What does everyone have for ski's on their Apex...

[MCApex44]

I like the C@A razors as a second choice, but im sure they stear alot harder than the stock skis..

The thing about the Pilot skis, is that you only used the middle carbide until you are turning and then the outside carbides dig in... This allows you to a smaller carbide, and have easier steering..

The only complaint ive ever read about the Pilot skis, is the plastic wears fast in the front..

I know exactly what you are going threw... I used C@A pro skis on my Rx-warrior last year.. much improved over stock (but they darted pretty bad)

I went from the stock carbides on my apex to 8 inchers.. and then shimmed them.. I never had a really bad darting problem, but the long carbides and deep kneel of the stock skis made the sled hard to steer at slow speeds! I then did my research like you are doing right now, and decided on the pilot 5.7s

Hope this helps...

Brian

Thanks Brian and for that matter everyone else that posted so far...great info...helps alot!

 

[RIYAMAHA]

Have Slydogs on gt, they work great, am going to put the ski savers on to make them even better!

 

[Ole Timer]

MY gt went from dangerous and unaccepstable darting, to decent with shims, and duallys. This IS the best fix for the buck. I tried pilot skiis, and slt's. I'd like to thank the guys again who acknowledged, helped, and posted these tips.
Shims can be quickly made and duallys cost about $120.

Well, tell us about the pilots and theslt's (model ?) you tried. Did you like em or what ?

 

[BlgsRX-1mtn]

I don't have an Apex but, both of my sleds (listed in signature) will be riding on new PPD X-MT skis. PPD has a trail ski also but I have never seen them. Here's some pictures of my X-MTs.

Jim

 

[riverrat]

who makes these skis???????

 

[srxgreg]

ski's

I have the stock ski but I use 6" studboy shaper carbides and never had any darting issue and they handle pretty decent

 

[Oak Hill]

I have the stock skis. I have tried the ski shims and the steering is heavy, It did help the darting. I finally used Woody's Doolies and Stud Boys Dual Shaper Bars. Like stated befor, I believe this to be the best fix for the money. Rails like a slot car and easy steering. Everyone wants something different. One ski will be better than another in different conditions. For most Trail Riders the stock ski with Woodys Doolies or Stud Boy Dual Shaper bars will be the ticket. Just my 2 cents!

 

[monsterattak]

I disagree that the stock skis are acceptable. I think the stock 06 attakl skis are garbage. Here's why......

1. Dart due to keel design and bad factory shimming.

2. No Flotation. the stock skis sink like the titanic. A front heavy sled like the attak needs all the float it can get.

3. Ran studboy duece bars and shimmed and cured the darting but the sled now steers like a sherman tank. These bars are so wide and agressive that they take a lot of force to steer which for my riding is unacceptable. we do 200 miles per day sometimes.....


My opinion is doing anything to the stock ski is like applying a bandaid. You arent fixing the problem but instead are just minimizing it and in the process you create anohter issue.

I am trying Slydog Powderhounds this year with Bergstrom triples and ski savers. Hoping it makes a huge difference in float , steering effort, and carving ability.

 

[Swiss Sledder]

The darting on the stock ski was very bad, enough so that I was really concerned about hitting a passing sled or tree. Now running stock ski with Bergstrom Triple Points and shims. Really like this set up except for the push in the corners, especially is fluffy snow conditions. Steering is very easy. I could switch to a more aggressive ski to eliminate the push in the corners, but then the steering becomes harder.

 

[ZR800EFI]

Re: ski's

I have the stock ski but I use 6" studboy shaper carbides and never had any darting issue and they handle pretty decent

Same setup here, only my skis are shimmed. I find it corners great, and the only darting I notice now is on a freshly groomed trail on a very cold morning (-30C - -35C) morning it tends to want to follow tracks.

