I saw this on the sloppy mechanics facebook group (I think?), but wanted to share with the audience here for no reason other than thinking that you folks would enjoy it. I have little-to-no experience with dune vehicles, but this doesn't strike me as a great idea. On the other hand, how bad could it be with those tires?
Bet its pretty awesome actually
It was pretty awful. Barely made it halfway up Test Hill.
In reply to Cooter :
Oh cool, thanks for the video. Why am I not surprised this was at Silver Lake?
Never heard of paddle tires before. If you're gonna butcher the car then take the damn back seats out for lightness yo'.
Unless he had to take the kids to school Monday morning then pass. 
Needs wider flatter car paddle tires not atv ones. That’s where they failed
Cooter said:It was pretty awful. Barely made it halfway up Test Hill.
Swap the tires side to side and then try again in reverse!
Test hill is hard work for small vehicles. I could do it in our 92 Geo Tracker but only two up. But to do it I had to be going stupid stupid fast across the dip and at the bottom, catching a lot of air and I could only do it one in about 3 tries. I tried doing it four up with young kids in the back, but it was too dangerous.
Which hill is the test hill? Here is a turd Saturn bombing around there:
I would HIGHLY suggest rolling that window up when you drive it!!
Once saw an 80's Cutlass up there, fat tires, soft suspension and a V8, it didn't move too bad just don't stop in the soft stuff.
Currently building a flag mount for my Pathfinder, my cabin is 20 minutes north of Silver lake, no more excuses.
Oh the memories of that place, Jeep, truck, dirtbike, Seadoo, I ran them all up there. Back when you could tow anything across the dunes to get to the lake.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Test Hill is the first hill you see on your left whn you enter the dunes. It is the one that most everyone is either sitting at the bottom waiting to go up, or sitting at the crest at the top, watching everyone try to climb it.
We've gotten a lot of stuff up Test Hill over the last 25 years (when it is dry) including 2wd stuff on skinny tires, and a nearly 5Klb Jeep Wrangler on Unimog axles that threw a rod the day before. We had to get a bit... creative with the "MogLer, though.
The Wrangler tossed a rod the day before, and we were going to bring a running 4.0 up from Chicago with us, and toss it in at the campground. Instead we cut the big end off the rod out of the motor, and welded up the oil hole in the crank.
With our mods, it wouldn't make enough power or speed as a 5 cylinder, and it wouldn't crawl TH going forward, so eventually we got it to crawl to the top in reverse.
It still wasn't easy.
As for small fwds, the coolest car I saw out there was a mid-80s escort wagon with EVERYTHING that could be unbolted removed from the car. hatch, doors, most of the seats, all of the glass. It was running stock size tires and wheels, and went everywhere I saw it try to go. Disclaimer- I never saw it climb Test Hill, but was told by some of the others I was with that it did make it up.
I suspect the VW would likely do much better stripped down like that Escort. That had been my plan for a while.
From looking at the pictures he had too much pressure in the tires and the rear tires are too small and add drag. My 97 Nissan pick up on 235/75 15s will go anywhere on the dunes with 6 psi. It has a stock 4 cylinder and does not require high speed. Test hill required 3500 rpm or more in 2nd gear
Dunes need flotation from aired down tires, they also soak up a lot of small bumps, I’ll never understand why some don’t. The other thing i see is too much tread as in mudders, they just digs holes in sand, but they look cool.
That’s it I’m going again, hope I don’t get stupid and break something.
In reply to ProDarwin :
How dare you post stuff like that where you know I might see it? Good thing there aren't any dunes in this part of Kentucky...
Daylan C said:In reply to ProDarwin :
Good thing there aren't any dunes in this part of Kentucky...
What about Gambler 500s?
akylekoz said:The other thing i see is too much tread as in mudders, they just digs holes in sand, but they look cool.
My TJ went everywhere on 38.5x11.00 Boggers in 2wd at Silver Lake, including up Test Hill.
In reply to Cooter :
I haven't looked for the closest one. That was considered before an actual plan came to mind for the car though. Me and a friend were looking for cheap limos for that at one time.
I have had tires out there from Street radials, mudders ,all terrains ,snow tires and it really doesn't make much difference if your pressure is proper. All required between 6 and 8 PSI for the best results. I have had a Jeepster Commando, Wagoneer, F100 and the Nissan out there.
78 Cherokee on mudders circa 1987
aircooled said:I would HIGHLY suggest rolling that window up when you drive it!!
It probably has VW power windows. 
Daylan C said:In reply to ProDarwin :
How dare you post stuff like that where you know I might see it? Good thing there aren't any dunes in this part of Kentucky...
But is there rallyx? A DOHC car with a diff would be a pretty effective tool.
Patrick said:Needs wider flatter car paddle tires not atv ones. That’s where they failed
I used to take my sister's CJ7 out on the sand in the Outer Banks. There was a guy back in the day who worked construction up past Corolla who would drive a full-size GM wagon up the beach. Not just on the wet, hard-pack sand, back by the dunes in the soft stuff. And not on paddle tires, just normal snow tires. I think he just kept the revs up and sent it. Never saw him get stuck, still don't know how he did that.
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