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154, 165, or 175?

Which length?

  • 154

    Votes: 115 25.8%
  • 165

    Votes: 215 48.3%
  • 175

    Votes: 115 25.8%

  • Total voters
    445
D
Mar 13, 2014
384
382
63
41
It is a question with no answer. Like would you rather ride a blond, brunette, or redhead? If you ride a small amount every year, choose your favorite one. If you work all summer to ride all winter, then you have to have one of each in the stable. The 174/175 Doos are amazing rigs, anyone who has anything bad to say about them should ride one in bottomless snow before saying anything. I have had mine stuck going downhill multiple times. But then we get real snow here......;)


If you put a hood on there and put a bunch of money into it you could easily finesse it to the top.
 
F
Nov 27, 2007
2,495
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medicine hat
It what your after, 154 to 163, loose a little of nimble effect, and little more pull from rear keeping you strait, takes more work to throw around, and less wheeling, jump on snow better than 154..

Same effect going from 65 to 75.. For me the few times I drove the 165 last year it was completely out of control, stock skid was a joke, and took more operator reactions to maneuver in a strait line that I ever want to do.. Some guys upgraded skid and it helped, but still not for me..

175 just because of longer track it will take more effort again, but skis will be more planted forsure in the steep and deep.. Hope to get the 175 out soon to compare it over the t3 for handling
 

Norona

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It what your after, 154 to 163, loose a little of nimble effect, and little more pull from rear keeping you strait, takes more work to throw around, and less wheeling, jump on snow better than 154..

Same effect going from 65 to 75.. For me the few times I drove the 165 last year it was completely out of control, stock skid was a joke, and took more operator reactions to maneuver in a strait line that I ever want to do.. Some guys upgraded skid and it helped, but still not for me..

175 just because of longer track it will take more effort again, but skis will be more planted forsure in the steep and deep.. Hope to get the 175 out soon to compare it over the t3 for handling

I would have to disagree with a lot that is said above, just make the comparison to big mountain skis, are they shorter or longer, they are longer, a longer track gives you better float, it side hills better and easier and the suspension works better.

The 175 is the easiest sled we make to ride, if it was not no one would ride it, who would ride a sled that could not turn, would be heavier etc, no one. The fact that we sell a ton of them shows that most have an idea about them that comes from the past, every machine today regardless of brand are easier to ride so you can't take the past and use it to drive the future.

Also saying that a skid is garbage just shows that you have not spent time on these machines, and saying that some people could ride them but most could not?

Actually I said this in another forum but the stock machine with ski-doo is designed to give the largest amount of riders the best in all conditions. So if you only ride in the tree steep and deep like the video of Chris Brant then yes the polaris does that better until you change the settings on a ski-doo to match the polaris, to do this suck up the limiter strap by one and stiffen the rear end to the stiffest settings, if you are a bigger guy use a stiffer spring, now the sled will react just like a polaris in the steep and deep trees, however it will be harder to initiate on edge like a polaris is and it won't carve like a ski-doo anymore, so if you want to do more powder turing then you will want it changed back, if you want both the limiter strap adjustable accessory is something you will be buying.

The hard thing about these forums is guys use them to tell or show everyone that they are super awesome riders, this maybe so but that does not help everyone else by having to specific change the snowmobile and especially spend a lot of money.

If you are a rock star then the things you do specifically might not help the general average good riders.

I am always skeptical of anyone who says it is crap and they act like they have done all the testing, when the truth is often they went with something and actually did not testing, they just believe it is better, testing something takes a ton of time and having the same sleds set up differently in the exact same conditions.

Takes a lot of time and money and most riders don't do that as they want to ride. As I say, I am not the best rider but I can hold my own and most guys who see me throw around a 175 are pretty generous saying the can't believe a guy 5'6 140 pounds can turn that thing.

It is all about technique and just riding, not thinking something will be hard because it is longer or bigger.

What ever sled your looking at, just get out with the dealer and ask to try the two sizes back to back, then you can make the best idea for you.

