Driving stock 91 explorer on beach

[mikeinpa]

Im the proud owner of a stock 1991 2WD explorer. I do alot of surf fishing on the delaware beaches and was wondering if venturing out on the sand was asking for trouble. My truck is poor at best during even the lightest of snow storms and even has a tendency to slip and slide in the rain (the topic for another post I think). But sand being different from snow Im not sure if Im just begging to get stuck.

I would also like information on any modifications that I would have to do if "goin' out stock" is unadvisable.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Alec]

If it doesn't do well in rain or snow then I say don't do it. Time to get new tires!

 

[mikeinpa]

Thanks for the reply alec but I was hoping for some more information on what I can do to make this vehicle more "sand worthy". Anyone have suggestions for tires?

Im not looking to climb mountains, cross rivers, or crush rocks...lol.

and btw...why does this thing slide around so much, even with new tires?

 

[Alec]

Maybe you give it too much throttle. Also, do you have the factory limited slip in the rear. In low traction situations, if you give it too much gas then both rear wheels will spin and not be able to get any traction.

A small 1.5" lift, 31x10.50 BFG AT or Procomp XT tires will do wonders. You'd still have to be careful as you only have 2wd.

 

[RazorSGD]

Lower your tire pressure to 10- 15 psi and you should be fine. Keep your momentum up and avoid turning too sharp.

Dead Link Removed

 

[woodychitwn]

I have no clue why your truck seems to be handling so poorly on-road, so you might want to have that checked out before you take it off-road. Regardless, here's what you need to know about tire pressures and driving on sand. But only on sand, on firmer ground this could damage your tires and rims.

Generally speaking you'll want to lower your inflation to about 15psi. It depends on personal taste though, and you'll be amazed at the difference a few psi make. If you ever get stuck, you can lower the psi by small increments, but never below 6psi. Below 6psi, there isn't enough pressure to keep the tires on the rims.

And I can't stress this enough, once you get back on-road you've got to re-fill your tires, otherwise you will damage them. I would suggest bringing a tire pump with you.

 

[Maniak]

Two things you can do for little money..

One is get 30" tires.. (slight taller, alittle wider also)..

I'm talking 30x9.50 r15's...

Make sure they are a decent AT tire.. (BFG AT/KO for example.. but there are others)

Also... If your not bottoming out.. Lower your air pressure... You need to lower the contact pressure of your tires so you don't dig into the sand...

If you can afford to lose the ground clearance... Lower your tire pressure until the rim is 3/4th the height is was before..

For example... Lets say when you have street pressure in your tire (30+psi) that there is 7" between the ground the the rim... In that case.. you would drop the tire pressure until you have 5 1/4". This will increase the contact patch of your tire by about 200%.. This will help.. This practice works well for LT tires.. not Passenger car tires.. (P tires don't like being aired down that far)

Also, Don't spin your tires on the sand.. it just digs you in (unless you have paddle type tires..)

A LS or a locker would help, but if your having problems on asphalt already, a locker or tight LS may make things worse.. With an open diff, when you get 1 tire spinning (has no traction) the other tire still has some traction (this keeps you from sliding around much)..

If you have a locker or a tight LS you can get both tires spinning in which case you have no traction on the back of the vehicle and you will spin/slide..

I take our full size fan out in the sand.. and I have 30" tires, and a locked ford 9" rear end. I do air down.. and it really does well.

~Mark

BTW.. make sure when you air down that you air down all the tires.. and bring something to air them back up with before you drive on the street.

 

[PicoG4]

i drive on the beach almost everyday in the summer. 4X4 explorers suck enough on the sand 2wd is asking for serious trouble unless you have ultra wide tires. Driving on sand is all about displacement. Unless you have ultra wide tires your gonna sink in the sand.

 

[VairKing]

I have a 4x4 explorer, and I drive on the beach all the time. By lowering my tires down to about 14psi each, I hardly ever even need to engage my 4x4. I have stock size tires, and no lift. The only time I get stuck in 2wd is when trying to climb large sand dunes...but on flat sand, 2wd has no problem...