beach driving

cheapcherokee89

Active Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Location
oxford
Whats the normal air pressure that everyone airs down to before driving on the north end at carolina beach? Ive always had 1/2 ton trucks or lighter vehicles (with lift kits) out on the north end, but now have a 2500 and fixing to take it on its maiden voyage in the sand and im kinda nervous about the weight and smaller tires. Its running 285 terra grapplers just fyi. Just curious what a safe air pressure is for maximum "foot print"
 
I've never needed to air down out there, have only needed 4wd a time or two. I did air down when I was on the OBX for a week, made the ride smoother. But I would say you would probably be ok 15-20psi.
 
How do you guys think a lightweight like an s10 blazer would do? I would really like to cruise on the beach!
 
I never air down. But I would just go for 18psi in your truck you'll be fine. Some one will snatch you out. If not post up here I'll send my brother out to get ya.


Sent from my Tapatalk using iPhone.
 
Damn 80 psi? How does every bump in the road feel? :flipoff2: Being that there is no diesel up front and more importantly...you have lockers and a winch...I wouldnt even worry about tire pressure.
 
I'd air down *now*.

You should be fine with 40-50 front and 30 rear on the road empty.
 
My Dodge 2500 runs fine on that beach air'd up. It's an auto, so sometimes freaks me out having to mash the peddle, but no issues with actual sinkage. By comparison, my YJ I don't air down either - unless I'm hauling the trailer as well (not at the north end tho, south at Ft. Fisher).
 
tracks.jpg

If your tire tracks look like this picture, you have too much air pressure, and your tires are constantly digging down and climbing out, digging down and climbing out, etc. Air down until your tracks are flat.
 
How do you guys think a lightweight like an s10 blazer would do? I would really like to cruise on the beach!
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The lighter the better. My old TJ had no problem at stock air pressure on any of the beaches I rode on with 9.5" and 10.5" wide tires. My 3rd Gen 4Runner does ok at stock air pressure on 9.5" wide tires, but it's nowhere near as easy going as the TJ and it does a whole lot better aired down a bit. The heavier trucks I've ridden in needed to be aired down. Especially the pickups without a load in the bed.
 
Hasn't anyone here seen the old upteenthousand pound 70something ford ice cream truck on pizza cutter tires out there??? That thing goes like hell:lol: Going this wknd with a couple newbies from here, leaving my button clutch pig at home.
 
cheapcherokee89 said:
tires currently have 80psi in them. It is a power wagon, so it has lockers and geared low. but ill air it down and go from there. thanks
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WOW :eek:

Do you permanently run around with a gooseneck trailer attached or a bed full of dirt? There is no reason you should drive around with the pressure that high if you are not loaded. You shouldn't need any more than 50-60 psi up front and 40-50 in the back normally. That will give you a better ride, and possibly more even treadwear (less wear in the center due to crowning from the high pressure.)
 
i didnt realize they were at 80 psi, til yesterday. i dont drive but a mile to work and a mile home so i actually no ive never noticed the road being bumpy as hell. but ill def put them down to around 50. Thanks
 
I dont know about down there but up on the obx i run 15psi....mainly due to the dune crossovers and the wider stretches of beach get pretty deep. I also wind up pullin all the idiots that think theyre camrys and mallcrawlers with 90,000psi in their mud grapplers out. On the street i run 70 only bc im always switching between hauling my loaded trailer to weight in the back to takin the wife places
 
redneckjeep87 said:
...I also wind up pullin all the idiots that think theyre camrys and mallcrawlers....
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You'd be surprised, I was sitting out on Carova Beach one day, roughly 8 miles from where the pavement stops and the sand starts, when I see a black Chrysler 300 blast by in the deeper sand closer to the dunes. I promptly sat my beer down, told myself I had enough, then googled on my phone and figured out they came in AWD versions, laughed and picked my beer back up.
 
GCncsuHD said:
You'd be surprised, I was sitting out on Carova Beach one day, roughly 8 miles from where the pavement stops and the sand starts, when I see a black Chrysler 300 blast by in the deeper sand closer to the dunes. I promptly sat my beer down, told myself I had enough, then googled on my phone and figured out they came in AWD versions, laughed and picked my beer back up.
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I went to Nags Head a few weeks back, headed over to Hatteras to do some tooling around and site seeing in my FWD Lincoln...all of a sudden pavement ran out on a back road I was on...I had sad to the left of me, sand to the right and about a 300yd stretch of sand in front of me before I saw pavement again. I'd be damned if I was going to reverse out, or get stuck turning around...so I got some good speed going, hit the sand in front of me, made it to about the 250yd mark before I started getting worried, 50 yds later at about 5500rpm and 3mph...I made it to freedom.
 
I've only had my CJ in the sand, with 33s. The cross overs are the tough areas. I get twice the flotation, & 1/2 the drag, when aired down! 26psi, on road,, 15psi, in sand.:driver:
 
Since this has turned into a general beach driving thread... sorry OP, but airing down is certainly a "belt and suspenders" technique highly recommended any time you're driving on sand that you're not familiar with - or if you are, and know you need to!
 
Come down to ramp 55 or 45 at Hatteras/Buxton and dont air down. You will get stuck or burn your tranny up. I drop to 25 in my diesel EX. Hit pea gravel with a infla
ted tire and you dig to your axels in 3-5 seconds.
 
Everybody rises to a challenge but, again, the smarter part of valor... particularly if I'm hauling the M416 on the obx, ft. fisher, etc. Just for the record tho, the north end at CB is pretty much like Daytona Beach (or at least the rough parts), so you'll see skilled drivers in nearly every type of vehicle.
 
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