iSurfvilano
Full Access Member
I am your resident sand expert here in the desert. You need to first identify what surface you are most frequently driving on. Sand and Mud patterns are pretty much exact opposite, so if you are good in one you are typically bad in the other. Mud, you need wide blocks to eject packed mud out of the treads. These tires dig for traction, as designed. Sand tires are all about float and digging is the last thing you want. More surface area, the better. With that said, you want as much surface area as possible so the wider 285s are going to be your best option.
In regards to airing down, 20 psi is really conservative. I typically run 16-18 myself and I know others running down 12-15 (typically on lighter trucks). If you had beadlocks you can go down further! The whole issue with rolling the tire off the rim is 95% down to driver error. You simply can't take corners at speed! It's all about learning new driving habits for the sand. I can't stress this enough. There are a lot of YouTube videos out there to get you started with some great information.
@Surfrider77 @VTBike Let's just clarify that all sand is not created equal, desert sand is not the same as coastal sand, and coastal sand is not the same as sandbar coquina sand....therefore the tire type is also dependant upon the type of sand you are driving on. Where I live, the sand is more coquina based but has patches of black, sticky sand...but there are also pockets of soft sugar sand near the areas which are dredged (i live on a sandbar for the most part so every mile is different and sketchy) --- I have have a county permitted pass to go on a strip of beach that requires a special vehicle inspection and the few miles of coastline has all different types of sand, all of which I have found myself stuck in and also found ways to get out...I found that the best tire for me is a chunky baja tire....I ran mickey thompson baja atz p3s on my last vehicle but they don't make them in my current rim size for the LR4 so I chose the GY wrangler duratracs because I found that using more "sugar-sand" friendly tires just doesn't work for multi purpose sand, especially the sticky chunky black coastal sand.
I totally agree with @Surfrider77 on learning how to drive in sand (driver habits), but I would suggest learning how to get unstuck first and foremost....in other words, get stuck a lot and learn to get out! I am so surprised that more people don't purposely go out and get stuck....that's how you learn, and it really freakin' fun! Buy yourself a set of maxtrax or treds and completely forget about airing down your tires...having a set of these recovery tracks is SOOOO CRUCIAL IN SAND!!! Once things start slowing down for me I plan on creating a youtube series on how to get out of these different sand types with my LR4 with duratracs and my neighbor's single speed LR4 with conti tires...so I can put an end to this "single speed" vs "low gear" LR4 conversation and show it has everything to do with driver and their habits and less to do with a low gear...well, at least in variations of sand (I won't disagree with the need for low gear in rock climbing situations)
But more importantly....is that a soft top board??? C'mon man!!! lol