Tips for driving in the Sand?
01-31-2010, 02:51 PM
#11
JK Freak
Come the warmer months, we spend a great deal of time on the beaches here on Long Island. We have rocky beaches on the north shore and sandy beaches on the south shore.
We've owned three Jeeps (CJ, YJ and JK), three Suzukis ('90 Samurai, '91 Sidekick 4dr and a 2009 Grand Vitara. All of these have spent time on the sand. Sand driving is easy enough. Just obey a handful of common sense rules.
You don't need aggressive tires. Ordinary All Terrains work fine. Hell, a common street tire will work fine. It isn't about aggressive tread designs, it's all about flotation. My buddy takes his VW/Manx on the beach all summer. Rear drive and 50 series road tires. Never gets stuck. Why? Low weight and wide tires, aired down to about 18 psi. That yellow Manx scurries across sand like a water bug on a pond. I always cringe when I see some geek driving a 7,000+ lb Excursion onto the beach. Even aired down, these behemoths sink like the Titanic into soft sand. I've seen more than a few large trucks overheat after a few miles pushing through the sand. To get these beasts to float on sand, they need wider rubber than their OEM tires.
Our Samurai was fitted with oversize tires (215/70-15). That and a very low curb weight made it unnecessary to air down. Just drive on the beach.. Never got it stuck. Likewise, I also installed larger rubber on the Sidekick (235/70-15).
Thus, I only really needed to air down if we had a full load of people and gear. If that was the case, I'd air down to 20 psi. Again, we never got stuck. I have only taken the Grand Vitara on the beach once since we bought it last August, and I did air down. It's much heavier than the old Sidekick was.
My old CJ-5 was running huge Cepeks, and I probably didn't need to air down much, but I did anyway. Likewise, I ran between 15 and 18 psi in the YJ's tires. For the JK, I follow the same rules. 15 to 18 PSI. Again, we never get stuck.
Some guys have stated that they have aired down to as low as 6 psi. That is damned near flat. If you are running beadlockers, 6 psi may be acceptable. However, without beadlockers, you run the very real risk of popping a tire bead. Moreover, a tire pressure this low will generate a great deal of heat in the sidewall. This is generally bad for the tire. You can de-laminate the sidewall plies, which can cause bulges in the weakened sidewall. You need to find a proper balance between flotation and damaging the tires. For that reason, I recommend beginning at 15 psi.
Regardless of what vehicle I have taken on the beaches, I have never had to use low range to transit the sand. I've used it to pull out another vehicle, but not just to drive through the sand.
Now, the type and consistency of the sand will vary. Damp sand, dry sand, sand mixed with rock, deep sand gouged out by lead-footed knuckleheads and extremely deep sand.
Rule number 1 is determine what kind of sand you will be driving on. If in doubt, get out and walk the beach from waterline to dune. Get a feel for where the going will be easiest. Examine the tracks made from previous vehicles, this will give you the best visual clue. Know what you are driving on, first and foremost.
Don't stop with the wheels turned hard left or right. Straighten the wheels before stopping. Drive smoothly, make turns as gradual as is practical.
Turn off the traction control.
Maintain momentum. Don't let it bog. If you get stuck, use the standard methods to get out. If worse comes to worst, you can jack it out and backfill with sand. I prefer a high lift (18' to 22") bottle jack for the beach. I can stick it almost anywhere along the frame rails.
If you have an automatic transmission, stick the lever in the 2 position and leave it there. If the sand is hard-packed, then you can consider selecting D. Having it shift into a higher gear while in deep, soft sand can lead to bogging down by pulling the engine revs down well below the optimal part of the torque curve. Guys with manual gear boxes will hopefully recognize when they need to shift down or up. If you're driving a Rubicon, you may want to lock the rear axle if you are running straight down the beach. The down side to this is that if you try to maneuver at low speed, you will drag the inside wheel and it may dig itself in. You will not need to lock the front, unless you make a big gaff and get stuck. There's no need to disconnect the sway bar. Beaches typically don't require much articulation.
Tread easy on the throttle when starting out. It may seem cool to throw a lot of sand, but it isn't cool getting stuck or beating up the beach.
Make sure you have the requisite recovery equipment, which has been covered in detail elsewhere in this thread and in this forum. Bring food and drink, enough for the whole day. Bring a spare blanket. Buy or assemble a good first aid kit.
