Beach Driving

I have a 1990 Toyota standard 4X4 with Yokohama 31x10.5x15R Geolander AT/S tires. How much air pressure should be let out of the tires for driving on the beach? Thank you very much in advance for any information.

 

10-15

 

20 PSI

 

I'm usually about 15-20 psi for sand. If you are comfortable that you have good traction and a wide contact patch-That's probably enuf.

 

^^^ what he said. I've vacationed at the N.C. Outer Banks and used to air down to 15 psi for beach driving.

 

Thanks very much again for the quick responses!

 

I have no experience with airing down for offroad -- what are some (if any) considerations you have to think about?

Do I need to stay under a certain speed? Things like that. Speaking from a total newbie's standpoint!

 

If you take the pressure too low your tire can lose the bead. So I have never gone below 10PSI for anything. If you have beadlock rims you can think about it...but I wouldn't get beadlocks on your rig quite yet.

You shouldn't drive on the pavement more than a couple miles at low speeds or you risk damage the tires...so depending on where you wheel you'll want to get a compressor.

Anyone else got anything to add??

 

I air down to about 18-20 psi when driving at the OBX, that way I can drive on the street without having to air the tires back up. It's just a little cushy on the road and you can't corner hard when the tires are at 20 psi.

Most of my street driving there is to and from the beach anyways so it's not that far.

 

VA country, your running at 30 in sand? what tires?

 

Make sure you rinse as soon as you get off the beach.

 

I run full pressure at the beach 44psi with no problems. If it's pretty flat you can prob get away with it at full pressure, which saves you the hassle of having to air back up. With that said though it is amazing what a difference dropping down will do, when I'm at 14 psi I can dune in 2wd no problem!
I suggest your first time you def go down to at least 25 though and get a feel for how things handle, and if you start to sink dont bury yourself, let more air out and be real easy on the gas when starting from a dead stop. If at all possible stop on an incline so you take off down hill

 

If the sand is wet and I might get traction I start at 12-15, if its soft I run 8-10. Michigan sand is very soft in many years of wheeling never spun a bead.

 

when driving on the sand, are yall in 4wd or in 2wd and if you get stuck, then switch it to 4wd?

 

It's generally not encouraged to try to switch into 4WD AFTER you get stuck, it's not very effective that way. If you're in soft stuff and there is any question, you should be in 4hi.

 

Depends on the type of sand and weather/ moisture... Soft, dry sand may need to be done at 10-15 psi. Firm, flat sand may be done at full pressure. The floatation effect doesn't begin really until you are down to at least 15 psi... Put in in H4 before you get into the deep stuff... don't be stupid... We are supposed to use it for 10 miles a month, anyway... so use it! See my sig. link below about beach driving at 15 psi vs. 32 psi. When delflated, avoid sudden turns, braking hard, and high speed... Always have a good battery connected air pump to inflate when off the sand. I was on the beach over Memorial Day weekend, in Baja... Trip report with photos coming soon!

 

Does anyone have a portable power source for jump starting or inflating tires? If yes, what kind, thanks?

 

smart man.

 

you can get a air pump that can connect to your battery or plug into your cigarett lighter

 

Here are my Dynapros on the beach in Baja last weekend... 14 psi: