33" tyres on sand?

[LiFtEd-4-RuNa]

just wondering what 33" tyres for 15" rims are very good in sand,

atm im running 31" maxxis big horns and they didnt seem to be the greatest on the beach the other day. its for a 4 cylider 90 4 runner

[T_Diesel]

What tyre pressures were you running in the sand?

[steel]

33/10.5/15

[SIM79]

atm im running 31" maxxis big horns and they didnt seem to be the greatest on the beach the other day.

Your tyre pressures must have been too high, I run my bighorns a 16psi for sand dunes.

[LiFtEd-4-RuNa]

to be honnest it was my VERY first time out 4x4'n im comlpetely new to this,
i never droped the psi :S im guessing that its a must on sand?
i couldnt use h4 at all because the motor just stalled, and when i used l4 i could hardly take off i basicaly got almost bogged everytime i tried to stop or turn around lol.. i would say driver skill would be a factor i just expected it to be abit better?
next time ill be sure to take a pump and tyre gauge and let them down. do you think the 4 cylinder would have enough power to climb a dune?

[lay80n]

You should lower your tyre pressure whenever you go offroad, regardless if its sand, mud or rocks. 16psi on the 4runner would be a good start, but there is no magic figure. Just experiment and find whats right for your setup. Be careful though, dropping too low can cause you to pull a bead off the rim.

Layto....

[LiFtEd-4-RuNa]

thanks heaps for the replys

[DamTriton]

You should lower your tyre pressure whenever you go offroad, regardless if its sand, mud or rocks. 16psi on the 4runner would be a good start, but there is no magic figure. Just experiment and find whats right for your setup. Be careful though, dropping too low can cause you to pull a bead off the rim.

Layto....

Forther to these comments 12 psi is about as low as you should go, any lower and you will bump a bead off the rim.

Secondly DO NOT travel at anything over about 40-50 km/h with your tyres aired down. Get yourself a good air compressor before even considering new tyres. Most tyres will be OK on sand, it is more about the pressures in the tyre than the tread pattern.

[Shadow]

no tyres, or tyre pressure, is going to help your lack of power though

for that, theres only really 1 solution. LS1!

[alien]

interesting you say no lower than 12psi... that depends a lot on the tyres...

i know i drive a sierra, however running my simex ETs at 7psi offroad is perfectly fine, and i do 80km/hr on corrugated roads at that pressure without any hassles, including the odd bit of sideways-ness (ok a lot of that).

pulling a bead off is pretty unlikely once you understand the limit of your tyre.

i'd have thought for a 4runner 12psi on sand would be spot on or at least a great starting point? 10psi would most likely be even better.

[hulsty]

I run bighorns on the beach, they are great, normally I have them at 15psi on my cruiser, could go lower on a lighter 4 runner. When the going got hard I ran them at 5psi and they were great.

[351ciofgrunt]

Sand absorbs alot of power, don't expect to be able to drive in 4H, stay in 4L

[AZZA FJ40]

Sand absorbs alot of power, don't expect to be able to drive in 4H, stay in 4L

It does absorb a lot of power but dont go to 4L unless you need to, My D40 Navara has got shit loads of lag and I still have only used 4L to recover someone,
Just remember when lowering your tyre pressure the when driving on sand your pressure will increase with the heat.
MTZ's @ 12PSI go to 15PSI when driving on the sand.

Tyre size on the rim has a major effect on what pressures to go to.

Hope this helps

[LiFtEd-4-RuNa]

cheers for all the info next time should be alot better on the sand
ill go out and get a compresor and tyre gauge this week which should make droping the tyre pressure easier

[DamTriton]

cheers for all the info next time should be alot better on the sand
ill go out and get a compresor and tyre gauge this week which should make droping the tyre pressure easier

DECENT compressor, not a Kmart/Supercheap/Repco $40 special.

Expect about $200 or so

[grimbo]

Never go under 12psi? Says who, in my Sierra I could go down low single digit on 31s with no dramas and my 34 Swampers were usually about 8.

On my Gu I have run 10 psi with 33x10.50 in the sand and snow with great results. You just need to drive accordingly.

[BlueSuzy]

I run 10psi in a sierra swb. 33's.

Dont get a cheap baby compressor. unless it a ebay double pumper. can be had for $60+ or $120+ in shops.(differnent stickers only)



Also keep an eye on the temp guage. Just in case because sand puts alot of load on the motor, and everything else.