After a few trips in the sand, you'll realize that driving in sand is not difficult as long as you exercise a little common sense. Some folks make a big deal out of it, but generally it is not something special. I see housewives with rugrats in Explorers doing just fine on the beach.
This has been stated by others, but I'll expound upon it. Whatever you do, don't park below the high tide line, even if the tide is low. God forbid that the Jeep won't start....
If you don't have cell phone coverage at your beach, invest in a CB radio. If you are headed to a beach that has little traffic, at the least, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
Have fun out there!
My regards,
Widewing
We've owned three Jeeps (CJ, YJ and JK), three Suzukis ('90 Samurai, '91 Sidekick 4dr and a 2009 Grand Vitara. All of these have spent time on the sand. Sand driving is easy enough. Just obey a handful of common sense rules.
You don't need aggressive tires. Ordinary All Terrains work fine. Hell, a common street tire will work fine. It isn't about aggressive tread designs, it's all about flotation. My buddy takes his VW/Manx on the beach all summer. Rear drive and 50 series road tires. Never gets stuck. Why? Low weight and wide tires, aired down to about 18 psi. That yellow Manx scurries across sand like a water bug on a pond. I always cringe when I see some geek driving a 7,000+ lb Excursion onto the beach. Even aired down, these behemoths sink like the Titanic into soft sand. I've seen more than a few large trucks overheat after a few miles pushing through the sand. To get these beasts to float on sand, they need wider rubber than their OEM tires.
Our Samurai was fitted with oversize tires (215/70-15). That and a very low curb weight made it unnecessary to air down. Just drive on the beach.. Never got it stuck. Likewise, I also installed larger rubber on the Sidekick (235/70-15).
Thus, I only really needed to air down if we had a full load of people and gear. If that was the case, I'd air down to 20 psi. Again, we never got stuck. I have only taken the Grand Vitara on the beach once since we bought it last August, and I did air down. It's much heavier than the old Sidekick was.
My old CJ-5 was running huge Cepeks, and I probably didn't need to air down much, but I did anyway. Likewise, I ran between 15 and 18 psi in the YJ's tires. For the JK, I follow the same rules. 15 to 18 PSI. Again, we never get stuck.
Some guys have stated that they have aired down to as low as 6 psi. That is damned near flat. If you are running beadlockers, 6 psi may be acceptable. However, without beadlockers, you run the very real risk of popping a tire bead. Moreover, a tire pressure this low will generate a great deal of heat in the sidewall. This is generally bad for the tire. You can de-laminate the sidewall plies, which can cause bulges in the weakened sidewall. You need to find a proper balance between flotation and damaging the tires. For that reason, I recommend beginning at 15 psi.
Regardless of what vehicle I have taken on the beaches, I have never had to use low range to transit the sand. I've used it to pull out another vehicle, but not just to drive through the sand.
Now, the type and consistency of the sand will vary. Damp sand, dry sand, sand mixed with rock, deep sand gouged out by lead-footed knuckleheads and extremely deep sand.
Rule number 1 is determine what kind of sand you will be driving on. If in doubt, get out and walk the beach from waterline to dune. Get a feel for where the going will be easiest. Examine the tracks made from previous vehicles, this will give you the best visual clue. Know what you are driving on, first and foremost.
Don't stop with the wheels turned hard left or right. Straighten the wheels before stopping. Drive smoothly, make turns as gradual as is practical.
Turn off the traction control.
Maintain momentum. Don't let it bog. If you get stuck, use the standard methods to get out. If worse comes to worst, you can jack it out and backfill with sand. I prefer a high lift (18' to 22") bottle jack for the beach. I can stick it almost anywhere along the frame rails.
If you have an automatic transmission, stick the lever in the 2 position and leave it there. If the sand is hard-packed, then you can consider selecting D. Having it shift into a higher gear while in deep, soft sand can lead to bogging down by pulling the engine revs down well below the optimal part of the torque curve. Guys with manual gear boxes will hopefully recognize when they need to shift down or up. If you're driving a Rubicon, you may want to lock the rear axle if you are running straight down the beach. The down side to this is that if you try to maneuver at low speed, you will drag the inside wheel and it may dig itself in. You will not need to lock the front, unless you make a big gaff and get stuck. There's no need to disconnect the sway bar. Beaches typically don't require much articulation.