 

[craze1cars]

Everyone keep in mind that just about ANY ski with Bergstrom triple points will have relatively light steering effort. This should be universal because the Triple point bars are significantly rockered, while most other carbides on the market are flat. When you install them on a plastic ski the ski shape totally changes from flat to rockered. So in most any hardpack condition not very much of the carbide or ski is actually in contact with the ground. This steering effort trick has been around for decades, people used to add washers or other spacers to the center bar bolts to rocker their carbides on steel skis, and racers used to just bend their skis permanantly. But now that our skis are flexible plastic you can get a stiff pre-rockered carbide and rocker the entire ski. This is generally a very good thing in most conditions. I believe this is the biggest reason those here with stock skis have reported such a dramatic improvement by switching to triple points...I think it has less to do with the 3 carbides and more to do with the reshaping of the entire ski.

To anyone who read the lastest Snow Tech about the USI X2 tunable skis....these skis have what they call a removable "Power Steering Plate" which does nothing more than temporarily rocker the entire ski. The benefits they claim when this plate is in place? "Lighter steering and faster maneuverability without sacrificing a lot of grip in corners." For those of you with triple points, does that sound familiar? They explain the whole concept fairly completely in that article.

 

[BlgsRX-1mtn]

who makes these skis???????

They are made by a Canadian company called PPD Ltd.

Jim

 

[Swiss Sledder]

To anyone who read the lastest Snow Tech about the USI X2 tunable skis....these skis have what they call a removable "Power Steering Plate" which does nothing more than temporarily rocker the entire ski. The benefits they claim when this plate is in place? "Lighter steering and faster maneuverability without sacrificing a lot of grip in corners." For those of you with triple points, does that sound familiar? They explain the whole concept fairly completely in that article.

Yes, it does. Excellent post Craze.

 

[Swiss Sledder]

For you guys thinking about BRP Pilot skis, there was a good update in the Sept issue of SnowTech on these skis regarding durability. I have read the same kinds of reports on Doo Talk. This has nothing to do with the skis performance, only durability.

Dear Ralph, I purchased my first Ski-Doo this past season, a 2006 MX Z Adrenaline 600 H.O. SDI. I love the sled, it is everything you told me it would be, with the exception of the skis. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the performance of the skis; light steering and nimble handling, but the durability totally stinks. Totally. Right in front of the outer carbide runner on each ski, there is a very thin area of plastic. This thin section wears out quicker than it should, and when it does, the thicker part just behind it digs into the snow.

I know exactly what you're talking about. All owners of the 2006 Ski-Doos fitted with these skis should inspect this area of the ski, right in front of the outer carbide runner. It is quite thin and wears out quicker than any other ski design we're currently using.

I've asked Ski-Doo about this, and they indicated while they are aware of this high-wear area, there were no plans to change the ski mold or anything like that. Nor do they intend on replacing the skis, as they are "wear items".

 

[MCApex44]

For you guys thinking about BRP Pilot skis, there was a good update in the Sept issue of SnowTech on these skis regarding durability. I have read the same kinds of reports on Doo Talk. This has nothing to do with the skis performance, only durability.

Dear Ralph, I purchased my first Ski-Doo this past season, a 2006 MX Z Adrenaline 600 H.O. SDI. I love the sled, it is everything you told me it would be, with the exception of the skis. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the performance of the skis; light steering and nimble handling, but the durability totally stinks. Totally. Right in front of the outer carbide runner on each ski, there is a very thin area of plastic. This thin section wears out quicker than it should, and when it does, the thicker part just behind it digs into the snow.
I know exactly what you're talking about. All owners of the 2006 Ski-Doos fitted with these skis should inspect this area of the ski, right in front of the outer carbide runner. It is quite thin and wears out quicker than any other ski design we're currently using.

I've asked Ski-Doo about this, and they indicated while they are aware of this high-wear area, there were no plans to change the ski mold or anything like that. Nor do they intend on replacing the skis, as they are "wear items".

Swiss Sledder, since durability is an issue...have you read any mention(on doo talk) of how long the pilots will last. Will they hold up for a season or two or longer? Have they been saying about how many miles they have been putting on them before they have issues with the pilots?