http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhpVZveEsNQ
3rd gear, 80kmh seems to be the quickest method.... not too sure about comfort though... :lol:
3rd gear, 80kmh seems to be the quickest method.... not too sure about comfort though... :lol:
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Of course you could always buy a proper Land Rover `)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEOfBpQuMH4
ray:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEOfBpQuMH4
ray:
H
My experience in very deep soft sand has been to let the tyres down to at least 15psi and in many situations as low as 10-12psi.
In my 89 and 95 RR's at 10 psi I could drive over any soft dry sand without difficulty. I could even stop on inclines and drive up the incline from a standing start. (low range 3rd).
The advice of stopping on a downward facing slope is good advice. Generally speaking though you can drive through almost any sand at 10-12psi. Be very aware of course that at these low pressures you can pop a bead more easily. Straight line driving at low psi is ok, the bead can easily pop though if you make fast sharp turns in the sand, so slower and wider turns are the way to go at low psi. In some situations you may even need to do a three point turn to make sure the bead stays on.
It is unlikely you will get stuck in very soft dry sand at these low pressures. If however you drive though deep ruts in wet sand you can get stuck because the chassis etc bottoms out on the wet sand. At low psi there is a greater chance of popping a bead in these "wet" or damp ruts as the wheel will follow the ruts. You will need momentum to get through such wet/damp ruts.
At 15 psi you should be able to drive almost anywhere and (keeping the above comments in mind) it's no harder than driving on tracks, just sometimes a little slower. The sand is usually a little firmer closer to the waters edge. It is easier to drive on and more economical. Keep out of the saltwater though! If you go too close to the waters edge sand can easily form deep ruts.
If you get stuck in such deep ruts, don't panic, just drive slowly back and forth to help compact the sand under the wheels until you have a long enough "compacted track" to allow you to pick up a little speed and MOMENTUM and you will be on your way again. You may find you have to do this frequently depending on your situation. In such cases it then becomes easier to get away from such sand and drive back in the soft stuff
If you seem to be REALLY stuck, don't be afraid to let the tyres down to even lower pressures. It is NOT the width of the tyre that helps you drive in soft sand! The lower pressures increase the LENGTH of the tread pressing down on the sand. Tyres that have higher sidewalls are much better than low profile road tyres.
Even as low as 3-5 psi in EMERGENCY situations (only) can get you out of trouble. I have seen a $100,000 Land Cruiser ruined by being buried underwater because the owner did not want to let his tyres down in case they were damaged!!!!
If you are faced with a situation where the vehicle is stuck at the waters edge and the tide is washing around the tyres, (depending on how deep the tyres are buried) the chances of driving out can be quite limited. It would be MUCH wiser and quicker to use a snatch strap before the tyres get really "sucked" in to the sand.
Make sure you and others have a snatch strap to help recover stuck vehicles, some times it may be the only or quickest way to get moving. Have a GOOD QUALITY air compressor with you. Don't skimp on the price! It's not much fun with a compressor that takes 20 minutes to pump up ONE tyre an then have to wait TEN minutes for it to cool down for the next tyre. Pumping up large tyres from 10-12 psi to even 26psi can take some compressors a long time.
HTH
Enjoy your drive...
My experience in very deep soft sand has been to let the tyres down to at least 15psi and in many situations as low as 10-12psi.
In my 89 and 95 RR's at 10 psi I could drive over any soft dry sand without difficulty. I could even stop on inclines and drive up the incline from a standing start. (low range 3rd).
The advice of stopping on a downward facing slope is good advice. Generally speaking though you can drive through almost any sand at 10-12psi. Be very aware of course that at these low pressures you can pop a bead more easily. Straight line driving at low psi is ok, the bead can easily pop though if you make fast sharp turns in the sand, so slower and wider turns are the way to go at low psi. In some situations you may even need to do a three point turn
to make sure the bead stays on.It is unlikely you will get stuck in very soft dry sand at these low pressures. If however you drive though deep ruts in wet sand you can get stuck because the chassis etc bottoms out on the wet sand. At low psi there is a greater chance of popping a bead in these "wet" or damp ruts as the wheel will follow the ruts. You will need momentum to get through such wet/damp ruts.