And personally if you rode a 154 in an xm well then the 165 is is pretty much the same and 16 the 175 is the same, were not taking huge length changes here were talking one paddle on the snow.

Again to show my point most guys wanted the 154 3 inch and they say they want a 154 because it is light, it turns quicker, faster track speed and then they say they want a 3 inch which actually negates all the things they used to say they need a 154, the 154 3 inch is the hardest sled to ride in the line up as it has so much traction that it just wants to wheelie and once the skis go up, the sled is not flat and it goes along at an angle trying to get back on the snow, hence why so many guys get stuck or dig super huge trenches, you have to be a quick on the draw sledder with wicked throttle control to combat this action.

Or you use all that stated above and lose your ego and get the 2.5 track which will allow the 154 to almost stay with a 165 3 inch, it also gets up flat easier due to the spinning track quicker and getting up not trenching down.

We have a lot of guys now going back to the 2.5 for this reason. Just try it and you will be amazed how much better it is...



 
Last edited by a moderator:
P
Nov 28, 2007
1,795
761
113
Yukon Canada
I second you on the 2.5 track that is why I ride one:face-icon-small-hap

Also note taken on the earlier post of the rider that gets stuck going downhill a bunch of times on the 175s -- that is not the snow depth that is the rear -- track of the sled staying on top and the frond end torpedoing straight down looking for China on the other side of the world. Some guys have tried larger skis to offset this and some others have learned to deal with it by side-hilling down.

Like with anything there is a price for all this traction same as going with the smaller tack and 2.5 You pick your poison and than learn to ride them well. Any of them beat sitting here in front of the computer waiting for snow :face-icon-small-hap
 
F
Nov 27, 2007
2,495
712
113
medicine hat
My lord David.. I could only reed so many lines and gave up.. I really hope we get to ride some time together.. We will see how your five year mountain riding exsperice adds up to us 30 plus year guys.. We know nothing



I would have to disagree with a lot that is said above, just make the comparison to big mountain skis, are they shorter or longer, they are longer, a longer track gives you better float, it side hills better and easier and the suspension works better. The 175 is the easiest sled we make to ride, if it was not no one would ride it, who would ride a sled that could not turn, would be heavier etc, no one. The fact that we sell a ton of them shows that most have an idea about them that comes from the past, every machine today regardless of brand are easier to ride so you can't take the past and use it to drive the future.
Also saying that a skid is garbage just shows that you have not spent time on these machines, and saying that some people could ride them but most could not? Actually I said this in another forum but the stock machine with ski-doo is designed to give the largest amount of riders the best in all conditions. So if you only ride in the tree steep and deep like the video of Chris Brant then yes the polaris does that better until you change the settings on a ski-doo to match the polaris, to do this suck up the limiter strap by one and stiffen the rear end to the stiffest settings, if you are a bigger guy use a stiffer spring, now the sled will react just like a polaris in the steep and deep trees, however it will be harder to initiate on edge like a polaris is and it won't carve like a ski-doo anymore, so if you want to do more powder turing then you will want it changed back, if you want both the limiter strap adjustable accessory is something you will be buying. The hard thing about these forums is guys use them to tell or show everyone that they are super awesome riders, this maybe so but that does not help everyone else by having to specific change the snowmobile and especially spend a lot of money. If you are a rock star then the things you do specifically might not help the general average good riders. I am always skeptical of anyone who says it is crap and they act like they have done all the testing, when the truth is often they went with something and actually did not testing, they just believe it is better, testing something takes a ton of time and having the same sleds set up differently in the exact same conditions. Takes a lot of time and money and most riders don't do that as they want to ride. As I say, I am not the best rider but I can hold my own and most guys who see me throw around a 175 are pretty generous saying the can't believe a guy 5'6 140 pounds can turn that thing. It is all about technique and just riding, not thinking something will be hard because it is longer or bigger.
What ever sled your looking at, just get out with the dealer and ask to try the two sizes back to back, then you can make the best idea for you. And personally if you rode a 154 in an xm well then the 165 is is pretty much the same and 16 the 175 is the same, were not taking huge length changes here were talking one paddle on the snow.
Again to show my point most guys wanted the 154 3 inch and they say they want a 154 because it is light, it turns quicker, faster track speed and then they say they want a 3 inch which actually negates all the things they used to say they need a 154, the 154 3 inch is the hardest sled to ride in the line up as it has so much traction that it just wants to wheelie and once the skis go up, the sled is not flat and it goes along at an angle trying to get back on the snow, hence why so many guys get stuck or dig super huge trenches, you have to be a quick on the draw sledder with wicked throttle control to combat this action. Or you use all that stated above and lose your ego and get the 2.5 track which will allow the 154 to almost stay with a 165 3 inch, it also gets up flat easier due to the spinning track quicker and getting up not trenching down. We have a lot of guys now going back to the 2.5 for this reason. Just try it and you will be amazed how much better it is...
 

