JZ
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What width tire is going to perform better in the sand?
11.5 or 12.5. On a 3/4 ton truck.
What is the general rule overall?
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BooJumMan
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Without a doubt, wider is better for floatation. It is the same concept of reducing air pressure in your tires. It increases the patch area, which
distributes the force (weight of vehicle) across a larger area.
Also AT tires perform better in sand than an MT. (they float rather than try and dig).
In that pre-Google Earth and social media epoch, The Code was adhered to. It was based on a simple verity: if a locale had been transformational for
you, and you had put the hard yards in to get there and to learn it, to know it, why in god�s name would you broadcast the news, thus ruining the
future experience not only for yourself, but for future adventurers?
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chippy
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Width is less important than length of contact patch with reduced tire pressure. I´ve run 285/75/16 and 255/85/16 on the same vehicle. In sand there
was no noticable difference but gas mileage was much better with the skinnies (less rolling resistence).
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David K
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Art (edm1) in his first 4WD motorhome ran 'skinny' tires (the back was with duels)... and once he deflated enough, he floated fine. No matter what
kind of tire (and yes AT is better than MT), you just keep deflating until you find the 'sweet spot' to float on the sand, instead of digging in.
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4x4abc
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Tricky issue
you want to have a footprint that is as big as possible (to avoid sinking in)
but achieving a larger footprint by only going wider is not a good idea
for best driving stability you want to create a footprint that is long rather than wide
wide footprints tend to oscillate left and right
like sailboats - long and narrow runs better
http://www.4x4abc.com/jeep101/soft-sand-deflate.html
Harald Pietschmann
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4x4abc
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AT tires have no advantage in sand
MT tires are the better overall choice as they have a deeper thread and protect better against piercing objects
digging in or not, is a driver issue - not a tire issue
Harald Pietschmann
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David K
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Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  | AT tires have no advantage in sand
MT tires are the better overall choice as they have a deeper thread and protect better against piercing objects
digging in or not, is a driver issue - not a tire issue |
Just a personal observation, but I have run AT tires as well as MT (& 3-ply sidewall tires) on my Tacomas. The MTs did not float until I was down
to 10 psi, or less. AT tires and highway tires float much easier and at 15-20 psi.
Conditions vary with different sands and temperatures, of course. It was always fun to experiment with sand driving; 2WD, 4WD, low and high range,
various tires. The absolute worst tires were the Cooper SST mud terrain, 3-ply sidewalls. They looked the coolest, but were noisy and my wife and I
named them 'grave diggers'.
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chippy
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That´s funny dk. I had the same tires years ago but super pizza cutters 235/85/16 on a different truck. I never had any problems with them. They
absolutely sucked in the loose stuff at full pressure but aired down they were fine=never got stuck.
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AKgringo
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The tires I run on my 4x4s are taller and wider than the stock size, and I feel that taller is the more important factor in most off
road conditions. Fat all terrain tires in sand can be fun, but there is a performance penalty in snow, slick or wet pavement, or slimly mud.
I also prefer a more open tread than most "all terrain" tires provide. I am currently running 265/75/16 BFG KO2 ATs on my Trooper. I have not had
them in snow yet, but earlier today they did fine in some fresh, gooey mud, and they are very civilized on the highway!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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JZ
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Going with 35x12.5R20.
Would like to go with 35 R18, but they won't fit with the 2.5 inch BDS coil-over lift, suspension I'm switching to.
[Edited on 10-23-2021 by JZ]
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Don Pisto
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| Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc | AT tires have no advantage in sand
MT tires are the better overall choice as they have a deeper thread and protect better against piercing objects
digging in or not, is a driver issue - not a tire issue |
good stuff there from the master!
there's only two things in life but I forget what they are........
John Hiatt
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David K
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| Quote: Originally posted by chippy | | That´s funny dk. I had the same tires years ago but super pizza cutters 235/85/16 on a different truck. I never had any problems with them. They
absolutely sucked in the loose stuff at full pressure but aired down they were fine=never got stuck. |
Agree, airing way down they worked as good as an AT tire with almost twice the pressure. How did you feel about the highway noise? Cranking up AC/DC
is how I drowned it out!
My tire size is 265/75-16, (~32") an inch taller than stock.
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AKgringo
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| Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto | | Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc | AT tires have no advantage in sand
MT tires are the better overall choice as they have a deeper thread and protect better against piercing objects
digging in or not, is a driver issue - not a tire issue |
good stuff there from the master! |
The best beach beast I ever had was Suburban that I had in Alaska. It was originally a special order, no frills delivery vehicle with a one ton
drive train and suspension.
When the factory limited slip rear diff failed, I put in a Detroit locker, and ran 35x12.5 BFG Mud Terrains. It was a tractor, and I pulled many
other rigs out of soft spots, mostly just ahead of an incoming tide!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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JZ
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Got any pics AK? I'd love to see it.
[Edited on 10-23-2021 by JZ]
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AKgringo
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JZ, that was in the mid ninety's, before digital cameras and phones were common. Even if I could find the old film or photos, the truck did not look
much different than a family rig.
Some of the trails I used to drive then had some side slope challenges, so I did not lift the Burb! I trimmed sheetmetal to get the clearance I
needed on the front fenders, everything else was stock (for a 1 ton}.
By the way, it was soo good on the beach that I never bothered to air down, and usually ran the beach in 2wd to give me feed back on the traction
before I actually needed the front axle.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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chippy
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| Quote: Originally posted by David K | | Quote: Originally posted by chippy | | That´s funny dk. I had the same tires years ago but super pizza cutters 235/85/16 on a different truck. I never had any problems with them. They
absolutely sucked in the loose stuff at full pressure but aired down they were fine=never got stuck. |
Agree, airing way down they worked as good as an AT tire with almost twice the pressure. How did you feel about the highway noise? Cranking up AC/DC
is how I drowned it out!
My tire size is 265/75-16, (~32") an inch taller than stock. |
Hahahaha ! Thats why I got rid of them. Noisiest damn tires I´ve ever owned.
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AKgringo
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What's that...I can't hear you!
At least not while I am in the Kia I still have with the bias ply TSL Super Swampers on it!
I haven't driven it lately, but when I do, you will hear me coming. They are a miserable highway tire, and short lived as well, but they cut through
deep, slushy snow or mud like it is on rails!
The fun part is when I drive through chain control on Donner Summit. The Cal trans guys get a kick out of a little Kia with Super Swampers on it.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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advrider
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ARB lockers are a game changer. On the road you don't even know you have them but when the need arises just hit the button and away you go.
I had Detroit lockers before ARB'S came out and your rig would change lanes when they locked and unlocked, you really had to drive back then!
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AKgringo
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Loved the locker off road, but it was a real white knuckle adventure driving on icy roads! It would want to spin out in 2wd, and just push in
straight lines in 4wd.
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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mtgoat666
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I suspect that all, other thing being equal, the 12.5” tire has a little over 8% more contact area than 11.5” tire.
I don't think tread type matters much in sand. Maximize surface area, don’t spin the wheels.
I have built pipeline projects thru sand dunes. No problem with fleets of stock pickups. Don’t drive like an idiot, you won’t get stuck.
P.s never drive over saturated sand, no tires will save you from liquefaction. Just avoid saturated sand. Simple solution.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
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