I've never been to the dunes myself, but my dad lives down in Beaver, Oregon right around the corner from Sand Lake. Well, I'm up here in Washington and don't dune a whole lot and know that my money's better spent on some 22's for the trails. My question here is, will I be getting stuck all the time, or will these tires do ok in the sand? I've heard they'll do fine, just don't try any big hill climbs and stuff. I so cannot wait to open these up out there.
peace

 

Vooduu.....I ran my stock Z in the dunes at Pismo Beach with the stock tires last month. Had no real problems being able to go anywhere with them...HOWEVER, the big dunes at Pismo have been claimed by the eco-*****, so I'd agree that as long as you know your limitations, you'll have a great time. We're headed back to Pismo tomorrow morning, and this time I have paddles, so I am curious as to what the difference will be...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Oh, one last piece of advice....go directly to the dunes, do not pass go...you'll be hooked..[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Perhaps you meant Beaverton Oregon? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

That's where I grew up, about 2 hours or so to sand lake, depending on how you drive. Sand Lake (on any long weekend in the summer) is generally packed with drunk maniacs (morons, dipshirts, etc).

I go to the dunes about once a month or so, and last time we went there was a guy with a new Raptor with stock mud tires. You're right, he did alright until he attempted a moderate hill climb from a dead stop. Then he got stuck half way up, and almost drifted into the trees.

BTW, if you're going to go as far as Sand Lake, you may as well drive the extra 2 hours and go to Reedsport, OR. Granted, it's quite a drive, but it's WELL worth it. The dunes at Reedsport are taller, steeper, and the area is 15 times bigger (at least). You can ride all the way across Sand Lake in a matter of minutes, while at Reedsport, a rookie needs to be careful not to get lost out there [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img].

Thespazardman

 

vooduuchild,
I go to the dunes all the time, Your stock tires will do ok. You might want to let a little air out of them to get better traction. Sandlake is not as big as the other Oregon dune but it is fun. There are some good trails that go around the outside of the dunes. You can watch people race at the lake (shallow water hole), that is fun for a while. If you like the dunes then later try Florence, Winchester or Coos Bay. It is better to have sand tires there and very easy to get hooked on the dunes. Check this link out it will give some dune riding information. Dune Review When are you heading to Sandlake. We are heading to Florence July 3-7. Have Fun.

 

I just picked up some Kenda Sand Geckos for this weekend and I debated getting the Dune Trackers (front razors). Do they make a big difference and how are the Geckos?

 

I have a couple of pairs of geckos and I like them alot. They are easy to turn with and hook up pretty well. They are comparable to the v-paddles. I have never used straight paddles so I can not compare them. Over all I am very happy with mine.

 

Pismo sand is real wet and coarse so paddles are not needed. Sand Mt., Nevada is dry and light AND the dunes are steep and long so, paddle tires are needed.

I have not been able to get to Oregon yet. If you ride in the morning after a little evening dew I would think you will be fine covering most of the area. You will lose a lot of power without them but, go for it. There is nothing like the dunes.

If you have not been in sand before, always stop on a down-hill and when you go to take-off goose it hard. You cannot take off slowly in loose sand, you will just dig a whole. Watch out if you stop on the top of some of the big dunes, if the wind has been blowing the sand up there the sand will be real soft and you will have a tough time getting started from there. If you do get stuck, you will probably be stuck to your axle and reverse won't help a bit.

Have fun.