Tread easy on the throttle when starting out. It may seem cool to throw a lot of sand, but it isn't cool getting stuck or beating up the beach.
Make sure you have the requisite recovery equipment, which has been covered in detail elsewhere in this thread and in this forum. Bring food and drink, enough for the whole day. Bring a spare blanket. Buy or assemble a good first aid kit.
After a few trips in the sand, you'll realize that driving in sand is not difficult as long as you exercise a little common sense. Some folks make a big deal out of it, but generally it is not something special. I see housewives with rugrats in Explorers doing just fine on the beach.
This has been stated by others, but I'll expound upon it. Whatever you do, don't park below the high tide line, even if the tide is low. God forbid that the Jeep won't start....
If you don't have cell phone coverage at your beach, invest in a CB radio. If you are headed to a beach that has little traffic, at the least, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
Have fun out there!
My regards,
Widewing
Last edited by Widewing; 01-31-2010 at 03:07 PM.
03-17-2010, 11:34 PM
#13
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You will get stuck after moving a few feet up the side of a dune.
03-18-2010, 02:01 AM
#14
been living and driving in the desert for many years and often go out into the dunes with some really soft sand.
All you need to do is:
Tire pressure - about 12psi
Traction control - completely off
gearing - 4hi is all you need, 4lo for when you get dug in (you honestly don't need LO unless your really really stuck)
keep your momentum up and you'll be fine, remember if you climbing dunes or feeling like your getting stuck, turn the wheel from left to right about 1/4 turn each way, more often than not, this will be enough to get some traction and get you up the dune or out the rut.
and ast but not least: dont just give it POWER, you'll dig yourself in, nice smooth throttle is whats needed.
enjoy!
All you need to do is:
Tire pressure - about 12psi
Traction control - completely off
gearing - 4hi is all you need, 4lo for when you get dug in (you honestly don't need LO unless your really really stuck)
keep your momentum up and you'll be fine, remember if you climbing dunes or feeling like your getting stuck, turn the wheel from left to right about 1/4 turn each way, more often than not, this will be enough to get some traction and get you up the dune or out the rut.
and ast but not least: dont just give it POWER, you'll dig yourself in, nice smooth throttle is whats needed.
enjoy!
03-22-2010, 10:08 AM
#17
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Join Date: Feb 2010
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Pretty much Ditto what DXBJeep stated. Most of the offroading here is sand dunes. See the link in my signature for some online video clips of our playgrounds that I have made as I learn about sand.
Momentum is your friend in the sand. The beauty of a Jeep is that you can just float over the sand most times where others will need to power their way through. Gear selection and throttle control. Sand is similar to snow in many respects.
Momentum is your friend in the sand. The beauty of a Jeep is that you can just float over the sand most times where others will need to power their way through. Gear selection and throttle control. Sand is similar to snow in many respects.
03-22-2010, 05:30 PM
#18
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I run down to the end of Padre Island Nat. Seashore quite a bit (60 miles of unmaintained beaches and deep sand) and so far I've not gotten stuck...yet.
Heres what I do: Air down before leaving the pavement. I run in 4 low. momentum is your best friend in sand, the more you can carry and maintain your momentum, the better. In deep beach sand, theres a lot of places where if you stop, youre stuck. Its a little like our east tex mud.
As stated before, stay away from the water line. Watch your tracks behind you, if there's water pooling in them, you're too close. Check the tide times before you go, and if you stop to take the kids beach combing, or whatever, keep an eye on the time and the tides. Many prople have lost their rigs because they didn't pay attention and high tide claimed them.
I also carry with me a few items that have come in handy when helping other folks (and probably myself someday) get unstuck.
A sand anchor, as theres nothing out there to hook your winch to.
Four 2x10 boards cut about 3 ft long. these work very well when placed in front of the tires that have dug themselves into the sand. they also make a good base for the hi-lift.
A tire plug kit, there can be a lot of sharp debris on these beaches.
A D-handle round point shovel
Normal winch bag, Straps, shackels, etc.
I also ALWAYS bring a small ice chest/dry box that contains a gallon of drinking water, an extensive first aid kit, four MREs, Sun screen, and various other sundries, just in case. This in addition to the other ice chest I have for cold drinks, sammies and chips, kids snacks.
I guess the point is that self reliance is the name of the game. Cell phone coverage on the southern beaches is spotty at best, and there may not be anyone coming along for a long while, if you do get stuck in the more remote areas of the beaches here.
