LR4 On The Beach Advice

[brokenneckcp]

Yup. That's how I did it and it went OK. No sand mode or low ratio transmission. Just DSC off and high suspension setting.

What size are those wheels? If they're 18" you should get some meatier tires

 

[alexcorral]

Luckily they are 18" wheels. AT 265/65 tires are on the shopping list.Maybe even some 285/65 together with a set of johnson rods. I'll post pics.

For sand these tires did just fine but for some of the trips we wanna take I'd like a good set of AT tires.

 

[Nova]

lr4 on beach

Just traded in a wrangler that was lifted by 2 inches and had 35 inch tires on it. Purchased a 2013 lr4. I took it to a beach on Long island to try it out. At First, I aired down to 18 psi on stock tires, shut off dsc, lifted lr4 to off road setting and put in 2 gear. Looked for the thickest sand i could find. No problem! It handled it great. Next I inflated tires to 29 psi and did the same thing. Again no problem!. I then Inflated tires to on road capacity. 42 in rears and 36 in front. This time I started to bog down a bit but did not get stuck. I now know that I have to air down to 29 psi to get great traction. Its better than running a tire so low that a sharp rock could puncture it.

 

[Surfrider77]

Generally speaking, lower pressure means it is more difficult for rock punctures. (Tire just deforms around the obstruction) The worry with low PSI is either wheel damage if you do not have much sidewall left between the obstruction and the wheel or if your pressure is too low on the sand and you (foolishly) make a quick turn, you can roll the tire off the wheel or break the seal instantly deflating the tire. 18 psi is exactly what I run on my truck with Nitto Dune Grapplers. I think I was somewhere around 20psi with my factory 19" wheels before that.

Sand driving is all about "float". You want as much surface area to touch the sand as possible, so the lower the psi the better. For traction / float: slicks work best, followed by purpose sand tires, followed by well worn street tires, followed by regular street tires, then A/Ts, followed by M/Ts. Muds are horrible in sand because they are designed to "dig". It's basically the exact opposite of what you want in the sand.

I off-road exclusively in the sand living here in the Middle East, so hit me up with any questions you might have.

 

[jptruck]

You don't need to air down the Land Rover. The off-road system allows you to drive in the sand worry free. I don't even put it in "sand mode". Just get at it.

Be careful if you do air down. The reason 4x4 drivers air down their tires is because they CAN and get crazy grip. A tire like the BFG Mud or All Terrain has a Kevlar side wall and a thicker bead to allow for some good "mash" of the tires when aired down. Basically all that means is that the tire will stay attached to the wheel. With a lower profile tire, like those that come on stock LR4s, you just won't get that effect. Try it without airing down, grab your juevos, and you'll be surprised.

Don't want to get stuck... park on a hill. And don't forget you can always go backwards.

Not to revive this thread right as summer is ending, but LR4s do get stuck in sand (I can attest). Depends on the softness of the sand.

IF you do get stuck, or if you know you are going to be in soft sand, AIR DOWN TO 18-19 PSI. Sub 20PSI is crucial. I went almost to my axle, aired down, and then just popped right out of the hole. It's magic (not really), but it is the key to easily operating in soft conditions.

 

[jptruck]

Always fun. . .

 

[PaulLR3]

Sand driving is all about "float". You want as much surface area to touch the sand as possible, so the lower the psi the better. For traction / float: slicks work best, followed by purpose sand tires, followed by well worn street tires, followed by regular street tires, then A/Ts, followed by M/Ts. Muds are horrible in sand because they are designed to "dig". It's basically the exact opposite of what you want in the sand.

I off-road exclusively in the sand living here in the Middle East, so hit me up with any questions you might have.

I completely agree with your tire recommendation. As much as I like the Cooper Zeons for how they look, handle and almost never hydroplane, they are too aggressive in sand when new. They do tend to dig when starting from a complete stop on sand, especially if going uphill. Their sand ability improves with wear. Almost all of my offroading is in sand on a nearby drive-on beach. My next LR4 tires will probably be a street tire like the Michelin Latitude or Nokian zLine SUV.

 

[PaulLR3]

Not to revive this thread right as summer is ending, but LR4s do get stuck in sand (I can attest). Depends on the softness of the sand.

Oh yes, I have experienced this myself when a 4runner bogged down in front of me and I had to stop. I just sank if trying to go forward and had to back up really far to get to solid ground and start over. I guess a rear-engine LR4 would be the ultimate sand vehicle with superior front float.

I've noticed that a lot of people in my town have recently traded-in their LR3's for a new LR4 but didn't bother getting the HD package. It will be interesting to see how these do on the beach next summer without low gear.

 

[umbertob]

Good point. On the plus side, 2014+ have an additional 2 gears to play with in high range, so the first one should be pretty short, torquey and revvy with Terrain Response set in Sand mode. I think they will do just fine in sand, it's over the rocks that the lack of a low range can really hurt forward momentum (there is no "Rock crawl" TR response program anymore unless you get the HD Pack with 2-sp transfer case.)

Speaking of rocks and completely OT, any fellow LR4 owners here planning to attend the Western National Land Rover Rally in Sedona, AZ, next week?

 

[jwest]

Speaking of rocks and completely OT, any fellow LR4 owners here planning to attend the Western National Land Rover Rally in Sedona, AZ, next week?

tell us more...


I think it would be fun to try the BFG KM2 in 305/60x18 on sand at about 25 psi. 32.5" and over 12" wide.... Even if you got stuck it would still look so incredibly cool