# SO...How tight should i tighten my bindings to board?



## Milo303

You can't really put a meter on it... Just get em pretty snug.

And he got dimples because he left his bindings on his board while storing it.

The dimples don't hurt anything and should come back out when you take the bindings off and let it sit for a sec


----------



## yesmar

and take em out while waxing


----------



## JediMindGamez

> You can't really put a meter on it... Just get em pretty snug.


Well if you really wanted to be anal about it you could use a torque wrench to tighten em.

I just go till they don't want move easily anymore and then a quarter turn more. Oh and by easily, if full flex of my forearm with my weight into is a 10 then i'd say easily is a 5.


----------



## x41133127x

yah i do the same thing. i just wanted to make sure that extra quarter turn wasn't too much that it would make a dimple in the board. but according to the second guys response, it only should happen if you leave it in tight for too long or when waxing (which I have been very careful not to do). dont wanna ruin the new board.


----------



## arsenic0

You wont get it unless 

A) You are cranking down on it like crazy
B) You leave your bindings on over Spring/Summer/Fall

So just dont crank on it, use just one hand if you need too. When the bolt hits the base plate and doesnt move, give it a small amount more and thats it. 

The biggest problem for dimpling is leaving it in over the offseason, over time the bolts start to pull up on the metal inserts.


----------



## x41133127x

thanks guys. i will be sure not to overtigthen and just give it the little bit extra turn with one hand. and not to leave it in in the off season or during waxing


----------



## Milo303

JediMindGamez said:


> Well if you really wanted to be anal about it you could use a torque wrench to tighten em.


Alright, what's the spec?


----------



## mrfunnybones

30 inch pounds or 3.39 newton-meters courtesy of this video.


----------



## Roundabout136

They're not lug nuts.

Just get them snug, not too tight. I always check them before every time I ride.


----------



## calculatedrisk

Over tightening causes the threads to stretch and then they never stay tight. You can replace the bolts but the threads on the inserts get stretched out too. Over time stretching the threads is inevitable but you can make them last as long as possible by not over tightening.
I use some BLUE loc-tite (not red) and just snug them up. Make sure you clean the threads before applying loc-tite. Oil is used to cut the bolt threads and can cause the thread locker to be ineffective. Don't use too much.


----------



## mrfunnybones

"snug & not too tight" is a subjective range defined by individual grip and the tool used. 30 inch pounds is accurate and reasonable as long as the torque wrench is calibrated properly.


----------



## AdrenalinPlease

I havent removed my bindings since I bought my board many years ago. I just dropped the board off at a local shop for its first ever waxing and edge detuning.


----------



## Veccster

Yeah...I had no idea I was supposed to remove the bindings from the board to store during the off-season. I suppose I could do so at the end of this season but never had a problem otherwise. I have a new NS Evo board and will do whatever it takes to make this board last...I love it!

I did use too long of a bolt on an older GNU board. That definitely caused a dimple! It it never went away.


----------



## extra0

don't worry about dimples - they aren't gonna affect your glide, just make scraping wax a little more hassle. 

I just hand tighten the screws (w/ one hand) after waxing...then I retighten them after my first run. Mine stay perfectly tight this way until I loosen them for the next wax


----------



## fattrav

arsenic0 said:


> dont crank on it


Sound advice in any situation...


----------



## ev13wt

JediMindGamez said:


> Well if you really wanted to be anal about it you could use a torque wrench to tighten em.


I would do this every time. But to what figures? I actually asked rome and lib tech about this but neither wanted to give me an answer. They did answer my emails though.


----------



## mrfunnybones

YouTube - Snowboard bolt torque


----------



## StarCommand

I've never over-tightened mine, but I'm a chick and my arms are like little sticks. So, if you're worried that your strength of a hundred men will depress your bindings so deep into your board that they bust out the other side, ask a lady to tighten them for you. 

I also tighten diagonally, as screws diagonal from each other loosen as you tighten their diagonal counterpart.


----------



## dodgemaniac

heres a question i haven't seen anyone bring up.

on a board that has the channel system, like my burton here, do i need to take the binding off to wax or in off season? since the bolts actually pull up on the last little bit of the board and not on an insert going through the whole way?


----------



## mrfunnybones

dodgemaniac said:


> heres a question i haven't seen anyone bring up.
> 
> on a board that has the channel system, like my burton here, do i need to take the binding off to wax or in off season? since the bolts actually pull up on the last little bit of the board and not on an insert going through the whole way?


