Are Maxtrax worth it? Or are cheaper boards in the $60-$70 range just as effective?

[Humble Leader]

Yeah, I am leaning towards drilling the boards now and removing the middle bar. In the below picture, I have marked in blue the holes that I'd be mounting to the front faring. The area in green is where I think I would have to drill to be able to mount the back end of the boards to the bar pushed all the way back (I won't know where in the green area until I get my hands on the boards on Wednesday). You'll have to click the picture to see my markings.



Thoughts? You think I should drill elsewhere? You think drilling that area would jeopardize the integrity of the boards?

I have seen stress tests on these boards. They appear to be quite durable.

in short- you will probably be fine with that plan. I say probably because there are some considerations

if you really intend to strap those babies down you want the mounting surface nice and flat against the cross bar. I believe traction boards are angled like a ramp. if you are exerting downward pressure via a bolt you want to make sure that the board doesn't bend at the ends if you use the outer points to mount like in your drawing. now if you are only driving short distances to get to trails you might be OK not wrenching down on those bolts too tight and just having them snug

as long as you don't crack the boards when drilling you will be fine as well. drill bits create heat. heat melts plastic. plastic can also be brittle. not the best conditions for drilling

what if instead you put that middle bar closer to the front, vs in the back. you can use the existing holes on the boards and maybe have less unloaded wind noise

 

[Something_Awesome]

in short- you will probably be fine with that plan. I say probably because there are some considerations

if you really intend to strap those babies down you want the mounting surface nice and flat against the cross bar. I believe traction boards are angled like a ramp. if you are exerting downward pressure via a bolt you want to make sure that the board doesn't bend at the ends if you use the outer points to mount like in your drawing. now if you are only driving short distances to get to trails you might be OK not wrenching down on those bolts too tight and just having them snug

as long as you don't crack the boards when drilling you will be fine as well. drill bits create heat. heat melts plastic. plastic can also be brittle. not the best conditions for drilling

what if instead you put that middle bar closer to the front, vs in the back. you can use the existing holes on the boards and maybe have less unloaded wind noise

I have seen people mounting these boards using the holes at the ends. They keep a big washer between the board and a thumb screw or wing nut to increase the contact patch. Of course, the washer does not stay flat because the end is curved.

I could move the middle bar way up so that the two sets of holes are used to mount the boards. But I wonder then if the boards will hang to far past the rear bar in the case (getting in the way of the trunk). I suppose I could install my 4th bar and see how wind noise is. If the noise goes away then I can just center the boards on the bars and use the center mounting points. We'll see. I think I will know best once I get the boards. I'll need to try mounting at the end first and see how that feels. I am anticipating that the board is going to feel extremely sturdy, even at the ends. However, if I don't feel confident in mounting at the end of the board, then that automatically rules out drilling, so I won't even need to consider if I want to drill at that point.

 

[mbm112]

I have seen people mounting these boards using the holes at the ends. They keep a big washer between the board and a thumb screw or wing nut to increase the contact patch. Of course, the washer does not stay flat because the end is curved.

That’s exactly what I do with my x-bulls.


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[Humble Leader]

I have seen people mounting these boards using the holes at the ends. They keep a big washer between the board and a thumb screw or wing nut to increase the contact patch. Of course, the washer does not stay flat because the end is curved.

I could move the middle bar way up so that the two sets of holes are used to mount the boards. But I wonder then if the boards will hang to far past the rear bar in the case (getting in the way of the trunk). I suppose I could install my 4th bar and see how wind noise is. If the noise goes away then I can just center the boards on the bars and use the center mounting points. We'll see. I think I will know best once I get the boards. I'll need to try mounting at the end first and see how that feels. I am anticipating that the board is going to feel extremely sturdy, even at the ends. However, if I don't feel confident in mounting at the end of the board, then that automatically rules out drilling, so I won't even need to consider if I want to drill at that point.

ya sometimes you just have to see the product and lay it out in different ways to see what works best. post some pics when you have a mounting set up so I can steal your ideas lol

 

[Catahoulabulldog]

A good shovel and some kitty litter will work wonders in snow. Another old trick is take an old can a candle and some chewing gum. Put the can by your tire use the gum to keep the candle upright in the can light the candle and it will heat up the can melting the snow by your tires. Never tried this personally so I can’t say if it truly works lol.

 

[johnnygraphic]

Any opinions/thoughts on the GoTreads? Sounds like these would solve a lot of the mounting issues above.
GoTreads - Quick tire traction for any vehicle - Easy to use