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OBX beach driving advice

23K views 48 replies 24 participants last post by  seeingwhite 
#1 ·
Heading to the OBX in the middle of August and I had a few questions for those that have been down there. I currently have the 18in rims with the Latitudes along with the QT1 package. Will I be fine as long as I air down to 18-20psi? I also don't have tow hooks or anything so I'm really hoping I won't get stuck. Was planning on doing some driving in the Corolla area. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I promise to post pics once I get back!
 
#2 ·
I haven't been to OBX as I live in CA but I've been down to Pismo several times. Airing down is always a good idea. I would actually go lower say 15-17 psi. Keep your momentum going. You need to have a recovery point. If you have a trialer hitch then just go buy a tow pin and you can put it through a recovery strap. If you don't you really should go get some tow hooks. You did mention only driving in the "Corolla" area which sounds like where street cars go, so you'll probably be ok i guess. I just like to be prepared.
 
#4 ·
I would air down the tires to the 15-17 range as long as there is a place to air up within a short distance after coming off the beach. If there isn't anything for more than 2-3 miles I would air down to 20 for a little better on road handling and less chance of coming off the rim. You should be fine at 20 psi but if you get stuck grab a shovel and dig out or air down to 15-17. Also a little trick i learned is to buy a cheap set of floor mats that you don't mind getting messed up. Toss those in the jeep and if you get stuck you can use those sorta like sand latters.

The moment you think you are going to get stuck you probably are. Stop and don't gas it. Dig out or try reversing but DO NOT SPIN to try and get loose you'll just end up sitting on the frame (which really sucks and takes about 30 minutes of digging to get free....don't ask how I know).
 
#5 ·
Like other posters said, go down to 15-20 psi. I have seen people not do it and they get stuck real quick. NEVER spin your tires in sand. It takes about 5 seconds to dig yourself down to the frame. Its also adviseable to have a shovel, jack, a board to sit your jack on(12in x 12in), and a tow strap. I have an army surplus shovel that folds. They are available at Sunny Surplus. Stay out of the water and the soft sand. Sand will eat your brakes. Wash the Jeep after to remove sand and salt. The sand will get everywhere, including the engine bay. Have fun.:jump:
 
#7 · (Edited)
Maybe I'll see you on the beach, I'll be down there about the same time.
I did it in 2005 with a 2003 JGC with QT1 and had no issues. I aired down to 20-22 and plowed my way through.
Most of the beach at the end of the road is hard, it gets a little soft as you get past the high tide mark.
Bring your camera when you do this, you never know when the wild horses come onto the beach, it is a very cool site to see.
One thing get hurricane insurance..it came in handy last year when Irene hit the outerbanks the day I was supposed to go down.
Trapp Rock Brewery if it is still there is a grerat brew pub as is the tappas bar Metropolis...good martinis..:D
 
#8 ·
I was down at Corolla earlier this summer. Although the sand is well packed along the beach, it is very deep at the ramp. I would recommend 20 psi and try to stay in existing tracks when entering and exiting at the ramp. I carry a tow strap and the pin for the receiver. I have an overland and use the sand mode.
 
#10 ·
If you have to remove air to safely drive on obx then you have no clue how to drive off pavement. I had fun driving there last year on 20s with wide 275 and 315 street tires. As someone said above it is obx not the sahara desert. Just pay attention to how it feels, make adjustments to your speed and direction and you will not get stuck
 
#11 ·
While airing down at the Corolla ramp, a SUV drove by without stopping to reduce air pressure in his tires. He got stuck in the first 100 yards. After reducing tire pressure, he was able to continue. Apparently getting stuck at the ramp can be rather amusing as a truck with some fellows was on the beach watching the happenings.
 
#12 ·
While airing down at the Corolla ramp, a SUV drove by without stopping to reduce air pressure in his tires. He got stuck in the first 100 yards. After reducing tire pressure, he was able to continue. Apparently getting stuck at the ramp can be rather amusing as a truck with some fellows was on the beach watching the happenings.
sure he had 4x4? tons of suvs down south are only 4x2. its quite amusing to watch them attempt to drive even on the packed sand in volusia county fla. i have been driving on sand for a long time and never once let air out of my tires and never got stuck in a 4x4
 
#13 ·
Believe they have new regs this year. Need to watch a video and have recovery tools. Maybe that is only on the national seashore. We go to Hatteras Island. Never got stuck with 95 JGC, but my wife's X3 got stuck within 20 feet of access in deep sand. Stay in others tracks.
 
#14 ·
Keep an eye out for what areas the locals avoid. I don't live near an ocean but we have some great beaches and there are always some spots that are avoided because they are super soft. Of course the closer to the water the harder the sand. I don't ever air down on the beach unless I'm tempting the super soft avoided areas. Momentum is your friend as well as a shovel and some wood planks are nice.
 
#15 ·
Since you're headed to corolla you won't need an ORV pass. Lucky you, you saved fifty bucks and 10 minutes of your life. The beach is harder down that way vs further south past Oregon inlet. Even through that beach is better for driving I'd still lower tire pressure to 20 psi. At the end of hatteras I'd recommend boards and a shovel as well. Soooo much more powdery in hatteras than corolla. Enjoy!!


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#16 ·
Thanks for everyone's advice, I'm looking forward to taking it onto the beach. Now I just have to figure out where I'm going to enter/exit and spray off the undercarriage once I'm done.
 
#17 ·
Ok here are the results from last weeks Fort Fisher beach trip. I clocked in about 25 miles of beach driving total spread over 4 days.

First trip out I did not air down. Tires were at 38 PSI. I made it about 200 yards in 4-low before getting bogged down in the soft sand. I aired down to 18 PSI and still couldn't get out. Got out the shovel and 30 minutes of digging I was able to drive right out. The rest of the trip I aired down to 20 psi and had no problems.

