slide wear solution - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

seaesta · 12-21-2007, 08:04 AM

i have read some where that before installing new slides that someone figured out that if you drill shallow 1/4" diameter holes in a certain pattern at a certain shallow depth on the wear side of the slide that snow would collect in these holes and form ice which the side effect is it would reduce friction thus extending the life of the slides???? has anyone tried this??? does anyone know the proper instructions on hole diameter ,hole depth, and what pattern to use.

BC_Dan · 12-21-2007, 09:49 AM

Drilling the hyfax is something that racers did to give a bit of extra performance. If you ride on a lot of dirty trails (snow + dirt) the holes will collect dirt and small gravel and actually contribute to wear on your track clips. If the snow is clean, it works fine. If it works for you, you get a small increase in performance. If it doesn't, you get to replace all the track clips. Your call.

IndianRvrShiver · 12-21-2007, 10:29 AM

Seems like it would increase the wear, since there is less bearing/wear surface. Essentially, the surface area that you remove is that much less area to wear & support the track. Could see where it may reduce friction, but not without a cost!!

ethan31 · 12-21-2007, 11:02 AM

I have also seen people take there hyfax and put them on a table saw. They run a 1/8in groove down the center whole hyfax. Works well, but like said above, dirt will kill your clips.

Indian- It helps with wear since it holds snow/ice in the holes/grooves. Thats what lubricates your hyfax.

jagermiester · 12-21-2007, 11:25 AM

I use Camoplast lightweight track clips. They are 30% lighter by having slotted holes punched from them that collects snow/water for lubrication. Same principle as drilling your slides but it's done on the clips.

grouly925 · 12-21-2007, 11:33 AM

Here's a link to a post on arcticchat that a guy claims to get much more life out of his slides ArcticChat.com >> It's All About the Pride® . I guess to each his own, but for a fairly cheap price, its nice to actually have to work on your skid once in a while because you notice anything else that might be wrong while you have your head down there.

IndianRvrShiver · 12-21-2007, 12:04 PM

That's a very, very interesting read!! AG is an interesting sort of guy!! I think he stated what I was alluding to in my post.....w/o any ice, the slides will wear faster!!

grouly925 · 12-21-2007, 12:42 PM

AG has been doing some on-going testing. Its hard without multiple sleds to get some real data of how this actually works. I know people who ride in the UP all the time in good snow and they have gotten as much as 3500 miles out of one set of regular slides. It would be interesting to see if someone could make the idea of tapping the slide somehow for a grease zerk work. Just hit that zerk everytime before you leave for the day or weekend. I know people who circle track on ice that have soapy water reservoirs on their skid that run onto their slides so they don't burn em out as fast. I guess if it was much more of a pain or expensive to change the slides I would look into it, but the 20 bucks or so to change slides is one of the cheapest wear items on the sled, not an inexpensive sprort, ya know?!?!

IndianRvrShiver · 12-21-2007, 04:47 PM

Amen, bro!!!

celicaguy58 · 12-22-2007, 05:06 PM

JheLrey · 12-23-2007, 04:28 AM

kccats · 12-23-2007, 07:54 AM

I've done some work on adding boggie wheels to the high wear areas and it seens to work very well, both for increasing slide wear and to gain less rolling friction!