How to 4WD in Sand

[AB]

Steve talks to 4WD Driving Instructor Peter Pilgrim about the best way to tackle sand dunes, beaches and other sand driving challenges.

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[Thommo]

About to do a sand trip too for the first time and that was handy.

[Finly Owner]

we did the simpson in a hg holden wagon, over all the dunes and all, no 4wd, did have A/t tyres, and all the 4wd'ers kept saying let more air out of ya tyres, we made over all but two dunes. Mind you we were rear of field and followed after everyone else had already loosen the tracks. I think we run about 25 psi from memory.

[tariadamar]

ok i would like to add that with the new bfmuddies with their 33% stronger side walls means that they don't ballon as well and i found i had to go down to 10psi and even a little lower. hey i thought my tire was a litttle low on air onday turns out it had no air but still looked 3/4 inflated. i am just stating that some tires do need to go lower than 16psi just start at 16 and work down. but remember the lower u go take it easy u don't want to roll of your beads.

[shoppenhauer]

very interesting, i´m used to drive on snow but now i have to drive on sand for the first time. so i´m a little afraid of getting stuck somewhere

[tariadamar]

more than likley u will get stuck u just get snatched back out and go a slightly different way still lots of fun.

[shoppenhauer]

whats the best way to get out again if you don´t have a winch and nobody is around?

[Woof]

whats the best way to get out again if you don´t have a winch and nobody is around?

Try these mate: http://www.maxtrax.com.au/

[mike]

ok i would like to add that with the new bfmuddies with their 33% stronger side walls means that they don't ballon as well and i found i had to go down to 10psi and even a little lower. hey i thought my tire was a litttle low on air onday turns out it had no air but still looked 3/4 inflated. i am just stating that some tires do need to go lower than 16psi just start at 16 and work down. but remember the lower u go take it easy u don't want to roll of your beads.

Yep depends on your tires,ie width,diameter,tread pattern,compound , ply rating, all play a big part on how it performs on various terrains at different pressures.Also vehicle weight and suspension come into the equation.

[Woof]

very interesting, i´m used to drive on snow but now i have to drive on sand for the first time. so i´m a little afraid of getting stuck somewhere

May be able to help you mate, but cannot promise anything, I will PM you if it comes through

[ilikedonuts_10]

Thanks The dog man, the look good

[89GQ]

The soft stuff down at 42 mile crossing Coorong, Drive it like you stole it!!

[zuluwoffle]

Awesome video. Having just moved up to Port Stephens, good to get tips on driving on Stocko beach :D

[ado1972]

great tips

[Black Rock]

whats the best way to get out again if you don´t have a winch and nobody is around?

second car is highly recommended (with elastic recovery stripes) :driving2:
orr.. good shovel to dig yourself out (diffs - must be free), sides and suspension - more you dig out faster you will be finish (be prepare do spend up to 4 hrs of digging in case of of you get stuck really bad) :furious:

[MudRunnerTD]

whats the best way to get out again if you don´t have a winch and nobody is around?

Any time you have "some" movement you are not stuck yet but your getting there. Get out of the car as soon as you STOP COMPLETELY. Dont sit there and dig big holes.

If you are stuck down to your belly then you sat and dug holes.

The sooner you do recovery action the better chance you have.

Rule number 1 >>> When in doubt - Let more out >> Let more air out of your tyres, a couple of psi at this time will make a massive difference.

Dont guess how much air. use a gauge and a deflator.

Use the shovel to remove the "bow wave" of soft sand in front of the car and each of the tyres. No point letting the air out and hope to drive out if you leave 2cubic metres of sand in front of your car and tyres, as flat a drive out of the trenches as possible please.

Rule number 2 >>> Momentum will get you through but wheel spin is your enemy.

Try driving forward without breaking traction in the trenches you just made, if you get stuck in the next metre then dont fret, reverse back the distance or until you get stuck again (your packing the sand now and these trenches will likely get longer and longer) and then give it a bit more and see if you cant climb out of your problem..

>>>Let out more air you can always re-inflate them.

An Exhaust jack will be a real winner if your going to travel the sands alone. If you use an exhaust jack to lift your belly off the sand, Back Fill the trenches and let your car back down and drive out.

>>>Let out more air you can always re-inflate them.

[Caspar]

Great vid and tips.

[indigothecat]

I had only just watched this video and all the others here and then the weekend after gone to the beach area north of Perth. 3 "4x4 cars" and our Patrol. Guess who is telling them let your tires down low, no lower than that. Guess who is dragging them out on pressure near 10 psi? Some never learn. Thanks for all the videos here. It's good to hear or read about what to do but as a newbie it sets in your mind when you see others do it good or bad.

[benzo]

thanks very helpful :P

[DX grunt]

I learnt the hard way that my truck doesn't like stopping in sand with 90lts in the mains and 75 in the reserve. lol
At least my shovel got a workout, as well as me.

I have been told not to put your tyres on the lowest pressure first. There must be room for 'leeway'. I proved this correct
when I got bogged in the sand.

[timbar]

i never put it in 4wd untill i stop then i select 4h gears when that runs out then i try 4L gears thenwhenthat runs out then bout 25psi and back up to 4H gears then 20psi and so on and so till about 7 to 8 psi but no lower cause then u will roll off the rims seems to work for me but each to there own methods

[growler2058]

i never put it in 4wd untill i stop then i select 4h gears when that runs out then i try 4L gears thenwhenthat runs out then bout 25psi and back up to 4H gears then 20psi and so on and so till about 7 to 8 psi but no lower cause then u will roll off the rims seems to work for me but each to there own methods

Ive never been game enough to lower my pressures that much i ren 16-18 psi is the lowest ive been down and that was in my ol cherokee very light vehicle, but will give it a crack on troll next time

[TheFlyingBadger]

Ive never been game enough to lower my pressures that much i ren 16-18 psi is the lowest ive been down and that was in my ol cherokee very light vehicle, but will give it a crack on troll next time

I had mine down to 10psi the other week to get out of Yeagarup dunes. There's not a lot of headway to move once you are that low....

