[sled-head]

I have noticed that alot of sledders use studs. Why is it that nobody uses studs in the central provinces?? I can sled all year and not run accross anyone with studs but when I am online I see a lot of people are using them. If you want to run a deeper lug like an 1.5" for cross country traction than studs can not be used.......or can they?? What are the pro's and con's on studding?? If someone can fill me in I would be gratefull.

 

[performancex]

This summer I'm going to throw on 96 studs just for safety--this winter I was on a deep frozen ditch on thin ice with little snow cover and I did a 360 and then a 720 later on.  I heard ice crack when I came to a stop.  Scary.  I want studs for traction in situations like that so I don't end up wet.

 

[ger]

just my opinion but my sled has studs and a friends doesn't, when I ride his on lightly packed snow to packed snow , his is all over when I hit the gas, mine is more stable, breaking there is no contest , I out brake him by far. I think the benifits on ice are obvious. In deeper snow there is no benifit and I don't think there is much of a disadvantage other than maybe the studs could block the lugs a bit over the unstudded.
The only thing I would say is watch you pattern and make sure you have enough.
I had( when I bought my sled) 216 studs , I found it hooked up great but I had a problem steering in corners , I have removed 48 studs out of the outer edge and now I find it way better .
I just ordered a new track and it has 192 studs in it .
I wouldn't have it any other way , the saftey of stopping is enough.
If you have too few studs you will put too much pressure on each stud and risk pulling them out( ripping the track)
They say min . is 1 stud per HP better is 1.5 per HP

Remember too many adds alot of weight and rotating weight will slow you down

 

[mxz7]

I put 120 down the middle on my 02 mxz700.This is probably alittle understudded,but no probs so far.Studs are a must for me.Braking is no.1 reason,traction is nice too.Sleds without studs feel squirrelly,almost unsafe in some conditions.

 

[paul]

There are no studs where I live. Its mountains, mostly powder and no lakes. rarely any hardpack, no groomed trails, so no need for studs. Majority sleds in my area are all powder machines, Mountain cats (thats what you see most of), very few Rmk's, a couple of Summits, and Mountain Max's (what I ride). Snow on the west Slope of Sierra Neveda's is wet, heavy, you need paddles, rarely even in high elevations do you see 0 degree or below weather. When I went to Utah for the Olympics, it snowed and it was a "dry snow" wierd, I guess because its just so much colder there.  Mxz's, Srx's, Zr's won't work here, you will just spend all day digging them out.