Driving 2012 SR5 in loose sand?

B

Boyced

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Need advise: I will be using our SR5 to access a beach house we have rented at corolla NC. If the sand is loose would you recommend turning off the traction control and using 4H or leave the Traction control ingaged? Maybe 4L would be a better option and if so do i use A-TRAC?

Thanks :lookout:
 
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I used to drive in deep, loose sand almost every day, and 4Lo was the only way to go. 2H and 4H would result in bogging down right off the get go.
Mind you, this was Northern Canada and not a beach, but loose sand is loose sand. I suppose it would depend on how deep it is b4 you hit the more consolidated earth underneath. Also, I was in a Jeep Cherokee with QuadraTrac, so there are going to be some differences compared to the 4Runner when trying to gain traction in 4Hi.

As far as A-Trac goes, not sure it would help all that much if all 4 wheels are in the same sand and losing traction at the same rate. I would say that trying to keep good forward momentum and avoiding sharp turns will help you the most. A-Trac takes a bit of time to do its thing and uses braking to actuate, so not the best for forward momentum. Maybe I'm way off base here, but it just seems logical.
Oh, and airing down your tires can certainly help, although not required.

Assuming your vehicle is stock and you're not planning any mods to aid in sand or mud, this is the best advice that I can give you. I'm sure there will be plenty of more experienced sand runners chiming in to give you a hand.
 
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The most important thing I have learned about driving in deep sand... Is bring a shovel and something to drive up on if you bog down. I use a set of dirtbike loading ramps. Works great. Ohhh and air down, and don't have mud tires. And have 4wd. And a tow strap. And some water to drink while your wife and father in law go out and go fishing while your ass is stuck there digging out the car that she got stuck in the first place. I mean I didn't want to go freaking fishing at all! I was tired and had been gone for work for two weeks but she didn't need to be out there by herself with her 70 year old dad carting crap around. GOD DANG IT!!!
 
eddiebx said:
I think the more important thing to do is air down your tires :)

^^^^^^^ I agree.

I usually run about 15 psi on the sand in 4hi and have never had any problems. Make sure the shovel you bring is something you can actually dig with (Not the time for garden trowels and not something made by fisher price.) Make sure to bring something to use as a base for your jack should you need to use it ( 18x18 piece of plywood). Be smooth with the skinny pedal and avoid tight turns. When you exit the sand, dont forget that the tire pressure is very low. You don't want to roll the tire off the wheel.
Click to expand...
 
Oh...and for God's sake... keep the runner out of the water. You don't want to be that guy getting laughed at over on the Heep Forums because you got stuck near the low tide mark.
 
Sand

I agree with Eddiebx and Mace. I was able to run on loose sand with my stock Dunlops at 15 psi. 4H for flatland and 4L for dune climbing.
 
When it comes to running in deep sand tire pressure is the main thing. 15psi and 4wd will walk without problem in most beaches. 15psi, 4lo and ATRAC will do things that will surprise you - like walk a vehicle twice your weight that has buried itself in loose sand without spinning a tire....

Click the pic for the video.



David
 
I found 4 low to be just the thing. I'm new to my t4r and was surprised the transmission just kept shifting and got me up to speed. Atrac not necessary. I always made sure I had water in case a hike was in store.
 
ATRAC is seamless, you can't tell its engaged unless its triggered due to a lack of traction. It places no stress on tires, brakes, engine, drivetrain, etc.

Why wouldn't you use it??????

David
 
i'm here at the outer banks now and have driven up to corolla's beach access all week, just air down to 15-18psi. i have been down to 16 and tried 26. 18 was my favorite, it was hard to get myself stuck with these duratracs.. i even went thru a mysterious puddle back in the neighborhoods(STAY OUT OF) i had water over my hood but the 4runner pulled outta it like a champ.. but i won't be doing that again LOL

ive seen lots of stock 4runners up here sr5 and limited's do just fine MAKE SURE YOU AIR DOWN my friend in his new dodge ram thought he'd be ok at 30psi from 42psi and he got stuck.. he aired down to 13psi ans shoveled a little bit and pulled out of it.
 
well if i had to guess i'd say 3.5ft maybe 4.. looked like a friendly puddle until i was almost half way in.. and of course the forward movement brought water up well over the hood.
 
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