New to polys - sweet spot feels like it shrinks dramatically after 2-3 hours. Is this the strings going dead?

[Andykay]

So I've got newish sticks (360+ Prestige Pro) and I'm testing string combos. I've never really used poly mains at all. Just crosses with gut. I tried a couple of stiffer strings and loved how they played, but they did a number on my arm. I'm trying some softer polys now, along with a few other options, but I've had a similar experience with several combinations where after 2-3 hours of play, my racquet suddenly feels like the sweet spot is just a dot in the middle, and any even slightly off centre hit comes off the strings completely dead with a really hollow feeling. The balls aren't flying, which is what I would expect as the tension drops. Is this what people refer to as the strings going dead? In all cases, I've literally only put <3 hours into the strings. My understanding is that it shouldn't happen that fast, especially given the strings I'm using. It certainly never happened with my gut/poly setups. I could play those for 15+ hours.

There is a common factor here, and that's the fact that all the setups used Tier One Ghostwire as a cross, but the Ghostwire came from several packs/sources and was even different gauges, so it can't just be a bad batch. The setups were:

Triax 1.28 Mains + 1.23 Ghostwire Cross
Tier One Black Knight 1.28 + 1.27 Ghostwire
Tier One Firewire 1.30 + 1.27 Ghostwire

Is this what I have to live with if I want to play with polys? Or could my racquets or stringer or some other factor be to blame? I did consider that maybe my frames just don't agree with Ghostwire, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

[Stratotanker]

What tension are you starting out with, just curious?

 

[Andykay]

What tension are you starting out with, just curious?

Triax/GW was around 55/52.

Both full poly setups are 48/46.

 

[Stratotanker]

Okay, we’ll that seems pretty standard. Nothing weird about that tension.

For me the PP 360+ sweet spot was a little small when I hit with one, so my guess would be that it’s just better with the hybrids, but the fact that it only gets bad for you after a few hours…I’m not sure. Hopefully some smarter gear heads can weigh in.

 

[Andykay]

Yeah it definitely does have a smallish sweet spot in general, but the fact that it doesn't manifest all the time is certainly confusing.

 

[beepee1972]

16*19 in a 95 head, you may go lower next time and see if that changes things? I would suggest 20*19k approx.
I must admit, I play full poly often too, but never experience the sweetspot shrinking during play? And like other poster already mentioned, the 48/46 tension you used shouldn't be the cause of it? Have you used for example the tension advisor and see what it comes up with for mains and crosses for a given DT value? I don't know the specific dimensions of this racquet head, but perhaps you should up the tension difference between mains and crosses a bit more, or the opposite? For a radical MP for example, I keep tension the same for mains and crosses (to prevent deformation of the racquet head).

 

[eah123]

I have no experience with Triax, but I did experience T1 BK and FW feeling dead after about 2 hours of play. I use GW/Volkl V-Square as my regular setup now and can play with it about 2 months without any loss of playability. So I think it may be the specific strings in your setup vs. co-poly strings generally in your racquet. Good luck!

 

[Steve Huff]

I've always had better luck with Head rackets putting a higher tension in the crosses. Try 50/54 or 49/54 using the same strings. I think you'll see a difference.

 

[morten]

Triax is a really strange and muted dead string btw

 

[Andykay]

I guess I'm unlikely to find a solution here since it's such a strange problem. I'll keep exploring my options and try some other strings. I've also just acquired a secondhand Angell frame to test, so that gives me another variable I can play with.

Triax is a really strange and muted dead string btw

Yeah, I liked how it played for several hours, but then something in the setup gave and it changed dramatically. It was a pretty noticeable shift where almost every shot suddenly felt like a mishit. I think it was more likely the Ghostwire than the Triax, since the Ghostwire has been the consistent factor in these stringjobs. I want to give Triax another try. I just wish I could get the higher gauge here in Australia easily.

 

[Tennisist]

I've experienced this with polys which stiffen up when they die.

From the strings on your list, I only have experience with FireWire + Red Devil crosses at -4 lbs. This setup became softer with age -- it had the opposite effect: the sweet spot became bigger and the feel improved.

 

[Tennisist]

Check if you have the interlocked-stringbed effect. Try to move the strings with your fingers. See if they developed grooves and would not budge. This happens when one of the strings is too soft relative to the other.