Baja Beach 4WD: 32 psi to 15 psi, see the difference!

We returned to our favorite beach in Baja last Saturday (July 17, 2010) with a heavy load of camping gear including two full ice chests and 6 gallon tank of water.

Two weeks earlier we discovered with the heat and heavy load, the Traction Control in H4 alone couldn't keep us moving (as it had last winter with a light load).

Again, we did cross the expanse of sand to the water's edge, but the truck struggled in the sand. I also tried A-TRAC in L4, but it still wanted to dig in. Once the air pressure was dropped to 15 PSI, I moved on with ease (in H4).

I took photos where I deflated the tires and seeing the two sides is pretty dramatic.



32 PSI the truck was digging in and slightly sideways on the steep beach. Once deflated to 15 PSI, the truck 'floated' on the sand and drove straight. I circled back to take these photos.







We also continued south to Gonzaga Bay and Coco's Corner...









Perhaps a trip report will be coming up, but I wanted to show off the traction/ floatation photos!

 

Oh, south of Coco's my right/ rear BFG Rugged Trail, FAILED!
A sharp rock (?) put a hole in it... The truck/ tires has about 13,000 miles on it... so pretty new still.

I was able to plug the hole with two plugs, refill and drive the remaining 110 miles to El Rosario where I had a patch put in it. I guess they do deserve the name 'Rugged Fails'? LOL

 

It's really awesome to physically see the difference deflated will make

 

This is awesome, I head down to SPI often.......this will be helpful. Storing in the memory bank. Thanks for the info.

 

Sure... and what is SPI?

Oh... I bet 'South Padre Island'?! Never been to the beach in Texas!

 

Living by the beach, I can totally attest to the value of low tire pressure--awsome pics to demonstrate! Can even avoid going into 4H a lot of the time, which saves a lot of gas!

 

I think going into 4WD is good to do... and recommended by Toyota for monthly maintenance... It also does less 'damage' to the earth because your rear tires are not spinning to get traction in loose soil when you use 4WD. Finally, it is FUN to four wheel drive!

 

True, but you do need to be careful on rocks... sidewalls can be cut if the pressure is too low on rocky roads... 20 psi is probably the minimum.

I have seen way too many BFG All Terrain T/As (with their 'famous' 3 ply sidewalls) with sidewall cuts/ flats, in Baja! I was riding in a truck with brand new All Terrains TAs, and we had a sidewall cut/ flat... and their wan't a rock in sight, nor where we aired down.

 

David do you think you see so many BFG sidewall flats down there due to the prevalence of BFG T/As? What tire are you running for your baja explorations?

I've always run the BFG T/A and head down to gonzaga quite a bit and I have never had a problem so I was thinking about getting a pair for the taco, but I would consider something else if you have any recommendations. Thanks!

 

Hi Samo,

I do think I see more BFGs in Baja because it has to be about the top brand of desert 4 wheelers... Be it years of time on the market or just a lot of good luck with them by so many... My wife had them on her Jeep and swears by them...

I just had that bad experience with them in 2001 (on the road to Yubay, south of Gonzaga)... No rock in sight, sandy road.. Then I see them along the sides of the road down there with ripped sidewalls... I also know they are not good in the sand from personal experience...

So, I have not purchased them for my Tacomas.

I have used the following:

BFG Rugged Trails (naturally): Short life (25,000 miles before flats become an issue from rubber too thin), otherwise they are fine (good in sand, quiet, also worked well in mud and snow). On my '01 I bouth a new set after the originals wore out.

Pep Boys Futura (now Destiny) Dakotas: Short life (25,000 miles) but very inexpensive and as 'good' as Rugged Trails off road. Being a 50,000 mile tire, I got replacements at 1/2 price when the rubber was too thin at 25,000 miles... Made by Cooper. I probably had three sets of these on my '01 before trading in for my '05.

Cooper Discoverer STT: Awesome looking off road (mud) tire... put them on my '05... VERY NOISY and VERY BAD in sand (grave diggers)... required pressure dropped to 10 psi before I got floatation... 3 ply sidewalls and agressive tread is why. They were great in mud and lasted the longest of any tire (40,000 miles) on my Tacomas.

Toyo Open Country A/Ts: This was a really good and not expensive tire... quiet, good in sand, gave me 35,000 miles.

Cooper Discoverer ATR: Had the same experience with these as the Toyos... identicle (quiet, good in sand, 35,000 miles estimated as I traded the '05 in with them on).

What will I put on my '10 when the Rugged Trails wear out? Not sure yet... I am looking at the General Grabbers... Pirelli Scorpion is a maybe, too.

 

That's wierd my bfg all terrains do great in the sand. And I'm talking climbing dunes(glamis, Pismo, dumont) not just flat ground!

 

Any tire will float on sand if enough air is removed. My rating is based on how little if any air needs to be removed to float. See the latest issue of Australia's 4WD Magazine where they rate about 7 popular off road tires (tyres) over various conditions (sand and noise included).

All Terrains and other 3 ply sidewall tires are stiffer in the sidewalls and it takes more air removed to get them to 'bulge'... which is what makes the tire float or not dig in.

There is also a great variety of types of sand and weather (heat/ humidity) can cause the same sand to be difficult to drive on. Perhaps the location where you drove in sand is more of a reason they did well and not the type of tire?

As I said before, All Terrains are the most popular 4WD tire in Baja and many other places) and that says a lot.

 

I've been doin the sand thing all my life and I agree that pressure and tire bulge is everything. I've always went down to 12-15 in the fronts and 10-12 in the rear regardless of what brand of tire I was running. I think its just easier on your truck when you air down I aslo love seeing those 20 inch lifted heavy duty trucks with 24 inch rims and no side wall get stuck and I idle by them laughing!

 

YUP... it's all about air pressure... BUT, the smoother the tire, the better it does in sand... Highway tires, non-aggressive tread patterns (unlike mud tires), do the best... require the least amoung of deflateing. In the old days, the Armstrong 'Hi-Way' floatation tire was king...

10 psi on a mud tire or 3 ply sidewall A/T tire is about = to 20 psi on a smoother/ highway tire with rounded edges to the sidewalls. The Rugged Trails do well at 15 psi, although I did go to 12 on the July 4th trip... when we went to help Art with his 4WD motorhome, stuck in the fluffy sand.

 

A second Rugged Trail failed on my, last weekend... rock puncture... on a graded road! 16,000 miles on them. I plugged it then had a patch put in at the tire shop in El Rosario. Rugged Fail #2!!! (I found a screw in a third, required a patch).

 

good stuff!

 

David, Thanks for the great thread. I do think about my tires a lot before each trail run / expedition. It is crucial to have a good tires and to be prepared when they fail.

 

Yup... tires are like shoes for your ride! I can't wait to change these BFGs to something else... hoping I can have the General Grabbers, but prepared to try the Falken Rocky Mountains if money is short!

Crom, are you interested in going on the Oct. 9 run on the reservation?

 

wow, did he convert it to 4x4, or do those come like that?

I used to think low profile truck tires looked cool, but, for any off roading, they're pointless. must be fun to pull those guys out.

 

Art totally built that off road motorhome and converted it to 4WD with front and rear ARB lockers, all himself... He and his motorhome are amazing! Art joined TW following our Mision Santa Maria run...

Here he is climbing the Widowmaker, 5 weeks before the beach trip: