Beach Driving Mass Style

[jptruck]

So, I've done a lot of mud bogging and snow sliding and ice climbing, but surprisingly enough I never really tested my LR3 and/or LR4 in sand. Not that I haven't taken it to the beach, but I haven't been at a place where it was allowed or needed.

So I went to Nantucket. Whole new ballgame. Beach driving there is the way to go. We had two vehicles: one a local jeep and the second being my LR4. If you've never been to Nantucket, know that those are just about the only two vehicles seen on the island. It's also Defender heaven.

Lesson learned: Don't guess on tire pressure. The sand there was/is super, super soft and can be deep in spots. You HAVE to get to around 20psi on tire pressure or you'll sink. My tire gauge was broken, so I just guessed to around 25 psi. I sunk. The good news is once I got to below 20 (with a borrowed guage), I popped right up and had zero issues.

There's been a lot of threads on sand driving, but Sand Mode + 18 psi + 2nd/3rd gear worked like a charm in some real deep stuff. It should be noted that the sidewall on the 19" tire is a liability when airing down. The Jeep's 16" rim gave a lot more float and was easier to drive on the road when going to get air after. That said, I'd rather have the LR4 any day.

Two pics for giggles.

 

[Quijote]

Cool! Never been to Nantucket or the Vineyard. We are planning on going next year.

Hey at least you didn't have 20"-ers.

 

[mbw]

oooooh. I want to do that. not much good beach driving in Iowa.... lol

 

[jptruck]

Cool! Never been to Nantucket or the Vineyard. We are planning on going next year.

Hey at least you didn't have 20"-ers.

I did see plenty of Range Rover Sports out there with 20" on them. They seemed to be doing fine, too. I can see why everyone always says the more sidewall the better.

If you do go for more than a few days, pay the $150 and get the season driving pass. The fine is steep and they do check on the heavily traveled roads. North Point can be accessed on a daily basis, but the day pass is $65. Silliness

 

[Izzyandsue]

I dont know about that, I just watched Shark Week, and according to them there are Great White sharks in the Vineyard that would jump out of the water, wormed through the sand, and eat your tires.

 

[jptruck]

I did some surfing there right after watching that episode on Cape Code great whites. Saw plenty of seals. The Jaws theme song definitely creeped in my head a few times.

 

[Kiyo]

Hi, jptruck and all.
I'm living in Tokyo, Japan and own Discovery4 V8 (LR4).
I had been in Falmouth total abt 1 year. Then also had been to Vineyard and Nantucket.
I saw the good-old name Vineyard&nantucket, so I wanted to post this.
Enjoy LR4!

 

[Kiyo]

Hi, jptruck and all.
I'm living in Tokyo, Japan and own Discovery4 V8 (LR4).
I had been in Falmouth total abt 1 year. Then also had been to Vineyard and Nantucket.
I saw the good-old name Vineyard&nantucket, so I wanted to post this.
Enjoy LR4!

 

[PaulLR3]

Beautiful pictures, have not been to Nantucket in a while. We drive on Duxbury beach a couple of times a week. No need to air down since the sand is not that deep, but that is our plan B if we ever bog down and get stuck. Cooper Zeon LTZ tires on our LR3 are awesome in sand. OE Contis on our LR4 are not. We also bring a 3' x 3' piece of thick plywood to support the jack if we get a flat on the beach.

 

[jptruck]

Beautiful pictures, have not been to Nantucket in a while. We drive on Duxbury beach a couple of times a week. No need to air down since the sand is not that deep, but that is our plan B if we ever bog down and get stuck. Cooper Zeon LTZ tires on our LR3 are awesome in sand. OE Contis on our LR4 are not. We also bring a 3' x 3' piece of thick plywood to support the jack if we get a flat on the beach.

The Contis were no issue as long as they were at the right pressure. I probably drove 3-4 miles in really deep sand, stopping several times, turning, etc. They did fine. They really did well on the 8 hour drive back, too.