Tire choices are plentiful, and everyone seems to have a tire that is, in their opinion, the best. Sand tires are no different, and die hard duners usually can be categorized in 3 groups: buffed and vulcanized, molded, or it doesn't make enough of a difference what tire they run.
For those dune enthusiasts that are adamant they have the best paddle tire under their rig, we want to talk about the Sand Tires Unlimited Blackbird and Leed Screw combo. Sand Tires Unlimited has been in the game since the 1960s, and they have adapted to the ever changing trends of the dune scene. From Volkswagen powered, home built rails pushing 30 horsepower, all the way to the several hundred thousand dollar custom built Funco's with well over 1000 wheel horsepower, Sand Tires Unlimited has a paddle for the job.
When we started looking for our dune set up for the shop KRX, we knew we were fighting a lower horsepower deficit, but still wanted to fill out the massive body work of the UTV we had. Weight needed to be low, but the biggest drawback of the buffed and vulcanized tires is they puncture easily. Considering we travel to both Glamis and Dumont, we knew that in the washes there are always twigs, sticks and branches just looking for an opportunity to end our ride. So what fit the bill? The 32" Blackbird and Leed Screw. The front tires have no ribbing, but still turn very predictably, and weigh just 16lbs each. The big scoops of the Blackbird may look like massive traction bits that would translate to loss of power and potentially snapped axles, but being at 30lbs each, these actually weighed 15lns less than our dirt tires!
Once we had our sand tire set up figured out, we decided that to keep the weight savings at a maximum, we needed to omit bead locks from the equation. KMC Grenades luckily come in such an option. We run the bead lock Grenades on the RZR, and absolutely love the classic design of them.
Out on the sand, the Blackbirds hook well, while still providing enough lateral give to let us slide through corners predictably. The Leed Screws have just enough float to keep the front end from digging, and once we left the KRX in 4wd, it had no issues cruising any sand dune we pointed it at.
Overall we have been very impressed with the Sand Tires Unlimited Blackbird and Leed Screw combination. While they do charge a premium, we strongly believe you are getting a premium product in return. We have not had a single puncture with these, have been able to get this rather heavy and underpowered UTV all over Glamis, and even being fairly over-paddled we have not had a single drivetrain issue. These are, in our opinion at least, the best sand tire set up for your UTV.
