No camping (staying at the Furnace Creek lodge for a couple nights followed by a 3rd in Lone Pine). Definitely up for some hikes as long as it's not something like climbing Telescope Peak from the valley floor. My 4R is stock with a fresh set of Goodyear Silent Armors; the others vehicles are a Discovery with BFG A/Ts and a Dodge Ram 4x4 with street rubber, but the Dodge won't be joining us for the 2nd day trip up Saline/Lippincott.
OK, so you won't be solo. That makes the tire thing less important but life will be much better if you take some pressure out of the tires. More comfortable and more resistant to flats. Obviously, if you do that you'll want a way to put air back in.
You'll have to just play it by ear and allocate your time to wheeling, site seeing, or hiking as the mood suits you. Here's a couple more links. Lots of info on the first one, but make sure and check out the morning report. It's a daily pdf that has been intermittently available over the years but seems to be back. Very informative and you definitely want to check it for conditions and closures when the trip draws near.
http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/upload/Backcountry Roads-2.pdf
Once you get to the Racetrack, I imagine you won't be able to resist spending some time walking around there. The rocks are at the south end. There's also a nice hike that starts behind the parking area at the north end that goes up to the two peaks to the west - Ubehebe Peak and Little Ubehebe Peak. Little Ubehebe is about 4 miles round trip and 1800k feet of gain, but even a small portion of the hike is cool for afternoon views. A little more tha 20 miles to the north is Ubehebe Crater. I'd consider that one of the main sites to see and, other than going back down Lippincott, is one of only two other ways to exit. If it's dark or nearly so when you leave the Racetrack, then you want to go that way anyway. (Alternative is over Hunter Mountain to the SE, which can be impassable in the winter and is also a longer route to the lodge). If you happen to have a lot of daylight when you hit Teakettle Junction (the route option just north of Racetrack) you might want to check out Lost Burro Mine 3 miles to the SE before doubling back to go to Ubehebe Crater.
I'm trying to think of what unique information I can add. It's mainly preference. There's just a ton of stuff around where you'll be staying (everywhere actually) and it's all cool. For myself, I would want to make sure and see Badwater. I also really love hiking out on the Mesquite Dunes near Stovepipe Wells (20 mi NW of lodge). Golden Canyon is a nice hike and not long. For some cool wheeling with quick access near where you'll be, Echo Canyon is down Hwy 190 to the SE. Just past the Echo turnoff is Zabriskie Point overlook. A quick stop there is probably mandatory (fyi, in the afternoon, you'd be looking into the sun). A little farther down is a very short, smooth dirt drive, but very cool, called 20 Mule Team Canyon. More quick access wheeling farther down at Hole in the Wall.
I'll let you take a look at the map above and see if that brings any questions to mind.
