Driving in sand what 4x4, hi or low?
davi...@nmsu.edu
sand dunes or at beaches, what should a person put their 4x4 in, is it 4hi
or 4low? And what else should a person do in order for an individual to
keep on driving on sand and not get stuck.
Thanks,
David.
an...@eskom.co.za
The choice between 4hi and 4low depends on you, the vehicle and the
sand. Select whichever give you the best traction for the particular
conditions. Some days you may find you need 4low on a particular piece
of beach and the next you can drive accross in 2hi. Sand always changes
depending on water and wind conditions. There are really no hard and
fast rules.
Air down your tyres on sand. Drop the pressure to around 1 bar, I think
that is about 14psi in your language.
I suggest you go and drive on sand and play around. You will soon find
out which gears to select.
--
André Maritz
The problem with the rat race is, even if you win you are still a rat!
SherryB
was it? Hopefully they will see this and repost.
Anyway, I have found that momentum is the key to sand. Definitely air down
your tires to get as much surface area as possible, and *keep moving* when
you get in a deep spot. You want to float over the sand, not dig into it.
Look in your rear view and see if you're leaving 3 tracks or just 2. If 3,
you're dragging your pumpkin, and you're gonna get stuck real soon ;-).
Carry a *real* shovel with you, and a small roll of chicken wire or a couple
pieces of junk plywood. Those will save you if you start miring up or have
to stop and need to jump back on top of the sand.
If you don't have pretty wide tires, and you hit deep sand, you're probably
gonna get stuck, so be prepared with the proper recovery equipment. Getting
going again is not that hard if you have some boards and a shovel.
And most of all, have FUN!!
SherryB
davi...@NMSU.Edu wrote in message ...
(Pete Cresswell)
I guess it depends on rim and tire bead, but when I asked a regular at Cape
Hatteas what the #1 bonehead move was, he said "airing down too much"....which
causes tires to peel off the rims when/if one turns sharply enough.
A URL on this subject:
http://reality.sgi.com/rogerb/4x4/PismoBeach/index.html#DrivingInSand
-----------------------
Pete Cresswell
Oscar Rodriguez
Torsten Hoff
Whether you should be in 4LO or not depends on how much horsepower you
have to keep the tires spinning, and how hard the surface is. Hard-
packed sand can be driven in 2HI or 4HI, but soft sand may require 4LO.
In soft sand, try to maintain momentum. Don't use overdrive if you have
an automatic. Avoid tight turns and braking when you need to stop --
let the vehicle coast. Avoid off-camber situations. If you start to dig
in and feel yourself sinking, let off the gas, clear the sand behind
your tires to give you a level surface, and back up to the already
compressed sand behind you, then try to move forward again with
momentum.
Good luck!
In article <Pine.A41.4.10.100021...@paris.NMSU.Edu>,
<davi...@NMSU.Edu> wrote:
> I have a question, while driving in area mostly covered in sand like
on
> sand dunes or at beaches, what should a person put their 4x4 in, is
it 4hi
> or 4low? And what else should a person do in order for an
individual to
> keep on driving on sand and not get stuck.
> Thanks,
> David.
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Dave P
>Don't air down *too* much.
Not all sand requires you to air down - it depends on the type of sand, and
amout of moisture. Ask the locals, like somebody said. I have never been stuck
in Florida sand, and never air down.
Dave P
Rob Owens
you
to dig in too much. i have found this to be false, as long as you're light
on
the throttle. use 4low as long as top gear in 4low is not too slow for you.
the lower gearing will save strain on your engine and transmission when
starting up.
don't spin your tires because it'll get you stuck and it'll get sand
covering
your entire undercarriage.
bring a piece of plywood at least 3/4" by 1' by 1' to put a jack on in case
you get a flat or something. w/o the plywood, the jack would just sink into
the sand.
low tire pressure has always worked for me, but how low will depend on how
soft the sand is and how fast you'll be going and how hard you'll be
turning.
-rob
>===== Original Message From <davi...@NMSU.Edu> =====
an...@eskom.co.za
I don't air down to prevent myself getting stuck. I air down to give
the trucks mechanical parts an easier time. I have extensive experience
in driving on sand, (various beaches here as well as the Kalahari and
Namib deserts) and driving on sand with the wheels pumped to normal
pressure will stuff the bearings and gears in your drivetrain at ten
times the normal speed.
Also, it is a misconception that you air down to get a wider footprint.
That too yes, but the real reason is that it softens the tire, enabling
the little tire to form a dent that climbs over the hump of sand your
wheels push in front of them.
an...@eskom.co.za
have traveled through the Kalahari Desert, the Namib Desert and on many
of the beaches here. In either of the deserts, it is not strange to
travel 150 miles a day and needing 15 hours to do it. During these
safaris, my truck is usually loaded with water for two people for 14
days, fuel for 600 miles and all the camping equipment needed for such a
trip. This is my 0,02 cents worth:
1. Always air down to at least 1,2 bar. I guess that is about 16 or so
psi.
2. Avoid spinning your wheels on the pull away, but if you do spin, do
not jerk your foot of the accelerator. Slowly tap off. Sometimes, the
speed change causes the wheels to grip.
3. Don't fear wheel spinning. It is not a good thing, but it is not
the end of the world when it happens.
4. Before pulling off, back up a meter or so and then go forward, even
when not stuck. In fact it is a good habit to, when stopping, backing
up one vehicle lenth immediatly. This causes you to be parked on
compacted sand. Going forward and back ward a few times before finally
stopping also works well.
5. Don't stop in such a manner that you will have to go uphill when you
pull away.
6. If in the sand up to your axles, get someone to rock the vehicle
from side to side while trying to pull away. This allows the wheels to
alternatively grip.
