174 vs 163

[King]

I am looking at buying a 174" 800, 2015-16. I am getting close to 60 years of age and have always had the 163" Summits(136",151", 154"), just looking for some comments from others that have made this jump, middle aged fellows like myself. Questions I have
1) Does the 174 wear you out by the end of the day? I am in decent shape and a non smoker.
2) I have been riding a long time and am not a novice but I don't do many wheelies or jumps anymore, will I notice much difference from my 2013 Summit 800 XM eg plowing, sluggishness when turning out.?
3) Is there any mechanical issues I would need to worry about? eg overheating, wore out runners

Thanks ahead of time for any input.

 

[1100]

I'm 29 as a couple of days ago and run a 163" t3. My dads 52 and has the 174 t3. He's still a pretty aggressive rider for his age. The 174 is less playful compared to the 163". Doesn't wheelie as much, washes a little less on a steep side hill, And doesn't flip around as quick on a steep turn out. It's pros are it's more of a tractor, can attack stuff with less speed. Will put a higher line on the hill than a 163. Kind of the same difference of a 163/154 battle. I like the 163 as an everything sled, still jump them and what not. I don't think you will be upset running a 174 t3.

 

[norona]

I am looking at buying a 174" 800, 2015-16. I am getting close to 60 years of age and have always had the 163" Summits(136",151", 154"), just looking for some comments from others that have made this jump, middle aged fellows like myself. Questions I have
1) Does the 174 wear you out by the end of the day? I am in decent shape and a non smoker.
2) I have been riding a long time and am not a novice but I don't do many wheelies or jumps anymore, will I notice much difference from my 2013 Summit 800 XM eg plowing, sluggishness when turning out.?
3) Is there any mechanical issues I would need to worry about? eg overheating, wore out runners

Thanks ahead of time for any input.

Personally I think you will love the 174, it is the easiest sled ski-doo makes when talking all the xm track lengths, if it was harder, no one would buy it. You will be less tired by the end of the day since everything works better on it, the only time you will notice it pushing is turning it around on a firm road, issues of overheating were exaggerated by the lowest snow year in 2015 and the fact that the scratchers were not put down by many until they saw the machine getting hot, which is too late. If you get a 2015 and run a lot of firm trail then add a second set of scratchers, other than that ride it the same as your 2013 but run the scratchers all the time right from the truck, they can be reversed so no need to put them up until the end of the day or in the deep. And don't ride the 175 in the g4 otherwise you will want that. Happy Riding! dave

 

[catrutt]

Dave is spot on I went from a 153 to a 174t3 and just love it all around . So easy to ride and yes I am getting older but this sled gave me a new lease on life...love it.

 

[1200]

Well if u r a seasoned rider like myself u will remembered going from a 136 to 141 then 156 then 163 now 174 or 175 got just one question for ya who rides 136 or 141 now. Haha 174 u will never go back

 

[Merc63]

174 will be easier to ride and more forgiving. But be warned, when it's stuck, it's really stuck.

 

[bayman]

I am 45 and this will be my 4th season on the 174. The 174 is way more forgiving and can just tractor along as many have said. Mind you I skipped the 163 and went to 174 from a 154 bigbore. Cost me a lot of money to get the 154 to where I wanted it...out of the box, the T3 was an exceptional machine. I could have rode it stock.....scratch that...I don't ride anything stock, sorry about the lies...lol. Super easy to ride and super forgiving, but they do get stuck an are a pig when they do. Just like all the rest. I have no regrets buying the 174.

 

[ferniesnow]

I have rode both the 163 and the 174 with quite a bit of seat time on each. The above comments are pretty much bang on. I noticed that the track on the T3 174 is not like the 163's nor is like the G4 165's. On the T3 174, the track is softer and the paddles turn over too easily. The first icy hill you get to will attest to that (there were a few times I slid down backwards and there was nothing I could do about it). Norona rides the kind of snow we all dream about and he is correct about the heating issue. I had the 2015 and it was a learning curve for the sliders and heat issue; added extra scratchers and another set of boogie wheels. The 16's have the front set of boogies from the factory.

You will like it and it seems that everyone who hasn't owned a T3 has a varied opinion about playfulness, not turning in the tight trees, the track pushing you where you don't want to go, etc.. If they had the G4 track on that beast, I might still have one in my shop.

