A lot of beach driving

[yakumo]

Hi guys, Im regularly finding myself at Salt Creek, a favourite fishing spot of mine, very soft sand,
I have a 91 GQ with a TB42 in it, running 15" s Any suggestions on a brand/type of tyre, I dont know much about rubber.

[nowoolies]

i just put micky thompsons on mine atz`s man what a differance

[Clunk]

Hi guys, Im regularly finding myself at Salt Creek, a favourite fishing spot of mine, very soft sand,
I have a 91 GQ with a TB42 in it, running 15" s Any suggestions on a brand/type of tyre, I dont know much about rubber.

Get yourself a good all round All terrain...... nothing too aggressive or you'll find the tyres will just dig into the sand.

There's plenty of choice out there, so will come down to budget I guess................ everyone here really has there own opinions, I personally like my BFG A/T's but will be replaced soon with what Nowoolies has, but only coz I'm after something a bit more aggressive and no't want to go to muddies.

[timbar]

Im running a Kuhmo tyre all terain and they are fine for mud and sand and the road they suit my needs but its all personal preferance ??

[Maxhead]

Also remember to experiment with different pressures, different brand tyres react differently to different pressures. Play around mate

[MudRunnerTD]

Size Does Matter! in sand. Big and Wide is a winner here.

Yep as others have said mate, not a muddie but rather a good all terrain will be perfect. If your going a new tyre then go a 33 x 12.5 at least mate and they will really look after you in the soft stuff.

You might also consider fitting a set of good tubes too if your all about the sand. Tubes will let you drop your pressures another few PSI and may be the difference between driving out and spending the night. The Tube will also reduce the likelihood of spitting a bead as if it does move or bend the air wont come out and it wont go POP and thats a good thing.

Yes, you will risk spinning the tyre and ripping the valve off the tube, true. But if your spinning the tyre on the rim your just as likely to pop the bead. Carry a couple of spare valves for if it ever happens. Never to me so far.

Have fun.

[yakumo]

Thanks guys, You mean like air roads? or a full tube? Has anyone had any experience with air roads, and how much would they cost/ where would the best place be to get them?

[MudRunnerTD]

Thanks guys, You mean like air roads? or a full tube? Has anyone had any experience with air roads, and how much would they cost/ where would the best place be to get them?

Sorry Yakumo, i am not sure what an "Air Road" is mate? tried to google it and came back blank?? what do you mean mate? Do you mean something like Staun INternal Bead locks?

I run Simex heavy duty tubes off road and have never blown a bead in any situation. smashed a few rims and the tyre held air which was lucky, Tubes are great.

[Silver]

hmmmm don't know that I agree with big and wide for sand.

I do agree that increased diameter is good. A big diameter tyre, with reduced pressure gives a long foot print that is not too wide.

An aggresive tread is not ideal either. In the past I've done quite well with an overloaded MQ wagon with the oh so powerful l28 petrol engine in soft sand heading to a camping trip on Moreton Island. The tyres, Pirelli Dakars, 750R16. 812mm tall. Spin up and stop on damp grass with any slope, but great on sand.

[DX grunt]

Hi guys, Im regularly finding myself at Salt Creek, a favourite fishing spot of mine, very soft sand,
I have a 91 GQ with a TB42 in it, running 15" s Any suggestions on a brand/type of tyre, I dont know much about rubber.

Apparently 'cheeze cutters' don't work. I'm having the same issue, so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, too.

Until you make a decision, take a GU with you. lol

[MudRunnerTD]

hmmmm don't know that I agree with big and wide for sand.

I do agree that increased diameter is good. A big diameter tyre, with reduced pressure gives a long foot print that is not too wide.

An aggresive tread is not ideal either. In the past I've done quite well with an overloaded MQ wagon with the oh so powerful l28 petrol engine in soft sand heading to a camping trip on Moreton Island. The tyres, Pirelli Dakars, 750R16. 812mm tall. Spin up and stop on damp grass with any slope, but great on sand.

Big and Wide is the go Silver.

Tall and Narrow in Mud to cut through the junk and find the firm base to drive on.

Tall and Wide on Sand and Snow to make the biggest foot print possible to float on top. If you break through you bog down, (thats why an all-terrain is better than an aggressive muddy in sand too.)The same logic that you applied for the lengthening of the foot print you widen it for the same result.

In soft sand you also take advantage of the Bag effect and use your side walls a bit to as part of the floatation.

Cheese Cutters are for the Mud. Bridgestone took the world by storm in the 80s with the Desert Dueller which was the bench mark for sand driving 31/10.5 R15 then 33/12.5 r15 was nearly invincible. Tall and wide.

I run a 315/75 r16 (35x12.5) Cooper ST in the dunes and WOW! Simply awesome.

my 2c

[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

[Wizard52]

Big and Wide is the go Silver.

Tall and Narrow in Mud to cut through the junk and find the firm base to drive on.

Tall and Wide on Sand and Snow to make the biggest foot print possible to float on top. If you break through you bog down, (thats why an all-terrain is better than an aggressive muddy in sand too.)The same logic that you applied for the lengthening of the foot print you widen it for the same result.

In soft sand you also take advantage of the Bag effect and use your side walls a bit to as part of the floatation.