7. Turn your steering wheel from left to right and back continually and
fast. This will sometimes pull you forward.
8. NEVER!!! Drive accross flowing water on sand (river mouth).
9. USe whatever gear selection you feel comfortable with and that works
for the situation. There are no specefic rules. I personally avoid
using low range as that causes the trasfer box to work real hard.
10. If you do get stuck and you are above the high water mark, relax!
Sit down with your ass in the sand and your feet in the water. Have a
beer, check out the scenery, tell you wife you love her. I guess what I
am saying is, take it easy ... there is no way on earth that a 4x4 can
get so stuck in sand that it can not be moved.
an...@eskom.co.za
"(Pete Cresswell)" wrote:
>
> RE/
> > I air down to give
> >the trucks mechanical parts an easier time. I have extensive experience
> >in driving on sand, (various beaches here as well as the Kalahari and
> >Namib deserts) and driving on sand with the wheels pumped to normal
> >pressure will stuff the bearings and gears in your drivetrain at ten
> >times the normal speed.
>
> That sounds like a "keeper" for me.
>
> Could you elaborate on why the drivetrain/bearings suffer so much?
ER ... ahem ... *blush* ... okay, maybe ten times is a bit exagerated.
*grin*
When airing down the tyres you do two things. One, is you make your
footprint wider which can only help. The second, and in my opinion the
more important thing is that you in effect soften the thread and
sidewalls of the tyres. This allows them to give a bit when
encountering a hump that you need to cross. In sand, you are in fact
perpetually crossing a bump as you wheels will each push a neat little
hump for themselves. The softer tyre now "dents" and climb over that
little hump, making the going so much easier.
For instance. Let us assume we have two identical vehicles. The one
has tyres that make a 10 inch footprint at 28 psi. The other one has
tyres that, when aired down to 14 psi make a 10 inch footprint, you will
find that the vehicle with the aired down tyres moves off and maintains
a constant speed much easier on the sand than the exact same vehicle,
with the same footpring, but with hard tyres.
I have found on my own vehcile that with aired down tyres I can easily
drive in third gear hi-range and the same spot with the tyres pumped up,
I either need to use second or first, or if I do move along, I get a lot
of wheelspin.
Okay, a few other things.
First you must realise that I drive long distances in the sand, not just
a short hop at a time. I have had situations where the transferbox and
gearbox get so hot that the floorboard underneath your feet get so hot
that it is impossible to drive with bare feet for instance.
Second, here in the southern tip of Africa we do not have the powerful
vehicles you have, therefore neither the huge tyres you use. A 4x4 with
a 3,4 liter V6 petrol or a 2,8 liter turbo diesel is the norm. You
seldomly see tyres bigger than 31x10.5x15 here.
Thirdly, on these trips the vehicles are usually fully loaded with fuel,
water, food and camping equipment.
Taking all of the above into consideration, it seems to me that there is
a lot of extra strain on the drivetrain when driving in sand. If you do
not air down, you increase that strain by quite a factor and you
increase heat buildup inside the components, speeding up wear and tear
dramatically.
Cheers
Torsten Hoff
mar...@lantic.co.za wrote:
>
[Snip]
> When airing down the tyres you do two things. One, is you make your
> footprint wider which can only help. The second, and in my opinion
the
> more important thing is that you in effect soften the thread and
> sidewalls of the tyres. This allows them to give a bit when
> encountering a hump that you need to cross. In sand, you are in fact
> perpetually crossing a bump as you wheels will each push a neat little
> hump for themselves. The softer tyre now "dents" and climb over that
> little hump, making the going so much easier.
>
> For instance. Let us assume we have two identical vehicles. The one
> has tyres that make a 10 inch footprint at 28 psi. The other one has
> tyres that, when aired down to 14 psi make a 10 inch footprint, you
will
> find that the vehicle with the aired down tyres moves off and
maintains
> a constant speed much easier on the sand than the exact same vehicle,
> with the same footpring, but with hard tyres.
>
Andre,
You are right that airing down makes it easier for the vehicle to keep
moving in soft sand, but I believe that is because the increased
footprint allows it to float on top of the sand, and not sink in.
Take the same exact tire with 30 psi and 15 psi onto hard pavement, and
you'll see that the extra energy required to constantly deform the tire
with the lower pressure adds significant rolling resistance. On a hard
surface, that is a big problem, but off-road in soft sand, it is the
way to go because you don't have to constantly dig out of a self-made
rut as you drive.
Cheers!
Willem-Jan Markerink
>
>
>"(Pete Cresswell)" wrote:
>>
>> RE/
>> > I air down to give
>> >the trucks mechanical parts an easier time. I have extensive
experience
>> >in driving on sand, (various beaches here as well as the Kalahari and
>> >Namib deserts) and driving on sand with the wheels pumped to normal
>> >pressure will stuff the bearings and gears in your drivetrain at ten
>> >times the normal speed.
>>
>> That sounds like a "keeper" for me.
>>
>> Could you elaborate on why the drivetrain/bearings suffer so much?
>
>ER ... ahem ... *blush* ... okay, maybe ten times is a bit exagerated.
>*grin*
>
>footprint wider which can only help.
Actually, when airing down, the increase in footprint *length* is far
more larger than the increase in width. Increasing width with more than a
factor 2 is nearly impossible, doing the same in length is easy.
Which is good, since 'wide' also means more resistance, while 'long' does
not, while 'long' at the same time also increases directional/tracking
stability....which is also why a tall & narrow tire is better than a low &
wide tire, for the same given footprint (even when ignoring
ground clearance).
--
Bye,
Willem-Jan Markerink
The desire to understand
is sometimes far less intelligent than
the inability to understand
<w.j.ma...@a1.nl>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]
Troy Robinson
gear in my trooper and low 2nd or 3rd in my willys