[rjordanf5]

I put about 150 Miles on this weekend here in northern lower michigan.
I rode mostly around Interlochen, thompsonville and up towards Empire.
Trails were not good, very Icy. I have a standard f-5 with 96 1.080 studboy studs with 6 inch shaperbars. Front skid shock set as loose as it will go w/o being loose. Front a arm shocks with 2 3/4 inches of threads showing. Rear springs on middle setting and coupler blocks on #2. The problem is it will push right through the corners. Well this morning I put a friends Cand A skis on, they have at least 8 0r 9 inch carbides on them and I experienced the same thing although it was slightly improved, on glare ice it still did the same thing. I am a very agresive rider. It did not matter if I leaned way off or not it still pushed. Should I try pulling the limiter strap up notch? All input and advice apreciated. Also I have the chance to buy the CandA's for a hundred bucks should I buy these or hold out for the powder pro's?
Thanks R.J.

 

[Snowblind]

If you asked me I would pull the limiter straps one hole. I got the 10' woodies and it seems fine, but I tend to use the brake to keep the front down on corners.

 

[duality]

I too am still running the stock AC ski's,the sled pushed something fierce with the stock carbides.I sucked up the limiter strap to the middle hole,installed some 6 in Shapers,set the toe out alittle past a 1/4 in and the sled just RAILS on ICE and hardpack.The ski's themselves just suck,theres no profile to the bottom of them and they push through the loose stuff,it can be very unnerving going around a corner and the sled doesn't want to react because you swung wide and are now in the loose stuff and cant turn.I'm waiting for a set of Powderpros,but of course all the HOT product are on backorder. Do yourself a favor and check out the webpage for them .Look how aggressive the profile is on the botom of the ski ,then go look at those sad excuses for ski's that AC has dumped on us.No profile at all,flat as a board.These are high performance machines that should have come with an aggressive ski to match the aggressive power.Going in a staight line is only fun for a moment and reality sets in that you have to be able to turn with some confidence,or you'll never achieve the full potential of the sled.kinda sucks,you buy a new sled and have to upgrade it to a set of $350 ski's to ride in confidence,BS <_<

 

[rob]

agree totally! Firecats need the more aggressive ski. Look at the difference in the profiles, stock vs powder pro:

 

[duality]

Thanks for the comparison Rob,Iwas hoping you could show us the difference!and man what a difference

 

[rob]

here's another

 

[rob]

and one more:

One bit of advice though.. I couldn't fit my F7 on my trailer with the Powder Pros without overlaping onto Jane's XC.

 

[duality]

Now look how much superior that ski will be. VERY impressive,now they just need to come off B/O,

 

[duality]

Rob,did you notice any loss of flex with the Powderpros,They look alot stiffer and I'm wondering how they will hold up on the really nasty,fast 3-4 footers

 

[rob]

they are a lot stiffer.. but I think they are very tough. I had a set of SLT skis that I transfered from sled to sled to sled and racked up over 28,000 miles on (no typo), and they are still in good shape.

 

[Roy T]

Rob, the stock Cat ski is 5" wide. How wide is the SLP Powder Pro... rumor has it 7"??? -- Roy

 

[rob]

yes it is 7". That presents problems for some trailers (mine).

 

[rjordanf5]

Thanks for the replies. I really apreciate it. I am gonna suck the strap up a hole. See what diffrence that makes. Then i will compare the stock ski's to the CandA's. If I dont like the CandA's-I will probally end up ordering the powder pros. Well thanks again. I'll let ya know how things go. R.J.

 

[snowhunter]

how much weight do the pro ski's add? i would think for normal trails you could solve pushing with carbides & limiters. i did. cat ski's aren't all that bad.

 

[Roy T]

In my past experience, even slightly worn carbides will NOT turn on ice... especially if it's a cold hard ice, reGARDless of how much you shorten the limiter straps, or how much ski pressure you add. This is compounded even more when you add studs into the equation, not to mention the longer 128" track! Hard-packed snow is one thing, but ice is a completely different ballgame! -- Roy

 

[snowhunter]

the one thing i miss about my ZR , the quick adjust. that is one very nice feature! ski pressure to match the conditions right at your fingertips!

 

[rob]

that's one of the good things about the deep keel design of the SLP skis.. Even with rounded over carbides they still steer decent on ice.