Norona

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Dec 17, 2007
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My lord David.. I could only reed so many lines and gave up.. I really hope we get to ride some time together.. We will see how your five year mountain riding exsperice adds up to us 30 plus year guys.. We know nothing

Sorry Fred, I have a bit more experience that that, and
I also know that having 27 years of backcountry experience does nothing for some of the new technologies out today, and never said you know nothing, you said that, and to be perfectly honest I choose to surround myself with fun people who get joy out of life, and are positive and stoked on life, for that very reason, I don't think we will ever ride together.

But I would be happy to discuss things over a beer at a show. My point is you do not have to drastically change a snowmobile to have fun, just like you don't need to change a dirt bike stock off the shelf to have fun. If you have 30 years of experience and are a rock star, you might have to change a few things to your specifics, but if your most riders today, you do not, and telling people to change a snowmobile to Fred's personal specifics is not helpful to those people.

Asking people what the machine is not doing for them is a much better question, as you can then help them either with technique or changing set up. Are you really admitting that no one can ride a 165 due to the "stock skid being a joke", since those are your words? How are those comments helpful to anyone? Your comments seem to come from ego and we get your a wicked rider with lots of experience, but in my case the guys who I meet and know who have less, the same and more experience than you, who don't speak with their ego , have much better input on how to help a specific person with a specific issue, without telling them that they need to re-engineer their sled to make it not a joke.
 

Norona

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So for those of us who have the 154 3" track how do we prevent the sled from being a wheelie monster.

Great question. Suck up your limiter strap by one and stiffen you rear spring. This will keep you nose down and will also make the machine side hill way better. Like a polaris. However it will also make the machine a little harder to initiate up on edge as well. If you ride the steep and deep in the trees a lot you will love this set up. It is easy to do on the mtn as well, just find a small log or bump in the snow and drive the front of the skid on top, use two 10 mm wrenches to suck up the limiter strap up one, then use the ski-doo tool to turn your torsion spring up one or two from where it is.

If you ride meadows, pow carve and some other stuff this set up won't be as good, kind of like the polaris. In its stock set up it is not as fun pow carving etc cause their set up is ideal for riding on edge. If you find your riding is a bit of everything as most riders then this is where the adjustable limiter strap really shines. Again you can try these different set ups before you buy to see if you really do need it.

Also your question answers why the 2.5 is much better in the 154, it spins more and quicker so sled gets flat not he snow quicker and easier. The 3 inch has so much traction that it really wants the skis in the air. Why it is the hardest sled to ride in the 3 inch, throttle control has to be your friend to find the balance of when yo need to come off the throttle to allow the front end to come down but not long enough for the sled to trench and then its an uphill battle for the sled to get back on the snow. Again the above changes will make it easier to ride and no wheelie. Plus all the changes are free, unless you find you want the limiter strap remote adjustment, which has been a huge seller for Ski-Doo on 154 owners. cheers dave
 
P
Nov 28, 2007
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Yukon Canada
With the Zollinger rear link and the springs cranked I was able to go back to the original setting on the Limiter Strap,it is a Great All Around setup. Without the limitations the shorter limiter strap gives you.
 
