newbie to 4x4

[donnie850]

ok , so i have grown up with hot rods, bikes and car audio.. 4x4s have always been an interest of mine. I finally got a jeep... but i keep getting stuck! well not completely stuck, seems i can rock my way out but it takes some time.

So i need a lesson in driving through soft sand!! if anyone can help lol.

i live in Florida right on the beach, so the sand here is quite soft.

Basically the two attempts ive made to go offroad i see how far i can get in 2 wheel, then once i feel the back end start to drop i stop and put it in 4 high. Well thats about as far i seem to get, then i have to rock the truck back and forth to get out and give up. Is it me? or is something up with my truck?

 

[SteelHeadz]

Welcome to Jeepz. My advice on sand is a better set of tires. The wider the footprint and the taller the traction lugs, the better. Also, don't wait till your loosing traction before you switch to 4wd. That little bit of dimple you create on the sand makes a big difference on keeping your 3000lb steel rolling on the loose sand.

 

[donnie850]

thanks, yeah my first thought was tires.. ill try starting off in 4wd next time.
Also everything is stock.. would i be better off with posi rear end or anything?

 

[tntchitwood]

of course lockers are a big plus, so is a little skill, (no offense), sometimes it just takes practice and getting the feel of your jeep. welcome to the site, great to have you.

 

[donnie850]

of course lockers are a big plus, so is a little skill, (no offense), sometimes it just takes practice and getting the feel of your jeep. welcome to the site, great to have you.

lol none taken.. would be nice to find a local group to go out with. Dont wana get stuck out there with no one to pull me out.

 

[tntchitwood]

Yea, that's the problem I am having, I can't go everywhere I would like because I don't want to go alone. Everybody around here has those side by side atv's. I prefer my jeep.

 

[FloridaCherokee1988]

Go with a bigger wider set of tires, even a set of 30x9.50's are much better than the stock 225/75/15's our XJ's come with. Also if you would like try lowering the air pressure in your tires before you hit the trail, makes the footprint even wider which increases your traction in sugar sand like we have here in FL, just dont drive too far on the paved road with low air pressure in your tires! Lastly just try putting her in 4x4 at the beginning of the trail because when you stop in our kinda sand you sink down quite a bit, just put it in 4 high at the beginning then when she starts to slip alot you'll already be in 4 wheel drive: )

 

[Liutas]

+1 to dropping the air pressure, it can make a HUGE difference. I used to run about 20psi in my CJ on the soft hatteras Island sand and I never had a problem. If you needed to, and with your tires you might, you could drop to around 15psi and still have no problem keeping the bead seated.

 

[FloridaCherokee1988]

Yeah 20 psi's probably perfect man, driving a 2 wheel drive XJ has it's advantages, you figure out alot of ways to try and keep from gettin stuck lol

 

[blown XJ]

for tires you dont want to go to agressive of tread they will want to dig into the sand more and let some air out of your tires. when i used to cruise the beach with my jeep when i had 30x9.50 tires on it i ran around 10psi in the back and about 12psi in the front.. now im locked in the rear with boggers it is always trying to dig holes.. my bald 30's where easier to drive in the sand then the new boggers

 

[donnie850]

for tires you dont want to go to agressive of tread they will want to dig into the sand more and let some air out of your tires. when i used to cruise the beach with my jeep when i had 30x9.50 tires on it i ran around 10psi in the back and about 12psi in the front.. now im locked in the rear with boggers it is always trying to dig holes.. my bald 30's where easier to drive in the sand then the new boggers

interesting!.. so really what i got would work if it wasnt for the fact that there is hardly any tread left?

 

[54cj3b]

like steel said new tires
lower tire presure to around 28 lbs or so
also knowing how to drive on soft sand helps
never spin tires and moving steering wheel back n fourth helps cut through the sand