2.6" track vs 3" track on Pro RMK 163" 850

Beaglemaster · Mar 14, 2018

I currently have an '18 SKS 155 with a 2.6. Sled has 800 miles and the track is in great shape so it seems very durable, but there were times I wished the lug was longer. I want to order a Pro RMK in a 163 with the 850. I am not sure on which track to get. I want as much deep snow capability as possible, but am concerned with the durability of the 3". I ride Island Park area and use trails to get between Lionshead, 2 top and Mt Jefferson area. Also not sure of positives and negatives of belt drive. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

revrider07 · Mar 14, 2018

Watching this also.

takethebounce · Mar 15, 2018

You will want to clip the polaris track on the Pro regardless if it is the 2.6 or 3".

I am really torn on my next track choice having a '16 Axys 3" now, coming off a '14 2.4 and having ridden a lot of 2.6's in both 163 and 155. The difference in a 163 3 vs 2.6 is noticeable in deep snow. There are moments that I am blown away where this sled puts me and wonder if I would have made the same section on a 2.6. I do find depending on the snow when on edge and I want to spin the track the 3" pushes me slightly straight before breaking loose and spinning.

I am clutched for an SLP pipe set and running a TKI belt conversion with slightly lower gearing and it really wakes up the 800. I would guess the 850 is going to have no issues with whatever track you run.

The trails to and from Lionshead depending how far you travel still have enough snow on the sides to jump off and get into the fresh for whatever track you have thankfully.

I do not feel you can go wrong with either track as both have their pros and cons

NoNonsense · Mar 15, 2018

takethebounce said:
You will want to clip the polaris track on the Pro regardless if it is the 2.6 or 3".

I am really torn on my next track choice having a '16 Axys 3" now, coming off a '14 2.4 and having ridden a lot of 2.6's in both 163 and 155. The difference in a 163 3 vs 2.6 is noticeable in deep snow. There are moments that I am blown away where this sled puts me and wonder if I would have made the same section on a 2.6. I do find depending on the snow when on edge and I want to spin the track the 3" pushes me slightly straight before breaking loose and spinning.

I am clutched for an SLP pipe set and running a TKI belt conversion with slightly lower gearing and it really wakes up the 800. I would guess the 850 is going to have no issues with whatever track you run.

The trails to and from Lionshead depending how far you travel still have enough snow on the sides to jump off and get into the fresh for whatever track you have thankfully.

I do not feel you can go wrong with either track as both have their pros and cons

Clipping every window on the track is a solution keyboard engineers on the forum created. It is actually against what should be done. The clips create heat then delaminate the lug.

But track wise I went with a 2.6" because the factory belt drive works so great. I didn't want to deal with a chaincase or aftermarket belt drives. I've used aftermarket belt drives in the past and had nothing but issues with it... Loose fit of the pulleys causing prying action on the bolts and bending/breaking tensioners.

BILTIT · Mar 15, 2018

NoNonsense said:
Clipping every window on the track is a solution keyboard engineers on the forum created. It is actually against what should be done. The clips create heat then delaminate the lug.

But track wise I went with a 2.6" because the factory belt drive works so great. I didn't want to deal with a chaincase or aftermarket belt drives. I've used aftermarket belt drives in the past and had nothing but issues with it... Loose fit of the pulleys causing prying action on the bolts and bending/breaking tensioners.

It doesn't seem to hurt all the trail sleds with fully clipped tracks...

NoNonsense · Mar 15, 2018

BILTIT said:
It doesn't seem to hurt all the trail sleds with fully clipped tracks...

The tracks with 1.5" lugs designed for trail use? Yeah I would think there would be no issues with that.

BILTIT · Mar 15, 2018

My 1.75BC seems to be doing just fine.

NoNonsense · Mar 15, 2018

BILTIT said:
My 1.75BC seems to be doing just fine.

I wouldn't think it would be having any issues.
It's not one of the two mountain tracks being discussed in this thread.

Snopro_69 · Mar 15, 2018

Weird cuz my camo x3 mountain track is fully clipped (from factory) and has 3500 Miles on it. . Mint condition. . I ride an axys this year with 2.6 and love it BUT at 1000 miles on it the non clipped windows were getting the terrible wear so I jus fully clipped it and think it will resolve the problem. Haven't had a chance to ride Polaris 3"

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

greasemonkey3406 · Mar 15, 2018

I think its not so much the track as it is the design of the back of the rail where the hyfax ends. Has anyone that ran ice age rails experienced the wear in between the windows?

JJ_0909 · Mar 15, 2018

Going 2.6"

I'll be boosted, so I actually think the decision is easier. Non boosted I think it depends where/how/what you ride.

Under boost, the 2.6" builds track speed incredibly well and with the turbo there aren't many (any?) situations where I can't make it to the top because of the track.

When conditions are less than ideal its still a manageable sled at low/no boost whereas the 3" can hook up a bit too much, making the sled harder to manipulate.

Plus, the weight and belt drive is awesome.

AKFULLTHROTTLE · Mar 15, 2018

NoNonsense said:
Clipping every window on the track is a solution keyboard engineers on the forum created. It is actually against what should be done. The clips create heat then delaminate the lug.

Have you tried it??

I can tell you our tracks with every other window have worn through and then came apart. The one I have clipped this season still looks new...

Keyboard? Ya I actually did it and am amazed how well the track looks. The only reason it does not come from the factory fully equipped is for weight savings.

