Tips on driving MT in sand

This is how I'm doing it driving in the deep-ish sand...

4-LO, A-trac, first gear.

The other day I went out in the deep sand like this and had a very hard time in first gear. I know I need more practice but I feel like I missed something here. Can anyone give me some advice on the best configuration to drive a manual transmission in the sand?


UPDATE: A-trac is what screwed me last time. For driving in sand at the speeds I want, 4-LO and locking the diff will work plenty.

 

Get an ARB front air locker and an ARB twin air compressor. This was the first thing I did to my 2018 Offroad model after I bought it new last year.

 

4-LO is way too slow for deep sand. You gotta keep those tires and the truck movin

 

drop your tire pressure to 20 psi. Makes a huge difference.

 

If you're intentionally trying to crawl then 4lo is fine, but if you want speed (and speed helps in deep sand) you should be in 4HI.

And yes you want very low tire pressure in sand. I always run 12 psi in sand and it makes a world of difference. Bigger contact patch on the ground, if you're inflated too high then the tires are just going to dig straight down into the sand and get you stuck. But how low you can safely go without rolling the tire off the wheel depends a lot on your tires.

Portable air compressor is your best friend when offroading especially in sand. And a shovel/recovery boards/strap/another friend with a 4x4.

Depending on the conditions of the sand be prepared to smell burnt clutch until you get used to driving in it...not always easy to work a manual in the sand dunes. It'll make you a good driver quick though if you keep at it. Or give you an expensive clutch replacement bill

 

You want 4HI and get some speed up, sand and low speed aren't the greatest combination. Maybe try 4 HI second gear.

 

i use 4LO EXCLUSIVELY in the sand / dunes... being an auto definietly helps keep things smooth, but 4LO gives you the power you are going to need... sand is a power sink. 4LO in top gear is going to get you up to 50-55mph... be willing to bet in the dunes most people wont be able to go that fast as they dont have the suspension.

if you find first gear too low to start out in 4lo just start in 2nd.

But i have seen MANY a people smoke clutches in sand in 4HI thinking they dont need / shouldnt use 4lo.


EDIT - flat sand... yeah 4HI is fine, but anything with a slope or out in the dunes... im in 4LO.

 

4HI gave me such a hard time last year. I can only go so fast on this beach (other campers). I specifically remember the year before I went here, I had absolutely no problem in the sand when I was in 4LO and 1st gear. I can't remember what of my three options I enganged for this though (A-TRAC, Trac off, and/or lock diff). Although, I think traction control turns off when you put it in 4LO anyway right?

 

Keep your wheel speed up, don't bog down, it's not hard haha

 

4lo is great in the sand, saves the clutch and makes it easy. I don't use Atrac unless i think i need it (works by applying brakes, so it does take some power if not needed). Like a few others have said if you need more speed try starting in 2nd.

You only need to maintain some momentum, it's not a race.

I've used this with 3 Tacoma's pulling and launching a boat on the beach.

 

when im blasting / railing dunes, Im in 4lo + rear locker with no traction aids (atrac etc) and LOOOOTS of skinny pedal haha (and manually shifting my auto so I can stay in the power / be ready to floor it without having to downshift)

 

Air Down. Boom. Done

 

Yeah air down 4lo 2nd gear makes it easy. 4hi works as well but you need to put your foot into it a little more.

 

Yeah if you have to keep your speed down then I'd try 4 LO 2nd gear, and try to keep everything smooth. The hard part about 4 LO is how torquey it is, and you can end up digging yourself in too deep. Try A-TRAC and traction control off with locked rear diff too. Hope that helps!

 

Definitely air down, I usually do about 18 psi, any lower and I'm worried I will pop a bead. Also 4lo, especially in the manual and usually 2nd gear. Locker can help and momentum is always your friend.

 

OP 4 Low and 3rd gear. Best combo of power and speed.

 

Appreciate all the advice everyone. I'll hit the sand and try these suggestions to see what works best for me.

 

Automatic drive perform better in sand. Manual shifts, people loose traction between shifting. Best not to shift to often,or start and stay in second gear?

All terrain tires float better over sand. Mud tires are design to dig, making it harder to drive on sand.

Some one mention , keep the Trac control OFF if using 4H, 4L turns everything off. Sad the rear locker can only be use for under 5 miles per hour, useless on sand where you want higher speeds.
If using 4H you can engage the Auto LSD, better in 2nd gear.

 

2019...... ???? It's 2022

 

Almost always used 4HI in the sand, manual and auto trans in multiple Toyotas.