Also, I always rinse off the jeep afterward. one of those sweeper type lawn sprinklers works well for the underside. (saltwater eats shit, man)
When you guys get down here, give me a shout and we'll get together for a beach run. Do some fishing and BBQ on the beach.
Heres what I do: Air down before leaving the pavement. I run in 4 low. momentum is your best friend in sand, the more you can carry and maintain your momentum, the better. In deep beach sand, theres a lot of places where if you stop, youre stuck. Its a little like our east tex mud.
As stated before, stay away from the water line. Watch your tracks behind you, if there's water pooling in them, you're too close. Check the tide times before you go, and if you stop to take the kids beach combing, or whatever, keep an eye on the time and the tides. Many prople have lost their rigs because they didn't pay attention and high tide claimed them.
I also carry with me a few items that have come in handy when helping other folks (and probably myself someday) get unstuck.
A sand anchor, as theres nothing out there to hook your winch to.
Four 2x10 boards cut about 3 ft long. these work very well when placed in front of the tires that have dug themselves into the sand. they also make a good base for the hi-lift.
A tire plug kit, there can be a lot of sharp debris on these beaches.
A D-handle round point shovel
Normal winch bag, Straps, shackels, etc.
I also ALWAYS bring a small ice chest/dry box that contains a gallon of drinking water, an extensive first aid kit, four MREs, Sun screen, and various other sundries, just in case. This in addition to the other ice chest I have for cold drinks, sammies and chips, kids snacks.
I guess the point is that self reliance is the name of the game. Cell phone coverage on the southern beaches is spotty at best, and there may not be anyone coming along for a long while, if you do get stuck in the more remote areas of the beaches here.
Also, I always rinse off the jeep afterward. one of those sweeper type lawn sprinklers works well for the underside. (saltwater eats shit, man)
When you guys get down here, give me a shout and we'll get together for a beach run. Do some fishing and BBQ on the beach.
I love going to the Port Mansfield Channel...great fishing and great driving.
One thing to add....stay away from seaweed on the beach....it gets really thick at certain times of the year...I mean really thick and high...over wheel high in places. The problem with weed is it hides everything, and they are all bad. Boards, nails, ovens, dead bodies, logs, anything you can imagine. Stay off of the weed.
As for the beaches around Galveston and Bolivar, most of them are interstates compared to PINS.
We had a house on Bolivar since 1973, until "Ike" took it. Very few sections require 4x4, but its nice to have.
One last thing....like Gulf Coast Pirate said -- don't forget to wash your Jeep..top and bottom and undersides.....Salt is a baaaad thing, whether its from the surf, spray, Ferry ride or wet sand...get it off the Jeep.
03-24-2010, 11:35 PM
#19
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Much of my experience in desert driving echoes everyone else: 4HI, keep moving, ESP off, tyres to 12-15psi.
Extra water is necessary. Carry more than you'd expect to drink; at a pinch it can help to increase traction if you don't have any other way of getting out. Learned that by watching a couple of locals driving their car (yes, a 2-wheeler, sedan car) along a light trail.
I absolutely agree on wooden boards; I'm working on getting some boards made. The specialist sand boards can be incredibly expensive!
One thing I have learned from off-roading is: Always have TWO shovels. Having a shovel to dig yourself out is all well and good, but when you're on a desert trip with your brother in the smallest and lightest 4x4 and you're the one who keeps helping everyone else out, one shovel just won't cut it! Having to take turns with the shovel to dig people out was a bit ridiculous. A decent sized main shovel, and a mini folding shovel (as a loaner) will sort you out.
Extra water is necessary. Carry more than you'd expect to drink; at a pinch it can help to increase traction if you don't have any other way of getting out. Learned that by watching a couple of locals driving their car (yes, a 2-wheeler, sedan car) along a light trail.
I absolutely agree on wooden boards; I'm working on getting some boards made. The specialist sand boards can be incredibly expensive!
One thing I have learned from off-roading is: Always have TWO shovels. Having a shovel to dig yourself out is all well and good, but when you're on a desert trip with your brother in the smallest and lightest 4x4 and you're the one who keeps helping everyone else out, one shovel just won't cut it! Having to take turns with the shovel to dig people out was a bit ridiculous. A decent sized main shovel, and a mini folding shovel (as a loaner) will sort you out.
