BobbyD Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I am new to 4 wheel vehicles so bear with me. I went to Breezy Point yesterday to do a little Surf fishing. When I finally got off the sand trail leading to the beach I started going down the beach in 4L and my tranny shifter in D2. I was going approx. 30mph and the sand was approx. 2" deep. The truck felt as though I was getting a left to right "sliding" of the vehicle. I had my tires deflated to 13lbs. Is this a normal thing? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj big shoe Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I would expect that sliding feeling when aired down to 13psi on sand. First thing is, you're on sand. Second is your treads are planted while your sidewalls are wallowing around so its gonna feel mushy. I am new to 4 wheel vehicles so bear with me. Different terrain will feel different. You'll get used to it once you know what to expect.BTW, I don't know what the "correct" psi for sand is, but I aired my 32" A/Ts down to about 18psi at OBX and it was fine in the loose stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailChaser Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 On the size tires we run anything below 15psi (w/out beadlocks) is asking for trouble. Turning fast on sand with them that low will knock'em off the bead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 define sliding...were u in ruts or not?...i think u r talking about a sway back and forth while in a set of ruts and this would be normal...but i dont think i would have been in 4L...and with a good set of ruts the pathy can go almost anywhere in 2wd on 31's... i used to drive on the beach every weekend down at carolina beach and i've been out to the OBX and as long as im in a set of ruts i can go anywhere in 2wd and sometimes if its rained recently ruts or no ruts it'll go anywhere... and for that i've never dropped my air...i understand if ure driving a big chevy or ford dropping them down to 18 or so but the pathy's so light unless its really bogging down i dont see dropping the air in the tires... also what'd ya catch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 On the size tires we run anything below 15psi (w/out beadlocks) is asking for trouble. Turning fast on sand with them that low will knock'em off the bead. No it won't. I've run 8 psi or less with no problem whatsoever in deep soft sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailChaser Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Why were you running 8psi? I get people from my local club looking at me like I'm crazy for going down to 14-16psi on runs. Most of them seem to run about 20-25psi. I had to clean mud from between my tire and rim after wheeling at 18psi. It was leaking air slowly. I thought I had a hole in the tire that I just couldn't find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IpathyXe Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 under 35 psi can pop the seal from the tire if you hit your side wall, So watch out for flats Unless you have beadlocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) I run 15-18 psi all the time in the sand and rocks, never popped a bead. Another thing, there's no need to be in 4LO goin 30 mph in sand. Edited December 13, 2006 by Pavelow Leaks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) Why were you running 8psi? I get people from my local club looking at me like I'm crazy for going down to 14-16psi on runs. Most of them seem to run about 20-25psi. Sometimes reality is different from "common knowledge". I believe in taking others input (aka, opinion) and then think about the logic behind what they said, and then perform my own experiments! Although I usually stop in the low teens, I've run as low as 10 psi in deep sugar sand with no problems on 31x10.5 Cooper STT's. But I advise you to do your own experiments and make your own decisions. After all, if it doesn't work for you, I'm not going to be there to help you out.... Edited December 13, 2006 by mws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 The tire makes all the difference here gentlemen. I have commercial MT's on my 95 pathy, with a load rating of around 3400lbs PER TIRE. I've aired down to 20psi with NO bulge in the sidewall. I have had them as low as 10psi, with only a small sidewall budge, and had no issues. If you've got a soft sidewall tire, you can't air down as far, conversely, a stiff tire, you can air down a little further, with no adverse affects....at least, that's how it seems to me. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Swampers will go as low as 6 with hardly any sag. It's ridiculous. Hehe. On hillclimbs in sand, tire pressure makes a WORLD of difference. I was having trouble going up a hill in sand at 12 psi, so I went down to 8 and did the climb again and made it. No change in approach length or gearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveMyPatty Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I always run mine at 30, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyD Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Thanks folks! I am aware of popping the bead so I try to make wide turns. I read and printed an article offline but this guy was running BF Goodrich A/T's. So I guess I have to do some experimenting! I'm thinking maybe 15-18 psi will work better. I get in so many debates about airing down. I would say 75% of the people on the beach don't do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedbuggy67 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Some answers people give out on boards you must be careful of. Every tire is different some have bias ply some have radials some stiffer sidewall some softer. I havea beach buggy pass for NJ and drive the beaches quite frequently with my pathfinder. I have tried quite a few different combinations for the sand. My tires im running are 31x10.5 all terrains street i run em hard at 35psi trail harder then average at 20-22 and 18psi sand as i drive 2 blocks back to the house on the street before inflation. Ive tried 35 in the sand def makes the truck lug and work much harder same for 25. Big differnce running 16-18psi. ive tried 4lo and 4hi for sand and here in jersey 2wd will only get you stuck. My tires make funny sounds going through the sand and in 4hi 1st gear ( i have an auto) i'll get some pinging when going up and down some risesin the sand (sand takes power) so ive tried prem fuel and that stopped the pinging for straight sand driving. 4low in 2nd works fine ive found. We have a beach speed limit of 15mph. guys that run mikey thompsons seem to do the best. here's a link and some info on beach driving for jersey. http://www.njbba.org/access.html my bottom line is 16-18psi in 4lo to use the gearing advantage. (removing the stock fender silencer for a second airbox opening helped quite a bit!) let the truck sort of find the ruts don't try to fight the wheel all the time same with mud trucks trying to get the least resistance. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 I get in so many debates about airing down. I don't..... anymore. I just smile and nod my head.... yeah... yeah.... whatever. Then I go do what works for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Case in point: See the photo to the left? 27 psi front, 24 psi rear. Those figures were achieved using guidance from a Dunlop tire engineer, a pyrometer, and many, many laps of testing. I just quit answering the question of what I run, because most guys would insist it was wrong and wouldn't work. The previous 2000 track miles of data were considered irrelevant by them. So I resorted to saving my breath... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 well the good thing about sand is if ure in a rut that leads out and u go really really easy u can get to asphault or hard pack jack it up and use various different techniques to re inflate the tire or put on the spare... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyD Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 I keep hearing beadlocks, can you have them put on your tires or the tires come with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbinger Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but beadlocks come on rims, not tires. So its a pretty spendy upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but beadlocks come on rims, not tires. So its a pretty spendy upgrade. you would be correct, and they are also illegal to run on the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLouisGod Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 One of the few things illegal here in Florida is beadlocks on the street. I used stock pressure on my ats in 4h and had no trouble crossing a few dunes out on the island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 y would bead locks be illegal...that doesnt make sense to me...if u go flat and still have rubber on the rim whats the danger?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I don't know why they are, I just know they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 they're about the only thing that IS legal here in cali...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I see beadlocks all the time on the road over here. Why would they be illlegal? That's crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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