Salomon Z12 ti binding durability

**stew130** · 10-23-2007, 09:38 AM

So I got a great deal on some Salomon Z12 ti's (thanks MarshalOlsen). Has anyone actually had these things blow up on them? They seem awfully light. But, it's not like I'm going to be hucking anything over 10' and I weigh a scant 150# and I'll be putting them on my Praxis and therefore will only be skiing them in soft snow.
Please no "search Jong!", I did.

**Sirshredalot** · 10-23-2007, 09:47 AM

My roommate put a pair on his Goats last year. He's a bit bigger than you, hucked some small-medium sized stuff on them. Didn't seem to have any issues.

**Switters** · 10-23-2007, 09:51 AM

I'm 6'0", 195 lbs. and have z12tis mounted on my Mantras. Skied that rig about 15 days last winter and had no issues. Not much of a hucker (biggest drop probably less than 10'), but a decent skier. Hope that helps.

**The Dad** · 10-23-2007, 09:57 AM

Paging Tyrone Shoelaces...

Or else go to the similar active thread on Epic.

**dre66** · 10-23-2007, 10:38 AM

my roommate has z12s on his ANTs and he was having problems with them pre-releasing. see this thread.
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=82942

**ulty_guy** · 10-23-2007, 10:39 AM

yeah, there's been durability issues on 'em, but that said, this comes from big balls 'hospital air' types. at 150 and less than killing it, i'd have to think it'd be ok.

**Tyrone Shoelaces** · 10-23-2007, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by stew130

Has anyone actually had these things blow up on them?

yes I blew up a pair last season. I didn't go too huge on them, but did repeatedly huck them (oftentimes to hardpack) and generally beat the crap out of them until the heel pieces blew up after about 2 months of abuse. FWIW, I'm 5'10" 180 lbs.

someone just had a similar question over on EpicSki, so here's more details:
http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=60458

**plugboots** · 10-23-2007, 12:54 PM

I love this forum. I switched from Markers to Salomon because of what I'd read here, but of course to the WRONG Salomons. Anyway, after skiing Marker plate/piston/select control whatevers with Volants, I went to DPS Wailer 95's with Z12Ti's set at 10, (I'm 6'3" 180). I don't air now unless I have to, but I ski very scary terrain in La Grave and elsewhere, and they worked very well for the 20 or so days I skied them last season. I just bought another pair for some Volant Sins to help lighten them up. I will definitely be checking more often for cracks etc., but I still feel, (maybe less so now), confident in them. For powder, they should work well.

**BaconMan** · 10-23-2007, 01:46 PM

I'm 5'8" and 180 and have skied 45 days on them (on Big Troubles). Not a big air kind of guy (certainly everything under 10 ft.) and have had no pre-release issues at all. At your weight, I cannot see any problems. I tend to use them in soft snow conditions (tree skiing, mostly) and feel very confident with them.

**old goat** · 02-22-2010, 06:07 PM

I just had the heel track break--about a 100 days on them and I don't huck anything. Apparently Salomon will still warranty them--replace the heel track--because it breaks so often, but I just paid $25 to get it fixed right away. I'm going to pick up another track to fix the other binding before it breaks.

**skimaxpower** · 02-23-2010, 02:56 AM

The binding itself is beefcake. The track upon which the heel piece mounts is frail. I see several break every year. If you huck, the STH 12 is a better option, but it's nearly $100 more expensive.

Good news: Salomon 5-year warranty. If you manage to crack the heel track, you get a new one. No worries.

**axebiker** · 02-23-2010, 07:50 AM

I've been skking the Z-Series bindings for a number of years with no issues. I'm not crazy about the 3 point toe mount, but then again, it has never failed on me either. I have the Z12 on my Gotamas, and have Z10s on everything else. No issues, and I'm 6', 185#. Of course, it's all on-piste MN skiing, so take that into account. I'm sure the Z12s will be great on the Gots though. One thing I do like - no more worries about the wing & toe height adjustments.

With all this said, I just bought 3 pairs of Tyrolia Peak 15s, so my remaining days on Sali's are limited.

I should also mention that I do NOT huck much of anything, and that does matter in your decision. I keep my skis on edge all the time though - you spend a lot of time carving up ice in the Midwest. They hold just fine in those conditions.

**kona12** · 02-23-2010, 04:50 PM

I love it when threads like this get bumped! 3 years ago when I bought the z12's I was worried about their durability too....now 3 years later that setup is still my go-to inbounds setup(z12's mounted to some Bro 179's- the lightest setup I have ever had.). Not a single problem with the binders. In fact, I just traded a buddy a pair of old skis for some z12's he had laying around!

**Like a Boss** · 02-24-2010, 01:33 AM

I got about 100+ days on the first pair. Heel track sheared while my buddy was skiing them. He had a slightly longer BSL then me so I'll take the blame for that one. Next pair lasted about another 100 days before the brake assembly screw stripped. Needed a quick fix so the shop helicoiled it back together. About 7 days later the heel track sheared. Salomon warranty replaced the bindings. They are a compromise in my opinion. They are insanely light compared to other options but can be somewhat brittle. Given the amount of days I spend on skis a year, I should probably get into something burlier but I'm a sucker for light weight. Plus I really like the feel of the binding, they've always released when they should, and they are mad easy to get in and out of. I have two new pairs of skis mounted with them this season and so far so good.

