Three quick tips to go straight
By Ross Halverson
We’ve all been there. We’ve all seen it… the person whose arms shake just picking up a beverage because they’re still burning so badly from trying to keep their sled on well-rutted trails for the past 40 miles. The conversation usually starts with them complaining and swearing off another manufacturer for life… yadda, yadda, yadda.
Before you become ‘that guy’ (or gal), know there are some fairly simple adjustments you can make to reduce the amount of darting without spending additional dough. Try these three things before you cannonball into a sea of aftermarket skis, carbides, studs, etc.
Darting on the trails typically happens when your snowmobile ski grabs the snow a rut and wants to steer the sled in a different direction than the driver might intend. Those of you who have experienced this know it gets old FAST and can ruin a day if you have to deal with it for mile after mile. Usually slight adjustments to your ski alignment and/or an adjusting ski pressure can help improve this issue. There’s also a plethora of skis, carbides, studs, etc. also offering improvement in this area.
1.) Start with your skis and make sure you have the proper ski alignment. The typical stock set up calls for about a 1/8-in. toe-out alignment. In other words, the front of the skis should be 1/8-in. further apart than at the back. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it can make all the difference in the world. Also check to make sure your tie rod ends aren’t loose. If you have too much slop (you can move the skis without the handlebars moving), you probably need to replace those.
2.) Next on my personal checklist are the carbides. Check the wear pattern on each carbide. In some cases, the front end may be wearing more quickly than the back. A quick and cheap DIY fix is placing a shim between the ski and carbide at the back bolts which, again, doesn’t seem like much, but it can give you just the right amount of added grip on the snow. 
3.) If that doesn’t cure what ails your darting sled, some minor adjustments to your rear suspension might be in order. Try a stiffer setting on your center shock in the rear suspension, which in turn will reduce your ski pressure, hopefully eliminating your darting issue. Be sure to make these adjustments in very slight increments, especially if you’re a novice at suspension adjustment. If you lessen the ski pressure too much, your steering ability can be greatly decreased and you might just push straight through the first corner instead of turning.
When dealing with suspensions, it’s important to remember it’s rider-specific depending on the rider’s weight, riding style and conditions. What fixes darting for one rider may not help another.
Hopefully these three tips will help you enjoy your ride a little more comfortably and keep a little jingle in your pocket. 