Beach driving without the heavy duty package?

[PaulLR3]

Finally found a nice used LR3 and of course, it doesn't have the heavy duty package that I had hoped for. We're moving to a town with a drive-on beach and our Q7 can only travel on packed ruts without getting bogged down. We want an LR3 so we can go anywhere on the beach. Those of you with beach driving experience, do I really need the locking rear differential for driving in sand? Thanks!

 

[98GRDisco]

nope it is not need but it is nice to have.

 

[clydon]

i drive my disco 1 on the beach almost every day in the summer. i usually lock the differential but have driven on without locking it and haven't had problems. as long as you let air out of the tires should be fine.

 

[nwoods]

I have been able to do okay on the sand with a locker, but throw away the Goodyears and get something more suitable like the BFG's, Coopers, or Nitto's

 

[ChuckD]

We did fine near Hatteras without a locker on our '07. Airing down helps a lot as well as starting out in second gear with the "computer" in sand mode.

ChuckD