Track length preference

[line8]

Assume a very good base. Assume 7”-15” of new snow, any type. All over the mountain type of riding. Hills, steep, creeks, sidehills, uncomfortable situations, tired later, trail ride in/out.

Newer sleds, say ‘21 and newer, 800-900 N/A. For those that have both or have had both length tracks (150’s and 160’s). Whats your preference-generally?

 

[Wintertime]

I like a 165 Pro.I have had both and prefer the 165. The 165 is more forgiving in deep snow and being a little older allows me to "laze it" if needed. With a good setup on clutching and shocks and handlebar setup for comfort and control the 165 works well in my case. I find I'm more on the setup and fit and feel side of things lately. I'm on the taller side and it fits better. The Pro is a little planted in the front or a lot depending on you look at it. I haven't tried a Khaos setup. Maybe in the future. With a good setup for your riding style either track length will be more than capable.

 

[west dreams]

I have a 23' Khaos 9R 155" and I love it, in my group there is a G4 165" and a 24' Khaos 9R 165" . I have road both several times as I am always thinking I need to go 165 but after I get back on my sled I always feel the most comfortable on my 155. In my mind it just feels lighter and easier to ride. I have never felt that I was held back by my sled, I have several times had to take my 155 up a climb to pull a ski for a 165 and it just gets the job done. The all over Mt. type riding you described above is exactly what we do, I love the creeks, sidehills and being out of my comfort zone. as far as being tired I try and stay pretty physically fit I don't feel that the sled wears me out at all, (no electric start either). For me I am very happy with my 155, I may have to carry a touch more speed in certain situations but I enjoy that aspect. I personally have not experienced enough of a benefit of the 165 to make me switch. again this is just my opinion and personal experience. I am 54 years old been going out West for 20 years, mainly ride out of Afton Wy. Hopefully I was able to provide some info. I feel like I just started to ramble LOL.

 

[alorenzanthony]

I currently ride 165 khaos slash 850 I would say the 165 is a lazy sled it goes anywhere. I would like to switch back to 155. It all depends on how aggressive you are at ridding.

 

[line8]

I currently ride 165 khaos slash 850 I would say the 165 is a lazy sled it goes anywhere. I would like to switch back to 155. It all depends on how aggressive you are at ridding.

I have the same sled and agree.

 

[line8]

I have a 23' Khaos 9R 155" and I love it, in my group there is a G4 165" and a 24' Khaos 9R 165" . I have road both several times as I am always thinking I need to go 165 but after I get back on my sled I always feel the most comfortable on my 155. In my mind it just feels lighter and easier to ride. I have never felt that I was held back by my sled, I have several times had to take my 155 up a climb to pull a ski for a 165 and it just gets the job done. The all over Mt. type riding you described above is exactly what we do, I love the creeks, sidehills and being out of my comfort zone. as far as being tired I try and stay pretty physically fit I don't feel that the sled wears me out at all, (no electric start either). For me I am very happy with my 155, I may have to carry a touch more speed in certain situations but I enjoy that aspect. I personally have not experienced enough of a benefit of the 165 to make me switch. again this is just my opinion and personal experience. I am 54 years old been going out West for 20 years, mainly ride out of Afton Wy. Hopefully I was able to provide some info. I feel like I just started to ramble LOL.

Thank you, very helpful.

 

[Pickin’ Boogers]

Don't overlook the 146. In all but the deepest snow, it gets around as well as the other options, and is more fun while doing it. Even 2-3ft is manageable - challenging in a good way.

 

[907Backcountry]

I'm 57 and live in Alaska. I'm coming off a 2020 163 850 and Khaos which I loved and this year switched to 155 9R Khaos. I'm a much better rider than I was in 2020 and didn't understand the difference. Now, I absolutely love how much more nimble the 155 platform is. To me it seems much more balanced and I can flip it around on a dime. In technical terrain, tight trees and ravines it's the definition of pure joy especially with the low end response of the 9R. The only area where I pined for more track and a power was in Valdez with super steep 3,000 foot climbs in deep powder. My sled would eventually want to tip over backwards even with the limiter strap pretty tight. However, it was fun and more challenging to try to work my way to the top with the 155. For 80% of my year the 155 fits the variable terrain better and and I think forces you to be a more aggressive rider. It's a rowdier and more responsive platform. When I jump back on the 163 it feels like my turning options are so much more limited.

 

[boondocker97]

Rider size/weight can play into it too. 160 length has been my preference and I am 320lb this season and rode my 2021 supercharged cat with a 153 twin rail track a couple times and it was not the hot setup. It would still take me places, but it really wanted to dig holes. Went back the 165 alpha and am happier with that on this particular sled. 165 Alpha is every bit or more maneuverable than the 153 twin rail when theres some fresh snow.

The twin rail 900 N/A sled in my avatar picture got converted from 162 3" to a 153 2.8" with an elevate kit for spring snow. Sadly didn't get to ride it yet in this trim. Hopefully try it out in Cooke City in a couple weeks.

Rode an old stock 2011 M8 153 one trip and while I was wishing for more track at times the 153 is probably a better overall setup on that machine. I was closer to 260lb last time I rode this sled in the backcountry and the 153 served it well with aggressive riding and keeping momentum. Really hope I can get back to that weight for next season. On the older sleds like this I think the track length is more noticeable in the maneuverability department than new sleds.

