Ask The Editors: Sand Tires for Snow Use? Brrrrrr.
Dear ATVC:
I have a sport quad that I plan to ride this winter. Trouble is here in Ohio we often get snowfall that forces months of parking my machine in the garage. Do you know if sand paddle tires would work for shredding snow? If so which ones would you recommend?
We had to ask around to answer this one- not because we don’t get our fair share of snow around here but because in all honesty, we’ve never thought to slap on a pair of dune tires for cold weather romping. Here’s what we discovered:
If you’re going to be riding in light powdery snow, absolutely. The single treat groove in the front and paddled rear tires should prove extremely effective at keeping your machine atop the snow (rather than digging in and hanging up).
The bad news is that unlike desert riding, where sand is a given, winter has a way of throwing curveballs when it comes to conditions: Deep snow, heavy stuff, ice and slush are all better suited to the closer-spaced knobs of all-purpose ATV tire patterns. So unless you plan on mounting paddles onto spare rims so that you can swap them quickly depending on the conditions, your plan may be more work than its worth.
That said it appears you have a lot of more viable alternatives to constant tire swapping: Among these are full fledged tracks, snow paddle wraps that cover your standard tires, and many brands (like the Maxxis 4-Snow) actually offer dedicated ATV snow tires that split the difference between a full paddle and a general purpose tire.
You’ve got a little time to do your research before Old Man Winter arrives.
