As snow begins to fall on many regions of the Province of Québec, many snowmobilers have already started their preparation for the next snowmobile season. Included in this preparation, replacing normal wear parts has become a common pre-season ritual for many of us. In that context, the replacement or addition of new carbide runners is usually what comes first to our mind.
All those who, like me, now ride on trail with the Ski-Doo rMotion suspension and who have upgraded from the previous edition (SC 5), have surely noticed that this migration has brought a loss of precision in the control of the machine.
I have already been riding with a model equipped with the SC5 and three other models equipped with the rMotion. So, I have been able to see that it is harder to get the same good traction in curves with the snowmobiles equipped with the rMotion. I would like to add that all these machines were equipped with their original skis, the Pilot 5.7 skis, and with 600 E-TEC engine. Even after numerous adjustments and tests, I could not get the performance I wanted. And when I looked for solutions on Internet, I saw that I was not the only one in this situation.
In order to resolve this haunting problem, I discovered that many suppliers offered solutions such as changing the runners for the SnowTracker kit or replacing the skis with more aggressive keel profile, or even split profile. I was looking firstly for a simple and not expensive way to correct the situation without reducing the performance of the small 600 E-TEC. One day, I was offered to test the simple-carbide HC TOP GOLD runners. These plated HC carbide runners are manufactured in Drummondville by Qualipièces.
The result was a true discovery that met my expectations. Effectively, these runners are extremely effective in turns; they bite into snow and this, in any type of conditions we had. With the proper settings, they provide a precise and agile steering without too much effort. I also noticed that it was easier to slide them than the dual-carbide runners when we cross paved roads. They are very easy to install as they use the same holes than the original runners. Also, they do not affect the efficiency of the keel profile in curves. They are not too expensive (advertised at 129,99 $/pair on www.qualipieces.com ) and they are long-lasting (more or less 11 500 km/pair). The HC TOP GOLD runners even resisted to the long paved sideroads we meet at the end of a season. They are also designed to support an amazing resilience such as the railroad crossings, or else, they can resist to sneaky emerging rocks we could hit on trails.
According to Qualipièces, they are produced progressively, made of carbide at 75 % with a front part of 2 in./5,1 cm at 90° and the other, at 8 in./20,3 cm at 60°. Also, the rectangular shape of the blade allows you to negotiate sharp turns without changing top speeds. These runners are also available for the three other brands of snowmobiles. In fact, you can choose the part according to your snowmobile on www.qualipieces.com .
To conclude about long-term results, I can assure you that if you try these runners on your snowmobile, you fans who, like me, are looking for optimal sport riding precision on trails, you will get right on the first cornering, the aggressive control of your machine. These runners reduce darting, compared to the original ones. Either in short curves or long sustained curves, they are really efficient in the different snowy or icy conditions you will meet. These runners are definitely among my favorite discoveries of winter 2014-15. Personally, I think that the HC runners made by Qualipièces reflect the 18 years of experience of this Drummondville business developing products for snowmobilers from here and elsewhere.
