No rain + hot sun = soft sand

John_Rambo

No rain + hot sun = soft sand on beaches.

Just a heads up, because nobody seems to know this. Particularly a problem for owners of cars (some of whom don't even know) are rear wheel drive.

On the beach today and there were eight cars buried. Some digging themselves deeper and deeper by spinning their wheels and breathing out of their mouth looking confused.

MAJJ

John_Rambo wrote: »

No rain + hot sun = soft sand on beaches.

Just a heads up, because nobody seems to know this. Particularly a problem for owners of cars (some of whom didn't know) are rear wheel drive.

On the beach today and there were eight cars buried. Some digging themselves deeper and deeper by spinning their wheels and breathing out of their mouth looking confused.

You've got the surival instinct ,thanks JR as you may say to them 'Don't push it'

John_Rambo

MAJJ wrote: »

You've got the surival instinct ,thanks JR as you may say to them 'Don't push it'

I helped some of them push it!!

fullstop

Keep your car off the beach so, shouldn't be there in the first place.

fullstop

fullstop wrote: »

Keep your car off the beach so, shouldn't be there in the first place.

Ah i disagree with that. Some beaches allow you to drive on, and I see no issue with it.

JohnBoy26

fullstop wrote: »

Keep your car off the beach so, shouldn't be there in the first place.

Exactly. It's very bad for the car. Sand gets in everywhere and is corrosive.

John_Rambo

fullstop wrote: »

Keep your car off the beach so, shouldn't be there in the first place.

The car park is on my local beach.

JohnBoy26

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Exactly. It's very bad for the car. Sand gets in everywhere and is corrosive.

I think FullStop was thinking more of the beach, than the car.

John_Rambo

Deleted User wrote: »

I think FullStop was thinking more of the beach, than the car.

I think you're right.

Driving on a beach is ok as long as you're not driving on nesting areas, dunes, seal nurseries, marram grass, the foreshore, fauna etc... My particular local beach has a section that is a car park and the amount of cars driving on to it where there's very obvious soft sand is unreal. I'm talking about so called enthusiasts with lowered suspension, others with very expensive cars, others trying out manoeuvres like wheelspins, handbrake turns and doughnuts.

Others getting stuck and gunning it. The smell of clutch is nauseating!

ION08

Deleted User wrote: »

I think FullStop was thinking more of the beach, than the car.

I'd me more aligned with JohnBoy26 on this one .. whatever about the beach, I'd avoid the driving on the beach out of sympathy for my car more than anything else. :rolleyes:

pete4130

Beach driving has its own set of dynamics.

- Soft sand needs anywhere from 12-18psi depending how soft and how fine. This increases the length (not width) of the footprint of the tyre for more traction.

- Regular road tyres will struggle compared to AT's which 95% of Irish cars will have fitted.

- Don't brake hard. This buries your wheels in the soft sand. Let natural friction slow you down.

- Try to come to a stop facing downwards on a slope so when you pull away, gravity helps. Reverse slowly on the sand you'e just driven on. This means you have harder, compact sand when you want to drive off.

- 4WD. Goes without saying. FWD or RWD in soft sand is asking for trouble. The likes of Santa Fe's, Rav 4's, X5's, Kia Sorentos will all probably get stuck too. They are on demand AWD and lack a low range if you get stuck. They also don't have the clearance and will belly out the minute the wheels get buried.

- Recovery equipment. Nothing beats a set of Maxx Traxx if you get stuck in sand.

Momentum is key. If you have enough momentum you'll push through the soft bits without getting bogged.

- Gears. Pick a suitable gear and stick to it. The moment you push the clutch in a manual, you lose momentum, drive and start to slow down and sink. Auto's perform much better in sand with more seamless shifting. Low range is key if you have it.

- Speed. Don't go over 40kmh if you've aired down. The tyres flex and can heat up and weaken/damage the sidewalls resulting in a blowout days, weeks or months later because of the heat and stress placed on them.

- Wash your car properly and thoroughly after sand. You can use a garden sprinkler device at the end of a hose to sit under the car and flick water on the underside, move it around every 5-10 minutes and it clears out sand you'd never get to otherwise.

Here's some vids of my Toyota Fortuner (Hilux wagon) on Australia's biggest sand dunes and another video to show the size of the beach/dunes I get to drive on.

Doctors room ghost

pete4130 wrote: »

Beach driving has its own set of dynamics.

- Soft sand needs anywhere from 12-18psi depending how soft and how fine. This increases the length (not width) of the footprint of the tyre for more traction.

- Regular road tyres will struggle compared to AT's which 95% of Irish cars will have fitted.

- Don't brake hard. This buries your wheels in the soft sand. Let natural friction slow you down.

- Try to come to a stop facing downwards on a slope so when you pull away, gravity helps. Reverse slowly on the sand you'e just driven on. This means you have harder, compact sand when you want to drive off.

- 4WD. Goes without saying. FWD or RWD in soft sand is asking for trouble. The likes of Santa Fe's, Rav 4's, X5's, Kia Sorentos will all probably get stuck too. They are on demand AWD and lack a low range if you get stuck. They also don't have the clearance and will belly out the minute the wheels get buried.

- Recovery equipment. Nothing beats a set of Maxx Traxx if you get stuck in sand.

Momentum is key. If you have enough momentum you'll push through the soft bits without getting bogged.

- Gears. Pick a suitable gear and stick to it. The moment you push the clutch in a manual, you lose momentum, drive and start to slow down and sink. Auto's perform much better in sand with more seamless shifting. Low range is key if you have it.

- Speed. Don't go over 40kmh if you've aired down. The tyres flex and can heat up and weaken/damage the sidewalls resulting in a blowout days, weeks or months later because of the heat and stress placed on them.

- Wash your car properly and thoroughly after sand. You can use a garden sprinkler device at the end of a hose to sit under the car and flick water on the underside, move it around every 5-10 minutes and it clears out sand you'd never get to otherwise.

Here's some vids of my Toyota Fortuner (Hilux wagon) on Australia's biggest sand dunes and another video to show the size of the beach/dunes I get to drive on.

That’s a great idea for the sprinkler under the car for underbody wash.ill be stealing that idea.thanks

John_Rambo

Great advice there Pete. Thanks.