You don't have to take them off, but it's a good idea to loosen them for waxing and storage. It will allow the base and top sheet to retain as much of it's original shape as possible. Then tighten to 30 inch-pounds in an incremental cross tightening pattern. For maximum safety, check for proper torque before you ride.


----------



## JRZBoarder

I have the burton channel system and I tighten them much as I physically can. If I don't they move on me after only a couple runs. Even with them tightened as much as I can my rear binding still moves a degree or two by the end of the day. Might have to invest in a drill with a lot of torque, but I think their system is a little flawed.


----------



## extra0

^glad I didn't get channel 

anyway, as far as riding performance, dimples aren't any problem ...it's scraping the wax out of dimples that's kind of a hassle. Just loosen binding screws during waxing to minimize wax pooling.


----------



## mrfunnybones

JRZBoarder said:


> I have the burton channel system and I tighten them much as I physically can. If I don't they move on me after only a couple runs. Even with them tightened as much as I can my rear binding still moves a degree or two by the end of the day. Might have to invest in a drill with a lot of torque, but I think their system is a little flawed.


A click-type torque wrench is your best bet for achieving the proper force. You might want to mark the rotation of the bolt on the board to determine if it's actually working loose, and then try some loctite threadlocker. If the problem is due to compression of the board / binding materials creating "play" then try tightening to 30 inch-pounds on the hill when the equipment is cold.


----------



## JRZBoarder

Alright I'll have to try that. It's not a big deal if it moves just a little by the end of the day, it's just I have to remember to tighten it all the way every time I go out or it will move on me. I have my stance set at 18/-12 and the rear binding will end up at around 5 if it's not tightened all the way. I guess cause when I'm riding regular my foot is putting a lot pressure on the rear binding cause a forward stance is more natural, but I like riding switch and I do some park so I need the duck stance.


----------



## calculatedrisk

I have a Burton Process VR and with a little blue loctite no issues with the channel setup.


----------



## Grasschopper

Hmm...I'm supposed to loosen my bindings over the summer and during waxing? First I've heard that but it makes sense. That said my 92-93 Lib Tech MC was in storage for 15 years with the bindings fully tightened (I use the tighten the crap out of the screws method) and there are no dimples in the base. Of course now that I have read this thread I am going to loosen the screws in the off season just in case.


----------



## oldlady

JRZBoarder said:


> I have the burton channel system and I tighten them much as I physically can. If I don't they move on me after only a couple runs. Even with them tightened as much as I can my rear binding still moves a degree or two by the end of the day. Might have to invest in a drill with a lot of torque, but I think their system is a little flawed.


i had that problem when i was being lazy with tightening the screws.

put some weight on it and it wont move on ya. :thumbsup:


----------



## TLN

JRZBoarder said:


> I have the burton channel system and I tighten them much as I physically can. If I don't they move on me after only a couple runs. Even with them tightened as much as I can my rear binding still moves a degree or two by the end of the day. Might have to invest in a drill with a lot of torque, but I think their system is a little flawed.


Hey, i got an idea for you. Put your board out of house for a couple of hours, and try to tighten the screws on a cold board. It helps alot. And get a right, quite wide screwdriver. I use a dakine's one, and my binders tighten very very tight( i also use Burton elevators, so 8 screws on a every foot) and i'm happy with it!


----------



## ClevelandSB

I tighten them pretty hard because when you go out into the freezing cold to ride everything shrinks up and they tend to loosen


----------



## extra0

^that's why you tighten them once again after you ride your first run


----------



## calculatedrisk

[Edit] Actually, same material: steel bolt tightened into a steel insert the temperature shouldn't make any difference since they expand or contract the same amount. Aluminum and steel are a totally different story. Aluminum is affected by temperature much more than steel.

Cold shrinks, heat loosens, but whatever.. tighten them again. Safety first!


----------



## f00bar

About 2-3 n*m is all you need.


----------



## Lamps

dodgemaniac said:


> heres a question i haven't seen anyone bring up.
> 
> on a board that has the channel system, like my burton here, do i need to take the binding off to wax or in off season? since the bolts actually pull up on the last little bit of the board and not on an insert going through the whole way?


Burton channel = no dimpling, and if you mess up threads you just replace parts, the board is not impacted. 

No need to take bindings off to wax with channel. 

In the off season I loosen my bindings a tad, you probably don't need to.


----------

