Soft beach sand and...............

[natas]

I am importing a Defender 90 300tdi truck cab to the Bahamas.

Most of the off roading that I will do will be powder soft beaches and hard limestone bush trails (sharp rock and holes).

Can you recomend a tyre and size for my truck with standard suspension?

Thanks.

[Dave W]

BFG Krawler would be my choice, it's excellent in both sand and rocks. Only downside for a standard height vehicle may be the sizes available, the 35" version will fit but it'll be very tight without a lift.

[bishbosh]

Alternatively, a BFG AT would also be good. Much larger range of sizes available too. For sand you want a big footprint so a wide tyre. Perhaps 31 x 12.50 x 15?

[Godlykepower]

I run BFG AT's and would not use anything else. There life span is legendary & performance second to none.

I recommend these as you can air down to a low level to gain the increase in footprint you need in sand, but then can air back up to a level for road or other terrain use. The multi-ply side walls are very robust & can handle the airing down process, which develops an enormous amount of heat (due to friction) which can easily kill an inferior tyre.

[LR90]

Best tyre for sand is a dedicated sand tyre, Michelin XS is probably still the best available.

A lot of the other tyres tend to break the surface far to easily and then you're bogged.

[BigSi110]

A recent 4x4 magazine here in Oz did a massive tyre test, part of which focused on each tyre's ability to cope with sand.

The conclusion was that an AT tyre is far more suited to sand than anything else. Which you go for is constrained by your budget and what other factors you're looking for, such as on-road behaviour, noise, wear, ability in mud etc.

Let me know if you want their recommendations.

[natas]

A recent 4x4 magazine here in Oz did a massive tyre test, part of which focused on each tyre's ability to cope with sand.

The conclusion was that an AT tyre is far more suited to sand than anything else. Which you go for is constrained by your budget and what other factors you're looking for, such as on-road behaviour, noise, wear, ability in mud etc.

Let me know if you want their recommendations.

Yes please!

Thanks.

[natas]

I ended up ordering BFGoodrich AT KN2's x 5. 265/75/16

Thanks.

[Ex Member]

Sounds like a good choice.

My experience....

- Tyre pressure is the number one controlling factor above all else with regard to sand. Tread pattern is much, much lower on the scale. The lower the pressure, the better.

- Larger tyres allow lower safe pressures.

- Aggressive treads work a little better, but use a more power.

[natas]

Sounds like a good choice.

My experience....

- Tyre pressure is the number one controlling factor above all else with regard to sand. Tread pattern is much, much lower on the scale. The lower the pressure, the better.

- Larger tyres allow lower safe pressures.

- Aggressive treads work a little better, but use a more power.

What tyre pressure would you recomend to run on a soft sand beach?

Then whats the best way to get your tyre back to propper pressure if you are in the bush?

Thanks.

[martinspragg]

I run on Michelin 4x4 O/R, look just like the military style tyres you see on army landrovers. They are skinny but seem to work great in sand, I regularly carry 700lb of tanks and gear onto the beach and have never bogged. They are very tall giving excellent ground clearance and I think the bigger circumference adds to the fact you can get more torque into the dirt or sand. Plus for rough unpaved roads skinny tyres are better than fat ones their slim footprint avoids more pot holes than the fat ones, I haven driven many trucks with fat "all terrain" tyres over our roads and those tyres throw you and the truck around. Just my opinion but it seems to work around here.

[natas]

WOW!

My new tyres just arrived from the US.

265/75/16 BFG Mud AT KM2

They are H U G E

And they look really nice!

White lettering in or out?

'I think in..........

Thanks.

[Ex Member]

What tyre pressure would you recomend to run on a soft sand beach?

Then whats the best way to get your tyre back to propper pressure if you are in the bush?

Start at 15 psi. If you get ANY wheelspin, back off the throttle instantly to prevent yourself digging in. Then lower the pressures more.

Take an air compressor. The twin head ones you can get in the UK flow a lot of air and don't cost a lot.

edit: I see you are not in the UK... Like this http://www.paddockspares.com/pp/NEW_PRODUCTS/Compressors/Twin_Cylinder_12v_Compressor_%28usually_60.00GBP%29.html Is there anywhere that you can drive fast enough in teh Bahamas to need road pressures anyway??

[Ex Member]

I assume you have not been on the beach before, so I figured some of the standard advice would not be a bad idea.

- Check the tides before heading out. You do not want to get stuck out at high tide. Give yourself a lot of leeway.

- The easiest driving is below the dry, fluffy, high tide sand and the water. This is usually the firmest sand around. Stay away from the water...

- Avoid driving above the high tide line as the plants that grow there reduce beach erosion and you do not want to damage them.

- Beach sand changes a lot in strength from place to place. Use caution when driving in new places. What looks hard can be soft.

- Watch out for stream crossings. They can create deep vertical walls in the beach. In some places, these are very hard to see while driving. Hitting one at speed is a bad scene.

- When crossing a stream pick a good gear and go. Try not to stop. When you stop, the running water washes away the sand and you sink further.

Have fun. A good day out on the beach away from the crowdsis one of those things that can not be beat.