As a novice sledder, I am quite curious on the benefits of studding your track. I understand they will help you in hard packed snow and ice, but are there any other benefits that should be considered or problems that arise? Thanks for the help and happy weather ahead.

at least trial stud. for the fact that its a saftly feature. its always nice to be able to stop on a icy trial or it never hurts to have a little grip when hitting an icy corner to fast. with no studs, u will go for a ride not to mention what if there is a nother sled coming the other way.

Studs are quite a point of contention. personaly, i would go with big pattels before i went with studs, but that is just me. Studs do help with going and stopping for sure. However, they are not good for the track and they make it alot harder to turn the sled since the track bites in more.

I've got over 200 picks in the 'doo (i did not stud the track) and it does stop really good, but it is a bear to turn and you can not slide the track around at all. that means no donughts on the lake either. If i was to do whatever i wanted to a sled, i probably would get a 1" ish track and put a small number (48?) studs in to have some gription on the ice.
just my $.02

- Jason

I have always thought that you should deal with the traction device issues, based on the typical conditions encountered with the sled.

Where I live and ride they are a neccasary saftey item. Here in So. NH we can get alot of slick icey trails where stopping power is needed. We have alot more busy roads/highways to cross, so getting accross them quick is important.

Of I lived another 100 miles north of here, I would probably not run them, or if I did, it would be fewer than I use now. When out in Yellowstone a few years ago, I rode 3 different rental sleds, all without studs. I didnt miss the studs at all. I couldnt hardly tell that they were unstudded. They had real good conditions are we didnt come accross any ice at all. Even on the town streets that have snow packed as hard as concrete on them were no problem to ride.

Good luck
Todd

Im a firm believer in studs,To stop and icy hills they are a must.Trust me I have a friend that cant ride no more because he did not have them.

Studs are the first thing that I put on a sled now. A couple of icey corners is all you will need to make up your mind, no paddle track is going to help you. Just remember that there is a balance between studs and carbide. For a novice, it should be the first thing you do.....

As a novice, do yourself a favor and have 96 studs installed in your first sled for riding most anywhere here in the midwest. 700+ sleds and performance drivers often will use 144 or more, but hopefully you'll have a better feel for what's going on at that point. You will not be disappointed if they are properly installed. Most of the time you won't even notice they are there. Common sense crossing roads, driveways, and in & out of gas stations will go a long way insuring you won't have to pay a lot of attention to them.

In short, they make a huge difference in the traction available when on any hard surface you may encounter. The peace of mind knowing that you can stop or maintain control on that unexpected icy spot if necessary, rather than sliding over it, is worth whatever they'll cost you. The icy spots are a given. They WILL be there.

Anyone complaining about not being able to turn or do donuts out on the ice with 200 anything installed should consider taking about half of them out...it's a safe bet there are too many there.

I agree.96 studs down the center portion of your track will work great.I never used to stud my track as I only ride up north where there was lots of loose snow and thought I didn't need them.Well after studding my first sled I couldn't believe the difference.The trails today are groomed pretty hard and the studs make the sled handle much more predictable.Icey corners and hills now give you better traction than you had in the snow!.With 96 down the middle you will not even notice them (other than the advantages that I spoke of).If they are installed properly and you use the correct length I don't believe they even shorten track life.

I bought my first sled (used from a friend) and he already had it studded. Was very skeptical about them at first because I had never used them before. After riding on icy roads, trails and lakes, I would have to say that I'm a firm believer in them. They make a huge difference in a lot of different conditions. Would highly recommend.

I appreciate all the advice , I think the best bet is to ride my friends SRX with 144 studs in different conditions to get a feel for them. Thanks again for the help.

I got 96 studs down the center in my 800 and its just enough to give it some traction for going and stopping. They don't make it that much harder to turn and on soft snow it'll still slide sideways. I ran a cougar last year with no studs and it was fun at times to spin and slide sideways on ice but sometimes it really sucked not being able to stop. I would suggest 96 down the center and if you feel more need for traction you can always add some more.

I am in the same situation of how many.I have a new Rev800HO on its way and am thinking 96 or 144 or none.One situation I ran into a couple of years ago on a weekender trip without studs.

We arrived at the Hotel on Friday night just as it started to rain,there was just enough overnight that it completely hardened the trails and melted all the powder to hardpack.The temperature dropped all day on Saturday and made it fairly icy,not only was the handling terrible also the 3 or 4 machines including mine and my wife had heating problems.Seemed the machines that had studs did get the powder required from the studs picking up the snow and never had the problem.I did put 96 in my MXZ700 and was pleased with them.

