STANDARD FEATURES:

Removable steering wheels are one of the standard features in our dune buggies, which makes it easy to get in and out of the sand car.

As mentioned before, Beard seats are standard in all our sand cars and both front seats are on sliders to provide comfort and convenience to everyone.

Grab bars and foot rests are also standard in our sand rails, so you feel safe and secure when you go for a ride in the desert.  Steps make life easier to get in and out of your dune buggy and are standard on our cars as well.

We also have a spot to put a small cooler for short or long rides in your sand car when you’re in the dunes, or the desert.

As mentioned, space will not be an issue even in the back seat, as a full sized adult you will have adequate room in the sand rail.

A console with Autometer gauges is conveniently located at your side in our dune buggies and is standard.  A full dash not only looks a lot nicer but also makes it easier to see your gauges.  You can check current prices for a full dash.

All of our cars are built as dual sport dune buggies capable of enduring the hard pack with the right combination of parts.

REAR VIEW MIRROR:

Every one of our sand cars includes a three panel rear view mirror so that you can always keep track of what is behind you.  Keeping track of who is following you or who is behind you is important in your sand rail for obvious reasons.

LIGHTING:

All of our dune buggies come standard with four halogen front lights, a buggy whip (with light) and two rear running/brake lights.  You can also upgrade to two Hid lights in your sand rail or for the extreme you can run four Hids with a light bar on the roof along with the standard lights on your sand car.

BRAKES:

All of our dune buggies come standard with rear four piston disc brakes.  Depending on how heavy the car is, we always recommend running front disc brakes as well in your sand rail.  Once you make the choice you will doubtfully regret it later.

TIRES:

All dune buggies come standard with aluminum wheels and your choice of sand or dirt tires, comparable to standard prices.  We make every effort to make decisions easier without adding extra cost to everything by working with customers wherever we can on your sand car purchase.

WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION:

Weight distribution is important in your dune buggy whether you’re in the desert or in the sand dunes.  If you want your sand car to handle well, then weight distribution will also come into play.  Our 5 seat dune buggy, set up with most of the options on a rear engine V-8 LS1 sand car, is approx. 35% front/65% rear in weight distribution. For a rear engine 5 seat sand rail that is a very well balanced car that will facilitate all aspects of driving, desert rides, handling and turning. All of our dune buggies are typically heavier due to added bracing which helps with a better weight distribution.  When you look at sports cars such as the new Corvette, in an effort to achieve superior turning and handling on road courses, they have the cars set up at 51% front/49%rear weight distribution. It is impossible to achieve these numbers in dune buggies, but for a rear engine V-8 many will agree we have excellent weight distribution in our sand rails.

SAFETY:

Everyone who has been in a dune buggy knows how much fun they bring.  A lot of people base buying a sand rail from looks and name.  Safety is something that should be first on everyone’s mind.  Yes, our suspension is strong enough to endure hard pack desert in our dune buggy, but it’s also safe enough in the event of an accident to help minimize injuries to occupants.  Our dune buggy chassis use eight vertical supports for strength with an optional V in the windshield and two rear supports to the rear cage.  These eight tubes all serve a strength purpose in the cage; the rear supports will only add minimal support due to their placement.  The V in the windshield of a dune buggy will help protect against objects coming inside the cab and hitting the occupants in the event of an accident.  Not only is shade nice to have on warm days in your sand car, it also provides added safety.  A solid roof helps prevent the sand rail from submerging into the sand in the event of a roll over.  We recommend every dune buggy be built with a solid roof.

Five point seat belts are also a standard feature in every sand rail we sell.  While we are in the business of making money, we do not compromise safety to do so.  Using the extra croch strap helps prevent your body from sliding down in the event of an accident and is a must to have in every dune buggy.

SEATING:

Seating and comfort are also important when purchasing a sand rail.  That’s why we have taken the time to make sure our cab has plenty of room in all directions and still keeps the wheelbase to a minimum.  All of our sand cars have leg room to accommodate everyone.  You’ll find not only will you have plenty of leg room in the front and back seats; you will also have ample head room in our dune buggies.  Typically, with someone who is 6’2”, they will still have over 4” of head room in the sand rail.  Last but not least, our sand cars have plenty of width so you don’t feel sandwiched in the car.  We use Beard suspension seats with adjustable headrests in our dune buggies and both passenger and driver are on seat sliders to accommodate everyone riding in the sand car.  Although we mount our seats on seat sliders, we have set up all our dune buggies to fit a happy medium so occupants can clearly see over the steering bar, but at the same time have good protection from a side impact.  You do not want your body to be overly exposed over the midrail in the event of another dune buggy or object hitting the side of your car.