Cheese Cutters are for the Mud. Bridgestone took the world by storm in the 80s with the Desert Dueller which was the bench mark for sand driving 31/10.5 R15 then 33/12.5 r15 was nearly invincible. Tall and wide.

I run a 315/75 r16 (35x12.5) Cooper ST in the dunes and WOW! Simply awesome.
my 2c

Agree entirely. The bagging of sidewalls cushions downward pressure of weight of vehicle thereby less digging in loose sand.
In "the good old days" late 60 and early 70's before we had such a choice of 4X4's blokes used old smooth tyres or used aircraft tyres on utes or other cars and it was remarkable how far they went.
Also in recent years I have noticed how the new"shopping trollys" wagons like prados and pajeros with their very soft suspensions and highway tyres floated better in the loose sand than my older utes with firmer (hard) suspension

[Warnie]

Its all about maximising the contact area of the tyre and the surface to have the greatest transfer of energy possible whilst reducing the amount of digging - on flat sand anyways. On steeper sand, a tyre with grip that digs a little is more useful.

[hutchy84]

Im running 285x75xR16 BFgoodrich A/T on my rig and its great on the soft stuff in fact i couldnt be happier

[HippoNZ]

Following on and agreeing with what the others have said an AT will be a good tyre pattern. I reckon this is a rather argumentative topic as I've heard even the old nobbly tyres at the right pressure are just as good as a wider tyre. Personally I'd get the tyre that best suited your all round needs thats not too agressive and play with pressures somewhere safe till you get it right. Once you find the right pressure you'll find yourself pretty safe driving in sand.

My 2cents, hope this helps :)

[bobby-didge]

hey buddy ive been to salt creek/42mile crossing a few time now, (great fishingand camping spot) ive got a GQ TD4.2 aswell with the yokohama super diggers and letting em down to 18psi they are great over the soft sand,
my mate that i go there with has coopper s/t and they digg in alot more which makes him alot slower and his motor work twice as hard, the yokohama's (super diggers) have a big foot print and are a great all rounder tyer for sand/mud and the black stuff!! good luck with it all buddy

[2TROLLFAM]

Interesting read - sorry if I'm hi-jacking.

When I put the mags on Frank I asked the guys at JaxQuickfit which tyre would be good for road & sand (I 've been buying wheels & tyres from them for years so trust their advice) they advised a good all terrain - I've always had Maxxis low profile tyres on my Audi and was reluctant to change brands BUT went for the Pirelli 245/65R17 scorpion for the ute

Only been on sand twice and dropped tyre pressure to 24 first time & 20 second time ... Is it better/safe to drop them any lower and if so to what?? Frank will prolly only ever hit sand at Bribie, Moreton, Straddie & Cooloola coast

[MudRunnerTD]

Interesting read - sorry if I'm hi-jacking.

When I put the mags on Frank I asked the guys at JaxQuickfit which tyre would be good for road & sand (I 've been buying wheels & tyres from them for years so trust their advice) they advised a good all terrain - I've always had Maxxis low profile tyres on my Audi and was reluctant to change brands BUT went for the Pirelli 245/65R17 scorpion for the ute

Only been on sand twice and dropped tyre pressure to 24 first time & 20 second time ... Is it better/safe to drop them any lower and if so to what?? Frank will prolly only ever hit sand at Bribie, Moreton, Straddie & Cooloola coast

Hey Amelia,

When going offroad i will 98% of the time go straight to 18psi. Never a hesitation. When i did a big trip through Central last year i dropped the car and camper to 24 and did it easily.

In the mud i start at 18 and maybe drop to 16 if in an extreme situation.

In the sand i start at 16 and would drop the Cooper STs to 14 for a very happy travel.

Just be aware and pump them back up when back on bitumen.

On Soft sand Rule number 1 = When in doubt! Let Air out!.

Wheel spin is your enemy, be gentle, clear your bow, use your shovel, and drive out.

[2TROLLFAM]

THANX heaps - from reading through all the threads I thought I still had way too much air but wasnt sure if I should/could go lower. Explains getting stuck :)

[Bigrig]

Don't go lower than about 14-16lbs though - you start to run the risk of rolling the tyre off the wheel rim bead. No fun in sand!! 14-16 is a happy medium and so long as speed is kept down with no real sharp turning (you truck will respond like a boat) then bobs your uncle!

[Bulbous]

I'd pretty much agree with the above, I live in Dubai, so all my off-road stuff is sand, pretty soft sand at that.
I generally deflate to 14 PSI in the front and 12 PSI in the back. Reason for the difference is that I don't want the front to pop off the bead since it may have a disastrous effect on the steering, may dig in and even cause a roll over.
You can pretty well go anywhere on these sort of pressures, and if you do get stuck then you can still drop some more and often drive out. Just remember to pump them back up as soon as you've unstuck the truck.
Also NEVER drive on road at more than 60 KPH with deflated tyres - the massive sidewall flex will cause the heat to approach the temperatures that were used to manufacture the tyres.

[Gnasher]

I'll agree with above, I have the 285x75xR16 BFgoodrich A/T's as well, and have been practising with pressures on Moreton, Bribie etc. I am actually going to go wider in rim and tyre now, as the 2.8 doesnt have the HP's to start sideways climbing out of ruts if I end up digging them. 99% of the time these tyres and around 16psi is fine, its the last 1% and the confidence boost that is needed.