[indigothecat]

Couple of weekends ago I was doing fine on 18 psi till I drove down into a bowled out dune section up near Jurien Bay. I was the same as growlers71gq until we were really stuck. I let the pressure down until the cheapy type pressure gauge (stick push out ones) couldn't read anything and I guessed below 10 psi. Took a little digging but once we got going forward it was up and out. Like driving on the highway :).

Can here Dad shouting at me "let your tyres down, no down more..."
Now I have a rapid tyre deflator and a better gauge.

Learning the hard way can getting your heart racing.

[timbar]

Ive never been game enough to lower my pressures that much i ren 16-18 psi is the lowest ive been down and that was in my ol cherokee very light vehicle, but will give it a crack on troll next time

just be carefull not to roll the tyre off the rims sharp cornering will roll the tyre off

[Bulbous]

just be carefull not to roll the tyre off the rims sharp cornering will roll the tyre off

That's why you should leave the front tyres higher than the back. The front wheels steer and can be very badly affected by a popped bead - worst case can be a roll over if a popped front tyre digs in.
I generally deflate to 14 PSI in the front and 12 PSI in the rear. Only ever had one rear pop - and that's when I hit something pretty hard coming sideways down the dune. It had so little effect on the car's stability that I side sloped another dune before I noticed it felt a bit strange.

[04OFF]

i never put it in 4wd untill i stop then i select 4h gears when that runs out then i try 4L gears

Not aimed at you timbar, but just to let everyone know, that this method is actually bad practice when you travel on any in-land sand tracks, in 2wd you will degrade sand tracks much faster than when in 4wd (even though you don't have any problem moving in 2wd) this is why most QLD sand islands don't allow 2wd vehicles (such as VW Baja/Manx buggies) on the sand any more.

The sand tracks can soon get very corrugated, and become uncomfortable to travel, then more cars bumping over the lumps degrade the track further, then it needs maintainence, which costs money, and so ultimately leads to some tracks getting closed to vehicles.................i don't like walking !;)



You should also stay in 4wd, so you have maximum control and the best chance of steering in soft sand.

[benzo]

does any one know how low u can run tyres with tubes in?

[MudRunnerTD]

does any one know how low u can run tyres with tubes in?

I have run 12psi without a tube.

You could go down to 10 i reckon or even lower to get out of trouble but you certainly would not drive a long distance at that pressure though, more for a recovery. Re-inflate to 15psi once the car is recovered.

Tubes are NOT Bead locks, Tubes have the ability of slipping in the rim with a tyre and ripping off the valve, if that happens your knackered!

Without tubes the valve and the tyre are independent of each other.

At the end of the day mate, let as much air out of the tyre to get you out of where you are stuck and then re-inflate. Somewhere between 14psi and 18psi should be a standard when doing a long run on the beach, the softer the sand you will encounter the closer you should start to 14psi.

[yakumo]

Yep, 42 Mile beach has taught me to get out and start digging, you do that and you'll rarely need a tow!

[T0nka]

thanks AB great viewing

[Bulbous]

I recently went to the Empty Quarter in UAE. Parked on the top of a dune/plateau (and I do mean parked - just depressed clutch and coasted to a halt).
10 minutes later the car had sunk into the sand (14 PSi in front and 12 in rear) and was stuck.

Deflated to 12 in front, 10 in rear and reversed out - Stock Bridgestone Duelers. 2 PSI may not sound much but makes a BIG difference on sand.

Continued rest of drive on 12/10 - No issues. At low pressures just take it easy and be very careful when side sloping. For those tah want to know - this is side sloping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeGnx6Vzt9A

[nowoolies]

I recently went to the Empty Quarter in UAE. Parked on the top of a dune/plateau (and I do mean parked - just depressed clutch and coasted to a halt).
10 minutes later the car had sunk into the sand (14 PSi in front and 12 in rear) and was stuck.

Deflated to 12 in front, 10 in rear and reversed out - Stock Bridgestone Duelers. 2 PSI may not sound much but makes a BIG difference on sand.

Continued rest of drive on 12/10 - No issues. At low pressures just take it easy and be very careful when side sloping. For those tah want to know - this is side sloping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeGnx6Vzt9A

WOW but not something i would do

[DX grunt]

This is what Maxtrax look like. I have no affiliation with the company, and I am one very happy customer.

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af279/DXgrunt/DXgruntandMaxtrax005.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af279/DXgrunt/DXgruntandMaxtrax007.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af279/DXgrunt/DXgruntandMaxtrax006.jpg


Take care out there.

Rossco

[04OFF]

They are mark 1 Maxtrax, im not sure if they are still available as Maxtrax "mark 2" has been out for a while now (much better design )

https://www.maxtrax.com.au/products

[DX grunt]

They are mark 1 Maxtrax, im not sure if they are still available as Maxtrax "mark 2" has been out for a while now (much better design )

https://www.maxtrax.com.au/products
Thanks. I thought that.

Rossco

[tmijnhout]

This will definitely help me when I get to Moreton Island.

[footsinperth]

Great info will keep the pressure down

[Chris-W]

Lots of good info, Thanks!!

[nissanforever]

thanks for sharing

[littlepepe]

cool vid :)