Well put Sandman. LVRacer, the GBC you are speaking of are the Sand Devil's. For the money, they are an excellent tire. I have a set of Sand Devils's 20x11x8 that have been run on several different bikes (stock 400ex, modified 400ex, KFX400, and my modded 250R) and worked great on all of them. They are lighter that most other molded tires (Gecko's, Paddle Master's, AMS) and hook way better than those mentioned. Also, they spin when needed and turn decent. Mine are 3 yrs old with no rips, tears, or missing paddles. For the money, Sand Devils's are my choice. I run Sand Star's on my wife's KFX400 and would be willing to bet there is no difference in performance in Sand Star's and Sand Devil's. Hauler's IMO are simply too much money for the average rider. For drag racing and hill shooting, they are the only way to go! Some place sell Sand Devils's on ".125 wheels for about $125!

 

I run Sand Sharks on my wifes 400EX and they work quite well and they are easy on the wallet[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I switched to Sandstars front and back and they work better than the Haulers I sold!!

 

Depending on what I"m doing for the ride, I either run a 21" 6 paddle or 20" 6 paddle on my piped YFZ. I had 8 paddle 20s and I felt it loaded the engine too much in real steep hill riding. Also the 8 paddle gripped too much during turning and the quad would do wheelies in the frist three gears with just tapping the throttle and ruining your turning line.

Also, air pressure makes a huge difference with the haulers.. 3lbs for superb traction.. 5 to 9lb will give you lots of spin while turning..

A 8 paddle hauler on a 400 ex is only going to be a tire that will shortly be for sale.

 

Hey, SickRider....listen up to SandmanBlue, cuz he seems to know what he is talking about. He makes some really good points.

You are from Oregon, probably do a lot of your riding in Oregon, have a 400 stocker, and riding for "fun". So, you are not just hill shooting and not just sand dragging. You will probably ride where there are roots and rocks and trees. You want to be able to corner well in the dunes.
You do not want a Hauler...they are too aggressive for your 400 application, and you will rip a paddle on a root. They do not corner well. If you pump them up, they (and any other tire) will ride way too rough for your "fun". You will want to run your tires somewhere between 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 lbs, depending on your terrain and your riding style. Run them any lower and you will pop a bead.

You want to get a tire with some sliding and cornering characteristics, like the sand skates, with some V paddle to them. Sand Skate IIs are probably the most common tire running in the sand in the western US. (The sand on west coast is not as fine as the sand when you go inland, so tire performance in Utah, Idaho, etc. is a bit different.)
The Geckos are also pretty good but you have to run them at the lower pressure range, otherwise they ride too "hard". They have only been out a couple years. They do give you a good combination of cornering and straight ahead grip, and they hold up well. No bead problems, even at low air.

By far, the most common number of paddles being run is 8. 8 is fine on the 400EX as long as your paddles are not too aggressive. I think the Skat-Trak Edge might be the best all-around pure sand tire, but not for Oregon riding because the vulcanized paddles will rip off too easily, and the Skat Trak Edge may be too aggressive for the stock 400EX to pull optimally.

If money is not a limiter, get front sand tires as well. They will not only help you float, but they will help you a lot cornering. With a 4-stroke like the 400 EX, you will not be able to steer with the throttle as much as with a more powerfull ATV, so front wheel steering in the sand becomes even more important.

You probably know this: Buy your tires already mounted on aluminum rims...something like Douglas blue label (light), or black label if you plan to jump or run much in the rocks. Or ITPs. Get a package deal. Most folks on the west coast are running 10" rims in the sand.

Just MHO. Have Fun!
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This seems like a good thread to discuss paddles, hopefully nobody minds if I jump in with a question. I understand the concept of ultralight Haulers for drag racing and see that most bolt-on quads do best with 8 or less paddles. I want to sand drag *only* and have 70-100 HP (motor/N02), how should I decide whether to go with 9, 10, 11, 12, etc. paddles? I've got a +8 swingarm and weigh about 210 lbs. Thanks!

 

Ubetrun- I gained a few lengths with 8 paddle tripple buffs 75 roll out. Also, Better on my clutch and 7-8 lbs psi worked the best In all trypes of sand conditions, Wet or dry. I used to run 12 paddle but it wouldnt spin as fast.

 

Thank you, that's what I needed to hear.

 

try & find some old UL's if you can the new one are as heavy as the older haulers or extremes 12 to 14 lbs. my old UL's weigh just under 10lb's my comp cut padla brats weigh just over 10lbs also a great 4 stroke tire.

 

more weights for you:

21X12X8 6 paddle haulers (69 rollout) on .125 8x8 douglas rims---------- 12 lbs on electronic fish scale
20X10X8 6 paddle haulers (61 rollout) on .125 8X7 douglas rims----------- 11lbs on electronic fish scale