsaw hooks up good enough for me! Plus no Stud maintenance and damage and the track will last a lot longer!

 

[WarriorBeads]

I run early in the season on lakes that have little snow and late in the season on icy trails. I make guys with no studs ride in front of me going down hilll and behind me going uphill....Oh, and I almost broke my leg one time when my sled slid on an icy patch and my foot came off the running board.

If you run in northern Ontario or Quebec type trails, you might not need them. Around here, no studs = suicide at any speed.

 

[ecopter]

I don't care for studs. As someone stated above, studs would have no affect on the trails I run. I also like being able to slide the rear of the sled around at will. I don't care for the "bite" affect studs have and the twist they induce with cornering. I'm not a racer, don't need gobs of hookup, and ride conservative enough that braking and sliding down hill into someone isn't a factor.

I also don't have to worry about the cost, weight, possible track issues, losing one into my front heat exchanger, and so on.

JMO,

Jon

 

[rxrider]

I've got both my sleds studded, '05/144 and '03/162, they are the first two sleds I have ever studded. After 2 seasons studded I will not go back to unstudded, I've got my shares of close encounters by not beeing able to stop on icy trails and rivers. I run studs on the outside as well with great traction as a result. Yes there are cons with studding as mentioned above, but I feel the pros of added security and traction weights out the cons.

 

[Len Todd]

Up until I got my 04 RX1, I always studded per Woody's Charts (35 years). I ran the RX w/o studs for the first year. It was O.K., until I slipped sideways on ice and the sled nearly tipped over, when it hit the edge of the trail, at a fairly high rate of speed. It was an off trail thriller, to say the least. I did not want to stud because, to be effective with an 1 1/4" track you have to have a lot of very long and heavy studs. I was also tired of the rips and tears that Picks always ultimately cause.

I bought an Ice Ripper. It is not quite as good as 244 Picks would be. But, it gets a good bite and it has never again slid sideways in similiar conditions as the above thriller.

BTW, I have a season on the Ice Ripper and every single stud is still in it and there are no tears, etc.

 

[tsiceman]

UM, when is traction not important, it's a safety thing for me!

 

[rxrider]

I may try out one of the ICE-Ripper tracks when a track change is due

 

[Think_Again]

If it was unsafe to run without studs, ALL sled manufacturers would install them from the factory. Since none of them do, I don't think that is much of a concern. You don't add a rollcage to you sled for more safety. I have never studded a track, and ride with guys that do... they are constantly fighting them, tightening, replacing bent ones, and replacing the trailer decks (wooden floor inside a 24 ft enclosed trailer) Every year... that gets to expensive for my taste. I run ski boots on the sled, drive it into my 24 enclosed trailer and haven't even scratched my deck. There are times more traction could be helpful, but as far as safety goes.. if I think it is unsafe.. I don't go there... simple as that... I'm not a hero, and I don't need to prove anything to anyone...

Un-studded...

 

[LiLAl]

STUD

If you never run in icy conditions, then studs are not necessary. There's no guarantee I will never run in icy conditions, so my machine is now studded. I wasn't all that sure before 2 winters ago. That year, during early riding, I got stuck in an icy valley. Snow conditions were ok, except for this one valley. It took many unsuccessful runs before I finally made it up the shortest side. It was not fun sliding backwards down the hill. I swore I would get studs, but didn't cause I wanted to get a ripsaw track first. The last ride of that year, my sled hit some ice and slid sideways. Before I had a chance to straighten it out, I hit a patch of hard snow so the sled went over sideways 360. I was going slow, so I was ok except for a bruised leg and ego. Before watching my roll, my riding buddies were unsure whether to stud their Vectors. We all run studs now.

 

[QCRider]

I prefer to run them and see no negative side to it at all. That's just my opinion.

 

[Len Todd]

my sled hit some ice and slid sideways. Before I had a chance to straighten it out, I hit a patch of hard snow so the sled went over sideways 360.

Same thing happened to me, only I was going about 65 mph. It got ugly real quick. It was a frozen puddle on a what was a nice groomed trail right up until I hit it.