VIDEO – RMK Khaos 163 vs 155. Which is Better??
Now, with triple the number of track options available in Polaris’ model year 2021 snowmobiles, riders will have to decide between Khaos 163 vs 155 vs 165 track lengths, and several different lug and pitch sizes.
In an attempt to offer our readers some informed decision-making, we compared two new units side-by-side on snow—a Polaris Khaos with a 163″ x 15″ x 3″ track and the new QuickDrive2 belt drive system, and a Khaos 155″ x 15″ x 3″ with a chaincase.
Now, there is a third track option as well—the Khaos 155″ and 165″ Series 8 track—and the 2.75″ lug and 3.5″ pitch is arguably the best of the bunch. For even more variety, both the 163″ and 155″ track lengths are also available in a 2.6″ lug, Series 6 track. That is a lot of options.
To break it down, here are all the tracks available in Polaris’ SnowCheck spring order period:
- 15 x 155 x 2.6″ Series 6
- 15 x 155 x 2.75″ Series 8
- 15 x 155 x 3.0″ Series 7 (with chaincase or QuickDrive2)
- 15 x 163 x 2.6″ Series 6
- 15 x 165 x 2.75″ Series 8
- 15 x 163 x 3.0″ Series 7
For this video, there were just two of us Mountain Sledder riders, so in this case we had to focus on the aforementioned 3″ lugged Series 7 track configurations. The point is to help riders with a comparison against the benchmark 155 x 3″ that is already out there, and one of the new, longer tracks.
Khaos 163 vs 155
New QuickDrive2 Belt Drive System
One of the biggest surprises that came out of this comparison is the effectiveness of the QuickDrive2 system. The improved quickness of the throttle response of the belt drive system over the chaincase drive is very noticeable, but that’s not what is surprising. What caught us a little off-guard is how much easier it is to snap the sled onto its side with a quick throttle blip and a weight shift—both while moving and at a standstill.
We can’t explain the physics behind this; you’d have to ask someone smarter than us why this is the case. But we’re guessing it has something with centrifugal force and rotating mass. However, we can tell you from personal riding experience that the sled with the QuickDrive2 belt drive system is considerably easier to set on edge, and that makes it much less tiring to ride through the trees when you’re doing that constantly.
Considerably.
And now that the durability and effectiveness of the belt drive has been proven, we’re not sure why anyone would order a Polaris sled with a chaincase at this point.
Our Mountain Sledder test riders really enjoy riding the Khaos platform, and feel that more and more riders on a PRO-RMK will eventually move that way. It’s great for the consumer to have more variety of configurations in that platform, and we hope that by comparing them side-by-side, it can help some of those people trying to make the decision between the two a little easier.
As always, thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this content, consider sharing it with your Polaris riding pals.
– MS