Sand Dune Paddle Tires

Part of this depends on the tires you are running. I put on the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac's last year and they are so good in the sand I don't use the paddles very much now. If you do go with them, watch how many paddles you run on the tire depending on how much power you are running.

I had paddles for my first raptor , it was a 5.4 and not enough power to make a difference .

This one with a 6.2 seems to do fine in glamis with the stock tires at 13 psi. I don't really dune enough to deal with the hassle of bringing and changing to paddles.

Only time I really take it in the dunes is to pull a broken sand car or razor back to camp .

Tim

SVT_4X4 said:

I am looking for some tires to run on the front of this with my paddles. I would only be running them in the sand dunes. Any ideas? Looking for something that will hook up good in the sand.

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try "balloon tyres", you are probably not fimiliar with them but, we use them here in the middle east all the time.
They are hands down the best front tyres for this setup, infact we use them on sand rails!
However i think your gonna have your work cut out for you finding them!

SVT_4X4 said:

I have not found any of those in 17 inch, just 15 inch. But would love to have a set.

---------- Post added at 10:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------



These are Skat Trak out of California. They took a worn out pair of the stock tires, ground off the remaining tread, and then vulcanized the super scooper type paddles on them. I went 10 paddles, but even with the supercharger it would have been better with 8, or I will end up cutting them down. Holding off for the moment because I might add some more cubic inches and then these would be great as is.

Now just need to figure out something for the front.

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I'm thinking about getting the Skat Traks for a trip this summer. What size tire did you start with? I assume you want a slightly smaller tire since you wind up a bit bigger with the paddles?

Did you run around in 2wd or 4wd with the paddles? Was it worth it? How big of a difference?

Dane said:

I'm thinking about getting the Skat Traks for a trip this summer. What size tire did you start with? I assume you want a slightly smaller tire since you wind up a bit bigger with the paddles?

Did you run around in 2wd or 4wd with the paddles? Was it worth it? How big of a difference?

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I ran mostly 2wd playing in the dunes, even without the paddle tires. They really toss some sand, that is for sure. Even with 600hp they were just a little too much paddle for the truck. What I was planning to do this year was have the paddles cut down slightly, so not so aggressive. But traded in Raptor for a new Super Duty Diesel, so now not planning to use tires. Probably will sell them. We used a stock set of 35 inch tires from a Raptor, and once they remove the bulk of the tread rubber, they were a lot smaller, so it worked out perfectly.

SVT_4X4 said:

I ran mostly 2wd playing in the dunes, even without the paddle tires. They really toss some sand, that is for sure. Even with 600hp they were just a little too much paddle for the truck. What I was planning to do this year was have the paddles cut down slightly, so not so aggressive. But traded in Raptor for a new Super Duty Diesel, so now not planning to use tires. Probably will sell them. We used a stock set of 35 inch tires from a Raptor, and once they remove the bulk of the tread rubber, they were a lot smaller, so it worked out perfectly.

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So, since I'm running stock size (315/70/17) you'd recommend I just send in that size to have paddle-fied? I spoke to them and they recommended going with eight paddles, but they weren't sure on the tire size. From what you've said, the paddle count sounds consistent and I'm guessing you had no rubbing issues in the rear?

I have a roush supercharger, upgraded Cobra throttle body, and upgraded pulley.

You had no problems running around in 4WD when needed? The Raptor behaved decently with the paddles in rear and normal tires up front? I don't want to screw anything up with the possible size difference between paddle and normal, but I suspect that with the give of the sand it isn't really an issue. I've done PLENTY of dune driving, but never with paddles on the Raptor.

No rubbing issues and no problems in four wheel drive.

SVT_4X4 said:

No rubbing issues and no problems in four wheel drive.

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What rims do you use for your paddle tires?

Dane said:

What rims do you use for your paddle tires?

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They were V-tec Raptor wheels, I think 17x9 in size.

SVT_4X4 said:

They were V-tec Raptor wheels, I think 17x9 in size.

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Please let me know if/when you decide to sell them. I'm looking at putting together a set for a trip this summer.