 

[Bnorth]

I just went from an XM 163 to a T3 174 and I'm a bit concerned about playfulness but intend to leave the limiter out and rear track shock soft and then use a skinz arc to couple it when I need to get up something more serious. We'll see how it goes.

 

[King]

Thanks for the info, on the softness of the track lugs, are they the same on the 163 T3 or is that just a thing on the 174 track?

I have rode both the 163 and the 174 with quite a bit of seat time on each. The above comments are pretty much bang on. I noticed that the track on the T3 174 is not like the 163's nor is like the G4 165's. On the T3 174, the track is softer and the paddles turn over too easily. The first icy hill you get to will attest to that (there were a few times I slid down backwards and there was nothing I could do about it). Norona rides the kind of snow we all dream about and he is correct about the heating issue. I had the 2015 and it was a learning curve for the sliders and heat issue; added extra scratchers and another set of boogie wheels. The 16's have the front set of boogies from the factory.

You will like it and it seems that everyone who hasn't owned a T3 has a varied opinion about playfulness, not turning in the tight trees, the track pushing you where you don't want to go, etc.. If they had the G4 track on that beast, I might still have one in my shop.

 

[ferniesnow]

Thanks for the info, on the softness of the track lugs, are they the same on the 163 T3 or is that just a thing on the 174 track?

That, I am not sure of. Sorry.

 

[treeboy]

Depends on the terrain you like to ride, open terrains the 174 is nice, but in the tight trees the 163 will shine better for its tight hook turns.

 

[GregW]

Lots of good advise and tips, my 15 174 has been the best sled I have ever owned, as for turning them around in tight places, this has never been an issue for me, best tip I could share about that is don’t get lulled into riding it too slow, when things get tight and you need a quick turn around, pin it or keep it pinned, here is about the only time I will wrong foot forward and be ready for it, it will come around on a dime, get it completely vertical and if you have the size and leverage you can button hook them, conditions need to be right for that though. Its such an easy sled to ride and will literally take you anywhere, on the whole tractoring thing, you can add a clutch kit and a gearing change to gather a bit more track speed. Other than that, drive it like you stole it and never look back, well maybe just to check on your riding partners progress, you might have time for a snack while they’re trying to catch up!

Oh ya, think how happy you will feel having saved $10K by not dropping $20K on a 2018.

 

[Old mtn. man]

I`m 63 now and bought my `15 T3/174 new and have no regrets of ANY kind at all, in any conditions or situations.

 

[AaronQ]

Absolutely love the 174. Came from a 154 xp and rode a couple T3 163. The 163 is fun and such but I really like how forgiving the 74 is. And it's great watching all your buddies on 150 series tracks fighting for their lives to get to the same spot you just got to at quarter throttle.

 

[catrutt]

Fernie do you think the lugs soften up with higher km, because mine has low km and I have not had that problem.

 

[ferniesnow]

Fernie do you think the lugs soften up with higher km, because mine has low km and I have not had that problem.

Absolutely. But I also noticed that the lugs did not cut into the crusty snow we had during the winter of 2016. There would be hills that I would go backwards on and on some of the crusty snow the track would not cut through it when one turned the sled on it's side to get some snow into the tunnel to assist with cooling. A very soft track IMHO. It is only noticeable with the right conditions and if one has that machine out in those conditions, the track does not preform well.

 

[SUMMIT TREE]

First thing i would do if I bought a174 is get rid of those stupid skis! Terrible, the first thing I noticed the very first time I ever rode one! Other than that there good I think. My Bud just traded back to a 163 cuz he wanted some of the challenge back. That 174" would go damn near anywhere if you could hang on to it !!

 

[lightening1000]

I have to disagree with some of the comments on here, I own a 174 and going from shorter sleds, when your in super tight trees and pull a line in deep snow its much harder to manouver the sled when it starts digging in the snow, it wants to go straight ahead and is a bit$h to turn when in these situations.. 163 or 165 next for me.. if you like more open hills then awesome sled, but or all around riding a bit too long in many situations. mo though

 

[Mach1]

I love my 174 just because I'm not a tree rider and no worry, but when need it to climb slower it does. I have 1600 maybe and very true what Doug has said about soft lugs, this is the first time I have had issues on icy surface or icy trenches buggier me up always.... I think the all around sled would be a 163 t3 big bore......brappppp