Do I Need a 4-Wheel Drive Vehicle to Drive on the Beach? Outer Banks 4x4

[cisnerofam08]

i have a jeep wragler 4x4 with 37s and i had a buddy with a heavier 4dr wrangler that is 2wd stock tires no lift kit, he took it to the beach once and got stuck right away. when i took him I LWRD THE TIRE PRESURE TO 10PSI AND HAD HIM PUSH THE TRACTION CONTROL OFF. HE WAS GOLDEN we went through soft sand and packed down sand. if you air down your tire there will be more surface area contacting the ground causing u 2 float over the sand instead of digging urself in.

[123abcpa]

Get an airplane.



[RetroGamerr1991]

My Subaru Legacy actually has a 50/50 split if you put it in 2nd.

[slapoutz]

@DamnGood30 i drive a fwd civic and ive never gotten stuck either. sand, 10 inch deep gravel on hills, mud, a foot of water. not that hard if you know how to do it. only problem i ever have is scraping on big hills. hope to have a truck soon though

[TwiddyOuterBanks]

@slapoutz Big difference between driving on hills and gravel than driving on a soft sand beach with ruts. Wouldn't recommend taking your Civic on our beaches, but if you get that truck with 4wd you'll have a blast!

[slapoutz]

@TwiddyOuterBanks i said ive driven on all 3. and actually the gravel was harder than sand

[Demonragdoll]

you dont need 4x4 for the beach. just a head on how to drive and where to drive

[MrThunderairsoft]

well front wheel drive awd or rwd dose not matter well it dose some what having wider tries helps the vehicle stay on top of the sand better you don't want skinny tires on sand that makes no sens whats so ever skinny for snow and some mud and fat for sand and most other mud

[AirForcedude5]

why am I watching this? I don't live anywhere near a beach!

[7150285]

so AWD vehicle have differential lock as well

[adiodude300]

@7150285 no they dont

[7150285]

@adiodude300 only some i guess

[kilteddave1]

I used to live in Norfolk Va for 9 yrs, and used to go to Hatteras and outer banks on weekends in my IHC 4x4 Travelall. It is lifted about 6 inches with 33 inch tires, which give me room under it to dig it out in case i do get stuck. I have been stuck there before, and can usually dig myself out in less then 30 mimutes and drive away. I still drive that same truck today. Only now im 500 miles from NC. I miss going there. If gas wasnt so high, I would come back for a weekend visit.

[modeyus1984]

I agree with not all 4x4 are actually powering all wheels. I have a lifted f250 with solid front and rear axles with locking hubs and it's power to all 4 wheels. Just don't be locking them on regular roads because you can't turn worth shit. But sand is perfect.

[TXTURTLE07]

@DamnGood30 That MAY fly on Corolla... but go down to Oregon Inlet or the national seashore and you'll look like the rest of the cars/crossovers/mini suvs that I pulled out last week

[locgps]

I've driven an Acura MDX (AWD) locked in VTM with tires down to 10 psi with no problems. Also drive a 68' VW Baja Bug (2 wd) fine, although it has a 3" body lift and 31"x10.5 tires on the rear so I pretty much float on top. Still drop the psi on that to 8-10. I've seen a VW rail (not a dune buggy) out there scoot'n along fine but he had fairly wide rear tires too. I don't think I would try a standard VW w/reg tires since they are only 4" or so wide.

[rptr660rdr]

if you are a good driver you need 1 wheel drive

[dvpracing387]

dont need 4wd if ur a good driver

i do it all the time in 2wd at pismo with a load

[veedubjelly]

could a standard old beetle drive on the beach? with its higher ground clearance and low weight i though it wouldn't do too bad... any suggestions?

[kilroyshere]

even a 4wd dosn't drive all 4 wheels at once ,it is capable of turning any of the 4 wheels but unless it is fitted with diff locks or limited slip diff then it will mostly send drive only 1 of the front wheels & 1 of the rear wheels at any one time, when a wheel breaks traction the opposate wheel on the other end of the vehicle will often loose traction as well , an all wheel drive runs in a similar fashion but uses a centre diff lock to to allow varience between the front & rear axles

[Darksidethreefour]

@DamnGood30 They do have a good point. 90% of transfer cases that are "AWD" are completely incapable of powering both axles at the same time due to bind. Your car likely has full time 4wd that is computer controlled, many newer cars (post 1998) have this.

Truth be told, when the shit hits the fan.....having selectable 4wd with a lowrange is your best bet.

[zxzx1212ify]

@Darksidethreefour agree with you. Our Nissan Murano struggle on sand, our Ram sport and Jeep cherokee (both has 4x4) have no problem.

[Darksidethreefour]

@DamnGood30 They do have a good point. 90% of transfer cases that are "AWD" are completely incapable of powering both axles at the same time. Your car likely has full time 4wd that is computer controlled, many newer cars (post 1998) have this.

Truth be told, when the shit hits the fan.....having selectable 4wd with a lowrange is your best bet.

[Sodiumreactor]

@DamnGood30 "hard or soft, doesnt matter, never got stuck" You have never been in soft sand with an AWD sports car. If you had, you would have been stuck. Nice try.

[Fuel28]

Just dont slow down. Iv seen 3 trucks get stuck in one area cause they all slowed down on soft sand. I was kind and went over and pulled all 3 out new ford 250 ford explorer gmc envoy. stay on packed sand and just dont slow down. Or get a real truck Chevy

[TwiddyOuterBanks]

@DamnGood30 There are a few times when we've seen cars on the 4x4 beaches when the tide is extremely low and the beach is hard packed. We've seen those vehicles get out there at a lower tide, and then get stuck once the tide comes up. The most difficult part, as you know since you own a home there, is crossing the dunes to get to the homes. We are simply looking out for our guests' best interests, and want them to have the most enjoyable vacation possible, knowing what to expect along the way.