At 15 psi you should be able to drive almost anywhere and (keeping the above comments in mind) it's no harder than driving on tracks, just sometimes a little slower. The sand is usually a little firmer closer to the waters edge. It is easier to drive on and more economical. Keep out of the saltwater though! If you go too close to the waters edge sand can easily form deep ruts.
If you get stuck in such deep ruts, don't panic, just drive slowly back and forth to help compact the sand under the wheels until you have a long enough "compacted track" to allow you to pick up a little speed and MOMENTUM and you will be on your way again. You may find you have to do this frequently depending on your situation. In such cases it then becomes easier to get away from such sand and drive back in the soft stuff
If you seem to be REALLY stuck, don't be afraid to let the tyres down to even lower pressures. It is NOT the width of the tyre that helps you drive in soft sand! The lower pressures increase the LENGTH of the tread pressing down on the sand. Tyres that have higher sidewalls are much better than low profile road tyres.
Even as low as 3-5 psi in EMERGENCY situations (only) can get you out of trouble. I have seen a $100,000 Land Cruiser ruined by being buried underwater because the owner did not want to let his tyres down in case they were damaged!!!!
If you are faced with a situation where the vehicle is stuck at the waters edge and the tide is washing around the tyres, (depending on how deep the tyres are buried) the chances of driving out can be quite limited. It would be MUCH wiser and quicker to use a snatch strap before the tyres get really "sucked" in to the sand.
Make sure you and others have a snatch strap to help recover stuck vehicles, some times it may be the only or quickest way to get moving. Have a GOOD QUALITY air compressor with you. Don't skimp on the price! It's not much fun with a compressor that takes 20 minutes to pump up ONE tyre an then have to wait TEN minutes for it to cool down for the next tyre. Pumping up large tyres from 10-12 psi to even 26psi can take some compressors a long time.
HTH
Enjoy your drive...
Hi
I once surveyed a 4WD trip alone in my 89RR without any other vehicles. I implicitly trust my RR and it did not let me down in the softest sand I had ever been driving on. It was not really a good idea to do this alone and is frowned on by 4WD clubs including the club I was in. In your situation as you say there should be many helping hands IF you ever need them
good luck with your trip.
You should be ok for at least 90% of your drivingmekadodo said:
Understandably so, it would probably be ok on the firm sand but anything too soft and it would probably find it tough going. Most of the time high range will be fine for most 4WD including the beemer, but you just never know. The Rangie could rescue the beemer quite easily but the X6 could not do the same for the RR.
That would be correct
You can but it is not really a good idea if you can avoid it.
You really should invest in a good compressor. It's well worth the money, convenience and TIME.
I once surveyed a 4WD trip alone in my 89RR without any other vehicles. I implicitly trust my RR and it did not let me down in the softest sand I had ever been driving on. It was not really a good idea to do this alone and is frowned on by 4WD clubs including the club I was in. In your situation as you say there should be many helping hands IF you ever need them
good luck with your trip.
2
Thanks for all the tips guys. I didn't end up going to Stockton, but there were a few beaches right near where we were staying that had 4wd access.
I had a fun time trying to drive back off the beach though, as the entrance/exit was uphill, and had a sharp bend in it, so there was very limited run-up to it. Didn't help that the sand was so loose that the tracks i had made before had just disappeared.
Its a very interesting experience driving on sand, I had to get used to following the ruts, and trying to get out of the deeper ones if i wanted to go a different way `)
Quick pics... I forgot to take off the sun shade /
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I had a fun time trying to drive back off the beach though, as the entrance/exit was uphill, and had a sharp bend in it, so there was very limited run-up to it. Didn't help that the sand was so loose that the tracks i had made before had just disappeared.
Its a very interesting experience driving on sand, I had to get used to following the ruts, and trying to get out of the deeper ones if i wanted to go a different way `)
Quick pics... I forgot to take off the sun shade /
Quite right, they were probably ~22 psi each. My compressor isn't a big heavy duty thing, and I was being a bit lazy, not wanting to wait to pump them all back up. I was just about to let some more air out of the tyres, but a bit of good pedal-to-the-metal fun had the Rangie slithering off the beach.Peter Sanders said:
Next time I go to the beach i'll have to invest in a heavy duty compressor.
Haha you make me want to go down and take a peek right now. Perhaps next time I have a whole week offq-rover said:
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