Beach driving!?

So just back from 2 weeks in OBX and the 4Runner first beach driving. Did great Even on 255s. 18 pounds. But now that I'm willing to do this with the Toyota instead of the Jeep I'm thinking about some changes. Tires next yr and maybe a Gobi or a packmule..

 

Sand driving is a lot of fun!

Have you looked into or done the diff breather hose?

 

That’s a great looking setup! 255/?. Been thinking of going tall skinny

 

No I haven't not to sound like a dummy but what would be the purpose of that

 

Those are 255 75 17 hankook. I bought them right in the heat of the covid tire shortage so they were like kind of my only option that I could readily get when I put my lift on

 

They match the lift perfect. What did you go with?

 

Well again thanks to covid not what I wanted... At least not exactly. I wanted to do the eibach stage 2 lift all the way around because of the adjustable height. I was only able to get there rear coils at the time so I did that and picked up a set of Bilstein 5100 for the front. With a quarter inch spacer on the one side to adjust for the lean so they're set to 1.75 up front 2 in on the one side like I said with the spacer and it sits very nice. Once the eibach rear coils settled in it was about perfect still a little bit of rake but the second there's anything in the back it sits nicely level I do intend to still put eibach stuff up front at some point shortly and on some of these heavier trips I could almost stand to add airbags

 

The eibach coils in the rear are 1 inch lift

 

I've been up and down that beach a few times - as far as Corolla (saw the wild horses last time). We (nephew in stock 4Runner, aunt in stock Subaru) kept the street psi (my 100 was at 36psi) and were fine. The first time up there, I'd warned the group that we may have to air down... but didn't need to. I guess if you venture closer to the dunes, or further north (?) you'd need to air down.

Oh, the dif' breather mod is common for just about every truck that expects to see water over the axles. It's a cheap/easy mod - sections of rubber hose to move the little valve (that lets the air expand/release/contract as the temps change in the axle housing) up higher so the axle housings don't "suck" water in.

 

Enjoying the 4Runner so much I might ditch the TJ for another 1...or FJ

 

I have been driving from NC/VA line to Ocracoke since about 1970 and road with my Dad and Grandad as a kid in the late 1940s. I do not advise going in salt water, let alone over the axles, even with a breather. Yeah sometimes with sound flooding it may be necessary but you better get it washed off quickly before it dries or you are going to have problems. Even with rustproofing and/or undercoating it is going to get into places you don’t even know you got places. Brakes, for example, are really susceptible. Old bumper sticker down there. “It’s Salt Water, Dummy”

Also airing down, even when you think you don’t need to, allows the vehicle to roll easier over the sand and put less strain on the engine and drive train.

Also when not aired down you can tend to spin then hop repeatedly leaving a wash board effect behind making it a bit uncomfortable ride for your followers. Another bumper sticker down there. “ Don’t Be a Clown, Air Down”

 

Did you air down? 15 psi is ideal in sand

 

I did 18

 

Just realize that you can air down to the point the center of the tread can concave in toward the rim and pull on the bead seal. Then sharp turns and spinning can break the seal. Have seen it happen twice, once on 2 tires at same time.

Rule of thumb I learned from some desert rats decades ago, works for radials, not sure about others

With tires at recommended street pressure, vehicle loaded as it will be on the sand including people and on level pavement. Measure the height from pavement to bottom of rim. Lower pressure until height is 3/4 of street pressure. This gives the best flat footprint. Going lower provides only marginal improvement and raises risk of bead failure.

 

Here is some stuff that was put together by a few of us with decades of experience driving on the beaches of the Outer Banks of NC from the VA/NC border to Ocracoke NC. Some is dated as 4WD systems have evolved since then as well as tire/rim sizes, etc



Beach Driving
1.Lowering tire pressure (airing down)
2. Ground clearance
3. Tire types / sizes
4. Gear you might want to have with you
5. Transmission / drive systems
6. Useful tips / info
This is generic so you need to be familiar with your owners manual for vehicle specific info that may be applicable.


