Sand paddles

[0101]

Im trying which sand tires I should use. My dad insists that his 450r gets the skat-trak haulers :(. So that leaves me with 21x12x8 dune sliders and sand skate II 20x11x8 tires. The dune sliders are more flat, which I think would offer more grip along the top of the sand... they are a little wider too. The sand skate II is very rounded, which I guess would help it dig into the sand for traction... but they are skinnier.

Which should I go with?

Thanks,
0101

[uchi]

for sand you want the widest tire you can find.

[0101]

Thanks! Anybody else?

[GPracer2500]

I'd take the Sand Skate II's between those choices.

And wider is NOT always better.

[0101]

Originally posted by GPracer2500
I'd take the Sand Skate II's between those choices.

And wider is NOT always better.

Why do you say that? What is your reasoning?

[uchi]

Well not to toot my own horn but I run an offroad club. Unless your running snow you want the widest tire possibly. Same with sand. A narrow tire will sink into sand very fast. I've got a couple of paddles tires. One an 8 inch ones s 9.
If you need a spare let me know ill get the exact size for you. They're brand new aswell

[GPracer2500]

In a 4x4 truck I'd agree--wider is better (not counting race trucks). When necessary I air down my truck tires (trailer tires too) when driving in the dunes for precisely this reason. Bigger footprint = more traction and more likelihood of "riding on top" of the sand instead of "digging down".

Paddle tire'd ATV's are a significantly different application though. Nearly any paddle that's not a kiddy-quad paddle will be plenty wide enough that "...sink[ing] into sand very fast..." is not much of a concern. If you're burying the tires all the time you're not riding well and stopping where you shouldn't. No paddle tire will fix that.

What's far more important than "anti-sinkability" is allowing the tire some slippage so you can mitigate the power robbing tendency of the sand. Some slippage is good so you're not constantly bogging the engine down and downshifting. It not hard to over-paddle an ATV. Especially a 400EX.

If you're just tooling around at lowish speeds, rarely use 3rd, and never use 4th and 5th, sure--get the biggest, gnarliest paddles you can find. Just know they won't get you up that big dune as fast as a tire that will actually break free and spin some. Heck, you might as well step up to one of those tank track systems if duning performance is of no concern.

I ride my YFZ and ATC almost exclusively at the dunes. I've tested many different paddles on many different machines (not just experienced them, but back-to-back testing, paddle swapping, I weigh every paddle I get my hands on, etc). I've even comp-cut my own paddles to replicate the paddles I wanted but couldn't afford.


I'd take the Sand-Skates because I owned a set (in a 10 inch size) that I used on a 400EX and found them to be good all-around paddles. I wish I still had them (although I don't prefer 10" wheels). I've ridden on dune sliders (on a YFZ) and own a set of dune hoppers (straight paddled version of the sliders). ChengShin paddle tires just don't impress me. STU on the other hand makes a very high quality dune tire.


Some of paddle tire choice is personal preference. I prefer mine to be fast up the hill while still being at least average snakers. The type of sand matters too. I've ridden Glamis, Coral Pink, and Dumont.

This is an isolated camping spot I like. It's isolated because most won't take their truck and trailer through the dunes to get there.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/Dunes/th_P4040056Medium.jpg (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/Dunes/P4040056Medium.jpg)

Here's some paddles we were testing that particular day.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/Dunes/th_P4040068Medium.jpg (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d133/gpracer2500/Dunes/P4040068Medium.jpg)


You're welcome to take my advice or leave it. But I stand by my statement that the widest ATV paddle tire you can find is not always what you want.

[GPracer2500]

If all else fails, try out both sets and see which YOU prefer. Don't forget to play with the air pressures too.

[uchi]

Ill agree with you. I'd personally run a wide tire regear and mod the quad with the right xam for the dunes. That's just me. Its like building a high hp truck for mud. 44 inch tires with a 600 hp motor and you're going anywhere you want to. :).

[0101]

Originally posted by GPracer2500
If all else fails, try out both sets and see which YOU prefer. Don't forget to play with the air pressures too.
Thanks for al your input. I will be bringing both to the dunes now. What tire pressure do you guys recommend?

[GPracer2500]

I've run 2.5 to 10 depending on things. 3 to 5 might be typical.