First time to glamis

[4TraxRider]

Hey guys, I'm going with a group down to Glamis in February and have to start getting parts I need. I've never been to any dunes, or even the West coast for that matter. I'm just wondering what would be decent set of paddles to use down there. I'm not looking for the best of the best most expensive. I only plan on going once a year with the same group. I have no idea about sizes or amounts of paddles or anything. I'll be bringing my LT-R, with Yoshi sli-on, CBRM for engine mods. I assume i'll need to regear as well with the bigger tires? Any insight would be great. Thanks, and sorry for the long post

[PismoLocal]

Sand stars are my personal favorite. If you plan on doing a lot of drag racing look into haulers.

[yfz stealer]

for the LTR I would use the sand stars maybe 21 or 20s

[gojk]

Those are both my pics for tires. If you go with the haulers an 8 or 9 paddle setup on a 20x10x10 tire works well.

I would order the paddles ASAP because the back order for paddles gets pretty long this time of year.

[4TraxRider]

Thanks a lot guys. Two more questions. With the sand stars, how many paddles on a 20" sand start would you recommend. I've got a set of Hiper bead locks with MX tires on I can switch, but I'd prefer to just get a tire and rim set. Are ITP or Douglas .190's sufficent, or should i go for a reinforced rim, like the T-9 Baja? I destroy non beadlock/reinforced rims back here on the east coast tracks but I remember people saying the sand is very forgiving. Thanks.

[gojk]

I use blue labels and havent' had a single issue. Maybe go to the .160s or .190s if you are nervous, but a reinforced wheel is really not needed.

[gojk]

Also, I think the 20" Sand Stars are 8 paddle by default. That should work fine for you.

[4TraxRider]

Thanks a lot.:)

[04TRX400EX]

Originally posted by gojk
I use blue labels and havent' had a single issue. Maybe go to the .160s or .190s if you are nervous, but a reinforced wheel is really not needed.

Exactly. I wouldn't go with a .125 but I run .160's with no problem. A lot of people run ITP C-series which aren't as strong as .190's and I haven't heard of many problems. I recommend Sand Stars as well, but don't have personal experience with them. I run GBC Sand Sharks which are very similar with Dune Tracker fronts both mounted on Douglas .160's. They cost less and I only go like once or twice a year, so I didn't need anything too fancy.

As for other setup mods, consider proper air-fuel mixture. I was going to say jetting, but you have an LTR so you really don't need to do much. Maybe just pull off your lid and use an Outerwears. Definitely consider the gearing with bigger tires. Stock on a LTR is 18" rears. If you go with standard 20" rear paddles and 21 or 22" fronts, you will want to gear down for more low-end. Besides the tire size difference, sand kills power. When I go back to the dunes next time, I will go from a stock 15 front sprocket on my 400EX to a 14 tooth and bring along a 13 as well. You hardly ever get to use fourth gear (depending on gearing) and fifth is pointless, so don't worry about top-end speed.

[keller45]

If your only going once a year your best bet is Kenda Geckos. There not the best but I've used both sand stars and geckos and didn't notice a difference. I use the Douglas .160 rims. Right in the middle on 10 inch rims.