1. Airing down



Some folks think airing down (lowering tire pressure) is not really necessary and while that is true for some vehicles, there are reasons why you may want to air down regardless of your thinking on this, even if you have nitrogen in your tires.
A vehicle aired down properly to a nice flat optimum tread footprint rolls more easily mostly over the sand rather than mostly pushing down into and thru the sand with hard tires. Thus less torque is required to move the vehicle and less strain on the engine and drive train.
Additionally hard tires tend to give short way less than a full revolution spins as they push thru the sand. This kicks back a little sand forming a washboard / speedbump affect in the sand. The ride is thus more uncomfortable for you from the spins and very uncomfortable for those following.
Now some don’t want to air down because they worry about tire damage / wear on pavement and many carry portable pumps to air up immediately after coming off the sand or at least as soon as they can get to an air station. This really is not necessary if you are at the optimum flat footprint. I air down upon arrival and sometimes stay that way for weeks, only airing up if say I’m going to go from Salvo to Nags Head area. Over the years and many sets of tires I’ve seen no appreciable difference in tire wear than what I would expect at full street pressure.
Now that said there are things to consider when aired down. More sidewall heat is generated as the sidewalls flex more, but if speed is kept reasonable (even 55 mph or less) for the short distances you would travel around the beach area on pavement, it would not be a problem. Also handling, especially in sharp cornering, is affected as the tire tends to “roll” more to the side of the rim in a turn. But again, reasonable speed and avoiding sharp cornering should give no problems. Gas mileage is slightly affected as it takes a little more effort to move the vehicle.
Now you can air down “too much”. When you go below the optimum flat footprint the center of the tread tends to concave in toward the rim and even in the sand you tend to ride more on the tread edges and the hump of sand in the middle adds to the torque required to move the vehicle. While not as bad as hard tires in the sand, it will tend to result in more “digging” from just the edges and pushing thru the sand. And it will cause excessive tread wear on the tread edges on pavement, plus way more heat in the sidewalls.
In addition sharp turns at very low pressure, as in trying to move over out of ruts, can result in breaking a tire to rim seal. Plus if torque is applied when you start to bog down the low pressure can result in the rim spinning inside the tire if the edges “grab” the sand again breaking a seal. I’ve seen this happen on a couple of occasions, one having two seals broken, thus no help from the spare.


I learned years ago from some desert rats the optimum footprint for sand. It is not a one size fits all so you will have to experiment a little to find what fits your setup. Your vehicle should roll rather easily “over” the sand and not require a lot of extra power (torque). And remember street pressure is not necessarily exactly what is on the door placard. The placard is nominal for a nominal load (usually indicated on the placard). Both street and sand pressures are load dependent (including passengers, gas, etc) and may vary front to back, depending on how you are loaded.


General rule is with vehicle loaded like it will be on the sand and vehicle on level pavement and tire pressure at recommended street pressure, measure the height from pavement to edge of rim. Then lower pressure until the height is ¾ of street pressure height.


When driving in the sand, slow steady progress is best. If you start to bog down, stop. Back up a few vehicle lengths in your tracks and then go forward again with slow and steady. Try to avoid spinning / gunning it as this will generally dig you in.




2.Now the next thing is ground clearance.
No matter what type of vehicle drive system you have and how well you are aired down, if it does not have reasonable ground clearance, you are likely to get stuck. So you need to understand what the real ground clearance is. And don’t necessarily believe the stuff in brochures. The true test is to look under the vehicle and see what might drag in the sand.
Another thing to consider is skid plates. If you stay within the speed limit on the beach and pay attention to what you are doing, there is little out there to hit that will cause damage. The plates are generally a low clearance point and do little but catch and hold sand. Even chassis wash car washes are not going to get it all out and it can be a real source of rust if left there. Getting down and trying to hose off the top of the plates can be a real pain. I have removed them on some vehicles.


Another concept you need to understand re clearance is approach angle (front) and departure angle (rear). These are the angles formed when you place a stick against a tire and push it up to contact the bumper. The more vertical the stick, the better. A low clearance vehicle generally has poor angles and this can result in pushing into or dragging on the sand as you approach or come off steep slopes such as access ramps. Also rod butts sticking out the bottom of rod holders can be a problem. Again it is something to be aware of.
And for folks with a front and/or rear cargo / cooler racks, they really screw up the angles. Better to have the racks mounted as high as possible. Now that said, be careful of having something sticking up more that 13’ 6” off the pavement. That is the min height things like overpasses, wires, etc can be at. Anything above that can be a problem.
And finally keep in mind when you air down, ground clearance is reduced.





3.Now comes tire size / types.
Aggressive tread off road tires are not the best. They tend to dig into the sand more. Slicks would be best but of course not practical. So generally all season radials for most vehicles are the best compromise.
I like 265/70 or larger for size. It has a reasonably wide tread and adequate sidewall for airing down. For sure I would avoid the very low profile tires that come on some vehicles. There is just no sidewall height there to air down with.
Also there are tires out there that are designed for use off road aired down. They are less prone to sidewall heat and rim seal break. I’ve looked for some but all I found had a fairly aggressive tread so I stick with what has worked for years with me. Further info on the above off road tires indicate they might not be less, but more, prone to sidewall heat. Turns out the sidewalls are “beefed up” to prevent damage from things like rock, stumps, etc.
In addition they have some tread just at the lower edge of the sidewall to help with traction in mud, grassy areas, etc.
I don’t think they would be better, so these qualities seem to way offset the better rim seal quality.
Another thing to consider is a P vs LT type tire. Generally the LT has a stronger sidewall because they are usually rated for a heavier load than a P in the exact same size. Thus the P is probably better from a sidewall heat problem.
Sometimes there is a question about vehicles with dual rear wheels and how they do in the sand. I have no experience with these and only know what I’ve read on forums about them. Vehicles with this setup are indicated to be much heavier than others and thus seem to sink into the sand more just from the weight, even when aired down. Also there is indication that an added spacer may be needed between the wheels to keep the tire sidewalls from touching when aired down.
That’s what I’ve seen on duals but maybe some with experience can chime in to correct / add to the above.


