GLAMIS THANKSGIVING

I run deserttraks, rear only.very rarely use 4wd. I haven't had them out in the big dunes, just small dunes by the washes, olds, comp, drags, etc.

 

You get used to it. Its the lazy steering that gets old.

 

my buddy uses desert traks and they work great. he dunes it in the big dunes in 4wd with little/no problems.

 

what do you mean by lazy steering?
steering on the beams are my biggest concern since it hangs down in front of everything. i hit sooo much shit right where the steering would be on beams with my current set up. I feel like id bend steering links alllll the time.

 

Lazy steering, as in not a quick as rack and pinion. Lot more turns of the wheel to turn, but I run a stock box.

If you hit your steering your gonna hit the beam anyway. I've hit mine, I think I have the pass side bent now. You can drill thru and do a heim flip which will raise it 2-3" and might eliminate the need for a drop pitman. To get the full 20" on stock width you will prolly need a swing set steering. If you are going wider them I would swing set it any way. I pull 17"+ with stock steering and stock width, 0" off set 8" wheel, 33x12.50 and have a 78" track width.

 

Yeah my fan motor went out and he said to buy him a new one and didn't wanted to check out mine first. I had to drive to Brawley and buy an exact same one and they replaced it for just the fan cost at Brawley.

 

good information to know, thanks dude!! will definitely try and do a heim flip. will do a swing set steering most likely as well. i only want to do it once.

 

Thanks for the tire info, I've asked numerous people on various forums with trucks what they're running and for some reason I never get an answer. My truck is 400'ish hp (6.0L LQ9) with 21" front, 29" rear on travel, big shocks, cage blah blah blah, it's a decently built ride in other words. I've heard rumors though that even that setup may have an issue turning a paddle with a lot of them. I've "heard" about 10 on like a 35" tall setup is about probably the most I'd want but that's like 3 levels down word of mouth type info and not first hand at all...

I've thought about the desert traks as that's what we used to run on our buggies but it seems like with my setup I could get by with a traditional paddle.


BTW, the TTB setup on my daily driver, I'm 4"+ per side, single swing steering, with 4wd bumped/strapped at 17" as well and I've never experienced any of the side affects that a few above mentioned as a concern.

 

Mine have 11 paddles

 

With a truck I would be more aggressive than an SUV. I have a lot of rear weight. The weight makes the paddle sink in more and puts more paddles to use at a time. A truck that has a lighter rear should be able to run an extra paddle or two. IMO, and just my opinion I would rather be able to spin the paddles at any time I want even if I give up some paddle. I have around 300HP and I can do that with the desert traks. I also run a shorter tire in the sand to help my gearing, so if you run 35s on the street and 33 paddle you are over geared and the power would show. Also my paddle is half the weight of my street tire. That helps also, depending on your normal tire I think the paddle will be lighter. Worst case if the paddles are too much just drive them up the street and knock some of the cup off. I ran directional mud terrains backwards on my Baja bug. Worked awesome, paddled well and floated due to the lugs pushing the sand into the center. Digs like a bitch in reverse though. If you grooved them they would work better.

Keep in mind desert traks are only about 32-33" tall all the way aired up. I run mine around 10-12 and they measure 31" X 11.50-12". They are also not real sturdy. I mostly just cruise around with the kids in the back. If you really went out and used the travel I don't know how much abuse they will take. But they do recommend them for the front of 500hp jeeps. So after having a set I would recommend a regular paddle.

 

Mercury, it just dawned on me... Are you the one with the other prerunner'ish Expo that was out at truckhaven with the expo group a month or two ago? If so I'm the one that had the goldish expo with front and rear glass on it. Being on a Tacoma forum I hadn't connected the dots.

Anyways, thanks for the feedbacks, helps me figure out what I should be looking for. Sucks to possibly spend some decent money on a pair tires and find out they're not enough or too much for my setup you know...

BTW, should've mentioned I'm running 6.0 gears in the truck and it's not a street setup at all so I have the gearing advantage to go along with it also.

 

Yeah that's me. I thought your screen name look familiar. haha

By street I meant dirt tire, sorry. With those gears I wouldn't even consider a desert trak. The merc is relieved when I throw the desert traks on. The KM2s bog the motor down way more. I did the desert traks because I found a deal and they clear nice.

 

*18 paddles