How to drive in sand

By Cornelius Nunev


Summer is here, and for those of us who desire to get in the tiny deuce coupe and go for the beach, some driving on sand may be necessary. Hard-packed sand is a snap, but what if your vehicle and tires have to take on loose, fluffy sand, be it on the seashore or even within the desert? Here is how to drive on sand, in brief.

Sand driving needs certain tire pressure

For sand driving, your tires should be at 12 to 15 psi, according to Popular Mechanics. It is really good for sand, although it is too low for paved roads. Rather than digging in and becoming stuck, you'll skim the surface more effortlessly. Make sure you inflate when you are back on solid ground though. The tires might peel off the rims just going a few of miles to an air pump. At the very least, you'll have good difficulty cornering and braking.

Stay away from turning

You don't want to do any kind of sharp turns. Whenever you are driving in sand, stay very straight. This should help a lot. If you have to back up or use a shovel to fill in holes, do so. You may end up getting stuck. Don't spin the tires if this happens. Get traction by using floor mats, tree branches or a chunk of chain connection fence. Even wetting down the path to make the sand grains stick together helps.

Try out four-wheel drive

If you're preparing to drive in sand, don't do it with a front-wheel drive car. Getting stuck will occur. It will not take long. It will help to have rear-wheel drive. You will want 4WD if it is going to be regular though. Driving on the sand is easier with part-time 4WD and a locked center differential. You can end up with lots of issues with a lessened ground clearance and without low gears in a full-time AWD automobile.

Two affordable vehicles good for beach or desert driving

Try one of these two cars. You are able to get them for around $20,000 each:

1. Jeep Wrangler - It is very easily convertible making it fun. It can also do really well in the dry sand.

2. Audi A4 Avant Quattro - Handle the sand with the significant torque in the AWD wagon. It had a 2.0 liter turbo engine and storage for surfboards.

Concentrate in desert driving




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