Using 4x4 In Sand

icecoldtexan · April 29, 2007

When I am in 4 wheel drive in the sand (lo or hi it doesn't matter) and the tires spin I get excessive wheel hop. What causes this and what can be done to minimize this effect. '01 2500HD 6.0l

Jimmy J · April 29, 2007

Are you using 4 Lo while in 1st gear? What kind of sand are we talkin' about here...the fluffy dry kind thats hard to walk on, or the semi-wet kind that's usually closer to the water? When you get the wheel hop, is it because your starting off from an already STUCK position?

Ranger · April 29, 2007

My truck does the same thing. Problem is they're just too heavy and I have A/T tires so they just chew up the sand which makes it start sinking. Part of the problem is the locking differential as well, it creates a bit of vibration in the tires when it locks and unlocks rapidly like in really loose sand.

ThorsHD · April 29, 2007

Air down to 12-15lbs on your tires. It makes all the differance in the world.

Ranger · April 29, 2007

Yeah, I aired down to like 25 and it was a lot of difference. The real fun part was trying to find a station with an air compressor. Had to drive half a mile before I found one. That was a fun trip. Which is why I didn't air all the way down to 15 cause I didn't know how far the nearest station was and figured I'd split the difference. My normal running pressure is 45-50.

Jimmy J · April 29, 2007

That's why I carry a small portable 12v air compressor with me at all times. When & if I need it, I pull it out, plug it into the cig. lighter and fire it up. I store it underneath the rear seat. Really has come in handy a number of times, not just for me, but for others who were having tire troubles.

clm7214 · April 30, 2007

My truck does the same thing. Problem is they're just too heavy and I have A/T tires so they just chew up the sand which makes it start sinking. Part of the problem is the locking differential as well, it creates a bit of vibration in the tires when it locks and unlocks rapidly like in really loose sand.

Actually its kind of the opposite. There is very little weight on the rears of these trucks and stiff springs and when you start getting axle wrap it is magnified. The only thing to do is air down and add ladder bars to keep the axle under control. The longer your truck is the worse it is goin to be. Learn not to stab the throttle in sand you have to feather it so you can keep the rears floating on top to maintain traction.

icecoldtexan · April 30, 2007

Are you using 4 Lo while in 1st gear? What kind of sand are we talkin' about here...the fluffy dry kind thats hard to walk on, or the semi-wet kind that's usually closer to the water? When you get the wheel hop, is it because your starting off from an already STUCK position?

Both 4lo or 4hi in first gear, fluffy dry sand, and wheel hop starting off from an almost stuck position.

'02 2500HD 6.0l BFG a/t ko's

Original shocks, would new upgraded shocks help ?

ThorsHD · April 30, 2007

I have the same tires. I just air down.

Freyguy · April 30, 2007

I go down to 12psi myself. Some may say it's too low, but I've never gotten stuck. I go on the beach quite a bit, and I always take my 20# CO2 tank with a 150psi static regulator. I can air up very quick with it, and I can even run air tools off of it. I've filled my 37's from 12 to 38 6 or 7 times before I got a refil, and still had some CO2 left. It's a great solution if you'll be going on sand alot.

Jimmy J · April 30, 2007

Are you using 4 Lo while in 1st gear? What kind of sand are we talkin' about here...the fluffy dry kind thats hard to walk on, or the semi-wet kind that's usually closer to the water? When you get the wheel hop, is it because your starting off from an already STUCK position?

Both 4lo or 4hi in first gear, fluffy dry sand, and wheel hop starting off from an almost stuck position.

'02 2500HD 6.0l BFG a/t ko's

Original shocks, would new upgraded shocks help ?

New shocks may help a little...note I said little. Are you still running the OEM tires. If so, a much better investment if your going to be in the sand that much would be a better set of tires that have a wider footprint and airing them down as needed, along with some added weight in the bed. Also, as stated in a previous post...learning the best throttle position to keep the vehicle from digging in in the first place goes a long way.

I used to drive my vehicles on the beaches of GUAM all the time and lets just say there's a great learning curve as to what works and what doesn't!

overlord1 · April 30, 2007

When I am in 4 wheel drive in the sand (lo or hi it doesn't matter) and the tires spin I get excessive wheel hop. What causes this and what can be done to minimize this effect. '01 2500HD 6.0l

I go to my local beach 4X4 only access area just about every weekend (it's only a few minutes from my house). The single biggest improvement you can make is to air down your tires to 15 PSI or less. Higher than this and you may as well leave them at street pressure as you won't accomplish much. Myself I deflate my front tires to 12 PSI and my rears to 10 PSI. I'm told the greatest gains come when you air down to 8-10 PSI but this also greatly increases the likelihood that the tire will come off the rim. I have the stock Bridgestone tires and I have never come close to getting stuck and I've never experienced axle hop. Of course you'll need a compressor or CO2 Tank (what I use) to air back up as you'll destroy your tires in short order if you drive them on pavement at this low a pressure.

icecoldtexan · May 1, 2007

When I am in 4 wheel drive in the sand (lo or hi it doesn't matter) and the tires spin I get excessive wheel hop. What causes this and what can be done to minimize this effect. '01 2500HD 6.0l

I go to my local beach 4X4 only access area just about every weekend (it's only a few minutes from my house). The single biggest improvement you can make is to air down your tires to 15 PSI or less. Higher than this and you may as well leave them at street pressure as you won't accomplish much. Myself I deflate my front tires to 12 PSI and my rears to 10 PSI. I'm told the greatest gains come when you air down to 8-10 PSI but this also greatly increases the likelihood that the tire will come off the rim. I have the stock Bridgestone tires and I have never come close to getting stuck and I've never experienced axle hop. Of course you'll need a compressor or CO2 Tank (what I use) to air back up as you'll destroy your tires in short order if you drive them on pavement at this low a pressure.

I've got the BFG A/T KO's. Airing them down that low and staying on the sand won't hurt the sidwalls or tire at all ?

GemStar · May 1, 2007

When you lower your pressure you are lowering the tires profile. that gives you a bigger foot print on the sands surface. Giving your tires more floatation. That is the whole idea when driving in sand. If you can keep the tires floating on top you have less rolling resistance. Which means less spin and your wheel hop. When you start off start of slow and steady, If you start to spin back up on your tracks, (compreesed sand) and start again, ad throttle slow and steady. Try to stay in someones tracks as much as possible and build speed. As far as pressures the lower you go the bigger the footprint. The draw back is you are exposing more sidewall to the sand. That is ok in clean sand but you do increase the risk of damaging a tire if you hit an object.

Jimmy J · May 2, 2007

I've got the BFG A/T KO's. Airing them down that low and staying on the sand won't hurt the sidwalls or tire at all ?

Naw...you'll be fine as long as you tread lightly and try to keep away from any sharp objects. Just be sure to inflate them properly before hitting the blacktop though!