SUSPENSION:

Long travel suspension in dune buggies has no comparison to standard travel cars of the earlier years and has grown increasingly popular in the recent years.  Suspension travel has nothing to do with how high your sand car sits off the ground, that’s the set ride height.  Suspension travel is measured from full drop to full bump in inches.  This means your sand rail, for example, from the center of the spindle snout at the end of your a-arm will cycle 23”.  Longer wheelbase dune buggies will soak up the whoops better, but will not turn as sharp as a sand car with a shorter wheelbase. Setting up suspension so your dune buggy will handle properly, and in addition, having the shocks valved correctly for each car takes time and money.  This can and will set us apart from other sand rail builders who have not taken the time to set up their cars properly.  Every one of our packages with our various motor options has been tested to assure that valveing in the shocks is correct so that your dune buggy will handle as promised.  Having traction and control of your sand rail is important and has not been overlooked at Superior.  At Superior we also use rear center board hubs which allows us to get over 20” of travel in the rear in our sand rails without maxing out the cv angles, which in time will make your cv’s typically last longer.  Center board hubs are expensive compared to micro stubs, and are a superior hub.  These hubs come standard on all of our dune buggies, as well as over 23'' of front wheel travel.
 

Suspension on a dune buggy is very important to a customer and unfortunately it is something you cannot see at a standstill.  Our sand rails have plenty of travel to suck up the bumps and whoops.  It has also been engineered using the latest cad technology through certain computer programs that can cycle the suspension.  Thousands of dollars have been spent to seek perfection in our dune buggies, which is why bump steer is less than 3/8 of an inch throughout the travel of our sand cars.  Experience is needed if you want to set up a dune buggy for peak performance in the desert, and a copy is never as good as the original.  Don’t assume because a company has a big name that they have spent the time and money and have the know how to properly set up suspension.  How does your car handle? There are many factors that go into designing suspension, some you can see at a standstill and some you cannot.  What will your next dune buggy builder push out the door?  Has he taken the time and money to set up the suspension properly?  Remember, any dune buggy builder can tell you he has 23” of travel, front and rear, and O bump steer. The question is, does it really have what he says, and is he telling the truth?  You must really read between the lines.

STEERING:

Standard in all of our sand rails, you will get rack and pinion steering.  One of the benefits some will say is that you get wheel feedback to feel the road in your sand car.  We believe that sometimes in rough terrain, the feedback can jerk the wheel out of your hands.  We understand that power steering can get expensive in your dune buggy, but it will give you more control of your car. The wheel is very unlikely to jerk out of your hands and you won’t be fighting to shift through gears with one hand temporarily on the wheel (control).  You can ask anybody who owns a sand rail with power steering and most will say they would never return to a rack and pinion.  We don’t use torque generators, they are known for prematurely wearing out u joints and rack and pinions.  At Superior Sandcars, we use a 2.5” power rack which does not require using a rack and pinion.  Yes, they are more expensive to run in your sand rail because they’re much stronger, and better units which will make you feel in complete control of your dune buggy at all times.

DURABILITY:

Durability and safety are a major concern when purchasing a dune buggy.  Keeping occupants safe inside the sand rail in the event of a crash, whether it is front, rear, side or rollover is also a major concern.  Superior Sandcars has spent countless hours designing a safe and durable sand rail.  Designing a car properly and putting extensive triangulation and X-bracing throughout the sand car takes time and money in extra materials.  If it makes the difference of our dune buggies lasting longer in the desert and being safer in a crash, then it’s worth every dime. A properly braced sand car reduces chassis flex which provides durability in a sand rail.  If you look at other sand rail manufacturers, you’ll see the difference in triangulation, X-bracing and the amount of tubing we use in every one of our sand rails.  And you’ll also notice the difference of how stable our dune buggies are as they soak up the whoops.  We believe we have one of the safest, strongest and best handling sand cars on the market.           

SHOCKS:

Suspension has come a long way in recent years for off road dune buggies.  The efficiency of soaking up the rough terrain found in the hard pack desert or in the dunes is no longer a challenge in today’s dune buggy market. Strength, dampening, and high compression in larger bypass shocks and custom valveing have allowed custom tuning for incredible handling off road.  You can now have a specific tuned shock for each dune buggy in comparison to the weight and travel of the car.
 

Superior Sandcars has spent many trips out to the desert to custom test every model of sand rail that we sell.  That way it’s only a phone call away to order custom shocks with specific valveing for each model dune buggy we sell.  We spend hours in the desert testing the valveing in our sand rails so the customer doesn’t have to.  All of our sand cars have and are setup to run three tube bypass shocks, front and rear for peak performance.