Beach tyres

[Shark]

Hey guys i know there are millions of threads on tyres etc but after an hour of reading i thought i would cut my losses and just ask the question.

Currently i have the motorway muddies which are fairly new and after the weekend just gone have discovered that they are absolutely useless on the beach. So to start off with im thinking of getting an all terrain tyres rather than a mud terrain and the size im more than likely to go for is a 32/11.5 or a 33/12.5.

Of course like everyone money is tight and i must admit that i like the ballsy looking tyre over the " road " looking tyre.

Cheers
MArc

[OldGold]

I think you'll find the ballsiest looking tyre probably won't be the best if beach driving is your thing.

Why don't you just get some new rims with something cheap like motorway AT style tyres, and just swap em round depending on where you're going? Would probably be your cheapest option.

[Busiboy]

Don't know how the motorways would go on the sand, I think they are a bit stiff when you try and bag them up.

Never driven them though.

Maybe some second hand duelers for the beach stuff.

[BundyRumandCoke]

Yep, go for a second set of rims, and a set of A/T or even H/T tyres. Fit these when you are mainly doing bitumen/beach work, and keep your muddies for the real hard off road stuff. This is what I do.
The best tyre for the beach is basically a bald one, with softish sidewalls. Something like aircraft tyres. No or minimal tread to dig in, and bag out the sidewalls for extra flotation. But of course, you have the legalities if you are going to run them on the road.

[bruiser]

I agree that agressive mud tyres are not that good in sand.
Made this comment recentley and got told otherwise.

Glad someone agrees with me.
Steve.

[Busiboy]

My BFG muds will do ok in sand BUT I have to let them right down and bag them right out. Something that isn't that easy to do with hte stiffer walled monoforms. Great everywhere else

[-Scott-]

I'm not the slightest bit surprised by the Monoforms beach performance - the aggressive tread is designed to dig through loose stuff to find some traction, and the stiffer walls hinder bagging as you let pressures down.

I agree with the AT or HT comments. If you only ever do highway and beach then HTs are probably all you need.

Cheers,

Scott

[Shark]

Hmmmm dont really go 4wdriving too much anymore unless its on a beach so mud terrains are pretty much out of the question and i must admit that a h/t terrain does not turn me on at all. I was thinking of either a bfgoodrich a/t or procomp x/terrain or perhaps a mickey thompson tyres.

What do youse think??

Marc

[Busiboy]

BFG's will wear well, don't know about the others, never really driven anything other than MUDZ!!!!!!!!!!!

[haycait]

I had H/T tyres on my GU and they were useless on sand!!! I would let the down to around 15 psi and all it would struggle unless I was driving on hard sand near the waters edge. I now have A/T's which are marginally better but was thinking of putting on BFG muds next.

It is interesting to hear different opinion though isn't it.

[Area54]

It can be hard to judge the truth from other peoples opinions if they have been misinformed themselves.

We have had great success with our JT2(34x10.5) and centipedes (35x10.5) in the sand on both a lightweight hilux and heavyweight mav wagon.

It's not so much the width you are looking for, its the length of the footprint, and these tyres (simex) would have one of the most aggressive lug pattern besides a bogger or sand paddle tyre. You do need some lugginess for the tyre to bite into the sand, after all, for the vehicle to go forward, you need to push the sand backwards. If your tyre slips with no traction in the sand, it goes nowhere...

The wider the footprint, the wider the 'wave' of sand that you have to push in front of the tyre. You want to increase the surface area, not the rolling resistance. Hence a longer footprint, with a narrower tyre will perform better than a big wide fatty.

I'm sure BFG still make a 33x10.5 or 9.5 or similar, these would be the go, nice narrow rim and low pressures.

[-Mick-]

Hmmmm dont really go 4wdriving too much anymore unless its on a beach so mud terrains are pretty much out of the question and i must admit that a h/t terrain does not turn me on at all. I was thinking of either a bfgoodrich a/t or procomp x/terrain or perhaps a mickey thompson tyres.

What do youse think??

Marc

I've run the x terrain for a year and love em Bag well so no probs on beach at all. Just like any muddie on road so no worries there. A few $ upfront (mine were cheap 2nd hand but nearly new) but they'll outlast most brands.

Plus they look cool which seems to be an issue for you

Run a std mud tyre for a spare to get around the directional spare thing people whinge about

[p76rangie]

I have to agree with Area54. Narrow tyres with a long footprint are the go. Agressive tyres will get you further, but will get you unstuck qicker if you do not drive correctly in sand. Therefore learn to drive in sand and stay with the tyres you have. I drove for 240kms along the beach with muds on and did not have an issue, where others with all terrians and H/Ts were.

[Busiboy]

....Currently i have the motorway muddies which are fairly new .......

i think the motorway not bagging enough due to construction and age will be your main problem here as outlined by most of the guys, read a thread here somewhere about someone trying these out and letting them down to nearly 5 psi, if memory serves, to get them to bag out properly FOR ROCK.

the sidewalls are letting you down more than the pattern here.

[Tiny]

I find that were ok when at very low pressures....8 - 1 psi, but they still don't bag well. just be carefull at these pressures.

BFG are ok if you like th treat pattern and the MTRs ran well on stockton on the weekend.

The whole bald vs aggressive appears to a bone of contention, but from my experience I found aggressive don't seem to make a lot of difference either way until you get in the real soft stuff, then they tend to dig you in much quicker.

Tiny

[My Lil Lux]

The best tyres I've used on sand were the original stock tyres that came on my lux, aired down to nothin. Area 54 is right, narrow tyre with wide footprint.

[Shark]

Well i rang around a few place today and everyone seemed to recommend the bfgoodrich a/t but i spoke to one guy and he sold and recommended the procomp x-terrain.

These tyres look the stuff and he reckon that there is nothing better than those tyres on sand, of course if he didnt say that he would be a shite salesperson

Only prob is they were bloody expensive at $332 each for a 33/12.5.

What do youse reckon?? Dont mind spending the money if it gonna get me what i want.

MArc

[BundyRumandCoke]

I would go for the BFG A/T's.

I have run various tyre brands and types in sand. There is sand, and there is sand. The sands of Fraser are completely different to the sands of Agnes, 5 rocks, or Cape Palmerston. Momentum is pretty important when sand driving. It keeps you up on top of the sand, instead of ploughing through it. In this case, any type of tread pattern will get you through. But get into the dry, dusty bottomless type sand we have in some parts up here, especially after a prolonged dry spell, lose momentum, and agressive treads will just dig you in.
I suppose it also comes down to driver experience, and vehicle capability.
It once took me 5 hours to get 9 vehicles up off three rivers beach at 5 rocks, due to the horrendous condition of the sand, extremely dry.

[cam yagan]

In my experience, i have to agree with Area54. 235/85/R16 at low pressure bag out nicely. I like this size tyre the best, because it is the most versatile,it can do sand, rock hopping, and return good mileage on the highway. Also im from Perth and recently went to Sydney, and there are homos everywhere.

[shortgq]

I currently run 235/85r16 and they are very good on the beach, when i had them on an l28 swb mq i used to push through sand where others had problems, i think the taller tyre helps alot.... thgey were also bfg at's and i never had a problem with them bagging, etc.... best thing is they're height is the same as the old 7.5x16 and their available everywhere so if needed as i've found out they can be interchanged with alot of small truck tyres getting around if ya stuck somewhere without tyre repair shops....