Extreme's....

[smelly$cat]

Hey guys, just looking for some input/confirmation.

I have a pretty well built 440ex that's probably pushing 42-43 horse.

I have a order pending for some Skat-Trak Extreme's size 20x11-9 ** 7 paddle with douglas .190 wheels. When I spoke to the guy at Skat-Trak, he suggested the 7 paddle.

When I went to place my order with the guys at Fullerton Sand Sports, he thought 7 paddles might be too much. He mentioned I might have a hard time pulling hard in 4 gear. Said 2nd and 3rd would be fine.

Anyone have any thoughts/input on this?

It's not too late for me to call back and go with 6 paddles.

It's funny because it seems like everyone has been suggesting 8 paddles all this time, but that was probably for the basic Hauler, not the Extreme.

Anyway, thanks in advance guys!

[GPracer2500]

I'd choose 6 paddle regular haulers if it were me. If you want extremes, that's even more reason to go with 6. I don't think you will be underpaddled with 6. Plus, I'd much rather be underpaddled than overpaddled. I've been both on various machines and being overpaddled sucks more for me. Being underpaddled is something you can adjust your riding style to suit and everything is still good. But there's just not much you can do to reclaim your tall gear performance when you're overpaddled.

What Fullerton said is right on the money. Too much paddle and your tall gear performance goes to crap.

That's just me though. Some people would prefer to bias their selection towards lower speed riding and wheelie-ability vs. top-end, high speed performance. That said, I think a 6 paddle regular hauler is hard to beat. They'll still hook well enough for good launches and wheelies but will also spin up well enough to make 4th and 5th fast.

Don't forget about adjusting air pressure to add/subtract traction as needed. If you get 7's and they don't spin well enough to pull 4th and 5th well, pump em' up and try again. If you get 6's and they don't have enough low speed hook for you, air them down. I've run various paddles at 2 to 10 psi to find the feel I was looking for.

FWIW, most of my experience is from CA dune locations. Other dunes can call for different paddle selections (or so I'm told).

$0.02

[smelly$cat]

With that said, I think I'm going to go with the 6 paddles then. I'd rather be safe than sorry when spending this much coin.

I like to play with my air pressure a lot as well. It can make quite the difference! I currently run Skat Trak II's at ~3-4 PSI. They seem to hook up pretty well for me, but they are starting to show their age and it's time to replace them. I'm going to run them on my other 426 when my wife goes to the dunes (which is just about never).

I opted for the extreme's for longer tire wear primarily. They also say they have a flatter profile which I like from a looks perspective.

Anyhow, thanks for the reply, I appreciate it!

[doc-bones]

No doubt 6 paddle padla brat comp cut would be best choice for your application! Fullerton will agree!

[smelly$cat]

Cool...

hey man, I've never heard of this "padla brat comp cut" what is that?

[GPracer2500]

Manufacture: Sand Tires Unlimited
Model: Padla Brat
Cut: Competition

Many will say they are the best performing sand tires available. Only a triple buff hauler can approach the (low) weight of a comp cut Brat. They ain't cheap though. They can be had with no cutting (I think?), a play cut, or a comp cut.


These are comp cut.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/compcutbratsMedium.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/compcutbrats2Medium.jpg

[smelly$cat]

Thanks for those pics!

I just called Fullerton Sand Sports again and spoke to Dave. He said he rolls those tires and spoke very highly of them. He noted that they are more prone to failure due to the rubber trimming and wouldn't highly recommend them for Washington/Oregon dune riding, but I could if I was careful. (Roots etc... ). He said with the comp cut, you're down to ~9lbs per tire/wheel combo which can be equated to ~10hp increase over a normal set of paddles. Tempting..... He said a set of those would have me "blowing past stock 450's with them staring at my cooler rack scratching their head". I got a good laugh out of that. :) I'm sure it's true.

He said for my purposes, going with the Extreme's 20x11-9 (6 paddle) with .160's I would be good and this is what he would recommend for me. So, I'm going to take him up on his suggestion.

He suggested not going with the .190's since that could lead to hub or axle failure upon a hard impact. He would rather taco a rim than damage a hub or axle. I thought that was a good point. .160's sound like a nice compromise.

Those padla brat's sound tempting though.....

[250r4life]

GP- i thought you were going to glamis today?

you done for the season?

if so we should do some riding here around town...

my brother just bought a rhino, and i took my girl out in it saturday night down at sycamore... that thing is a blast!

[GPracer2500]

We went Monday and Tuesday instead. Most likely my last one for the season.

Had a couple of newbies on KFX700's with us. They did alright. I don't really care for KFX700's as general dune machines though--especially for new duners. They're just too big and heavy. The power is there but the handling isn't.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/2008%20midweek%20glamis/P4010018Medium.jpg

Having another dirt biker was cool though. Uh, we found a soft spot here. Came off that lip and both bikes came to a stop. A quick downshift and WOT probably would have kept me going forward but I wasn't quick enough on the draw.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/2008%20midweek%20glamis/P4010020Medium.jpg

I'm working on my night shots. The trick is using the "natural light" setting and a little tripod. Not very dramatic without lots of bikes running the hill at once but I think I've got the technique down. This is Ruf going up Olds....
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/2008%20midweek%20glamis/P3310008Medium.jpg


Yes, we should definitely go riding soon. Might not be able to get away till after the 15th though.

[400exfan19]

i just bought a yfz that came with 9 paddle extreme haulers. The bike is only piped and aftermarket filter with no lid. I havnt ridden with them yet. Do you think that is way to much paddle for the amount of mods??

[smelly$cat]

The guy I am ordering my paddles from would say yes, but, the only way to find out for sure it to ride it. If when you shift into 4th and 5th it starts to bog down, then that is the side effect of having too many paddles. You could try increasing the air pressure to improve the situation.

My 2 cents.