TAKING MY JEEP ON TEH BEACH. FIRST TIME, I HAVE QUESTIONS

BLANCK88 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:44 pm

hi
i am taking my liberty onto the beach next weekend for the first time.

what should i drop the stock tires to?

should i be in 4hi or 4lo?

will the sand damage the car?

any other tips are appreciated
thanks
bryan

Jeepin Al · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:01 pm

I rode the beach for over 10 years, almost everyweekend. So the first thing is:

Stay out of the water!
Air down to around 10 to 15 psi and you should be fine.
There are usualy 5 mph speed limits, so transfer case low, you can keep in drive.
If you find the tires digging in, let more air out, don't go below 7.5 psi.
Sand will do damage if you let it. It will grind, and with the salt content it will rust. I washed my Jeep(and Ford Pickup) off top and bottom, engine bay etc, after every ride. The bodies didn't rot any faster than the typical NE cars and trucks did.
Stay away from the waters edge during low tide. Don't laugh, at the ranger's check point there was a series of pictures of a Dodge Ramcharger slowly being washed out to sea, because the fisherman was more interested in what as going on downshore (nude beach) and forgot he parked his truck at low tide. It was lost in about 2 hours even though three ranger pickups with winches tried to get it out of the surf.

Al

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:26 pm

Exactly what Al said. In the OBX, there is no speedlimit (use common sence though). 4Hi will work fine in the sand. Most of the time I was beach driving last October, I was runnin around in 2wd (I also have a lift, MT's and 16 psi). Don't stop in soft sand and make sure you wash everything off. I would deff, recomend taking your skids OFF for the beach. They will collect sand, like they do mud.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:19 pm

4WD LOW range only 4high will cause your wheels to spin very fast and dig in deep
also low psi in tires 10 - 15 sounds about right but if you dont have air when you hit the highway use extreme caution
it will be like driving a wet noodle

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:04 pm

jason thompson wrote:

4WD LOW range only 4high will cause your wheels to spin very fast and dig in deep

I ran stock tires in 4Hi and had no problems. If you keep the speed down and dont dig into the sand you should be fine.

05kjrenny · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:12 pm

went to the beach last saturday on stock tires aired to 15 psi and they do just fine mostly in 2wd but when crossing other peoples tracks 4wd was helpfull 4wd part time works just fine for us

BLANCK88 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:04 pm

i will keep a portable electric air pump in the rear of the liberty for this weekend.

ill drop the tires to arounf 18ish then back up to 33 when i am done

QuestMan · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 9:58 pm

IF you start to get stuck, stop IMMEDIATELY, and back up- you can usually get back out. 4LO CAN give you TOO much torque, and REALLY dig you in............... :shock:

jason thompson · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:16 pm

i dont know what kind of sand you folks ride in but i do not go in the sand that we have here in south LA because you just cant stay on top when you try to walk you sink at leat 2-3 inches and a jeep has way more ground psi than a man walking
i have seen guys running 33X12.5's sink to the bell and not move 20 feet the sand down here also has tiny little pebles in it
wich when it gets in the breaks ,and some how it always does,it ruins the rotors if you dont clean it out ASAP
the only spots with sand are around creeks as for beaches :?:

we dont have any we got marshes and they suck more than the sand
any who if running in the sand blows your hair back thats your thing and you do what makes you happy i will stay out and let ever one call me chicken

1roy · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:59 pm **Posts:** 38

my beach driving which is always soft deep sand the worst. i air down to about 18psi and keep it in low. the cherokee sport i had was good in the sand in 4 high. the liberty in 4 high does not have enough low end power for deep sand. my 2 cents

FreedomKJ · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:37 pm

I drove 25 miles down Padre Island National seashore last fall. the first 10 miles or so the sand was packed pretty hard, but after that most of it was soft enough that walking was difficult. The KJ had no problems at all though (in 4hi) and I didn't even feel like i was going to get stuck once.

Oh, I aired down to 22psi from my normal 35 and I'm also running A/T tires an inch wider (and taller) than stock.

I know it was mentioned above by several people, but I'll say it again: make sure you hose everything down really well afterwards!

BLANCK88 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:38 pm

ok
10 posts and 10 different opinions except to hose down good:)

ill be in south jersey sand
in brigantine!!!

jason thompson · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:06 am

BLANCK88 wrote:

except to hose down good:)

and the air down thingy
we all disagree

uvalax236 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:03 am

So it looks like soft sand, you may need 4lo but if its hard/packed sand, use 4hi or even 2wd. Make sure you have someone to go with you so that IF you get stuck, they can help pull you out. I would recommend brinig a few peice of 2x4 and a jack to get you unstuck. Do you happen to know what kind of sand is in South Jersey?

white04kj · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:04 am

I'm sure you've already thought of this, but definitely bring a shovel, too, so you can dig your tires out if you get stuck. Just clear the sand out from the front of the tires so you can drive forward.

BlueFreedom · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:47 am

Try to keep up your momentum. If you stop in very dry deep sand you tend to just spin (and sink!) when you start moving again. At that point, stop. Try to go in reverse (where the sand has already been compacted by your vehicle). Bring a shovel (a must), a few 2 x 6's and a tow rope in case you get stuck so someone (hopefully) nearby can pull you out.

BLANCK88 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:48 pm

actually i didnt think of the shovel:)

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:30 pm

I dont know what kind of beaches you all drive on, but me and my family went to daytona last year and drove on the beach in our grand cherokee and did fine without airing down and all that crap, it also has full time and we never put it into low or anything. Little cars were driving around just fine. Do you all have different kinds of sand?

Jjay · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:32 pm

all my driving is in the desert and nothing but sand.
Before the lift I had to drop the pressre to 10 or 9. Always use low.No need for High as its too much on the engine on the long drive. Speed is not important yet if you dig do not push it instead move your wheel left and right going forward very very very slowly. That will cause the sand to go under instead of out and one of the wheels eventually will grab.BE PATIENT. If this doest work and no one to pull you, my handy tool is a couple of small road brick or a peace of wood and the jack will do a great job .Lift the car, move sand under the wheel and drive off slowly again moving your wheels left and right. NEVER LET THE WHEELS SPIN.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:48 pm

I would worry more about tranny than the engine. As long as the engine temp is fine dont worry about it, the tranny heating up is something to worry about. When going slow the torque heats up really fast, even with the aux cooler it can still heat up. Thats why its best to put it in low if its hot out and your going slow.

TAKING MY JEEP ON TEH BEACH. FIRST TIME, I HAVE QUESTIONS

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