driving the 5speed on the beach

took my truck out on the beach yesterday, was awesome though i did burn the sh*t out of the clutch at one point and stalled it out. I think my issue was i stopped behind someone mid turn. when i tried putting it in gear i wasn't moving but reving. at first i thought my clutch was slipping but after i got out of it and parked i realized i might have had a hard time because i was mid turn and from a dead stop it would be easier to get it in gear with the tires straight.

any advise ?
i have been driving a 5 speed for about 7 years now so im not a n00b. just a n00b at 4x4 in sand

 

Yea I burned my clutch a little in the sand. I was pissed but it was hardly at all. Air down your tires and keep momentum. I have little experience in sand but your driving habits should probably be similar to when in snow.

 

4 Hi or Lo? My guess is in high....try low range

 

go into 4 low or you will burn it alot. if in deep sand

 

I recently towed a trailer w/ seadoo and a bed full of gear camping with my 5 speed, had to do some maneuvering around hilly terrain at the camp site to park/launch it. At one point I could definitely smell come clutch a roasting, would 4lo be better in these situations? Wish I thought of it at the time. Also, what's the general consensus on downshifting? Is it worth it? I've gotten good at rev matching for downshifting coming to a stop and to accelerate, this technically shouldn't wear the clutch at all, right? I'd rather replace pads then the clutch any day though.

Also, does anyone else find 2nd gear absolutely uselss with the 5 speed? What was Toyota thinking??

 

if it is soft sand just throw it in 4lo and you shouldn't need to clutch hardly. not sure what tires you have but airing down made a big difference as well.

 

Like others have said. Many places it's required and it works great. The tires roll wider and flatter across the sand and you don't dig in so much. I go down to 18psi in RI. Also agree with using 4LO. You can still shift into the higher gears if necessary but it's better starting out because you go slowly and minimize wheel-spin.

 

Best tip: never stop in the sand! Other than that, air down and use low range.

 

If you must stop in sand, take off slow and have your wheels straight.

 

The less resistance, the faster you go in sand.

Wheels straight, let it out slow till it starts grabbin then roll throttle on.
4WD has nothing to do with sand, sure it's easier..but if you air down, a 2WD open diff will float through the sand...I'm talking air down to like 8-10PSI.
and a 2WD locked will even be better..
I've seen 6000 lb trucks make it through anything on the sand in 2WD..but they were air downed to 8-10PSI.

 

If you are in the sand often, think about what tires you have on the truck.
An M/T that is put on because it looks BA is not good for sand!

 

Air pressure is everything in sand!

4WD 15-20 psi typical
2WD 7-10 psi (or those 4WDs with mud or multi ply tires)

I find high range to me superior for sand driving... Low range increases the torque so much the truck tries to dig in. However, as I am in an automatic, it may be different.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I was on a trail that lead to the beach and the sand was a bit deeper than the beach itself. I was in 4w hi so next trip maybe ill use 4w lo. My tires were down to about 25 psi. I guess I can afford to let a little more out. Thanks again
Eric