alright guys. asked some guys at school if they were down for a summer trip to silverlake, MI and those few guys turned into 15 and growing. and this is just 1 day i said something about it and i have not set a date yet for the trip. i have never done dune riding before and wondering what preparations for the vehicle i should do.
what i know i should do
im running a hi flow k&n cai and ill switch the filter out for a cone paper and a k&n water bag for minimizing sand amount in intake. i've heard some bad stories about quads getting plugged with sand so i assume these vehicles should be best protected as possible. probably start some rihno lining to prevent scratches from sand (not really that picky about scratches just dont want to damage paint with the sand to bad)
i was wondering about my exhaust too, i want to do a flowmaster super 44 but silverlake has a db rating on sound. anyone know if this would go over, thinking of doing duals but im open for ideas
any other suggestions i should do before i go.

 

The intake i would drill some small holes in the bottom of the stock air box and put the stock cover and filter back on. Thats what i did and i had water up to my doors and after i checked my air box and the filter was dry so thats what id do. As far as exhuast i think you will be fine with a flowmaster. And other than that bring a simple set of tools. Socket set some screwdrivers and a jack. You would rather be overprepared.

 

yea i still got the old air box so ill try that. so you dont think super 44 muffler wont be to loud up there. i dig the sound but the dnr sure dont
i got a master tool set, so i should be set there. its funny cause at school everyones always looking for me when there vehicle breaks down. im thinking of getting some cheap mud tires for up there too. i've heard of just runnin lower psi in all seasons but idk.

 

a flowmaster will be fine. Not even close to the limit for noise. Remember you will need a flag on the front of your blazer with i think a minimum height of 8ft from the ground

 

yup i gotta make a bracket for that. what about orv liscense i imagine im gonna need one of those too

 

im not sure if you need one or not. They have all the rules on their website.

 

alright i'll check it again. there wording of legal matters is really wierd on their site. from what i understand all you need is a operators liscense. best thing to do would probably call the place. i'll do that

 

For sand you will want to air down to like 15-20 psi.
stay the hell out of 4LO unless you really REALLY need it.
get yourself a tow strap.
carry a short shovel.
Strap down EVERY THING in the rear (coolr, subs, tool box etc) or put it all in a tuffbox and strap that down.
Snackies and wahwee.
a jerry can or 2 so you never end up as "that guy".
if you want to haul ***, get a motor cycle helmet with a neck donut (those sink holes at the base of the dune will sneak up on you).
If you get cheap/used M/T tires, double, then tripple check the side walls as you will be airing down and dont want your used dry-rotted s**t to screw you.
an air compressor (for afterwards).
a fire extinguisher is never handy when you need it. and if you have ever watched a kid weep while his Banshee burns to the frame, you will know why it's worth carring.
a gerneal understanding of the fact that sand will get every where. EVERY WHERE!!

as mentioned small tool kit, hi-lift, and hi-viz flag.

Also, if you dont want to swiss your stock box, and want to keep running the CAI for CDI factor (chicks dig it) look into a K&N pre-charger 9dust) or dry-charger (dust/water) filter sock.

 

I havent been up there myself, unfortunately my only 4x4's have been stock DD's. My freinds go up there regularly with their K5s tho, and I can guarantee those are louder than a 4.3 with a flowmaster. My understanding is they dont want alot of open header big-blocks screaming around all over out there, you should be fine tho. I think they get ORV stickers before they go, Im not 100% that you need one, but they're not terribly expensive IIRC and it's better to have one you dont need than get there after months of planning just to turn around and come back.

 

im also wondering what i should do when i get back home from the dunes. as far as to prevent damage. i'll clean the intake out and maybe seafoam it. mechanic i work with said the sand ruins uv joints and his axle seals were plugged with sand when he changed his out on his k10 truck. different vehicle but his is more dune ready then my red one is so what do you guys think about after dune riding maintence.
im also working on some skid plates to cover the oil pan and diff, might do one near the uv joints to protect them. might not do to much. sands gonna get everywhere i know.