163 vs 155 opinions please

[IDAHO HOT SHOT]

Hey I'm having a hard time with this decision. I will be getting a new Pro next fall and can't decide on a track. Historically I've ridden the 155 length sled. I briefly rode a 163 pro the other day and it felt as nimble as my 155 IQ. I'm curious if everyone is happy with the length they chose. Does anyone wish they would have gotten shorter, longer track lengths. I am more of a jumper/ tree rider and not so concerned about long open hill climbs. The thing I'm concerned about is everyone in my group rides longer sleds and we DO end up in the bottoms of some pretty nasty holes more than we should. Experiences and opinions are greatly appreciated

 

[440dart]

if you truely ride the steep and in the trees longer the better ive ridden all the lengths and get rid of the stock track its terrible go with a camo extreme, iam running 2.5 on my sled with no drop and roll i dont have the clearence people like, clearence or not its still 10x better than that pos polaris track

 

[m8sandman]

before the pro i was riding 160ish sleds for 8 years, the pro doesn't need the 163, goes everywhere you'd ever want with the 155. 440dart, don't know why you hate the 5.1 so bad, on the pro it rocks! rode 4 feet of fresh all weekend and could stand the thing almost straight up trenching with the skis off the ground and it would keep going, couldn't ask for anything more from any sled or track... what i am waiting to see is the new assault track in the deep, rode my buds in some more or less semi setup conditions and that track hooked up like no other. made his assault feel like it had and extra 20hp!

 

[Tree Boss]

I have been extremely happy with my 155 as well, the way this sled gets on top of the snow and goes through the trees makes it feel like it already has a 163. Just a thought here but if you weigh over 250 then a 163 would be better but that 155 for me who is 140 without gear is insane what it can do.

 

[2XM3]

Look track length and paddle size is a personal opinion/choice.. The 5.1 is in fact a good track, I have run the following..155 5.1, 163x15x 2.0 camo ext,163 5.1, 163x2.5 camo ext ,163x16x3 camo ext, 174 x 2.5 x 16 camo ext,174x3 camo ext, powerclaw.

Fact is ALL these work very very well and NONE will in fact make up for operator skill. A great rider will in fact take a bone stock sled and go places where a so-so rider on a 50,000.00+ turbo mod sled only dreams of riding. Do you think you can follow chris burant through the trees with him riding a stocker and you whatever?? Go over to cooke city and ride with Billy and Kay....lol...we do eyes will be opened for sure no matter what you ride.

The 5.1 is a very good track, it some snow conditions it is in fact BETTER than the camoplast ext.
Yes I run the camo on some of my sleds,I love it. But
i will take you places where you will bury yourself no matter what you have if you are not a good rider.

any way I would buy the 163 track on your new sled if it were me,unless I was 150 pounds or less and wanted maximum flickability...155 really is nice whipping that baby around. If I was going the 155 route i'd also go for the assault as I like the shocks better...IMHO

 

[goforbroke]

I have the 155 and love it. The pro handles awesome and I might consider a 163 the next time around as this sled handles and is so easy to control. In the past I stayed shorter for handling, but that might not be an issue with the pro. In the deepest snow I've ridden, the 155 did awesome. so much fun.

 

[aebsledder]

Having rode my 155 with a stock track, and then a 163 with the challenger track I can say I did not notice much difference at all between the two in the snow conditions we were in. I would say there was about 10-12 inches of new snow on top of a good base. The 163 was just as maneuverable as the 155, but the 155 didn't seem to struggle on climbs the 163 pulled. Tough decision. If you are more of a jumper I would go with the 155, maybe a little less track to get off the ground? To tell you the truth, I don't think you can go wrong with either. How much more money for the 163? If I could change one thing I would get a little nicer set of shocks for my front-end. Maybe take the money you would have spent on a 163 and get the stock ones revalved. Just a thought.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

here's what I have noticed over the years....155 tracked sleds are slightly more flickable...slightly......163 tracked sleds will out perform the shorter tracks.....on those super deep(3 ft. plus)days of champayne powder, if the snow has any wetness or there is a base the tracks can reach too...the sleds will perform very equally, now..the 163 will take off easier/trench less especially in the trees, it also will allow you to slow down just a bit over the shorter track..giving you more time to figure out where/what you are going to do/go...

 

[barry1me]

I choose a 163. Havent had a chance to ride it yet so I cant comment on how it will handle or perform. I went with the 163 for flotation reasons.

 

[IDAHO HOT SHOT]

 

[Jaynelson]

Don't think you can go wrong either way. I went with the 163 because I'm a bigger guy (210lbs), and because for the extra $200 or $300 difference in new price....well, you could spend 3 times that in aftermarket parts with minimal performance gains.

Finally got it out in a few feet of fresh yesterday and wow.....very hard to get stuck.

 

[GMCRMK]

I ended up with a 163 and it's been great in all conditions. Allows me to take things slower in the trees and can get out from near stucks or unplanned dismounts easier. It doesn't suffer on the trails either. I was worried it'd feel or be too long. It hasn't done either yet.

 

[AdrenalineAddict]

I've always been in favor of the 155 until I saw what placing a 163 under a light chassied Pro can do. Where I ride we pull alot of steep technical chutes and the 155 Pro's will not hang with the 163 Pro's. Once the snow sets up a bit we probably won't see much difference, but in the steep and deep there's a very noticeable difference.

 

[440dart]

before the pro i was riding 160ish sleds for 8 years, the pro doesn't need the 163, goes everywhere you'd ever want with the 155. 440dart, don't know why you hate the 5.1 so bad, on the pro it rocks! rode 4 feet of fresh all weekend and could stand the thing almost straight up trenching with the skis off the ground and it would keep going, couldn't ask for anything more from any sled or track... what i am waiting to see is the new assault track in the deep, rode my buds in some more or less semi setup conditions and that track hooked up like no other. made his assault feel like it had and extra 20hp!

iam sure the pro does great and makes that crappy track look awsome i know putting it on my sled did wonders, i was neck and neck with a m8 153 completly stock i had a 163 d7 all i did was swap tracks to a 174 and put an easy 100yards on him up a hill and in the trees completely destroyed him nearly impossible to keep momentum in our "trees"

before i did any mods to a newer polaris i would be swaping tracks and selling to some sucker who likes them just like clutching it dont matter how much hp you have if you cant put it to the ground in a efficient matter

 

[IDAHO HOT SHOT]

Thanks for the replies. These opinions are exactly where I am stuck. Some say the 155 works so good you dont need a 163. Others say the 163 is as nimble as a 155, which is the same as what I have been thinking. Hucking asled off of a quick, technical roller is what I do best, but dam its also fun to be the 1st track out of a big deep hole down in the trees. I guess a guy just needs to buy 2!!!