# How tight should I be tightening my boots? (Burton Ions)



## rvcasrfr

So this is my 4th season boarding and I've replaced all my gear. I've used rentals and second hand crap that have left me with sore feet and terrible heel lift for the past 3 years and after putting a huge chunk of change away and testing out a bunch of boots in shops I decided on the Burton Ions. I've done 3 days in them and I have to say, I'm really, really bummed out

In the store they fit great (a little tight, but I bought a half size down for packout). After the first 2 days they packed out beautifully. Almost absolutely zero heel lift and they rode exactly how I had hoped. One small problem - PRESSURE POINTS!!! On the inside of both my feet right above the ball of my foot it hurts like CRAZY after 2-3 runs. If I loosen the liner/boot then it somewhat goes away but then I get F***ING HEEL LIFT! Oh, and I've already had them heat molded and have Super Feet footbeds

So how tight should I be tightening my boots? To get zero heel lift I tighten them ALL the way. I mean I seal the velcro on that liner tight, tighten the liner good, and pull those speed laces tight enough that the boot feels like it's molded around my foot. If not for those pressure points they would be PERFECT at that tightness. Am I tightening too tight? Did I just spend $450 on boots that aren't actually right for my foot? Ugh..

EDIT: Also I'm strapped into Cartel ESTs so I don't think it's a binding issue, unless the specifics of my binding setup could be causing such issues?


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## Giannis

I have wide feet at the front, so what i do with my Burton boots is that i tighten the liner pretty well, the upper zone as well and leave the lower zone looser. That way i dont get heel lift and the sides of my feet dont hurt. During the day i might tighten the lower zone a bit more when i am warmed up. Hopefully, after a few days they will pack out more.

Unless you are doing something weird with the bindings. Is the toe strap centered and not too much over your toes?


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## ETM

heat mold .


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## wrathfuldeity

Try to heat mold first....but you can add or take away liner material. Adding involves adding bits of adheasive foam...and taking away involves shaving bits of the liner off. Put your foot in the liner, use a sharpie to draw or shade in exactly where the pressure points are. Then carefully remove a bit of the liner...I'd use a grinding wheel or a small grinding wheel on a drill or a wood rasp to just take-off maybe a 16th or 8th of an inche off that spot. Then go ride and see if that does it, if not repeat. Once you get it tweaked then smear a bit of McNett freesole on top of the grind spot to keep the liner intact.


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## Lamps

On my ions I wears the liner snug, the upper zone super tight, and the lower zone medium to moderate tight or I get the same pressure/pain in the ball of my foot. Remember the speed zone laces have a lot of leverage, especially the bottom zone.


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## threej21

yea, what everyone else said. when i first got speed laces, i found that overtightening is easy to do, and first few times out on them i always had to loosen the bottom zone after my initial lacing

think its because its sooo easy to make them that tight that you think you should. but yea, try doing the upper pretty tight and leave the lower with a bit more room


also, side thought, you could try putting a click or two of forward lean on your bindings to help eliminate heel lift


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## Triple8Sol

Also make sure you're not overtighening the inner liner. That is a common mistake that even I was guilty of up until more recently.


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## StreetDoc

I ride Ion's and sized them just like you, my issue with them is they're very easy to overtighten. Usually after the first run my feet are hurting and I have to loosen them a bit. I like them just snug enough to not feel loose.


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## Ballistic

Bottom loose and top snug, its how i ride always. If im hitting some gnarly black diamonds i tighten up sometimes. 

Another tip, and i always do this... My first couple runs of the day my boots are kept comfy loose. Then i tighten them a little bit each subsequent run for next couple runs. If i start off with boots too tight my feet cramp up everytime.


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## Racer20

Try without the superfeet. Those are thicker than the stock insoles and raise your foot up, which can cause this problem. Superfeet are not much better than stock inserts if they aren't the right shape for your boots and feet.

I have had 3 pairs of ions, and I have the same issue if I over tighten the bottom. As others have said, try leaving the bottom loose, and put the j-bars in to hold your heel tighter.


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