If you plan on riding an off road vehicle in the sand then you need a good set of paddle tires. Many people might not really understand exactly what paddle tires are and why they are necessary for riding in the sand. These specially made tires have grooves or scoops in them so that the sand can be moved and the vehicle you are driving can accelerate. These unique tires prevent the vehicle or motorcycle from digging into the sand and becoming stuck. In the sand dune community, we just wouldn’t know what to do without a good set of paddle tires.
When looking for a set of tires for the sand you have many choices. There are models in all shapes and sizes. You can actually see a few different versions at the top of this page. One important consideration would be the depth of your paddle scoop. When making this decision you will need to understand that the bigger the paddle, the more horsepower your vehicle must have. It takes a lot of grunt to be able to move a set of sand tires so you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of horsepower on tap. If you have a quad or ATV you will likely want to have an aftermarket exhaust pipe and a high flow air filter. With these upgrades you can ensure that you are good to go.
Another consideration will be the shape of the scoops on your paddle tires. There are tires that have a v shape or others that have straight scoops much like a ladder. Most of the riders I know prefer the v-shaped tires but the choice is really up to you. We have found in our test that the v-shaped versions really dig down into the dirt and provide “bite” so that you can gain traction. One thing is for sure, whichever shape you choose they will definitely be better than regular hardpack dirt tires. You can almost be sure you will never get stuck in the sand whereas with regular tires you can almost certainly become stuck on every ride.
When buying a set of tires you should also consider buying a set of matching rims. The reason for this is simple… Every time you change from your paddle to your hardpack tires you won’t have to remove them from the rim and remount. With a fresh set of tires already mounted on a new set of rims, you are able to just change tires very quickly. This will allow you more riding time which we all want!
One word of caution for your set of paddle tires is that you will never want to use them on anything except for soft dune like sand. Why? Simple, they will wear down excessively on regular hardpack dirt roads and you will ruin them. Not to mention that it will be a very uncomfortable ride with the bouncing of the sand scoops!