Sand Car move to UTV anyone?

I guess I should have mentioned I enjoy riding the desert also since I can drive out and a little over an hour im riding.  i.e. Johnson V. Bell mountain...or 3 hours to Cal City, Jawbone or 2 hours to Ocotillo.  My sons ride 450 dirtbikes and I have one now also but with age comes a cage for sure.  But On my dirtbike Im seriously just cruising slow just to get out there.  Never jump, never hit whoops or tight turns LMAO nice and slow is my preference on a dirtbike.  

Only other Car I've ridden in was an SU 2 seater V8 and its a different feel and now way feeling any chop lol.  Its sooo heavy and it feels it when riding but yeah I get the love with V8 sound and torque but damn his eats alot of race fuel.   I'd go for a 2-3 hour ride and top off with 2-4 gallons of race fuel and repeat.  

 enjoying the little light sand car and when I want to scare myself the little skinny pedal is always there. But when I meet up with the group, it is a mix of SXS and Cars. 

It would be nice to just get a used SXS to put around in the desert but I dont have space for 2 big toys lol.   

 
onanysunday said:
I did. Shock therapy guy told me the same thing when I asked him where I should start with settings for the dunes. I will say I am pretty impressed by what this thing can do in the dunes. Even on knobbies. With that said not even close to the Funco as far as power and sliding with g-forces. I wish I could get the buggy to ride as smooth though. Huge difference in the chop. Way smoother. I do feel limited on visibility in the Can-Am as well. Railing around a steep Dune trying to see around the corner is blocked whereas the buggy has a lot better visibility. Feel very lucky to have this as a backup and can still have fun. I don't even feel like I need to buy paddles for it as much as I will probably use it out here. I'm sure some of the steep stuff over by China Wall would be tough without the extra traction.
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X3 can make it up China Wall on Big Hrons, but not guaranteed unless its at least a little wet or you don't give a single fawk about it through the whoop section.

JBL said:
I guess I should have mentioned I enjoy riding the desert also since I can drive out and a little over an hour im riding.  i.e. Johnson V. Bell mountain...or 3 hours to Cal City, Jawbone or 2 hours to Ocotillo.  My sons ride 450 dirtbikes and I have one now also but with age comes a cage for sure.  But On my dirtbike Im seriously just cruising slow just to get out there.  Never jump, never hit whoops or tight turns LMAO nice and slow is my preference on a dirtbike.  

Only other Car I've ridden in was an SU 2 seater V8 and its a different feel and now way feeling any chop lol.  Its sooo heavy and it feels it when riding but yeah I get the love with V8 sound and torque but damn his eats alot of race fuel.   I'd go for a 2-3 hour ride and top off with 2-4 gallons of race fuel and repeat.  

 enjoying the little light sand car and when I want to scare myself the little skinny pedal is always there. But when I meet up with the group, it is a mix of SXS and Cars. 

It would be nice to just get a used SXS to put around in the desert but I dont have space for 2 big toys lol.   
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Jeep.  AC, heat, no dust, and can do everything a SxS can out there minus 50mph through whoops (but can get on the highway instead :biggrin: ) and double as a daily. Cost really isn't that different anyway.

 
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Rockwood said:
X3 can make it up China Wall on Big Hrons, but not guaranteed unless its at least a little wet or you don't give a single fawk about it through the whoop section.

Jeep.  AC, heat, no dust, and can do everything a SxS can out there minus 50mph through whoops (but can get on the highway instead :biggrin: ) and double as a daily. Cost really isn't that different anyway.
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I think it might but what I was referring to was the small choppy dunes getting out to China Wall. You have to drop down and slow down for the g outs and then up the steep faces. That is where I could see it being a struggle.

 
Fullthrottleguy said:
I will say that EVERY one in my group that moved to a SxS from a fast rail has either Endo'd the SxS or rolled it and these are all "high end" SxS's and the drivers all had sand cars for over 10 years and usually did in the SxS first of second trip. Best was 10 minutes from camp, first trip  watching a turbo two seat Canned Ham endo'ing    -  their is a different skill set required, or maybe we rely on "when in doubt gas it out" too much.  But limited visibility, too much loose suspension action, narrow track. High center of Gravity ( thats always bad) and just the feeling of its "slower so safer"  makes them confident ...

Luckily everyone had all the safety equipment and insurance  - because the repairs were always $$$

I am holding out til 70 to move to a SxS if they still them in a few years and I make it that long
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A long travel sandrail with the big tires can blow through things a SXS with 30"-32" tires might get swallowed up.   Some of those turbo SXSs are sneaky fast.  You think your going 30-40mph and you are actually doing 50.  You can not drive a SXS like you drive a rail.  

 
onanysunday said:
I think it might but what I was referring to was the small choppy dunes getting out to China Wall. You have to drop down and slow down for the g outs and then up the steep faces. That is where I could see it being a struggle.
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Actually your Can Am will be fine in that stuff and should have no problem making it up China Wall.   I use to take my 40hp Rhino to China Wall with 4 people in it through those choppy dunes.  

