Beach Driving the 2WD

[Mrtin]

I'm looking for opinions and tips on this. I have no experience driving on sand but am about to embark on a beach camping trip with my stock 2wd gen 2. This may entail a mile or two of driving down a beach to find a camping spot.

Now some people would have me believe that unless a 2WD is a serious pre-runner, it'll all but keel over dead at the very site of a beach. Then others act as though driving on a beach is about as simple as a mall parking lot. Obviously the truth is somewhere in between, but with no personal experience it's hard for me to judge.

Bottom line is, I'm hitting the beach. Do you think I should plan on a long walk, or do you think I'll be alright on two wheels with proper driving style? And what about that style? Some say take is slow, some say clip along in high gear to keep from digging in, some say air-down, others say keep 'em full.

I'm particularly curious because when I got this truck many many people told me it'd be worthless in any bit of mud, but in fact it does alright for itself. That makes me kind of skeptical of the beach nay-sayers but I don't want to get cocky as I really have no idea what I'm doing.

Oh and one more thing. How about getting unstuck from sand? Am I right in thinking it'll be harder than in mud or gravel? Any words from the wise will be greatly appreciated on all of these matters. Thanks guys!

 

[cody93]

air down, wider tires dont sink as bad. mabey find some wider tires for the trip? incase you get stuck, best thing is 2x4's shoved under the wheels, 2x6 or 2x8s work better. and never drive over the same ruts.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

A lot of it depends on the type of sand. Soft sugar sand would be a nightmare to try to dig out of, but I wouldn't expect much of that on our beaches.

Wide tires help a lot, as well as airing down SOME. Running 5psi on radial tires is, IMHO, stupid. I wouldn't think that airing down past 25 or 30 psi would really gain you anything on normal radial tires. Now if you run some off-road tires with nice big side lugs and beadlocks, why certainly air down as far as your heart desires.

Going pedal to the floor all out is probably a good way to get stuck for sure if you are not experienced driving in sand. All it would take would be to hit a soft dune that slows your progress and you'll dig to the axle in no time.

Starting out will likely be your toughest, you DO NOT want to start spinning the tires on sand. It looks really cool until you're out there with a shovel and trying to find something solid to stick under the tires.

IMHO, a couple sections of ribbed conveyor belt would be ideal for a device to get you out of a sticky spot. But you might be able to get away with something like old truck mudflaps or some heavy duty floor mats or the like.

A floor jack and some pieces of heavy duty plywood may work to jack the truck up if you get stuck, then you can fill in the hole too. Never hurts to have a back up plan.

 

[scotts90ranger]

if you're just going on the beach and it's fairly flat I wouldn't worry about it too much, I've driven my fwd Subaru Justy on the beach. Things to know, if you go on dry sand don't stop and keep momentum, also stick to the damp/harder sand (not fresh wet, that'll get things all salt wattery, not good) and it's just like driving on a freshly paved road. I wouldn't get too hung up on driving on sand just go prepared with a shovel and maybe a couple scraps of wood like the other guys mentioned

 

[Mrtin]

thanks

Sounds good you guys. thanks for your help

 

[snake]

Bring a tow strap too- you can find someone to pull you out easy if you already have one hooked up and ready to pull. My ranger has limited slip and it is horrible in sand. I parked where everyone else did and it started to spin just a bit as I eased into a parking spot- so I stopped right then leaving the ass stuck out a bit. When I left it took several back and forths to get it out of that spot. Above posts are correct, try not to spin or it will be halfway to china in 2 seconds. Damp sand is firmer, stay on the travelled portions of beach.

 

[jammert609@yahoo.com]

low gear low tire pressure in back an rock it out if you get stuck, I have got my 2wd ranger out this way plenty of times even with bald tires...

 

[Heavyfire14]

2x4's, a shovel, a tow strap, air down to 10 psi, wider tires, feather the gas but dont ride the clutch (if its manual), keep up your speed, stay in 1st or 2nd gear, try to keep it around 3000 rpms.

getting stuck sucks... (haha i just got stuck last week in soft sand cause i forgot to air down)

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Personally I don't care for using 2x4 and the like for traction aids. Not after seeing one get launched over 30' or so in the air. That is why I suggested the rubber mudflap/conveyor belt/floor mat - not only are they a little less areodynamic, but they will also give your tire something to grip onto.

I do usually carry a selection of 2x4, 2x6, 2x10, 4x4 and plywood blocks with me, but that's mostly for blocking tires, temporary jackstand, or providing something solid to set a jack or jackstand on.

 

[robertc1024]

Hey, what beach you going to MrTin? I just got back from Port Aransas and the beaches there were good to drive on right now. I've been there other times when the sand was so soft it felt like driving through Jello. I just kept the momentum up through those patches and never had any issues.

 

[doorgunner]

my only suggestion would be..........



bring a CAMERA.............

 

[Bennybooster]

just pin it