 

[line8]

I'm 57 and live in Alaska. I'm coming off a 2020 163 850 and Khaos which I loved and this year switched to 155 9R Khaos. I'm a much better rider than I was in 2020 and didn't understand the difference. Now, I absolutely love how much more nimble the 155 platform is. To me it seems much more balanced and I can flip it around on a dime. In technical terrain, tight trees and ravines it's the definition of pure joy especially with the low end response of the 9R. The only area where I pined for more track and a power was in Valdez with super steep 3,000 foot climbs in deep powder. My sled would eventually want to tip over backwards even with the limiter strap pretty tight. However, it was fun and more challenging to try to work my way to the top with the 155. For 80% of my year the 155 fits the variable terrain better and and I think forces you to be a more aggressive rider. It's a rowdier and more responsive platform. When I jump back on the 163 it feels like my turning options are so much more limited.

I had 2 AC 162s with 3”. Then bought a 21 Khaos 155. I rode that and I was sold on the Khaos and fun factor. I ended up selling the Cat for a 22 matryx slash 165. Its not the same. I’ve given it 800 miles and it is really-really good and I can ride it anywhere I’m comfortable. But, I agree with what you said, I also feel like a better rider on the 155.

 

[line8]

Rider size/weight can play into it too. 160 length has been my preference and I am 320lb this season and rode my 2021 supercharged cat with a 153 twin rail track a couple times and it was not the hot setup. It would still take me places, but it really wanted to dig holes. Went back the 165 alpha and am happier with that on this particular sled. 165 Alpha is every bit or more maneuverable than the 153 twin rail when theres some fresh snow.

The twin rail 900 N/A sled in my avatar picture got converted from 162 3" to a 153 2.8" with an elevate kit for spring snow. Sadly didn't get to ride it yet in this trim. Hopefully try it out in Cooke City in a couple weeks.

Rode an old stock 2011 M8 153 one trip and while I was wishing for more track at times the 153 is probably a better overall setup on that machine. I was closer to 260lb last time I rode this sled in the backcountry and the 153 served it well with aggressive riding and keeping momentum. Really hope I can get back to that weight for next season. On the older sleds like this I think the track length is more noticeable in the maneuverability department than new sleds.

One of the reasons i got the 165 was my weight. Suited up im probably 225 and thought that would play into the ride. I had several 153 Cats and a couple 162s. The 162s had a similar feel to the khaos 155. Mainly everywhere, except, when the polaris sticks into sidehill.

 

[MTsled3]

I go back and forth between what length I prefer, and it really comes down to the type of riding any given day. 75% of the time I ride trees and ravines which are fairly tight and can get steep. Nothing crazy but pretty challenging for most riders. For that stuff I love the 165" (mine is a Khaos 9r). It is very forgiving and allows you to stop and then regain momentum in situations where a shorter sled would get you stuck. It is also more stable on a sidehill and less prone to washing out.

The other 25% of the time we ride in some spots that are more open and mellow terrain, but with fun natural jumps and creek hopping and fun features for just messing around. For that kind of stuff I would like a shorter sled. My wife's 850 Khaos 155" is super fun and playful in that type of terrain. My 165" khaos is okay. You can still have fun and play around, but it is definitely much more tame. I do have mine tamed down just a hair as I accidentally flipped over backwards on a short steep hill on the first ride. I was also bottoming out the rear shock a lot hopping creeks so I needed to add preload to help prevent that.

This year we had bad crusty layers for a while, with just crappy sugar snow underneath. Other sleds I've had, if you broke through the crust in a bad spot you were screwed. The 165" would recover surprisingly well, even in situations where you lose your momentum and think you're screwed. It just lifts you right back up onto the surface. For owning just one sled, with the type of riding I do, I really like the 165" Khaos.

 

[bnorth]

I've always been a 16X guy, except once when I bought a 174 and I hated it. With modern chassis and especially the factory boosted options track length isn't as critical as it used to be. I would never have considered less than a 16X a couple years ago as I am 275# but after trying a couple turbo 155's I would consider one. Equal sled to equal sled the 16X will get you out of that bad situation you ended up in with more forgiveness but ridden well the 155 will get you there too these days.

 

[boondocker97]

Somewhere around 250lb rider weight is where I feel there is a big gray area/change in advantage for the 160 length tracks over 150 length. If you are 250-275 and a decent rider that can maintain momentum and ride aggressively the 150s can work. If you are slower with line selection and 225-250 you might still want a 160.

If you want to ride around on the tail all day and don't care about how far you make it up a hill or ravine get a 146 boost! lol

 

[Clark42]

a 15x is the perfect all around sled I think.

16x is nice for deeper snow at times. 220 lbs and under 30 years old lol.

 

[AdrenalineAddict]

I feel it depends on body weight. I weigh 262 lbs suited up, if I chose a 155 over my 165 I would be severely handicapping myself as far as getting around and keeping up in general. I have a friend who went with a 156 Gen 5 turbo doo who weighs 320 suited up, big mistake!!