**cooltsi** · 02-24-2010, 07:20 AM

I think it's a good bump personally. Just warrantied a Z10Ti for the wife. Heel track sheared so I checked out the 912Ti I have which have the same heel track. Cracks in the base told me it was time to replace the track. What I've done in the past is taken some of my kids 7 or 9 din Kids bindings and swapped the steel track which I've never had problems with. Shaves 60 grams off each half pair for the kids and I get a more durable binding. The Z12Ti flat weighs in at 860-890g on my scale whereas the 912Ti weighs in at 1080-1120g. The extra 60g for the steel track makes sense for me.

**QuikR12** · 02-24-2010, 09:20 AM

Didn't know this was so old, but i'll play anyway.

Had the z12 ti on my MSP's last year, and dropped a little 6 footer with a lot of speed onto bumpy hardpack. landed a bit back seat, flopping my tips up and expoloded the toepiece like a frag grenade. The impact really didn't seem that bad, but I was picking up shattered pieces of the binding from all over... At this point the binding had about 10 days on them... I however, am a fairly stout 200 pounder at 6'2'', and ski like a caveman

**SpinalTap** · 02-24-2010, 04:25 PM

I hate those toe pieces. They never worked for me. They'd pre-release every time I put the ski on edge or things got a bit too bumpy. No matter the din setting I'd still end up walking out of them.

They're probably nice for skier with a bit more finesse, but didn't work for me. FWIW, I'm about 5' 6" and 160lbs. I prefer punk rock shows to long walks on the beach. My favorite color is blue.

**thedrew55** · 08-22-2011, 01:43 PM

Bumping this one again... Any words of warning before I consider putting these on my newly purchased Mo'Ships instead of either putting my Rossi Axial 140 Race on them instead? I would automatically go to the Rossi, but they are heavy and I don't know if they'll take a wide enough brake (yes I'm a JONG for not knowing that, but these are the bumble-bee ones from something like 2000/2001).

**volklpowdermaniac** · 08-22-2011, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by thedrew55

Bumping this one again... Any words of warning before I consider putting these on my newly purchased Mo'Ships instead of either putting my Rossi Axial 140 Race on them instead? I would automatically go to the Rossi, but they are heavy and I don't know if they'll take a wide enough break (yes I'm a JONG for not knowing that, but these are the bumble-bee ones from something like 2000/2001).

I would definitely put the Rossis on there, if your going to be skiing them like Motherships usually are skied. That said, I'm nearly certain you have to bend brakes for those, I tried repeatedly to get wider ones from Rossi, and the widest they had for that vintage was 100... I did a very very poor bending job, and well, the breaks work sometimes...

If you did it with a heat gun and proper tools, you'd be in like flynn.

**The Dad** · 08-22-2011, 01:56 PM

The widest brake for that generation of Rossi/Look, IIRC, was 100mm. (But search for "canonical wide brake information" to find the thread.) But they should be bendable around the Motherships.

I have nothing to add on the Z12, as I have studiously avoided them. I can confirm that an acquaintance, who is a very good skier but not terribly hard on his gear (50-ish, probably not more than 160 pounds) managed to destroy a pair this season.

**thedrew55** · 08-22-2011, 02:44 PM

Muchas gracias The Dad. I kind of figured that about the brakes.

Also thanks to volklpowdermaniac. I am not as aggro as a lot of the guys in here, but I do huck the occasional 20+ and ski pretty fast. So I would probably sail the Mo'Ships as they were intended to.

**bern43** · 08-22-2011, 02:48 PM

I'd avoid the Z12s. I skied with a pair of STH14s with the same toe design and I had nothing but pre-releases. And the binding was set up correctly. Ended up having to crank the DIN higher than I should have.

jgb@etree · 08-24-2011, 11:03 AM

There's a pretty decent thread on this (actually about the s914ti iirc) but probably applicable here as well.

There seem to be some conflicting opinions about running these without the gray 17mm heel risers. Some say it's prefectly fine, others say that without the heel riser, the toe is higher than the heel & no good.

Is there a definite verdict on this?

**Core Shot** · 04-06-2018, 06:14 PM

Wife cracked the track on z10Ti
Never airs, skis hard but very smooth. Kinda shocked she could break a binding plate at 135 pounds.

These things are dangerous.

Fortunately, someone mentioned you can swap out any metal Solly track. Had an old pair of 850’s that worked perfectly as a donor.

If you own these, remove the brake and inspect the plate underneath it.
Or, just swap the plates for safety sake.

**AweShuksan** · 04-06-2018, 11:16 PM

I think a lot of breakage of these is user error or mounting problems. It's important to put the boot in the binding and insure you have the track adjusted to the proper position for your BSL, otherwise it will greatly increase the pressure on the binding. I have three pairs of Z12 ti's mounted on my resort skis and ski the three pair 38-54 days a season. After 8 years (2 pair) and 6 years (1 pair), never had an issue. But I always adjust them so the BSL indicator is near the center of the acceptable range for whichever boot I'm using them with. I'm 6'-04" and 215 lbs. nekkid and have been skiing them at Din 8 (toes) and 9 (heels).

I just remounted one pair of the Z12's on a new pair of 189 cm Kastle FX 95's. Still going strong. I like these bindings, both for their light weight and ease of getting in/out. Also, when they release, I'm always glad they released. I'm actually thinking of lowering the Din values a notch.