Cleaning-
After each trip out on the beach I would spend the $1.50 for the DIY car wash. I would get the wand and spray into each brake caliper to free any sand. Then I would pop the hood and spray lightly (without holding the trigger down allows for a low pressure mist to be sprayed) the engine bay down. Then I would use the high pressure and get around each axle and place the nozzle in each drain hole on skids plates for about 20 to 30 seconds. You would be amazed at how much sand can get collected on the skid plates. Mine was actually so filled that it made a nasty noise against the drive shaft every so often.

I'm wondering if it is worth having the skid plates for driving on the beach. However I noticed that at Fort Fisher the sand is really soft and the ruts from previous vehicles are everywhere. I bottomed out on more than a few times and I new the skid plates were absorbing the impact rather than vital components so I will leave them on for now. I'm just wondering if I should drill some larger drain holes to allow the sand to drain better.
 
#24 ·
40 psi in sand is crazy. Your poor jeep....Even if you make through without getting stuck you are still making the vehicle work waaaay harder than it has to.

If you're on hard sand that's one thing, I've seen a Toyota tercel driving on the beach before, that beach was as hard as pavement.

On normal, deep, fluffy sand, 20 psi adds life to your vehicle. If you hate your jeep keep running 40psi on sand.


Unbelievable. 40 psi. Sand. Brand new jeep.
I think I threw up in my mouth.




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#25 ·
You will have a good time.
We drive on the beach almost every weekend, we have a season pass to Freeman Park beach access in Carolina Beach, NC. We take my truck since it is built for off road but here are not pointers for the Jeep.

-Defiantly air down if you are running stock tires.
-Tow hooks are a good idea since there is no place under these Jeep to attach a tow strap cleanly to minimize damage if you need to get pulled out.
- Always carry a shovel. Generally you can always dig yourself out.
- Get a good feel for your jeep in sand. Low and slow is a safe bet but momentum is your best friend. Depending on the conditions of the grooves too much speed will get you bouncing too much and berry you front tires. We have had a very hot dry summer down here and the sugar sand is very soft.
- DONT SPIN YOUR TIRES of you loose traction. Stop and crawl out of the hole.
- Use your head and be smart about you moves.

Definitely wash your Jeep after you get off the sand. Even though you don't drive it in the ocean the amount of salt attached to the sand will cause oxidation and rust if not maintained. I usually hose it down real good but then I will also hook the hose up a oscillating sprinkler and let it sit under the truck for 20min or so.

Have fun, it is a great time. If you come down to Carolina Beach look for my truck, we are always out there.

 
#26 ·
I might be headed to OBX the week of Aug 14 also. I have driven my Honda Pilot on the beach, with AT Revo's, with no issues - 17inch rims aired down to 18-20psi or so.
The Jeep has the 20" wheels - anyone know how these might fare in the sand (stock tires as well)? A lot less sidewall to say the least! I have the QTII system with regular suspension.
 
#27 ·
From what I've heard the 20's do just fine aired down. Having the QTII will help as well but I think if I'll be ok in QT1 you should be fine. From what I've read it seems like the south part of OBX is the softer part where as up north in like Corolla the sand is much harder. Also, I'm in Sterling as well, I've probably seen you on the road before. :headbang:
 
#28 ·
I have experienced and read that JKU 07-11 automatics will overheat (the transmission) in 4H after as little as 15 to 20 minutes in deep sand. Use 4L and turn the O/D off. If you install an aftermarket trans cooler, you might be good either way. Don't want to kill your tranmission or worse, torch your ride.
 
#29 ·
I had no problem with beach driving last fall at Kure Beach, NC. It was a great experience. I did air down (to about 22) and never felt out of control or about to get stuck.





 
#31 ·
Hey everyone! Haven't posted in a while. Husband took over my Jeep so I'm not on the forum as much :(
We traded in his pickup for a Mazda CX-5 for me. He just LOVES the Jeep

Anyway.....we are going to be taking it on the beach for the first time this summer. We used to use his truck on the beach, so we do have all the beach driving supplies already.

My question is....should we drive in Auto, Sand or 4wd lo?
 
#33 ·
I've driven 3 different SUVs on the ocean beaches near the Columbia River and have never had any problems without airing down. I'm betting most of the people getting stuck are like one guy last summer who forgot to put his F-350 into 4WD and had dug some nice holes with his rear wheels before realizing his mistake. The whole family was in the truck and Mom looked very mad/worried until she saw me walk over with a tow strap after I decided I had better help them out instead of taking a bunch of sunset photos. :)
 
#36 · (Edited)
I've been on the beach at Pacific City a couple times now. The first time was with a 2010 Outback. While we were there, high tide came all the way up to the ruts going up to the ramp. I just B-lined it straight to the ramp. through all the soft sand, and it did really great. It practically floated over the sand... I never considered airing down the tires at all.

Second time was a couple weeks ago with the Durango RT. I put it in low range and I was surprised how much it pushed/under-steered, even avoiding the really soft sand. With the lower ride height it did drag the chassis a little through the ruts as well. The JGC would've done a bit better (lighter and more ground clearance), but the Durango really felt like a heavy pig in the sand. It's a lot of weight to move. I did leave 36 psi in the tires though... as I expected it to do better with a 'real' transfer case like the JGC.

Now that said, the Hemi did a HELL OF A LOT better towing our pop-up through the hills, and was far more comfortable driving than the old Subaru! With the 3rd row down, it wasn't packed to the gills either... I could actually see out the rear window.

PS - the waitress at Pelican said that they once watched a Hummer get stuck and then get swallowed by the tide... and people were cheering for Mother Nature!

 
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