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A ski represents a little different picture, because the pivot point is only a few inches off the ground. Also, the ski is flat and not round like a tire, so it has a long contact patch. The distribution of the keel and carbide location in front of, and behind, the steering axis therefore determines the ski’s self correcting action.
More carbide and keel has to be located behind the steering axis to get the desired self-correcting action at speed. Long and deep keels would work well in deep snow where carbides have no effect, and more carbide would give better control on ice and hard pack. Front to rear distribution could be as much as 30-70 or as little as 45-55. The 30-70 ratio would provide the highest self correcting, but be harder to steer, perhaps to the point where power steering would be useful.
The 45-55 ratio would be used for tight cross country trails and snocross racing.
Hunting and darting have been a common complaint lately as sleds get heavier and offer more advanced front suspensions. It reminds us of the problems from the early IFS days.
Longer carbides will grab with the front and fall into grooves on a hard packed trail, which provides unwanted steering input. One popular solution is adding shorter dual carbides to the skis. With two shorter carbides next to each other less steering input is needed, and they do not have the same tendency to fall into a groove as the other carbide would hold it up. If there are a lot of grooves, both may fall in, but the shorter overall length still needs less steering input and the dual carbides transfer out of grooves more easily.
There is a lot of development going on in the steering department. Yamaha has introduced electric power steering, while Ski-Doo seems to have a good jump on the rest when it comes to easy “dart-free” steering without the use of extra power. In addition, the aftermarket ski and carbide manufacturers are busy advancing steering technology.
Stay tuned for Steering Tech 2.0 in a future issue when we take a closer look at some of these new developments.