I know this topic seems a little redundant but why is it so dang difficult to pick out the proper Paddle tire. Dont they all do basically the same thing if they have the same shape and amount of paddles. For example why is one paddle tire with a straight track and eight paddles different from another paddle with a straight track and eight paddles? Can anyone offer some insight here!

 

Material and construction.
Some tires are made with better materials. Also, i may be talkin out my azz here but I think some tires have the paddles molded during production, and others are somehow attached after the tire is made, thus affecting the longevity and performance of the tire. Hope this helps.

 

To sum that up does this mean that the only reason you should spend MORE money on paddles is so they last longer?

Im sure these questions sound stupid but, who can answer them?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Agreee with you - Paddles are a hotly debated subject.

As far as I am concerned there are 4 types of paddles. Straight with either molded or vulcanized on paddles and V paddles molded or vulcanized.

The differences are weight, how much they baloon up at speed, blade height, etc, etc, etc. For the recreational rider they all work Ok although I prefer a straight paddle myself. I have haulers and Cheng Shin paddles - seem to hook up about the same to me and I can climb any hill I want. That's all I care about.

 

OHHHH yeah paddles are a large topic of discussion here !!!
The skat trak paddles are bonded(vulcanized) to a "buffed" tire(similar to a recapping process) and the paddle itself is very stiff, therefore providing more traction(requires more h/p to use them effectively).These "bonded" tires are easily taylored to your h/p and riding style by adding more or less paddles(and differant sizes of paddles) and using differant size carcasses to bond the paddles to. The bonded paddles can be ripped and generally do not last as long as "molded" tires either(to answer your question-spending more money on a tire does NOT mean more longevity).As long as you are careful on pavement,rocks,tree roots etc. they should last quite awhile !!!
Other tires are "molded"(the whole tire is formed in a mold). These paddles are not as stiff and tend to "roll under" when you put alot of h/p to them.They are starting to add stiffning ribs to the molded paddles, but they still will not hook up like a skat(bonded). The molded tires are generally less expensive.
Selecting the right paddle is a balance of traction,getting fast wheel spin(the meat of your power band)and not over paddling your motor(allowing it to fully rev in a reasonable time).
Selecting paddles is a similar concept to the way drag racers select slicks. Again this is a traction VS. H/P thing.
Overall tire diameter and paddle height as well as sprocket gearing can effect your abilility to use all of your gears. Wyoduner is also correct that some tires grow in diameter...this is a factor.
Differant sand textures(coarse,fine)thicknesses(wet,dry) and your type of riding (all around recreational,drags-how long,hillclimbs-how tall,tree shots-no run etc.) can effect the type of paddle that would be best.This is why it is difficult for someone to recomend a tire say if they ride at Glamis to someone who rides at Silver lake. The size of the dunes makes a huge differance also...St. Anthonys Id. has dunes that are several hundred feet tall where Moses Lake Wa. are all below 100'. Personal preferance seems to be a big player for many people on these forums....some want MAX traction(taller haulers on a 400ex??) some want to be able to break traction and slide at will.
The straight VS. "V" style is a whole seperate issue(heavily debated too). Most high h/p machines-I prefer a straight paddle too.
Are most of your sand rides at St. A's ? Do you run the big hills(choke cherry,thunder,devils?) Is your machine stock ?? What type of riding do you prefer ?? Give us more info and we ca probobly steer you to a decent tire.
Hope this helped ???? Good luck !!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Good job, Raptorron - I was too lazy to type all that.

I guess when you think about it you could probably write a small book about all the options you have with paddles.

 

As said before weight is a issue with many of the molded paddle tires and if your racing or just want the best preformance unsprung weight hurts preformance, if fact many of us pay $$$to have the excess rubber shaved off to reduce weight (right down to the belts)

 

Thanks Wyo !! DS that is absoloutely correct weight is a huge factor when you are squeezing ponies.
(although shaved tires can hurt longevity..depending how severe the shaving is).
I tend to overlook this cuz I am just a rec rider... I do not claim to know everything about this subject but I have been doing it a while, with quite a variety of set ups....Myn are in no way the fastest around but we usually have alot of fun !! Good Luck !!! Wyo knows St Anthony riding set up and can probobly be of more help(that is where you ride right ?) as I have not been there yet !! Next month WAAAAHOOOOO !!!

 

Thanks alot guys!!! Now if I can digest all that and please send me a copy of your book when you get it published. That'd be great.

All right my riding style: To start off with im 20 years old and a 175 pounds.
I ride a 2002 raptor, with fmf pipe and header and dyno tune jets that im playing with K&N air filter soon to come. I have straight paddles that are all smooth(whichever one that is) In other words theydont have the rough surface between the paddles, I think they cost me around 35 bucks a piece and they are mounted on dillon rims. I like to ride aggresively but im no expert either.

Definilty visit all the climbing hills at St Anthony's ie: thunder choke and devils, this year i know where dead horse is so im gonna check that out too. I would like to make it over to oregon this year but i dont know if funds will allow. When im not climbing a drag hill im definitly trying to keep up with the cool rail cars. Some of those cars can zig zag faster than I can go straight after them. They're sweet[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Anyway hope this tells you alittle more and thanks a bunch guys. Its good to get some honest answers from someone, not all these D*MN opinions!

 

Just a follow up post, this is compition cut paddle tire I haven't had a chance to try these in the soft sand at St Anthony's yet but I think a taller paddle like haulers will work better
photo credit thebom