Studs, ...do's And Dont's

Hi,
I want to put studs on my track since I do 1/3 my riding on ponds/lakes. I never done it before, nor have I seen anyone with studs. I'm not sure if I can put studs on my Cone Design Camoplast track (here's pic). You be the judge...

The track is 15 x 121 x 1.0. It's the stock track for my 2004 Yamaha SXVenom.

How long should the studs be? Any good brand names? Can I order them online? How hard are they to install myself? Do I install them on the track or on the cone? How close should they be (i.e. spacing)? How much do they cost?

Is there anything else I need to adjust on my sled as a result of installing studs? Also, when you store it, do the studs rip up the floor of your garage?

I might be missing some obvious questions, so feel free to give me your comments/opinions.

Thanks all....

Track looks like a 1 1/8 track I bought last year? I used 144 1.25" Woody's on an 00XCR8, all up the middle.

Originally posted by woodwurker620@Jun 3 2004, 07:54 AM
Hi,
I want to put studs on my track since I do 1/3 my riding on ponds/lakes. I never done it before, nor have I seen anyone with studs. I'm not sure if I can put studs on my Cone Design Camoplast track (here's pic). You be the judge...

How long should the studs be? Any good brand names? Can I order them online? How hard are they to install myself? Do I install them on the track or on the cone? How close should they be (i.e. spacing)? How much do they cost?

Is there anything else I need to adjust on my sled as a result of installing studs?

I might be missing some obvious questions, so feel free to give me your comments/opinions.

Thanks all....
hey,take your lug hieght and add 1/4"-3/8" for lenght on trail studs.pushthru studs are by far the easiest to install,also dont forget you really should run your track for at least 100 miles before studding to give things time to stretch before you go drilling holes in your track.as far as installing, get yourself a track template (used to make the pattern of the amount of studs you want)and a track drill, it cuts a nice clean hole.as far as amount goes it really depends on riding style and hp.check out woodys.com they have all nessasary info as well as being able to order them online.there not hard to install but very time consuming,i would go with carbide studs for trails because they far outlast steel.price all set up with 1-11/4" carbide studs,backer plates,templateand track drill for 96-144 studs probably around 400-450U.S$.

go to some of the stud makers websites and see what they advise for you sled,,, they told me to put 1.075" studs in my 1" track,,, lots of people wanted me to go with the 1.175" instead,,, I went ahead and did the smaller,,, dont wanna take any chances. I also got a pattern from cat to tell me where to and not to put studs so I didnt take a chance on putting one where a heat exchanger or wire may be ran,,,,

They will rip the cement if you gas it hard .I plan on doing my track with 144 jumpstart racing studs 1.19$$ with backers & you can order on line.You need carbide runners to go with the studs,I plan on woody trail blazers 6in.

I have 96 woodys and I think that is good enough. Gives me a heck of a lot of bite on ice and hard pack, but not too much bite to where it may give me problems from stressing things too much. Alot of people on here do it up the middle because you can corner better.......if you put 1000 sutds on that may be the truth but if your only gonna put on 96 I dont think it matters when it comes to cornering. I dont seem to have any problems with the corners. P.S with 96 studs I can still pull both skis up in the air on ice only. If you check woodys online page they will give you several patterns to choose from, but like Puree said do some research so you dont damage anything. Good luck.

You will have to install tunnel/exchanger protectors. They come from Yamaha.

Definitely check some of the stud manufacturer's sites, and use that as a resource for determining size and quantity. There is a balance between your machine's HP, and stud quantity. Too few studs for a high-HP machine could result in some tearing out of the track. I've read so many posts where someone wants to stud their track, but then says that they like to slide their machine around corners, so they are considering only putting some studs in. To me that seems like a waste of money and effort.

I've seen some great info on the Woody's site, as far as deciding what count and pattern best fits your riding style and machine. Even if you don't want to use their product, you can probably learn something from them.

When I bought my 700 last season, it was my first experience riding a studded machine. I'm running 144 on that, which is sort of middle-of-the-road as far as studding goes. No idea what brand is in there, as they were put in by the previous owner. There's 120 in the track on my 500. The 2 machines hook about equally, the lower HP of the 500 is almost made up for with the extra grab that the aggressive number of studs adds. I replaced the severely worn ski carbides on both before this season, and the package of those and the studs works so well together, for acceleration, braking, and steering. Do the job right, and you will absolutely love the results, guaranteed!!!

Be prepared for the wear on your trailer deck, driveway, or wherever you run your machine, though. You will need to be somewhat cautious if you have to cross roads, or similar while riding, too. But all in all, a great addition to a machine, IMO. Rode on a friends machine that is not studded for a bit on the lake this past year. That was tough to adjust to after being on my machine, track spin and lack of control. I don't see me ever having a machine that does not have them again.