[alien]

cheers for all the info next time should be alot better on the sand
ill go out and get a compresor and tyre gauge this week which should make droping the tyre pressure easier

DECENT compressor, not a Kmart/Supercheap/Repco $40 special.

Expect about $200 or so

same goes for the pressure guage - cheapies arent very accurate, especially low down on the scale... invest in a quality 0-60psi one with steel casing.

[purplebus]

to be honnest it was my VERY first time out 4x4'n im comlpetely new to this,
i never droped the psi :S im guessing that its a must on sand?
i couldnt use h4 at all because the motor just stalled, and when i used l4 i could hardly take off i basicaly got almost bogged everytime i tried to stop or turn around lol.. i would say driver skill would be a factor i just expected it to be abit better?
next time ill be sure to take a pump and tyre gauge and let them down. do you think the 4 cylinder would have enough power to climb a dune?

well done mate. . new to the sport and this forum. welcome here and to the track life. good to see you are asking questions. we all ask questions as it is how we learn/pick up hints etc. never stop asking and never stop watching other drivers. enjoy your new hobby, its awesome.

[coxy321]

cheers for all the info next time should be alot better on the sand
ill go out and get a compresor and tyre gauge this week which should make droping the tyre pressure easier

DECENT compressor, not a Kmart/Supercheap/Repco $40 special.

Expect about $200 or so

same goes for the pressure guage - cheapies arent very accurate, especially low down on the scale... invest in a quality 0-60psi one with steel casing.

The "easy deflators" are around $70. Built in gauge, won't lose your valve centre, nice fast air down.

And as per shadow's post - your car will never be a rocket with 33's on sand.

[LiFtEd-4-RuNa]

haha it isnt even close to a shopping kart with 31's on the road so maby i should stare clear of 33's on sand then haha! damn the 4 cylinder

[V8Patrol]

Do a lot of sand in the rallycar...... yes CAR, open diff and on 'normal road tires'

drop the pressures down to around 8psi and to date I've only ever been hauled through once.




My old zook on the "factory" bar treads was the best rig I've had in the sand, again drop the air down to 5psi from memory, and it would leave all the big fat rim/tire patrols and yotas for dead.... have fond memories of snatching out a flash new GQ with my old zook in the sand



it aint tread pattern,
it aint the width,
it aint the height,


its all about the air pressure in the tire that counts


tip:
moist sand = slight pressure drop ( around 20psi)
dry sand = medium pressure drop (around 14psi)
dry 'fluffy' sand = major pressure drop (around 8psi)

Kingy

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

for the sand id be specifying a 33inch all terrain thats 50% worn.
you want less agressive tyres in a low power truck from my experience.

but you would find 31Ats that are half worn would make your truck go better

[coxy321]

Sand absorbs alot of power, don't expect to be able to drive in 4H, stay in 4L

It does absorb a lot of power but dont go to 4L unless you need to, My D40 Navara has got shit loads of lag and I still have only used 4L to recover someone,
Just remember when lowering your tyre pressure the when driving on sand your pressure will increase with the heat.
MTZ's @ 12PSI go to 15PSI when driving on the sand.

Tyre size on the rim has a major effect on what pressures to go to.

Hope this helps

Unless you're only driving on the hard/wet sand, i'd stay in 4L. Fifth gear 4L is going to give you about 50-60km/h top speed (providing you don't have reduction gears), which is really about as fast as you want to go if you're running a low pressure in your tyres. Remember that this guy is running an old gutlux, not a new commonrail turbo diesel with a ton of torque.

Also you'll probably find you'll be changing gears less and stressing the motor less if you run in 4L, letting the gear reduction to do the work and not your motor. I know it sounds arse about, but give it a shot.

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

and yeah drop your tyres down to 15 or so and you will be amazed the difference it makes in soft sand. be like a new motor you will be amazed.
if you struggle keep dropping the pressures.

[oldmate]

Keeping 31s will also help with power from a gearing perspective. Check your tyre placard for the correct size tyre, because I think older hiluxes and 4runners came from the factory with a 29inch, or metric equivalent tyre.

As mentioned the balder tyres go better also from an engine performance perspective. Same way that an AT or MT chews more fuel onroad than a Highway tyre. Personally I've seen a hilux with completely bald, down to the wire tyres go perfectly fine on sand.