Just another reason for having a few studs.

I think it depends on who you ride with and if their sleds are studded. If your riding buddies' sleds aren't studded you'll not have a choice to stud or risk being stuck in the back if you do stud because you'll stop quicker and they'll be climbing up your back. If your riding buddies' sleds are all studded, they'll either put you up front and be on your behind or just tell ya' to get lost until you stud your sled. Just another thing to consider in the stud/ no-stud debate.

My preference is to leave my sled unstudded. I ride primarily on the Canadian trails and don't feel it's necessary on those conditions to add them to my track. As for the safety issue and breaking, I'm a firm believer in riding smart and in a manner of what your machine is capable of. For those who feel breaking is an issue without studs, it is. Therefore, my riding style without studs dictates that I approach corners slower and more controlled; alway keeping in the back of my mind that ice is a possibility. Riding like this (defensively) is an option for those like me that choose not to stud. Also, I try not to follow anyone to close, although those running studs shouldn't be following close either.

Almost 2500 miles last year on my SRX and I neither had a traction problem nor a breaking problem. I suppose it all depends on your aggressiveness on the trail, and believe me, sometimes I was aggressive, and still didn't have a problem.

I did ride once in Michigan (probably the last in a long time); the trails were crappy and I finally experienced the icy corners everyone's been referring to. Yes, studs would probably alleviate a date with a tree in those instances, but my plan is to drive farther north and enjoy uncrowed, wider and smoother trails while keeping my machine unstudded.

Jon

I have put on over 100,000kms on the trails with no crashes and NO studs. Suzuki800 how much is icy trails a factor in Alaska? That is the big question. Studs do not help at all when on snow, all they doo is add rotating mass to the track and Rob power.

Perm, Icy trails aren't too much of a problem up here. Most of the riding is in "off-trail" trails that are not groomed. There are a lot of lakes though, and since this is Alaska a snowmobile is practically a second vehicle in the winter allowing you to drive them in town and such. Crossing highways a little faster would be a plus and stopping but is handling compromised on the machine?

SWRules

To Answer if handling is compromised, it depends if you are used to handling a sled by sliding it around or not. With the proper balance between the number of studs for your machine, and the proper length of front ski carbide, your machine can corner almost like it's on rails. Not enough carbide length and you will get significant pushing thru the corners.

They can cause significant damage to trailer beds, garage floors, your foot, (oops) or whatever the track might come in contact with. Not sure if that is a big concern for you or not, but just something to consider.

(I somehow got my foot under the track while unloading my sled from the truck, spiked the top of my toes, wouldn't believe how fast I lifted the machine back up once I felt that, heh heh!)

I would say that so far, I prefer riding with them over riding without. Our trails vary from snowy to icy.

Perm, 100k riding trails? Holly crap.

taking 30 years riding, at approx 3.4k km/yr, that is alot

I'm trying to remember if my family's old Skiroule had an odemeter, I don't think so. But back in the early 70's, we were more concerned with just getting the damn thing running more then anything. Nothing beats those days, freeze your arse off, look like Sled Ed and ride your own trails, groomer? there was no such thing! ahhhhh Ether!

mk

Suzuki800, I was wondering how many others in your area stud there tracks? another option for you would be the conical lug tracks. They work like studs in all conditions except ice. I have found that a staggered lug track bites better on ice than a standard track also.

Tiggyboot some years I put on well over 10000 per season and my body sure feels it lol. TG for the suspensions we have today.

I had that decision to make this year too.
Last year I drove a srx 700 with 192 and I loved it . I didn't like that I tore up my driveway(my fault) and the garage floor(my fault) so I thought I would not stud my rx1 , well I hated driving it . The worst thing was breaking , I never new if I would stop and the distance for stopping was almost twice of my friends studded viper.
I have bought 192 to do my rx1 this year.

Most of the negatives can be overcome by being carefull and check for loose studs every now and then.
Dont give it across your drive way even if there is some snow on it.
I now have a rubber mat that I chain to the back of my trailer when loading out of the garage to stop that damage .

Be careful not to understud your track , I would rather put the recommended in and loose 5 mph off the top end than have a bunch of pullouts ( and possible sled damage)

Ger

i will stud again because i can feel the difference.i will never stud the outside edges of the track again,as i learned the hard way what it will do when they pull out............... :(