Track Lug Stud

Track Lug Studs were previewed last season in SnowTech Magazine, and over 400,000 of them were sold across the snowbelt. That’s enough product for nearly 2,000 machines. How’d they work?

Reports from the field are varied. We installed Track Lug Studs into two machines; a 2002 Ski-Doo MX Z 800 Renegade, and a 2001 (custom) Polaris SKS 700. Both of these sleds were fitted with 136” x 1.25” tracks; the Ski-Doo has its original track, while the Polaris was fitted with a Camoplast 1.25” Predator. These two machines were selected because they both had 1.25” tracks, something that is required to use the Track Lug Studs.

The Polaris logged nearly 2,000 miles, while the Ski-Doo logged just over 1000 miles. Between the two machines, we had a few studs that were missing upon inspection, but very few were “damaged”. Overall, we were quite impressed with the wear and performance of the product. Traction was not as positive as a traditionally-studded track, but this isn’t why we installed Lug Studs; we wanted added traction with our 1.25” tracks on ice and extreme hardpack. Most riders who are looking for durability don’t install traditional studs into tracks with lugs taller than 1”; studs this long increase the leverage, with an increase in track damage and rotating weight and a decrease in top speed.

The winter of 2001-2002 was very cruel to Minnesota (very little snow cover), and a large amount of our early season riding was done on forest roads where there was a solid ice base (compacted by late fall hunters in trucks) with only a few inches of snow on top. Not enough to groom, and quite dangerous to ride without studs. But with a good set of runners and some traction products, these conditions were ride-able. Again, we were not as hooked up as a normal studded track, but we were riding with confidence and control. To say they acted and felt like 72-96 studs in the center belt would be pretty accurate. After 2,000 miles on the SKS we found a couple of lugs that could be described as “torn”; there were a few more lugs with visible cracks at the tip of the stud threads, but it wasn’t serious enough to take action. It made sense for the amount and type of use we had put the sled through; the track was spinning quite a bit with the hammer down pulling hard out of the corners (remember, this was on an ice base on ungroomed forest roads with only a few inches of base on top).

Then we started to hear from riders who had installed Lug Studs and were experiencing problems, with complaints of damaged track lugs being the most common. Some of these guys were really upset, as they had damaged several lugs on their new tracks. We noticed the majority were Polaris owners, but not all. After some research, we discovered most of the complaints were from big-displacement (over 130 HP) machines, and the majority of those were running (at some point in time) at extreme high speeds (like 100+ MPH) for extended periods of time. Both of our sleds were right at 130 HP, and we spent more time on trail and in deeper snow than running lakes with these two units.

To compound the issue, there were an unusual number of track lug failures last season on tracks that had NO studs. We had lugs tear off of two of our Polaris tracks this year that had no studs at all; on our 2002 XC 600 SP M-10 and our 2002 BLADE Stryker X. Most of the track lug damage reported was with the right-hand outer belt, and this is what we saw with our two Polaris tracks. Stud manufacturers of all kinds have been recommending for years to only install studs in the center track belt for maximum durability, but they especially stepped-up this recommendation last year. Suffice it to say, there were more tracks with lug issues than just studded ones. Low snow years like what we just had also could be a contributing factor; lugs rip when a spinning track catches something, anything, whether there are studs installed or not.

As stated, our experience with the Track Lug Studs was favorable. Installation was quick and easy once we had identified where we were going to screw them in. We used a pattern that allowed us to screw them right into dimples in the track that looked like they were made just for this. A variable speed air ratchet works really good so you can set the torque to not over-tighten them, as this is fairly easy to do and then the studs won’t hold as well. If you get psycho and crank one in so far that it spins, back it out and install it somewhere else. We believe this to be very important for long-term retention. You should visually rotate the track and inspect each one after a weekend of riding, but if they’re installed properly this should not be a big issue. You don’t want one to back out and catch on a heat exchanger. And try not to spin your track; good logical advice for any sled.

We were very careful in our selection of which machines got them; both sleds we installed them into have a wide lug base where the lug attaches to the track belt. It didn’t seem to make a difference if there were two studs per bar or four studs per bar; we first suspected it was a matter of under-studding that increased the forces to the point it caused damage, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. We would suggest using the (new) shorter 3/4” ones, as this will shorten the lever and should reduce the chance of tearing the lug at the tip of the threads, as this is where the majority of lug damage is found.

Based on the data from users last season, we would also recommend their use in sleds of lower power (single-pipe 700cc or 120 HP seems to be a good high side) and primarily for situations where you won’t be spinning the track excessively (racing). Don’t be installing them into sleds like ZR 800s that’ll be running at higher speeds across the lake. When used in 500-600-700cc trail sleds you’ll most likely be satisfied. They should be thought of as control aids, not acceleration aids. We will use them again, but very selectively as to the machine, track, and usage.

Manufacturing and distribution of the Track Lug Studs has been licensed to Outer Limit Sports. Improvements have been made to the TLS for this year; a “high-low” thread pattern and serrations under the head are designed to improve stud retention, and the size of the carbide pin has been increased. There will be 3/4” and 1” versions for snowmobiles, and there will also be a 1/2” Tire Lug Stud for ATV and motorcycle applications. For more information on the TLS system, contact Outer Limit Sports at 952-996-0383.