Teth-Air · Mar 15, 2018

NoNonsense said:
Clipping every window on the track is a solution keyboard engineers on the forum created. It is actually against what should be done. The clips create heat then delaminate the lug.

Are you serious? I had a great conversation with Polaris's track manufacturer agent and he said they told Polaris they should have clipped the lugged windows. In addition he told me that the flat landers down East that run the 2.6" and 3" Polaris tracks are losing outside lugs on the trail as they are overheating and turning brittle. It is cooking the rubber due to the heat were rubber runs on the hyfax.
Nice try though!

If I had the energy I would remove the stock clips and clip the lugged windows and then there would be no weight gain.

NoNonsense · Mar 15, 2018

AKFULLTHROTTLE said:
Have you tried it??

I can tell you our tracks with every other window have worn through and then came apart. The one I have clipped this season still looks new...

Keyboard? Ya I actually did it and am amazed how well the track looks. The only reason it does not come from the factory fully equipped is for weight savings.

Yes. Are you an engineer by trade, designing tracks?

No, I have not tried it. There is no need to try it. My 2.6" track does look worn, but it hasn't come apart in 1,800 boosted miles. I'd love to see some pictures of your track coming apart due to not having clips.

NoNonsense · Mar 15, 2018

Teth-Air said:
NoNonsense said:

Clipping every window on the track is a solution keyboard engineers on the forum created. It is actually against what should be done. The clips create heat then delaminate the lug.

Are you serious? I had a great conversation with Polaris's track manufacturer agent and he said they told Polaris they should have clipped the lugged windows. In addition he told me that the flat landers down East that run the 2.6" and 3" Polaris tracks are losing outside lugs on the trail as they are overheating and turning brittle. It is cooking the rubber due to the heat were rubber runs on the hyfax.
Nice try though!

If I had the energy I would remove the stock clips and clip the lugged windows and then there would be no weight gain.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what that position would be? Engineer, assembly line, sales? I think you need a more reliable source. You don't call the Japanese assembly line when you have TV problems.

But anyway... I'm not here to start fights. The 2.6" track is a great track option from the factory that needs nothing. Yes, I would love to not have the wear on the non-clipped windows, but I would rather not have de-lam issues.

The smart men and women at Polaris know what they are doing. Do you really think it just an accident they clipped the non-lugged windows and just went with it for years? What did Polaris advertise... The new 850 has 100,000 miles into development. I'm sure a chunk of those were on 2.6" tracks - unclipped at the lugs. They know what is and isn't an issue.

greasemonkey3406 · Mar 15, 2018

NoNonsense said:
Teth-Air said:

I'm not sure what that position would be? Engineer, assembly line, sales? I think you need a more reliable source. You don't call the Japanese assembly line when you have TV problems.

But anyway... I'm not here to start fights. The 2.6" track is a great track option from the factory that needs nothing. Yes, I would love to not have the wear on the non-clipped windows, but I would rather not have de-lam issues.

The smart men and women at Polaris know what they are doing. Do you really think it just an accident they clipped the non-lugged windows and just went with it for years? What did Polaris advertise... The new 850 has 100,000 miles into development. I'm sure a chunk of those were on 2.6" tracks - unclipped at the lugs. They know what is and isn't an issue.

Click to expand...

There is a facebook page dedicated to this issue in Quebec. They are going forward with a class action lawsuit against Polaris for this issue. Every single 2.6 track around here has worn the unclipped windows, mine included so that's why I clipped it. Just because you aren't having issues, doesn't mean no one else is. And every track that I have seen fail starts in the same place - it rips open at the unclipped windows on the outside of the track and spreads from there. There are hundreds of pics of this if you care to look.

b-litt · Mar 15, 2018

greasemonkey3406 said:
I think its not so much the track as it is the design of the back of the rail where the hyfax ends. Has anyone that ran ice age rails experienced the wear in between the windows?

I have the Ice Age rails with 8" wheels on my '18 Axys with 2.6. All the windows that aren't clipped have excessive wear. I noticed it at about 500 miles. Now it's at over 1,000 miles and looks pretty bad.

For our snow I like the 2.6, but wish I had the 3" for deep days. The 3" will lift the front better for certain maneuvers. It can hurt you by doing that too. I'm on the pin more with the 2.6 as momentum is more important. You learn how to get the most out of which ever one you have.

Snopro_69 · Mar 15, 2018

I was thinking this too wen I clipped my track. . . Thought the rail should go back a little farther it really shows wear at an angle on the back outside edge of the hyfax. This lines up perfectly to the outside of the window wear everyone's seeing. . But I see someone with ice age rails is having to same issue.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

greasemonkey3406 · Mar 15, 2018

Well I guess Im gonna fully clip the track on my 19 before it hits the snow. The dealer here said theres no warranty on the track if I clip it but I don't care because Polaris knows about the issue and wont warranty it anyway.

Reg2view · Mar 15, 2018

Seriously here, why would Poo care about the clip track wear if they don't warranty it? And they don't. Those tracks seldom fail in the first 1000 miles (I've had three, they all wear, but none have actually failed). It's very simple - fewer clips are cheaper, lighter, faster. That's what people buy. If they sell some replacement tracks, that's even better. The MTTF of all these components is relatively known by the OEM - they just have to decide if it's "material" (that means significant) in warranty cost, performance, safety, and marketing. They obviously don't right now.

If more clips increase track temp, try taking all the clips off, and see how that works. Got a hunch it isn't gonna turn out well.

2.6" track vs 3" track on Pro RMK 163" 850

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

ACCOUNT CLOSED

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Similar threads