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Is it worth upgrading to gripper skis

sno*jet

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^that is in forward mount position. dont think id put them in rearward position as the dealer i bought them from used. but one thing i like on these is they can be removed it 1 minute. you unbolt from the saddle. im going to make some coaster wheels that bolt up to the saddle bottoms for storage.
 

Allseasons

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3 pages in, but for what it’s worth, I just did the swap to grippers on a 16 M8 LE ES
We have been blessed with great conditions here in Canada all season, this past 2 days were perfect for the swap. I made NO changes to my suspension setup. Trail was set up hard, lower meadows had a touch of new, but heavily tracked, upper Alpine was bumper/headlight deep and untouched.

Trail- darting completely gone. Felt like a different sled

Lower tracked out Meadows- here it was a little unpredictable, for me. If I wanted to cut across an old track to shoot between 2 trees and get into some untracked powder, I was a little unsure of where she might go. Way more floatation in heavy snow, the front won’t dive in like it used to. I need more time on these skis to regain some confidence here.

Steep and deep- again, I’m going to say, totally a changed sled for the better. I performed a “confident”, totally “predictable”, go wherever I wanted sidehill of an entire Valley. I bet it was a 3 mile sidehill. At one point I was on a certicle face, under a cornace barely moving, doing the old sled rock with skateboard kick as I moved and she just kept going. I’m not exactly sure how skis could have helped here, but I’ve never been able to hold an edge like that before. Felt awesome. BUT, going downhill slolom, they kick up WAY more snow in my face than the stock skis, yet don’t dive as deep.

Was it worth the upgrade to me, I’m going to say yes. I gained more than I lost. And I feel I did lose some characteristics that I preferred, but overall the gripper is a better ski.
 

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summ8rmk

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Glad someone else noticed the extra snow in the face from the grippers....hahaha


Alpha ......
 

DuraPro

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Ski dampeners for all of the following combos... coming soon!

Still in development but soon to be released over the next few weeks are DuraPro ski dampener models for the Gripper skis in combination with different stock sled spindles. :face-icon-small-hap

For example, we'll have a combo for the Ski-Doo G4 guys running Gripper skis. Also for Arctic Cat M series guys running the Gripper skis. Plus a handful of other combos...

More details and ordering information: https://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4106621#post4106621
 

summ8rmk

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Still in development but soon to be released over the next few weeks are DuraPro ski dampener models for the Gripper skis in combination with different stock sled spindles. :face-icon-small-hap

For example, we'll have a combo for the Ski-Doo G4 guys running Gripper skis. Also for Arctic Cat M series guys running the Gripper skis. Plus a handful of other combos...

More details and ordering information: https://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4106621#post4106621
Update?

 

Teth-Air

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We also have a ski rubber solution for the gripper but it has only been tested on Polaris. So if you are using Polaris rubbers and not happy with performance or lifespan, PM me.
 

kidwoo

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Thanks for asking. We are a bit behind on further product development, but we plan on releasing the DuraPro Ski-Doo G4 model here in the next week or so.

Another dampener currently in develpment is the AC spindle / AC ski combo, which is the same as the AC spindle / SLP ski combo.

The whole point of making polaris replacement rubber dampers was because they're tiny and commit suicide after a short life. What benefits do yours have over using the older pre 2015 AC rubber pads that most of us are using to get grippers on our sleds? Those don't have the polaris problems.
 

DuraPro

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The whole point of making polaris replacement rubber dampers was because they're tiny and commit suicide after a short life. What benefits do yours have over using the older pre 2015 AC rubber pads that most of us are using to get grippers on our sleds? Those don't have the polaris problems.

The largest benefit is the performance aspects that come from the unique and patented geometry of the DuraPro dampener. Talk to any of the now hundreds of happy Polaris customers who have switched to our dampener and they'll most likely agree that the performance increase sells them even more than the durability (which by the way is a lifetime warranty).

Concerning durability, perhaps it's a debatable issue among riders since we've had several requests for that specific combination? I'm not sure and all of you would be able to speak more wisdom into that than we can. Regardless, the elastomer used in the DuraPro dampeners will last longer than any comparable dampener made from rubber. Thank you!
 

kidwoo

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The largest benefit is the performance aspects that come from the unique and patented geometry of the DuraPro dampener. Talk to any of the now hundreds of happy Polaris customers who have switched to our dampener and they'll most likely agree that the performance increase sells them even more than the durability (which by the way is a lifetime warranty).

Concerning durability, perhaps it's a debatable issue among riders since we've had several requests for that specific combination? I'm not sure and all of you would be able to speak more wisdom into that than we can. Regardless, the elastomer used in the DuraPro dampeners will last longer than any comparable dampener made from rubber. Thank you!

I can only pull from a sample of one but my modified setup with the older AC bumpers is still tight and strong with 1600 miles. But if you've got people asking.... It's not anyone needs convincing that OEM stuff isn't always the highest quality.
 
C
Aug 22, 2017
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Gripper skis

are grippers all same. I have a line on some used ones off 2012 Pro RMK. I have a 2015 M8 153 limited. Do need to find newer grippers or they all same in these years 2012+?
 

kidwoo

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are grippers all same. I have a line on some used ones off 2012 Pro RMK. I have a 2015 M8 153 limited. Do need to find newer grippers or they all same in these years 2012+?

All the ones I've seen since the dragon days look the same.

I've got a 2011 RMK and have bought 2 pairs for cats more recently and they're the same ski.

I think polaris knows they did it well 10 years ago so they're not messing with them.
 

DuraPro

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are grippers all same. I have a line on some used ones off 2012 Pro RMK. I have a 2015 M8 153 limited. Do need to find newer grippers or they all same in these years 2012+?


Yes the same. Technically there was a small bit of plastic that was added in 2016 when the Axys chassis was released, but as kidwoo stated, overall the Gripper skis have been the same from 2007 - Present (including 2019).

The small bit of plastic doesn't affect or change any of the ski geometry (photo courtesy of mountainhorse).

comparison.jpg
 
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