What else do you need for beach driving?

[seancgn68]

Newbie here who just bought a 2005 V6 4Runner Ltd. two weeks ago, and have never had a 4-wheel drive vehicle before. I am heading down to OBX, NC next month and wanted to take it out on the beach. I have no mods of any kind. Can a stock 4Runner handle the beach with no problem, or are there other things I should/need to invest in. I already have an air compressor, and understand tire pressure should be around 10-12psi. What should I avoid? What maintenance should be done afterwards?

 

[Expat]

Avoid salt water
Wash undercarriage with high pressure and get into all nooks and crannies
Recovery strap and shackles
Avoid traversing steep sand dunes (going sideways across)
Be prepared for a long session of vacumning afterwards
If in dunes, an orange flag on a tall mast is good so others can see your coming
Don't turn abruptly on tires that have low pressure
I guess depending upon the area, you might want some form of communication (CB or cell) in case you get get stuck and the tide is rising. Maybe have a phone number already written down of a tow company who might come to the rescue if there's no-one to help you out.
A shovel
Tire pressure guage

Have lots of fun

 

[Good Times]

2x4 or 4x4 blocks of wood
towels
straps would be a good investment (stay away from metal hooks on the end)
shackles to accomodate the straps
air compressor (cheap will do or the "mv50" will suffice - supercheap, search for that name)
headlights should be on for safety
drive slow and no donuts or else you'll remove the tire from the wheel (pita to fix w/o proper tools).

have fun

remember speed kills!

 

[Koz]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=11037&highlight=beach

Koz

 

[seancgn68]

Thanks for the info! I assume the straps and shackles are to get yourself pulled out if you get stuck? Any recommendations as to where to buy/what kind? Are the rings underneath the vehicle sufficiently strong to hook up to, or is there a better way?

Any tips on cleaning the undercarriage other than crawling under on your back with a hose? What is a good rule of thumb for turning around on low pressure tires (how wide a radius should you give yourself to not pop a bead)? Is safety/common sense the main reason to restrict your speed, or are their other specific reasons? I am an unfortunate victim of TV commercials that show people slamming through the surf at 60 MPH. From reading around here, it sounds like that is a very bad idea!

If you are driving on packed sand (we have some surf fishing sites nearby that are almost as hard as dirt roads), is it still a good idea to lower pressure in your tires? Is there any kind of general rule of thumb here? I've seen recomendations from 10-20 psi.

Sorry for the zillion questions. I have to admit, I never really considered the off roading thing until I started reading this site. Sounds like a whole lot of fun! I mainly got 4WD for negotiating snow storm (not many of those in DE). I had no idea there was such an extensive culture surrounding off roading.

 

[cpayne5]

I was out on the beach north of Corolla last weekend. Here's my mv50 airing up from 20-40psi (works very well for $50):

I didn't air down until things got a bit hairy after driving a few miles up the coast. I aired down to 20psi and it worked pretty well.

I ended up driving 10 miles up the coast and turned around 1.5 miles from the NC/VA line due to time constraints. I am gonna be down there again the weekend of September 24. Taking my ATVs this time .

 

[fourwd1]

All those straps and shackles are nice to have, but aren't worth a crap if no ones around to pull you out.

You need self recovery gear. In this case it's simple: a shovel, a jack, and piece of 3/4-1" plywood to act as a base for the jack. This is required gear on some beaches (such as Assateague Island).

If you bury the truck, sit the jack on the board, jack up the truck, fill in under the tires.

Having spent years on the Assateague Island beach, I can say from experience that it's the worst thing you can do to a vehicle. Between the sand and the salt it takes a heavy toll. Both are abrasive and will get into bearings, u-joints, brakes, etc. and the rust If you think you're getting it all out by hosing off afterwards, I've got a bridge for sale you might be interested in.

 

[Runnin]

I was just in whalehead NC tearing up the beaches. The only thing I took was an air pump, and never even deflated my tires. Ohh yeah and I pulled a FORD out. hahaha.