Driving on the beach...

This is my first 4x4 and I just got it last night and love it! I will be posting up pictures soon. However my question is as follow.

1) do you need a permit to drive on the beach? I always see trucks on their but never knew the laws...?

2) when driving on the beach do you need to deflate your tires a little bit or no? And so you put it in hi4 or lo4?

Probably some dumb questions but I have noooo idea.

Thanks

 

Permits for beaches depend on where you live. Some require them, some don't. Use 4-Hi, 4-Lo is for more extreme uses where you need slow speeds and precise movements (crawling for example). You may not need to deflate your tires (depends on the sand) but it will make it easier to make it across the sand since it spreads your weight better. It just means you need a way to inflate your tires when you go back to the road.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/of...a-beach-4wd-32-psi-15-psi-see-difference.html

Check out this thread about lowering tire pressure and the advantages. It's a great illustration!

 

Need to check local laws about permits, It helps to lower pressure to 15psi., 4 hi will be ok, 4 lo when you get stuck.

 

x2

 

Live on the beach and I go all the time. No lower pressure. 4-HI works. It's fun to pull people out of sand. Made lots of gas money. Where do you live?

 

for some reason this thread makes me want to throw this pics up ... from summer 07 at daytona beach, fl ..... rental ftw!!!



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


wasnt buried yet but a guy with a tacoma offered to pull us out before it got bad ... tide was coming in ... had tried turning the traction control off but that just seemed to dig it in more

on another note .... id never buy a rental from florida just cause of the dumbass shit we did in that thing, drove it thru the salt water .. etc

 

I live in NY, Long Island

 

lol the sand at daytona is practically asphalt.

 

yea but with the high tide we were having to get into the soft stuff .... we were making a uturn and that happened .... i think my buddy has another pic of it stuck from the side, already emailed him to get it ... wasnt into wheeling then so didnt know about airing down

 

Leave your tires alone, and in 4H. Should do just fine.

 

theres about a zillion different permits here...state 4x4 access is for fishing only..suffolk county passes are for recreation as well as fishing...air down..our sand isnt like FL sand..the beaches arent for wheeling..tread lightly

 

Wow... you need to understand that maybe Florida has concrete for sand, other places do not. It depends on the sand, moisture in the sand, humidity/ temperature, tires, limited slip (traction control) and 4WD.

However, the one true rule in sand driving... IF you get stuck don't gas it and spin the tries any more once forward movement stops... Because the only movement left is DOWN.

Get out, clear away any built up sand from in front of the tires (and the bottom is you burried it)... and DEFLATE the tires so they look nearly flat... 10 psi should do it. If you dropped to 15 psi before going into the sand, you probably wouldn't be stuck.

2WD or 4WD doesn't matter... let the air out of all 4 tires. If the ocean is close and you have a bucket... pouring water in front of the tires makes it easier to drive out... Wet sand is firm and stays... Dry sand is like tiny ball bearings and traction is difficult.

Deflating greatly increases the tire's surface area in the sand... You want to FLOAT on top, not dig in... Mud tires and 3 ply sidewall tires are harder to use in sand and require more deflating than highway tires.

Example... take a pencil (or pen) and push it in to the sand. Now use the same downward force with your open palm hand. One buries itself and the other floats on top. This is an exaggeration of course, but helps you to see the difference between a narrow or fully inflated tires and a wider, deflated tire.

=======================================================

Because conditions change the sand, I will first drive onto it fully inflated. In the winter, on the San Felipe, Baja beaches my 2010 with Traction Control drove with ease. A return in the summer and it struggled, as you could see in those photos I took of before and after deflating to 15 psi.

Bring a precision tire pressure gauge that reads below 10 psi and an electric air pump that clips onto the battery instead of one that plugs into the lighter... It is just the battery clip models can fill 3 times faster (2-3 minutes per tire vs. 6-9 minutes for 15 psi added).

 

yea i figured youd chime into this thread eventually