First time at Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan..

[johnh442]

Stock Mojave did pretty well in the sand.
Only got stuck twice, once right in the beginning going up a hill not keeping it going... second time had to stop as got cut off which made me lose momentum. Both I'd chalk up to being a noob first timer.

My wife ran it for a while in 4 Auto, Thinking it was 4 High (which says PartTime on the SelectTrac) and did pretty well.

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[81Mojave]

Nice!
id love to get there one day

 

[johnh442]

Its really nice. There's a good beach on Lake Michigan (which is usually a bit cold always), nice sunsets. Lots of sand and hills to explore and run. A bit crowded during Jeep Invasion, I've seen and want to go on "off" weeks, where I've heard there's usually just a handful of people.

 

[Jaxmax]

What pressure did you have your tires at, I usually run 20-21 on beachs but I bet you were on loose sand.....Jack

 

[JimKrrk]

What pressure did you have your tires at, I usually run 20-21 on beachs but I bet you were on loose sand.....Jack

Most of the SL dune area is dry soft sand, so 20 psi will get you stuck on the entrance hill, blocking other traffic. If you have stock tires I suggest 14 psi maximum. I have 35" and run 8psi and can climb most of the bigger steeper dunes.
It's only about 450 acres so it can be crowded on nice weekends.

 

[robburns76]

i'll be headed there end of next month, where did you get your flag and did it hold up well? i need to pick one up.

 

[jeremy342]

i am not far from this actually and would love to head over.
interested in the flag answer above.

also i dont see a winch on there, so someone else helped you get moving again after being stuck

 

[johnh442]

So I ran usually 14-15psi. (Falken Mud Terrains) 15 or lower was better, you could probably get by with 17-18, but not in the really soft stuff.. The entrance hill is the worst IMO since that's where all the noobs go too slow, once you're in there's more space and you can get a bit of momentum too. I wouldn't have been stuck if I didn't have to stop-- I was min run up the hill when someone cut in front of me....it wouldn't be an issue, but during Jeep invasion big crowd.

So I was stuck both ways Forward and Reverse....about 2/3 the way up. So first, let some more air out of the tires, (some places recommended 12 psi even). Put it in 4L and locked the axle then slowly rocked a bit, creeped and backed out of the holes and then backed slowly down the hill no help required!
Key is don't spin-- watched a pickup dig themselves right down the frame doing it. 4L won't cut it normally, you need some speed -- which is the fun part. However, I tried to lock the axle in 4h and wouldn't let me - but didn't really need it.. Also, Off-Road+ was great, changed the throttle response as well as no traction control...simple easy button.


Had a crappy flag from Holly ORV, but it wasn't very secure. Went to Silver Lake Buggy Rentals and got a new one, they had custom aluminum backets that bolted to a spot on the frame. They were good (not real cheap) but fabbed up a bracket for our Yukon that went with us... and had suction cup version for my son's Enclave (Yep the AWD Enclave made it although he didn't do the bigger hills.)

 

[skindata]

I’ve been looking into visiting Silver Lake as well, I live in Northwest Ohio. Between work and my two young girls it’s hard to really plan anything lately. Looks like you had a fun time though!

 

[robburns76]

does anyone know if they really look at the flag height? i can easily find 6' flags, but it is a little bit harder to find 8' ones. Dont want to spend a ton on a flag when we'll be there 1 day maybe 2.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

does anyone know if they really look at the flag height? i can easily find 6' flags, but it is a little bit harder to find 8' ones. Dont want to spend a ton on a flag when we'll be there 1 day maybe 2.

They check you out when you come in. They may notice.

Just about every store around the dunes sells flags.

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