Doh! Stuck in the sand again...

[toddjb122]

...this is not a complaint. Just sharing a minor experience. I'm sure you mud and rock guys have gotten into much more serious situations that you were able to winch yourselves out of.

For the second time in 64,000 miles, and a good bit of beach driving, I got stuck in the sand. I think those are pretty good odds, but it always stinks when it happens.

Just like last time I was able to get out w/o a tow- I just dropped the tire pressure into the high teens, switched to 4Low, and dug some sand away from the chassis. Came out fine. (I drive approx. 20/24psi for a week at the beach). There had not been much rain and this was extremely soft sand I would not have normally stopped in.

I was driving out to the tip of Cape Hatteras on a narrow dune trail. Came around a blind turn and there was a pickup truck coming the other way. We both stopped for a few seconds. As soon as I restarted I could feel the truck digging down. I stopped before it got too deep and the other guy was extremely nice and helped dig me out! Good karma. It also looked like I was not in offroad height and the rear spare tire/axle dug in. Its possible that I may have been exceeding the 25mph (?) minimum earlier and the truck dropped to Normal w/o me realizing it. I tend to tune out those warning beeps sometimes....

Anyway, I got out there and had a great day at the point as tropical storm hanna pushed some nice wind at us on Friday. Saturday we stayed off the water until the storm passed. And yes, that little volkswagon AWD van next to me traversed the same trails as me and probably didn't get stuck!

 

[PicnSav]

Todd,

I'm planning my first trip to the sand dunes in Pismo Beach, CA.

Here are some things I plan on doing to drive in the sand.
1) air down to 18 psi
2) drive in sand mode and low gear
3) turn DSC off
4) drive in offroad height

Is there anything else I should do when driving in the sand?

Thanks,

Greg

 

[toddjb122]

Greg, I think you should be fine. I don't know how soft those dunes are, though.

Of your list, if you want to keep it simple try 1, 2 & 4 and don't worry about Low mode. If you run into problems then you may want to consider trying it. If you're with other people you can experiment and see how everything works. As long as you stop before you are buried up to your chassis you can usually get out of it on your own like I have. Bring a small shovel & tow strap. Take off your front and rear tow point covers before you hit the sand. (easier to access if you need them)

I used to turn DSC off but it was just one extra step I had to do so i don't bother any more. It seems to drive fine.

The other steps are just the obvious ones of paying attention to where you are stopping. Try not to be on hills or in soft sand if there are firmer options. On this trip (after getting stuck) I started to drive a line and then double back to look at my tracks before stopping. I'd stop in a place where my tracks were shallow and avoid the spots where they were deep.

The most important step is to have fun, take pictures, and report back here!

 

[Houm_WA]

Todd....just my opinion...but maybe not worrying about Low mode is what got you stuck twice. Putting the truck in 4-Lo is the FIRST thing I do when I leave pavement. More control, more torque, more traction.

...of course you still have to balance the torque vs. traction equation and avoid spinning your tires!

 

[ChuckD]

Todd....just my opinion...but maybe not worrying about Low mode is what got you stuck twice. Putting the truck in 4-Lo is the FIRST thing I do when I leave pavement. More control, more torque, more traction.

...of course you still have to balance the torque vs. traction equation and avoid spinning your tires!

I use the command shift and start off in second or third gear (4-Lo) to avoid spinning the wheels from too much torque.

We'll be at Hatteras early in October!! Can't wait!!

ChuckD

 

[PaulLR3]

Me too...I switch to Low just before going onto the beach. I can control the throttle better in low and keep the revs up for better traction. Our LR3 is amazing on the beach compared to our previous vehicles, an MDX & Q7. We had a head to head situation with our Q7 where both vehicles came to a stop to barely squeeze by each other. The Discovery drove away and our Q7 sank, followed by lots of digging and pushing. Before this summer I traded the Q7 for an LR3 and have really enjoyed the beach ever since.

 

[toddjb122]

I skip low because many parts of the beach are good for higher speed driving and doesn't Low have limits or just rev annoyingly high?

Anyway, both times I had stopped in places I shouldn't have. That's what got me stuck! 5000 lbs will sink...now, had I known it was a sinky point, then I could have put it in low before I sunk, eh? But where's the fun in a low range drive down the beach. Some of those runs are 12 miles each way - I'll take my low risks with high range. 2 digs in 64K ain't bad, and I learned a little more each time about avoiding the situation.

Main reason, though, is I want to know how my truck drives in its default settings. There are many times that I will have someone else drive my truck out on the beach and I don't want to give them 20 different things to do that they won't remember. If I just say put it in off road height and turn it to sand...they'll relax and remember. If I add on the DSC & Low Range & anything else it just stresses people out and they screw it up. So, I drive it "plain" and then I know how it handles and you know what...it handles just fine!

 

[tommithy]

You can easily drive 35 - 40 mph in Low. The six speed transmission comes in handy.

 

[nwoods]

Greg, are you going with Off Roving in October? if so, I'll be there too!

Todd, we've discussed our different approaches to sand driving before (on this forum). Pismo is very soft sand and VERY hilly! DSC off is a must, low range is a must, aired way down is very important.

These are my sand tips for the LR3, and they are ideal for hilly dunes like Pismo:
http://blog.nextstepdesigns.com/?p=62

 

[toddjb122]

Agreed!

Tear it up.

Post pictures!

In the end, it is whatever works well for you in your situation. Comfort, confidence & fun!