Beach Driving

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here as I recently bought a 2015 Tacoma TRD Sport. I plan to drive this truck all summer on the beach in New Jersey. For the past 4 years I have been driving my Grand Cherokee on the beach and always put it into 4WD low to drive on the beach. Some of the sand can get pretty deep in spots. For those of you who have driven on beaches, do you use 4WD High or 4WD Low? TIA.

 

4 lo if there is any doubt. Some places are pretty solid and if it's just a short distance I might just hit 4hi. But for extended driving in deep sand the engine will get too hot.

 

Let some air out of those donuts if you're worried and have a pump handy.

 

Fwiw: I bought a $25 air hose and attachments off Amazon. Some of the best money I spent on the truck. I find lots of the compressors at the beach here have a ratty hose, or none at all.

 

I do a trip to OBX yearly and drive on the beach a lot down there. I generally do not use 4 low. I just air down to like 15 lbs, makes all the difference in the world.

I do have a 6 spd though, and 1st is a bit lower than on the auto I think.

 

get a lil compressor (MV50 is a nice lil unit for cheap). Air down, and 4low makes life easy and hassle free in the deep sand and dunes.

You can get away with 4hi and aired down if its flat... but really, just use 4low, you arent gonna be going more than the 45ish mph that 4low tops out at.

 

Make sure to wash your truck and undercarriage really well after all the fun

 

Im gonna say, just STAY OUT of the salt water all together, and if you do have to cross a patch of it, go slow as to not splash it up into anything.

 

i drive in the soft florida beaches all the time on 4HI and never lowered the air pressure.

 

12 psi
2wd tell I need 4x4
You would be surprised how far you can get just by lowering pressure

 

why would you deflate when you could just flip the 4HI switch?

flip it back to 2HI and wont have to inflate.

 

Get yourself a shovel and a couple 2x4's and you'll be fine.

 

That’s goes for wet tide sands too. Even onshore winds carry intense amounts of salt. Anywhere the marine layer reaches gets crazy quick surface rust and it escalates from there. Ever looked underneath a lifeguard truck? It’s horrible, and those get rinsed off every night

 

Idk, less work on the truck I guess...
Tiz a valid question though

 

the truck can handle way more. its more work for you.

 

This

 

Yeah I tried towing someone that was stuck in 4Hi and it didn’t do much. I dropped my tire psi from 36 to 20 and instantly pulled them out and then did some rounds on the beach realizing I should have deflated when I got there

 

Deflating is just better for traction, but if you're comfortable with only 4wd, you do you.

 

Locker anytime mod....

 

This happened to me at pismo. Lol