Beach Driving - Tire/Wheel Suggestions

[AdvGuy]

I'm thinking about beach trips this summer and curious about driving on the beach. Have seen some awesome pics on some threads of folks driving on hard packed sand but want to know about soft sand...

I have 20" wheels with the stock Pirelli scorpions. The wheels are low profile... so lowing air pressure is limited... i'm very concerned i'll literally sink in the sand...

Should I be considering a set of 18" wheels/tires for going out into the Outer Banks (NC)? I'd like to be able to go where I went with my 4Runner - and enjoy camping out on remote stretches of beach...

Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[bushway9172]

BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO's are known for good sand performance, as well as Nitto Dune Grapplers.

 

[PaulLR3]

My neighbor has the 20" wheels with OE Pirelli Scorpions and has gotten stuck a few times on a nearby beach. He's afraid to air down with the low profile tires.

I would suggest you get a second set of wheels & tires. The ideal beach setup would be 18" Compmotive wheels with BFG All Terrain TA KO's or Nitto Dune Grapplers that bushway9172 noted above.

For beach driving, I went with a used set of 19" LR4 wheels I bought on ebay and Cooper Zeon LTZ tires. They work great in sand and I never bother to air down. However, our MA beach sand is not as soft or deep as NC. You may have to air down when in the Outer Banks.

 

[danrhiggins]

It has been decades since I have been to the Outer Banks. I can imagine that would be a very cool place to enjoy an LR4! If you do it I would love to see pictures. No sandy beaches here in Colorado.

 

[jptruck]

I was on the beaches of Nantucket last summer, and the sand there is EXTREMELY soft. That said, I saw a number of guys rocking 20 inch tires and having zero issues. Just make sure you air down to sub-20, no lower than 15 (18 is best). You probably won't have issues no matter what the tire.

 

[umbertob]

Agreed, 17-18 PSI should work fine with your 20s on soft sand (we have some beaches like that here in Cali, Oceano Dunes OHV comes to mind.) Just remember that your low profile sidewalls are not very flexing and giving when deflated, so by all means maintain momentum to avoid getting bogged down in the sand, but don't shred them or attempt turning on a dime, as your chances of accidentally popping a bead are substantially higher than other vehicles with more "cushion" and sidewall. Have a great time, driving in soft sand is a blast!

 

[jptruck]

Bring a shovel. I find that my rubber floor mats also serve as a good tool to shove under the tire if you do bog down in the sand. Tire pressure it critical, though. Can't stress how important it is to get it right. 25PSI just won't work.

It's embarrassing to bog, but it happens. Some places you just can't keep up speed or some kid runs out in front of you. Just because it's a $60,000 off-road powerhouse (supposedly) doesn't mean it won't sink in the wrong spot.

 

[AdvGuy]

Just got a quote on Comp pd1880 wheels which is about $2,150 excl tires.. Allot to spend to drive on the sand. I appreciate the great feedback! Umbertob - i'll probably try your recommendation first. i'll just avoid going to areas with really soft sand.

Love the suggestion of using the floor mats!

 

[toddjb122]

I'm thinking about beach trips this summer and curious about driving on the beach. Have seen some awesome pics on some threads of folks driving on hard packed sand but want to know about soft sand...

I have 20" wheels with the stock Pirelli scorpions. The wheels are low profile... so lowing air pressure is limited... i'm very concerned i'll literally sink in the sand...

Should I be considering a set of 18" wheels/tires for going out into the Outer Banks (NC)? I'd like to be able to go where I went with my 4Runner - and enjoy camping out on remote stretches of beach...

Appreciate your thoughts.

1st, where are sand campsites you can drive to in OBX? Would love to do that!

2nd, I do this all the time in OBX. I have an LR3 though with the 19" wheels and even with those I always felt much more limited than the guys with 18" wheels who have dozens of more tires to choose from and nice big fat sidewalls.

Anyway, definitely air down. I am not familiar with your 20" wheels but on my 19" my mechanic told me LR made the wheels so it is VERY difficult to pop a bead with low air pressure (which was always my fear). He said it is actually a pain to change tires on the rims because of the shape. That's good for us. It is certainly still a concern but don't feel like you have to tip-toe around. Good point someone mentioned, though, about the low profile sidewalls not flexing as much...

Anyway, with sand mode and low tire pressure I have only gotten stuck a few times after a lot of driving. Only had to get pulled out once. The other 2-3 times I simply found that the tire pressure was not as low as I thought...getting it down to high teens is perfect. (buy a digital airpressure gauge) Put in 4 low. As long as you didn't bury yourself up to the frame you'll probably be able to drive out.

Pack a tow strap AND the hardware to connect it to your LR4. Depending on your strap you may need some u-bolts or something.

Finally, just accept the fact that it will not drive as effortlessly on soft sand as that old 4runner. Those mid-size SUVs are great. Nice big tires, light, and you can jump out on the beach without even lowering tire pressure. Not so with the LR3/4 no matter what Land Rover says. So....ummm, always stop near the high tide line. Just in case you are there for a while.

3rd, if you are going in the Hatteras area you will find the 4x4 driving area to be significantly reduced and much more of a PITA than it used to be.

 

[AdvGuy]

toddjb122 - thanks for the reply! The primary locations for me are: Cape Lookout and Ocracoke.

Umbertob & jptruck - both recommended lowering my tire pressure to 18lbs or so, which is what i'm going to do. I'll let you guys know how it goes.