4.Now what might you want to have with you out there.


Here is what I carry. Tire pressure gage, a full size spare; space savers are not the best in the sand. Two ¾” plywood boards about 20” square to support jacks in the sand. A 2nd jack. Sometimes you need to support the side of the vehicle away from the flat in soft sand or on a slope to keep it from pushing down into the sand. And yes I’ve seen flats. You don’t have to raise the vehicle a lot because you can support the vehicle with the 2 jacks and dig a hole under the flat to get it off and the spare on. A foxhole shovel. Tow strap; all cloth, no metal. If snapped the metal can become a damaging missile. Jumper cables; you never know. I use my floor mats under the wheels if necessary when “temporarily detained” (stuck), but some carry boards or carpet samples for this.


Now some may wonder why so far I have not mentioned drive systems. Well for years rear 2WD was the norm and all of the above are applicable no matter what vehicle you have. It was not until well after WWII that 4WD really came on the scene for beach driving.

5.So now drive systems.
There are all sorts of systems out there and even within models and submodels there are differences and options. There are year to year changes as well. So a question of will my Honda CRV or my Ford Escape do OK on the beach cannot really be answered without a lot more specifics. Thus I’m going to have to be a bit generic. However, if you read this and then consult you specific owners manual you should be able to figure out what you may or may not want to try.
By far the best system for the sand is one that is 4WD and where the front/rear differentials can be locked and locked together so that all 4 wheels are pulling together with no slip.
Other “smart” systems like AWD or some that are in a 2WD mode and decide when 4WD is needed, that attempt to put power to where it thinks is necessary generally can just result in digging into the sand. By the time they react in sand, it can be too late. Such systems were generally designed for rain / snow slick pavement and not sand. All the jumping around with power can result in damage from excessive heat. Some manuals even caution that they are not recommended for use off road, particularly in sand.
Now that said it does not mean you can’t be successful with one, particularly if it can be somehow locked into at least some sort of 4WD mode. You just need to understand what you are dealing with.
Another area to understand is any vehicle stability or traction control type system your vehicle has. These are common on recent models. They are designed to help you recover from a skid so when wheels start spinning in sand it will try to correct much like the “smart” drive systems, thinking you are skidding. It is best to have the ability to disable such systems when in sand.
Here is an example. My 4Runner (2004 SR5) when in 4WD HI is basically in an AWD “smart” mode with stability control also activated. I have a switch that will lock all 4 wheels together and turn off the stability control in this 4WD HI mode. That is what I generally use in the sand, with an occasional use of 4WD LO when things get really tuff, eg. deep soft fluffy sand and bogging at optimum air down.
One more thing. A few years ago a friend who was a service manager at a dealer told me that most 4WD problems he saw were with vehicles that had seldom, if ever, been in 4WD. Along comes the snow dusting and folks try to go to 4WD. Won’t go. Generally because the components are not lubed. Most manuals recommend you exercise the 4WD modes of your vehicle for a few miles about once a month to keep them properly lubed.
Now the locked mode can be a problem exercising on pavement if you have to make a turn so pick a place where you can go some distance without much turn. If the wheels are all locked together and you turn there is no slip between the wheels (inside to outside radius) and you can do damage.
In purchasing a vehicle one thing to consider is a trailering package if the vehicle is not so equipped. These typically provide a larger capacity radiator and a transmission oil cooler. Both are good for the beach to keep engine/trans heat down since, like pulling a trailer, more power is needed in the sand and thus more heat is generated.


6.Driving near the surf line or thru water can be risky at best.
One cardinal rule I learned many moons ago from my granpappy was to be very careful going where there are no tracks, even on what you think is hard pack, especially close to the water. Wet (or red ) sand is very deceiving. And be very concerned about driving thru any water on the beach. You have no clue what the sand is like under the water unless you see tracks in and out and even then I'd be concerned as conditions can change. Could be OK when the tracks were made and an hour later, another disaster.

 

Took my first beach camping trip in the truck this summer.

We got into the DEEP sand (fooling round in the OHV park dunes with the Razr riders) and I was almost sure we were gonna need a tow rope at one point . . . but a steady foot and preserving forward momentum saved the day.

Spent the rest of the time down closer to the water line to fish and camp.

I like the 4Runner more and more each time I take it on some new adventure.

Jason

 

If you get stuck add water to the sand underneath each tire. Plus you should always be prepared for the terrain you’re heading to. Bring recovery gear

 

I wouldn’t worry about it. I run 11 psi on the soft sands of cape cod and never popped a bead.