J

JJ_0909

ACCOUNT CLOSED
Nov 16, 2009
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You go buy a 165 :face-icon-small-coo

You've got to control transfer. There are no "free lunches".

1) stiffen up the rear track torsion bars (go to the stiffest position). If you can, get your RTS revalved stiffer.

2) decrease some of the preload on the fts, but don't go nuts (2 turns) -- this puts more weight on the skis.

3) Suck up the limiter. I'm a fan of going one hole up. Beyond that and there are other side effects. Overall, I like the stock position if you can mitigate lift through other means

4) If that doesn't work, go to an aftermarket skid or aftermarket rear shocks. Lot of options here.

5) If you are still looking for more, couple the skid, add an adjustable limiter etc.
 

JungleJim

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Premium Member
Dec 11, 2007
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Calgary, Alberta
I've done the whole fully built Turbo thing with custom Racer's Edge skid and more money spent on it than a California Coke habit! Yes, if all you do is climb chutes then this is the route to go. I've since changed my riding to a high percentage of technical tree riding and LOVE my G4 175... it allows me to have better flotation, easily initiate turns quickly and with the extra traction the ability to back off and then on the throttle without getting stuck allowing me to pick better lines. I agree with Dave Norona that it is a very easy sled to ride. So much so my Axys riding sons and buddies say it's like cheating... LOL! Now it did take about two or three days to get good at riding it as it is so easy to initiate a turn or sidehill I rarely have to ride wrong foot forward. Maybe it's cause I have about 225 lbs to throw into a turn... For climbing a quick turn of the adjustable limiter strap and it climbs great. Let it out and she pops up over Creek holes no problem. Don't let the 175 scare you, just get ready for all your buddies to send you first up the untracked gnarly Creek!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

snopro11

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Nov 13, 2009
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154

Thinking of snowchecking a 154x to replace my 16, Rode
A friends rented sp 154 and was not overly impressed.
Seemed like it was less agile and only a couple sled lengths faster.
Motor was buttery smooth, but with the sp soft suspension you guys think that an x works night & day better. Just thought I’d rather be
On my 16 154 x instead. Maybe the 18 sp just doesnt work as well as the 18x. Just my impressions from 30 minutes on it. Thanks
 
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Norona

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Thinking of snowchecking a 154x to replace my 16, Rode
A friends rented sp 154 and was not overly impressed.
Seemed like it was less agile and only a couple sled lengths faster.
Motor was buttery smooth, but with the sp soft suspension you guys think that an x works night & day better. Just thought I’d rather be
On my 16 154 x instead. Maybe the 18 sp just doesnt work as well as the 18x. Just my impressions from 30 minutes on it. Thanks

Most people feel this way in the 30 minutes of riding, ride it for 2 days to a week and you would not want to ride that xm ever again. Compared to the agility of the G4 the xm is a boat anchor, it does not mean that having an xm is a disappointment, in fact if you buy one today, awesome sled, just don't ride the next generation and you will be fine. Or if you love your xm after spending more time on one, then keep it and ride it, but you would be in the minority of anyone doing that!
 
F
Nov 27, 2007
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medicine hat
Rode ethe xm one day and the G4 the next day this last weekend. For myself I like the xm a little better in deep snow, G4 works well in hard packed snow..G4 needed delete tmotion and better skid to be a player for me
 

Blu Du

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Feb 19, 2008
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I loved my 174 but I had to give it away to get rid of it. resale sucks on long sleds in mn. it was new condition with 1000 miles and I get 7200. now if that same sled was a freeride 146 or 137 it would of brang 10k
 

turbonium

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Jan 21, 2009
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175

I am 170lbs and have about 350 miles on my 175 this year.
The ski lift is minimal compared to the 155. What a fun sled when it is deep! I had a 17 155 and would not go back. It feels short for being a 175. Makes technical steep climbing in the trees easy.
 
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