 
ANGRYBUTTCRACK said:
Dude.. didn't know you sold yours.. we used to dune the SCUs together.. almost 10 years ago... 
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Yup...sold it back in 2019....Good guy bought it, his whole family has SCU's so I was happy it went to someone who truly appreciated what they were buying! 

 
Just sold my Turbo v6 long travel last March do to lack of use and storage.

Bought a non Turbo xpk4 1000 a few years ago and love it everywhere but the dunes. 

Wife felt way safer in the rail. She hates riding the sxs in the dunes.

 
I went from Sand car to SXS and back to Sand car.  I kept the SXS for summer rides in AZ. There is no comparison from Funco to SXS. But when the Funco is down, the SXS gets me around. I believe I saw somebody state that they rolled the SXS... I rolled mine too. They just don't handle like a Sand Car lol. 

 
onanysunday said:
I think it might but what I was referring to was the small choppy dunes getting out to China Wall. You have to drop down and slow down for the g outs and then up the steep faces. That is where I could see it being a struggle.
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They actually do better than all but the lightest buggies there. 4WD is a cheat code in that stuff. They also turn a lot sharper than most buggies. 

 
The Can-AM X3 72 inch with a fox tune is amazing...People come up to me and ask if i have after-market shocks and I tell them i just did the "fox tune"...ithats usually after i hit whoops going down olds or another hill at full speed and it looks effortless. 

I have a sand car too but the can-am just continues to impress me.   They are both fun, but if i had to pick one it would be the sand car...it's a full size RC car that reminds me of having a RC 10 as a kid, but i get to drive this one...that's where the addiction started for me.

image.png

 
onanysunday said:
I did. Shock therapy guy told me the same thing when I asked him where I should start with settings for the dunes. I will say I am pretty impressed by what this thing can do in the dunes. Even on knobbies. With that said not even close to the Funco as far as power and sliding with g-forces. I wish I could get the buggy to ride as smooth though. Huge difference in the chop. Way smoother. I do feel limited on visibility in the Can-Am as well. Railing around a steep Dune trying to see around the corner is blocked whereas the buggy has a lot better visibility. Feel very lucky to have this as a backup and can still have fun. I don't even feel like I need to buy paddles for it as much as I will probably use it out here. I'm sure some of the steep stuff over by China Wall would be tough without the extra traction.
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Buy the seat riser...1.5 inch version - that made a big difference for me - I'm 5 10.  Be sure you do the fox tune on that Can-AM! 
Powersports Help Center | FOX (ridefox.com) = Link to fox tune
Riser example
image.png

 
Punchdrunk Monkey said:
I sold my Alumicraft for a (someday) SxS. Yes, I'm waiting for the Speed SxS. I really liked the Alumicraft. It was a big fun car. Kind of heavy for the sand as it was a prerunner and built for Baja. I am not a SxS guy and the Can am's and RZR's just seemed like they were just off a little for my style (more desert/Baja than dunes). As much as I loved the alumicraft, the prep costs were high. Again, I am a baja guy so I make sure everything it tip-top before I go out. The Speed SxS seem to address the items I was concerned about with the other SxS's. I sold the Alumicraft and put my deposit down. Guess I didn't think it would take 2 years to get the SxS. Hopefully the SxS will be here in the next 4-6 months and I can give it a go. I think I am going to miss a few things from the buggy (V8, shifting, big heavy car) but I know there will be other things I like on the SxS (no transaxle to worry about, lower maintenance costs). 
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I made the move like so many of you did - because of relocation. Moving to Northern Nevada meant ZERO industry and parts to support a long travel V8 pre-runner buggy.  Dunes here don’t justify the cost, not to mention running to SoCal to get parts or good help. 😁 I bought the Textron XX - mainly because of the better frame and feel. It opened up a whole new world of trails and exploring that you wouldn’t be able to do in a buggy. Only downside is all the damn plastic panels and screws to get at anything to work on it.  That has been the only downside. I think the “growing up” of ATC to dirt bike and quad, then building and driving your own buggies makes one better prepared to transition to an SXS.  I agree with what PDM and many of you said, I miss the buggy, but prep (and repair) cost$ are way down, as is fuel use.  There is a lot to see out there that’s not sand dunes, and a lot of places let you ‘easy drive’ an SXS around town, or through places that wouldn’t accept a buggy or tricked out truck. 
I keep up with everyone (maybe it’s the experience?) and have been having a blast. 
Waiting on my El Jefe PunchDrunk - when they come, can’t waitto take it to G!!

 
Even with risers the forward visibility sucked, for me. YMMV

 
1HasBeen said:
Even with risers the forward visibility sucked, for me. YMMV
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The riser make it a little better.   I guess I am use to driving the X3 as the forward visibility does not bother me in the dunes.  

 
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