Hoping for some help from any members here who use their LR2/FL2 on soft, beach sand.

My question: What kind of tires are you using, and to what PSI do you air them down when readying your vehicle for a ride on the beach?

I ask because I took my LR2 on the beach here in New Jersey, USA and it got stuck. Fortunately, someone was there to lend a hand, but I'd like to avoid such unpleasantness in the future – especially given how fast the high tide comes in on the coastal barrier island where I live.

We, admittedly, aired down rather slightly. Since then, I've been reading on some U.S. Jeep forums that those folks air down to 10psi. We were still at about 25psi, which I suspect was the issue. For reference, I'm using Conti CrossContact 235R/60-18 tires. The beach sand here is very soft, which is wonderful for spring/summer/fall beach lounging, but perhaps causes some extra precautions to have to be taken when driving.

Thanks! CAR HISTORY
1997 Saab 900 SE 2.0 Turbo
2003 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T
2008 Land Rover LR2 SE 2.3 I6

If you search for +psi +sand it will bring up a few threads that have been discussed

Such as http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic10395.html?highlight=psi+sand

Failing that' there's always....

I find 15psi is pretty bullet proof on sand. I would only drop it further if I was stuck. The trick on sand is to not try too hard to rev your way out as you usually just dig a bigger hole. Tyre choice on sand is not as important but aggressive off road tyres dig holes quicker. Low profile 18/19" don't bag out much as the sidewall is thinner so not as good as 17's. Turn the DSC off and drive the sand mode manually. Really soft sand will sink most cars so keep the momentum up and don't stop unless you are on some sort of a slope however slight. Take off again down the slope. Cheers.

mikehzz wrote:

I find 15psi is pretty bullet proof on sand. I would only drop it further if I was stuck. The trick on sand is to not try too hard to rev your way out as you usually just dig a bigger hole. Tyre choice on sand is not as important but aggressive off road tyres dig holes quicker. Low profile 18/19" don't bag out much as the sidewall is thinner so not as good as 17's. Turn the DSC off and drive the sand mode manually. Really soft sand will sink most cars so keep the momentum up and don't stop unless you are on some sort of a slope however slight. Take off again down the slope. Cheers.

If you park nose pointing down even the littlest of slopes it helps a lot. You usually find it up away from the water a bit but the sand is softer up there too.

Take four small(ish) pieces of hardboard and park the wheels on them to spread the load and stop the car sinking. Like the caravanners do (ssssh - CG may be lurking).

oh the joys of taking pieces of wood on holiday with you  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Arrrgh - I knew he'd be there. Don't the chicks need feeding or something? (Actually I bet you have staff to do that. Eastern European and living in caravans....?)

You'll start him off

not if he's stuck in the sand

I must say I have never worried about the car sinking in soft sand while it is parked. Generally you go down only when your wheels are spinning because they are just digging a hole and not going forward. The standard recovery item here for sand are called Max Trax. They are a portable ramp that you wedge under the wheels once you know you aren't going to be able to move anymore but before you hit the floor pan. Once again, don't stop to pick them up until you are up on a bit of a slope or you will just bog again when you try to move. I've had to walk back 1/2 a kilometre to pick up recovery gear as it wasn't advisable to stop the momentum.

Another tip, on sand try not to use your brakes. Let yourself roll to a stop then you don't have a build up of sand in front of the wheel. Stopping is never an issue on soft sand, you stop quickly enough without the brakes. My son's girlfriend bogged our FL2 very quickly when she got spooked by another car and slammed the brakes on. She created a nice little ramp down into a hole that we couldn't reverse out of nor drive forward from.

You can check Post #13 here for some LR2 specific sand driving comments: http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/showth...ost654211.

mikehzz wrote:

I must say I have never worried about the car sinking in soft sand while it is parked. Generally you go down only when your wheels are spinning because they are just digging a hole and not going forward. The standard recovery item here for sand are called Max Trax. They are a portable ramp that you wedge under the wheels once you know you aren't going to be able to move anymore but before you hit the floor pan. Once again, don't stop to pick them up until you are up on a bit of a slope or you will just bog again when you try to move. I've had to walk back 1/2 a kilometre to pick up recovery gear as it wasn't advisable to stop the momentum.

Have you used the MaxTrax system yourself? It looks great, though pretty expensive.

There is a US retailer in Florida (where I'll be heading in two weeks) so perhaps I'll check them out in the flesh. But if you've used them, please let us know how they worked with the FL2!  CAR HISTORY
1997 Saab 900 SE 2.0 Turbo
2003 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T
2008 Land Rover LR2 SE 2.3 I6