Sand Tires

Sand Tires

So you’re thinking about going out for a day on the beach to play with your atv, dune buggy or whatever the case might be, and you need a set of sand tires?
 
Sand tires are very different than a normal tire. Because you do not want to run these tires on the street at all. There are generally two types of sand tires. One is more based for spending time on the sand dunes. Where the objective is to go as fast as possible, as quickly as possible. The other type is meant more as beach tires.
 
A proper set of paddle sand tires is usually composed of 2 different types of tire.  The back tire generally has big scoops, known as paddles. However, the front tire is often a ribbed tire with one or more ribs running along the circumference of the tire. These tires are designed for the specific purpose of moving across vast areas of sand, and doing so quickly. Among other things they are the tire of choice for those wanting to climb up the face of dunes, and for those who want to drag race in the sand.
 
There are many different types of paddle sand tires on the market. These tires are available for everything from a small ATV to a giant lifted 4x4 truck. Your best bet for picking out these types of sand tires is to do some research on user forums for your vehicle type. See what other individuals with comparable equipment are running, and imitate them. Chances are someone with more time and money has already done ample research to figure out the perfect set of sand tires for your condition and rig.
 
The other type of sand tire is the beach tire. These are different then paddle sand tires in that they are designed to always float across the top of the sand.  They are specifically designed to avoid digging in to the sand at all. These are great for the beach, where your main goal isn't speed, but just to stay moving across the sand. Sand tires like this are often found on buses and vehicles that give beach tours.  They allow these vehicles to be able to traverse large areas of sand, and are still able to drive on the roads without any major problems.

These balloon style sand tires are great for being able to drive short distances on access roads, and not worrying about how it will tear up your paddles. These tires are also great to have on beach carts, so you can roll your picnic lunch out to the beach, as regular tires would simply dig in and not float across the surface. Other areas you’d see these balloon style sand tires is on wheelchairs and mobility carts.
 
In generally the balloon type of sand tires are generally seen on lighter vehicles. However, the paddle type are generally seen on larger, heavier vehicles, such as dune buggies, ATV’s, offroad trucks and the like. All sand tires designed need to withstand extended periods of direct contact to a hot surface, as sand is often very hot from the sun. Regardless of reason for traveling out on the sand, you may want to do some research if you plan on spending significant amounts of time on the sand, as a good set of these sand tires can save you a considerable amount of headaches.