Sand driving and sand obstacles will always be high on the agenda of 4×4 enthusiasts. It goes without saying that more often than not you will encounter soft sandy conditions under foot, or should we say under tyre, to be more specific. Sand driving might seem like the easy alternative, but in truth, it is not as easy as it seems and requires certain skills and of course lots of practice. In our travels at SA4X4 we’ve undertaken many kilometres of soft sand driving throughout South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia and various other great locations.
Sand driving needs to be tackled like all other 4×4 driving … with caution, to avoid uncontrolled slides, rollovers and getting stuck. If you’ve ever had to dig out a vehicle in the blazing midday sun, you’ll know it’s a sweaty affair and not suggested. We’ve done this on a few occasions.
Driving on soft sand requires you to deflate your tyres for improved traction. That being said, it is imperative to have your own tyre pressure gauge or access to a compressor. Tyre pressures can be dropped right down to 0.8 bar to increase wheel profile, adding more surface area and thus increasing traction.
During a trip in the Ponto do Ouro area of Mozambique, we did not have a tyre pressure gauge when deflating our tyres for a beach drive. Without realizing it, we had not dropped the tyre pressure enough (easy to do without a tyre pressure gauge) on our vehicle and what transpired was that our 4×4 was continually snaking and wanting to bog down in the sand. At a planned stop to view the Loggerhead turtles laying their eggs on the beach, we managed to locate a tyre pressure gauge which indicated that our tyres were still way above the suggested pressure of 1 bar. After dropping the pressure to 1 bar, the rest of the beach drive was accomplished with ease. (Our guide was Maputo Marine Reserve warden, Miguel Goncalves.)
Another aspect of soft sand driving is maintaining momentum. Keep going, keep your momentum. This will prevent you (in most instances) from getting stuck. Find the most suitable gear, in relation to your speed which keeps your forward movement and your revs at reasonable levels.
Sudden sharp turns also increase the possibility of bogging down and more importantly, sharp turns can easily unseat your deflated tyre off its rim. We encountered this specific problem during a dune driving day on the Atlantis Dunes. Luckily there was a portable tyre compressor on hand (plugs into the 12 volt cigarette lighter jack) to rectify the problem. To reseat a tyre that has come off the rim, a ratchet strap can be stretched over the tyre’s circumference to pull the tyre in until it makes contact with the rim. Once it does make contact, use a compressor to pump the tyre while loosening the ratchet strap as the tyre inflates. You should hear a loud pop as the tyre seats itself back onto the rim. Then inflate or deflate the tyre to its desired pressure and you’re good to go.
Try not to do any heavy braking as this too will make the wheels bog down in the sand. A great accessory, which is a must for 4×4 enthusiasts who do a lot of sand driving, is sand tracks. These are invaluable accessories and assist in releasing a vehicle from its sandy grave. We used these sand tracks effectively (above) on a Namibian trip that ended with a beach drive close to the St Nowhere campsite. The best 4×4 drivers around the world have all got stuck in sand during their off-road careers. It’s par for the off-road course.
Another tip is when you resume driving again after taking a break during your sand driving escapades, reverse a few metres back in the tracks you made, as this sand will be compacted and make it easier for you to gain forward momentum.
When you are finished with your sand driving adventure, inflate your tyres as soon as possible. Why, because driving at speed on tar with deflated tyres will lead to excessive tyre heat, blowouts and tyres coming right off their rims. During an off-road trip to Marcuskraal 4×4 we forgot our portable air compressor and the farm compressor was not available at the time. We eventually phoned the farm manager (apologies Willem for hassling you while you were on holiday) and asked if one of the farm staff could give us access to their compressor in the tractor shed. Willem gladly obliged and made the necessary arrangements as it was too far for us to drive on deflated tyres. The closest town was about 20km away which was way too far to drive on deflated tyres and could well have ended in a blowout or worse.
There are many useful accessories that aid sand driving. These range from the simplest of spades to hand dig out a vehicle, right up to sand tracks, air compressors and more expensive winches. SA4X4 has a wide selection of 4×4 products and accessories on offer such as side steps, air compressors, storage options, bush plates, covers, awnings, canopies, fridges, lighting and recovery gear to suit your off road needs.
Click here to view the full range of SA4x4 accessories on offer.
