BajaNomad - What width tire is going to perform better in the sand?

What width tire is going to perform better in the sand?

JZ - 10-23-2021 at 12:03 AM

11.5 or 12.5. On a 3/4 ton truck.

What is the general rule overall?

BooJumMan - 10-23-2021 at 05:32 AM

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).

chippy - 10-23-2021 at 06:51 AM

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).

David K - 10-23-2021 at 08:50 AM

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.

4x4abc - 10-23-2021 at 11:59 AM

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

4x4abc - 10-23-2021 at 12:03 PM

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

David K - 10-23-2021 at 01:08 PM

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'.

chippy - 10-23-2021 at 01:23 PM

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.

AKgringo - 10-23-2021 at 01:38 PM

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!

JZ - 10-23-2021 at 01:47 PM

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]

Don Pisto - 10-23-2021 at 01:53 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

good stuff there from the master! :yes:

David K - 10-23-2021 at 02:10 PM

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.

AKgringo - 10-23-2021 at 02:16 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc

good stuff there from the master! :yes:

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!

JZ - 10-23-2021 at 02:59 PM

Got any pics AK? I'd love to see it.

[Edited on 10-23-2021 by JZ]

AKgringo - 10-23-2021 at 03:17 PM

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.

chippy - 10-23-2021 at 03:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by chippy

Hahahaha ! Thats why I got rid of them. Noisiest damn tires I´ve ever owned.

What's that...I can't hear you!

AKgringo - 10-23-2021 at 03:37 PM

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.

advrider - 10-23-2021 at 06:09 PM

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!

AKgringo - 10-23-2021 at 06:23 PM

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.

mtgoat666 - 10-23-2021 at 08:30 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ

11.5 or 12.5. On a 3/4 ton truck.

What is the general rule overall?

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.