setting din near its limits

[aspenskibum]

so i have heard that sking on a binding set near its upper or lower limits is not good? bassically i want high din bindings for thier strength, but i will never use 16+Din. would there be anything bad (such as premature release or failure to release) about setting p18's at say, around 9 or 10? or for that matter, would there be anything bad about setting salomon 916's at 16?

[Mechmaster]

Bindings are designed to be used throughout their DIN range. The DIN scale is a standard which correlates release factors such as weight, height, BSL, and skier ability to the amount of torque or lateral force required to release a boot. All bindings sold as conforming to the standard must meet its requirements throughout their range.

So yes, cranking a binding to its max or min DIN setting will still allow the binding to function properly. There are however, some caveats:

A primary reason for using a race high-DIN binding is the construction; all-metal contruction is stronger and more durable (but heavier) than a plastic counterpart.

The problem arises from the way the bindings are used. If you really need something that can be set to 14, chances are you are imparting enough force on the binding to overpower (or overstress) the plastic parts. Over time, this can lead to premature failure, or general "loseness" in the bindings. So, although both a 914 and 916 can both be set to 14, the stress state in the 914 structure will be greater than that of the 916, and will be more prone to failure in an overstress event.

Overcompressing the light-duty 14-DIN spring may also shorten their usable life. Closing the spring will prevent any release.

Conversely, if you need DIN 8 and you run the FKS 185, the binding is much stronger than you skiing technique and style requires. In this case, not much is gained by using the heavy duty metal housings. So long as the setting is high enough to maintain the preload in the binding, it should function normally.

The rule of thumb of being in the middle of the DIN range was thus created to help steer people into bindings which are neither too wimpy, nor too burly for their intended use.

[H-wood]

The rule of thumb of being in the middle of the DIN range was thus created to help steer people into bindings which are neither too wimpy, nor too burly for their intended use.

And also because springs aren't all perfect and the repair shop is allowed to compensate for springs that are a little too stiff or soft. So if you sell a 5 DIN skier a binding that starts at 4, there may not be enough room to adjust the calibration to compensate for normal variation in spring rate.

[gwat]

For what it's worth, I ski P18s set to 8.5 (minimum setting is 8) and they work flawlessly. I use them simply because they are metal and take a beating, not for the high DIN.