Hi everyone,
It's been awhile since this original post but I seen someone who put screws into the tire knobs of their Honda Rubicon. Can I do this with the camoplast track I have (see original post above for pic). Camoplast has pre-studded tracks that look like screws put into the cones/knobs.

Just wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts on this....

Thanks....

Originally posted by woodwurker620@Oct 1 2004, 12:19 PM
Hi everyone,
It's been awhile since this original post but I seen someone who put screws into the tire knobs of their Honda Rubicon.* Can I do this with the camoplast track I have (see original post above for pic).* Camoplast has pre-studded tracks that look like screws put into the cones/knobs.

Just wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts on this....

Thanks....
349413

usualy u see guy's do that, that are riding big luged tracks like 2" lugs, for the simple reason that by putting a stud that long is just rediculious and way to much stress for the track

I haven't used them myself, but I've heard that they rip out quite easily. I'd say stick with the studs.

Hi,
I want to put studs on my track since I do 1/3 my riding on ponds/lakes. I never done it before, nor have I seen anyone with studs. I'm not sure if I can put studs on my Cone Design Camoplast track (here's pic). You be the judge...

The track is 15 x 121 x 1.0. It's the stock track for my 2004 Yamaha SXVenom.

How long should the studs be? Any good brand names? Can I order them online? How hard are they to install myself? Do I install them on the track or on the cone? How close should they be (i.e. spacing)? How much do they cost?

Is there anything else I need to adjust on my sled as a result of installing studs? Also, when you store it, do the studs rip up the floor of your garage?

I might be missing some obvious questions, so feel free to give me your comments/opinions.

Thanks all....
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Ihave a 2004 SxVenom I installed Woody's Signature Studs @ 1175. You will need too install Rear Heat Ex Protectors. Work perfect. Hang out just little better than 3/8".

One thing that was breifly touched on but vitally important: carbides. YOu will need more carbide on the skis to balance the additioanl traction the studs give the track or you will understeer or "push" in the corners.

Studding the track is (as said above) time consuming, but IMO a very easy job.

Get a template- I think ours came from dennis kirk but can't remember.

Studs- check the charts on woodys etc but I'd assume that 600 triple of yours will require 120-144. (too few puts added stress on each individual stud) Also, I bough tmy studs from Shadetree but I've noticed that there are a TON of them on ebay.

EDIT ebay: (http://motors.listings.ebay.com/Snowmobile-Parts_Tracks-Studs_W0QQfclZ3QQfromZR11QQsacatZ100466QQsocmdZLis tingItemList)

With push-through studs, you will need backers as well. These can be, in order of weight- steel, aluminum, or plastic. I went with square plastic ones. I broke 25 backers last year. I am hesitant to blame the backers though. I might have over torqued them. The torque spec is lower than the minimum on my torque wrench so I just "winged it."

Do not use an air ratchet to install the nuts as this suposedly creates too much heat or something. Get ready for carpul tunel...

Dipping the track drill in dish soap every few holes makes it go through with reduced effort.

Don't forget a case of beer.......you'll need it.

YES- studs will destroy you garage floor. Mine looks like he11. ALways use dollys or something.

This debate is for the other thread on the subject going right now but in my opinion, studs and bigger carbides are the single best thing you can do for performance and most importantly- safety.

just my 2 cents..

Hi Knotty,
You can use screws, and they work pretty well, but it depends on how aggressive you are. If you want the extra traction for safety then great, but if you want the traction for the thrill and performance, screws are not so good, and they will rip out.
Similar answer for the studs. 96 is plenty for increased safety on the ponds and braking. 144 is almost overkill on a Venom for riding in Newfoundland.

They don't do alot of damage to your garage, I guess it all depends on the quality of the cement.

And I would use an air wrench or a cordless drill. Will go much smoother and faster.

I'm glad to see someone in Newfoundland putting in studs. I don't know why everyone there is so dead set against them.

Not to be argumentative, but the instructions on the last 3 sets of studs I put in said specifically NOT to use air tools.

Not to be argumentative, but the instructions on the last 3 sets of studs I put in said specifically NOT to use air tools.
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I think that's to avoid overtightening them.

I agree, it is most likely to keep from overtightening and stretching the stud threads.
However, I have studded dozens of sleds in the past 10 years and never had a problem using a small air powered zip gun, it sure saves the hands and cuts the job time by 50% or more.
Do yourself a favor and do not cheap out on studs, studding the track is not bad, but re-studding it sucks - and I hate cheap studs that break or pull out and cause track damage. (use push through studs, they outlast "T" nut studs)
A good stud template and paint pen, a propane torch to heat the stud cutter, a cordless drill to make the holes and an air powered zip gun to tighten the studs is all I use any more. Using this method I can typically install 144 studs in less than 1 1/2 hours without rushing.