06 4x4 Newbe Stuck in Sand

[Coosa Trooper]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I am in need of some advice...I bought a 06 4x4 V6 4Runner when my wife and I found out we were having a baby. I did have a 06 Jeep Rubicon so I needed an upgrade in safety. So my wife and I like to Kayak Fish on the coast and there is a great spot that is accessible by driving through soft sand. We tried to get back there last year but got stuck 3/4 of the way out there. It seemed that the ruts we were driving in started getting deep and the sand pushed against the under carraige and bogged down.

So now I need suggestions. I know I can deflate my tires to 15 PSI but what else would you reccomend? I don't want to sacrifice the safety aspects of the 4runner. Would you go with a lift and bigger/better tires for the sand? I was going to look into a shrokworks front bumper with a winch so I can get myself out of trouble if I get stuck again. Any other reccomendations?

TIA

 

[KidVermicious]

Definitely deflate, and buy/make some traction boards if you plan on spending a lot of time in sand or mud. An exhaust jack or hi-lift with a wheelmate make digging out much easier. Bigger tires will help keep your axles and undercarriage from high centering if the ruts are really bad, and allterrains will generally perform better in sand than allweathers or mudterrains.

Winches are nice, but expensive, and there's not always a place to winch from.

 

[Coosa Trooper]

Thanks Kid. I had heard that you can bury or anchor the winch end in the sand and winch out, but not sure how well that works.

 

[chaz]

maybe get a land anchor. heres one type Pull-Pal winch anchor for 4x4, Jeep, ATV, off-road, all-terrain-vehicle, military, D.O.D., Department of Defense http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wPCF9LePdU

 

[TheTuckerTaxi]

A good air compressor is a must so you can go lower then 15 and air back up to a safe pressure when you are back on the road. Here is a good link to tire pressure for sand driving: Tire Pressures for 4-Wheeling

Below is the air compressor I always keep in my truck. It is one of the most popular 4x4 air compressors but must be connected to the battery terminals, the ones that connect to the 12v socket don't have enough punch. This one is only $70 but there are a couple similar models with different names.

Amazon.com: Master Flow MF-1050 Tsunami High Volume Portable Air Compressor: Automotive

A couple shovels and if you are getting a winch then you can always bury your spare tire in the ground to help pull you out. But if you keep your tire in the stock location you will have a LOT of digging to do.

Like KidVermicious said deflating is the #1 thing along with driving skills (don't drive parallel to the ridge on the side of a steep dune, keep up momentum in the loose stuff, etc.) Getting a basic suspension lift will help along with bigger tires, but low pressure and good driving with a good 4x4 can take you far.

 

[Coosa Trooper]

Good info. Another question...I have a Sport addition and when I was stuck trying to slowly get out it seemed like the 4runner went into a special mode that didn't sound right. It sounded like grinding and a icon on the dash lit up that had 4 wheels with the front two pointed left. Is this normal? What was it trying to do? Sorry to bug you guys with dumb questions. If there is a good place to go to get this knowledge then let me know. Also, does my back window go down?

 

[Whitebeauty]

VSC and TRAC control normal????? yes!...:hiding:

 

[TheTuckerTaxi]

Good info. Another question...I have a Sport addition and when I was stuck trying to slowly get out it seemed like the 4runner went into a special mode that didn't sound right. It sounded like grinding and a icon on the dash lit up that had 4 wheels with the front two pointed left. Is this normal? What was it trying to do? Sorry to bug you guys with dumb questions. If there is a good place to go to get this knowledge then let me know. Also, does my back window go down?

That's the traction control kicking in. If you are stuck: Read the owners manual (I'm doing this from memory...), put it in Neutral, switch to 4LO (wait for it to stop blinking), lock the "diff" and put it back to drive. Nothing should be blinking but there should be a nice array of lights on your dash. Don't go too fast in 4LO!

Yes your back window goes down. The owners manual should be your friend! :zoom:

 

[T4Rget]

Also, does my back window go down?

There is a button basically right next to the key slot by the steering wheel. It has a picture of the rear window and it says "AUTO".

 

[Coosa Trooper]

Very true, I will be spending alot of time reading the owners manual and the forums. I found out how the back window works. Thanks for the info. I also found a good thread about the ATRAC system. Understanding & Using ATRAC II+ - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum

I should be better equiped on my next trip to the beach. I'll look into lifts and other ways to get to the honey hole.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

In the sand you must lock the center diff. You need to keep your speed up in loose sand and keep the rpm up. With the center diff unlocked the traction control system kicks in when it detects wheels spin and it tries to stop the 4runner, it feel like the more gas you give it the harder the brakes try to stop you. Lock the center diff with aire4d down tires and you will easily drive in the sand. If you are dragging on the frame then a lift will help. The first time I drove in deep sand without the center dif locked it would hardly go at all. With it locked it went just fine. When starting out in deep sand be gentle on the gas pedal and try not to spin the tires. Once up to speed and when climbing dunes give it plenty of gas to keep the tires spinning.