Dynafit/Ski equipment failure question

Lots of discussion about Dynafit toes rip outs on TGR. IMV, it's usually a ski core failure and/or results from loose screws (in the ski, not in the skier's head )

IME mounting Dynafit toes on K2's, I've encountered many soft spots that I helicoiled. Indeed, my (grunge) AP toes are 100% helicoiled.

screws definitely were tight, so am wondering if the helicoil will save the skis for me. However, if the failure is due to poor core construction, would the helicoil also rip, or do these have more grab than the binding screw?
re: samthaman's question: both skis and bindings were virgin for the mount, so no re-drilling.
the first response from the tech where I had them mounted was "you're going too hard on superlights" - my thought was if that was the case the equipment failure would be different (ie. broken ski, binding part, etc rather than separation of the mount).
I did wonder about the leash placement - until recently I did have them on the heel, but kept destroying the tether on climb mode, so I made the switch. It didn't seem to interfere with the toe tab function in my experience. In any case, the leashes are supposed to be "breakaway" which I assumed meant the leash, not the binding!

For what it's worth, I ripped out a couple of screws on a pair of Voile Insanes a couple of years ago. I had them helicoiled and then ripped them out again, next time out. The amount of damage to the surrounding ski from a tear-out may make helicoils less likely to hold.

I'd bet you could put in a t-nut (which would have been the next step for me, had Voile not warrantied the ski).

Actually, contacting K2 about the possibility of a warranty repair may help. I think the shop tech may have a point though, in that skiing firm inbounds conditions (moguls, etc, as in Nash on Sunday) with such a lightweight ski may have contributed to the problem, if not caused it outright.

Yeah, the helicoil fix won't work if the hole is too big to engage the helicoil threads. (FTR, I installed helicoils from the outset because the cores felt too soft for my comfort.) There are plastic pound-in plugs that expand (inverted cone) when screwed. If the holes is not too big, they hold as well or better than helicoils.

The T-nut drill thru is the last resort. Bomber hold. The question is whether the drill thru will weaken the ski to the point it breaks in half. Probably not, but it has happened.

I've also encountered some soft spots in Voiles. Light skis = light cores = propensity for soft spots.

On the other subject, my leashes are tied to a picture hanger loop thingy from Home Depot fixed by one screw 2cm or so forward of the toe binding fixture.

if you're going to t-nut, and you like the skis, look into a shop that can remove the base material below the t-nut, then weld new material over the repair and grind your bases flat again. It's rather expensive ski surgery, but is probably the most bomber/finished way you could repair them other than heli-coiling them during a remount.

This happened to me many years ago on one of the first days on my new skis (2nd generation bindings, the ones with that eccentric rotating locking mechanism). It turned out that they weren't mounted correctly. I had the toe piece mounted again with lots of extra glue and it worked for the remaining life of those skis. the worst skis I ever had btw

If too much material has been removed with the screws for a helicoil to work, you may want to try an insert first (quiver killer and bingingfreedom sell them). It's a lot easier than t-nuts and I'd guess some ski shops can do it if you don't want to try it yourself. One thing to check is the size of the holes to see which , if any of them, will work. A helicoil uses about an 15/64" bit while an insert uses a 1/4" bit. That isn't a big difference, but it may be enough.