Should I string crosses looser than mains to keep racquet less deformed?

[Roadway]

I usually strung mains and crosses at some tension and i like the feel of such stringbed. But now i noticed the short axis of the ellipse (paralleled to the crosses) shortened 2-3mm when i strung that way. When i strung crosses 2 kg (4.5lbs) looser than mains, this obvious deformation did not happen.

And this text in TW confirmed my thoughts.

Selecting Tension
To further customize your hybrid selection, you can vary the tension between strings. As a general rule, main strings should be strung tighter than cross strings. This is a popular set-up with professional players and is a good way of increasing the size of the sweetspot. We recommend a tension variance of 2-3lbs and have a maximum tension variance of 5lbs on hybrid stringing.
(http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/orderhybrid.html)

But i do not like the feel that looser crosses bring and still want to string them the same tension as the mains. Will it damage to the racquet and shorten the racquet's lifetime?

 

[dadozen]

If done correctly, this makes no harm to the racquet.

I've strung my racquet with even tension between the mains and crosses, looser mains and looser crosses. All of them resulted in a racquet strung that had the same shape, length and width as an unstrung racquet.

 

[Roadway]

If done correctly, this makes no harm to the racquet.

I've strung my racquet with even tension between the mains and crosses, looser mains and looser crosses. All of them resulted in a racquet strung that had the same shape, length and width as an unstrung racquet.

Well, i seee. I'll carefully string evenly next time to remain original shape. Thank you!

 

[Peppershaker]

Looser Mains or Looser Crosses

Probably depends on the style of play, form, the racquet and the strings but thru a lot of experimenting I've personally found that stringing the crosses up to 2lbs > than the mains provided me with the best feel.

One of my favorite hybrids is Prince XX 16 w/Gamma 17 SG crosses in a Prince TT Bandit OS strung in the low 60's (60/62, 61/63 range). Seems to provide some comfort & good power with the cross providing control not seen with a full bed of the XX.

Does this seem right?

 

[fortun8son]

There will always be some hoop distortion.
Even 10lbs+ difference won't affect the integrity of the frame.
Many stringers routinely string the crosses 10% higher than the mains.
Make sure you mount securely. Double check before you pull.

 

[Technatic]

The difference between tension for the mains and the crosses actually depends on the shape of the racquet and the number of strings;
- The longer the stringbed in relation to the width the lower the tension of the crosses compared to that of the length.
- In a racquet with 16x19 pattern the difference in tension will be different from a racquet with 20x18.

The test is easy: Measure the length and width of the stringarea before and after stringing, it is ok when there is no difference.
When the width is smaller after stringing the tension on the crosses was too high.

There is more chance on cracks when you string the crosses too high than too loo.
So stringing your crosses a little lower is without danger but do the check to know if it is right.

 

[Bottle Rocket]

A side effects of this "hoop distortion", regardless of cause, is that the overall length of the racket changes, drastically changing the swingweight of the frame.

This distortion, which is noticeable in a significant number of rackets which I come across, is caused by a few different things, but I find it unlikely that a difference of a few lbs in tension could make much of a difference in the shape of the head. I think it is much more likely the racket was mounted improperly, especially in a machine with only two mounting points. The number of Babolat and HEAD rackets which I see with flattened hoops is quite amazing to me,

If think the type of mounting and the adjustments which can be made during mounting can have a more significant impact on the shape and playing characteristics of the frame. I don't think I could agree that it doesn't cause significant stresses on the frame which it might not otherwise experience, possibly leading to premature fatigue and wear.

I use some mounting techniques on one of my frames that I would never use on a customers frame because of the increased stresses. I do this as it is the best method I have for matching its specs to the specs of my favorite racket (increasing the swingweight without increasing its mass), a racket with specs I haven't found in any other frame of the same make. With proper mounting, I've never observed a significant change in the shape of the head after stringing after using different string tensions on the mains and crosses.

 

[Roadway]

Hey, thank you very much!
I finnally strung mains at 56 lbs and crosses at 52 lbs, the racquet remained original. And i like the feel of this set up.