Any tips for a first timer on Corolla NC beaches?

Next week I'm heading down to Corolla NC and am excited about checking out the 4x4 beaches. I have a stock OR MT, and don't have any experience driving on beaches. A lot of the advice I've read on other sites go back to "it depends on your vehicle" so I figured this would be a great place to get vehicle and location specific advice.

-What PSI would you guys recommend airing down to? (again stock OR tires, no beadlocks)
-4H vs 4L? (and specifically what gears do you typically stay in?) I've been driving a stick since I got my license and have moderate experience with snow/ice but zero in sand.
-Other than some spare wood for traction if stuck, a shovel, tire deflator/gauge, and tow strap, any recommended gear?

Any general tips and advice would be welcomed! Again I'm new to this, so apologies in advance if I seem uninformed.

 

Air down to 20 psi, put it in 4L, be smooth on the throttle, and you'll be good. My Tacoma has been all over the place down there from Carova (where you'll be) down to Ocracoke. I mainly spend most of my time from Avon down to the end of Hatteras. If you're going on the beach anywhere other than up where you'll be staying you'll need a permit.

 

Thanks fish for the advice! What gears do you typically find yourself in in 4L in sand? I'm guessing between 2nd and 3rd, I've only used 4L a couple times to test it out and found 1st is only needed for steep hills, I was able to start in 2nd on level ground.

 

Air down and run 4Low. Yea, you run in 2 or 3 gear. If you get going too fast, you will know it when you start breaking traction like on snow or ice.

Bring a board for a jack board and normal recovery gear. I also use a section of chain link fence for a trac mat. Better to have recovery gear and not need it!

 

I'll usually start off in 2nd on the beach unless I'm backed up towards the water and there's a good slope. If that's the case, I'll crawl up it in 1st to level ground then find some ruts and row through the gears to 3rd.

Keep momentum once you've got it and just cruise. Remember, it's a beach, not a race track. And be prepared to be passed or tailgated by people who don't believe that. Drives me insane, but I'm not smacking someone's kid in the head with my ARB bumper. I'm down there to relax.

AND MY BIGGEST PIECE OF ADVICE:

IF YOU START TO SPIN AND DIG, STOP!

You're not stuck if you stop as soon as you start to dig.

BACK UP.

Get to harder sand, and get a little bit of a run.

This mainly happens to me when trying to climb up away from the bottom of the beach up to the flat, or not airing down enough.

I've seen a lot of people get stuck in instances where if they just would have stopped and backed up a little, they would have been fine.

Worst case, if you feel like the truck is working too hard, or it starts digging, air down more. I drug a buried to the frame Ram 1500 down the beach out of his ruts sideways, in 2nd gear, 4L, with my tires at 10 psi.

I've been driving up and down Hatteras since before I could legally drive on the road (you know, back when dads could let their kids do such a thing). If there's anything I do know how to drive on, it's that beach. Lol.

Air down, drive smooth, keep momentum, and you'll be fine.

 

Thanks for the even more detailed advice! I'm really looking forward to the trip!

 

No problem man. Enjoy the trip, take some pictures. Also, if you're out on the beach up there and run into the wild horses, admire them from a distance. It's actually illegal to get within so many feet (can't remember if it's 50' or 100') of them.

And if you need any more advice or have any more questions about anything OBX, feel free to hit me up. I'm hoping to retire down there if there's anywhere left to retire to. Been going down as many times a year as possible for 27 years now. I'd like to consider myself a part time local, and when I'm there, I still treat it as my home. It's a gorgeous place, and I hate to see people who take it for granted.

 

Had a blast in Corolla/Carova, thanks again for the driving tips! I aired down to 20 and kept it in 4L in 3rd most of the time, which let me hover right at 2500 RPM and a comfortable 15 mph. Ran into many asshats who, like you said, treated the beach like the autobahn. One particular jerk in a honda pilot kept riding my ass the first half mile of the beach, and nearly hit me going around me, and another half mile down it was extremely satisfying to see him stuck in his AWD.

All of the little trails back in the neighborhoods were a blast to drive around in! I'll def be making this a regular vacation spot in the future.

 

Sweet! Glad to see you had a blast. That place is a little piece of paradise for me. But I usually go early spring (already been twice this year), and mid/late fall, and stay down on Hatteras Island. I've done all the tourist stuff, so I don't mind going off season when some stuff is closed down, and those "race car drivers" aren't there. One of my biggest pet peeves. I go to fish, cruise the beach slow, and relax. I was actually just talking to my buddy about this fall's trip. Think we're shooting for the second week of October depending on how hurricane season plays out over the next few weeks.

 

Been going here for years. Air down, I go to 10. Out on the beach there is never a problem, stay on the surf line, where the dark sand is. If its high tide and you have to be up by the dune in the ruts, ride the high points. I drove my rav4 all over out there. getting up the ramps can be sketchy, get a decent start.

As far as other have said about 4lo? I don't agree there, I haven't once needed 4 lo on the beach.

 

Needing and using are 2 different things. I use 4L because it's easier on the truck, my clutch, the beach, everything involved.

With that being said, I've also made it to the point at Oregon Inlet in 2WD in the late fall, but wouldn't even think about it middle of summer. Sand condition also plays a huge part in it.

 

Agreed, I started in 4H and probably could have made it, but in 4L the truck didn’t feel like it was working nearly as hard. It was much more comfortable knowing I had plenty of low end power at slow speeds.

 

But in 4lo can you go fast enough to get any sweet air off the small "hills" ? you know, like the cool kids that drive 50mph out there

 

Just an FYI. https://outerbanksvoice.com/2018/02/19/revised-currituck-beach-parking-rule-will-need-another-vote/