Sand Driving

[akram Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close akram]

Re: Sand Driving

i spent my weekend in the desert (i am from Oman. Oman is one of the arabian gulf countries near Qatar, Emirates and Saudi).
i was driving my lc150 prado and two of my friends were driving their jeep wranglers.

i was amazed with how the prado handles everything.

you need to switch off the VSC and TC.
deflate the tyres.
when you get stuck in soft sands, dont push hard otherwise you will sink deeper. just try moving forward and backward slowly until u get out.

thanks

[Corigator Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Corigator]

Re: Sand Driving

you need to switch off the VSC and TC.
deflate the tyres.
when you get stuck in soft sands, dont push hard otherwise you will sink deeper. just try moving forward and backward slowly until u get out.

thanks

That's good advice, Akram

[Warnsie Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Warnsie]

So is anyone also locking their centre diff when driving on sand in H4? I am still getting my head around the whole AWD setup.

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Here's another Sand Driving thread (there's a couple) Some discussion on this one re Centre Diff being locked.. (and yes is my recommendation also...)


http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...l=1#post181008

[Symo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Symo]

To out it in perspective, for the last 30 years 4WDs and 2WD have bee accessing Fraser with little trouble. There was no traction aides and no recovery aides. All you did was lower tyre pressure and engage 4wd which on a permanent 4WD like the 150 means locking the centre diff (a part time 4wd centre diff is always locked when 4wd engaged).

Momentum is about keeping moving not driving at break next speed.

Disable stability control but traction can remain on, it won't activate or interfere and most 4wds won't let you turn it off anyway. But when a wheel slips your front and rear diff is open and you are only running a 2wd effectively since a vehicle fitted with traction control has no LSD diffs anymore.

You should be able to crawl stop and go again from any point on the beach with this setup and skill is not necessary, especially in a hi torque vehicle like the 150.

I should know I grew up there and learnt to drive in Subarus and had no trouble slithering all over the island. The only time the sand was bad was because of tourist not adhering to the above and churning the place up. But that's all part of the experience.

Best advice I ever got is stay away from hire cars and yellow number plates. They are the worst and have no idea.

[rags Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rags]

I should know I grew up there and learnt to drive in Subarus and had no trouble slithering all over the island.

Best advice I ever got is stay away from hire cars and yellow number plates. They are the worst and have no idea.

Glad I have had black n white personalised plates, after growing up around the beaches of Port Stephens in the 1970s and going out onto the beaches in anything from an old suzuki and various land cruisers with the family, I couldn't wait to get out on Stockton Beach with my 1st 4x4 a 1979 short wheel base Hi Lux when I got my P's .
No diff locks ,no fancy air compressors, just 10r 15 desert duellers some strips of carpet to put under the tyres [no max tracs back then], a shovel and some rope and here I learnt to drive what I still think is some of the softest sand around,besides maybe the beach up on Hawkes Nest [Mungo Brush].

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

Ha just looked and posted on this way back in 2010 when I was VERY much a novice....since then I have had about a dozen trips to Fraser, 5 or 6 to Straddie, crossed the Simpson Desert, been to Cape York and just completed the fabulous Canning Stock Route.......so now consider myself novice plus 1!!

Leave that bloody traction control OFF, turn on the Diff Lock, lower the tyre pressure (depending on load) to about 22 front and 24 back (and you can go much lower as we had to do in the Simmo), leave it in D for drive and the Prado will go just about anywhere!!

Oh and pack the following,

A long handled shovel
Snatch Strap
And although expensive a set of Maxtrax (for me only ever used on the Simpson and only then to get my mates out)

I reckon tyre pressures are 99% of the things to do.......I have seen stock standard all wheel drives handle Fraser....but ONLY if the tyre pressures were down.

Have fun, its a great way to start your four wheel driving!!

[GonFishn Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GonFishn]

I second that about the maxtrax. They are absolutely awesome, even better if you have 2 pairs. I've got out of a couple of hairy situations by myself with just maxtrax and a bit of time.

One thing to note regarding turning the stability control off, the manual mentions you should be at a standstill when you press and hold the button for 3 secs. I had to pull the manual out over the holidays coz the damn SC was really annoying me in the sand. And yea, 18psi and sports mode for sure in the soft sand.

[Ian Reid Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Reid]

[QUOTE)

I reckon tyre pressures are 99% of the things to do.......I have seen stock standard all wheel drives handle Fraser....but ONLY if the tyre pressures were down.

!![/QUOTE]


Dead right.

On my first trip to Fraser in 2000 i came across a bloke at Eli Ck driving a Commodore. Curious so i had a look and a chat. Definitely 2wd, he had a set of 17 inch wheels otherwise standard kit. Told me was running at 16 psi, followed other vehicle tracks and used momentum and of course low tide. Obviously not going to get inland too far but shows what you can do without all the gadgetery.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I reckon tyre pressures are 99% of the things to do.......I have seen stock standard all wheel drives handle Fraser....but ONLY if the tyre pressures were down.

Yep that just about cover it for sand driving.

In fact 3 things you need to get correct for any 4wdriving,

1. Tyre pressure
2. Wheel placement
3. Momentum / speed

If you have all of things correct and you still cant get through you have pretty much reached the capability of your 4wd, chances are though that adjust one or all of those things and it will help.

Cheers Andrew

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

Yep that just about cover it for sand driving.

In fact 3 things you need to get correct for any 4wdriving,

1. Tyre pressure
2. Wheel placement
3. Momentum / speed

If you have all of things correct and you still cant get through you have pretty much reached the capability of your 4wd, chances are though that adjust one or all of those things and it will help.

Cheers Andrew

Yep concur 100%.....my Prado has done a heap of off road work, Simmo, Old Tele Track, CSR, all the major tracks, dirt, mud, rocks, corrugations, water crossings you name it and it's been there......and guess what......I.

Don't have a winch
And don't have lockers

ALL about the three items mentioned above by AJ

Been stuck a few times but nothing a little backing back, trying a different line, or a little bit of elbow grease couldn't do to fix the problem.

It's just amazing what the correct tyre pressures will do, the most effective tool of all!

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

I am with Mark and AJ with the 3 rules and have done all of the same tracks without getting stuck anywhere. I generally run about 18 in the front and 20 in the back with just enough momentum to get through without breaking anything. Powering over dunes at speed is for mugs or those with big budgets. In my 120 VX petrol with the centre diff locked stability control goes off but traction control stays on and doesn't have a switch like the 150 but it has never caused me any problems at all. I do seem to recall a thread some time ago about removing a fuse [55?] but I haven't tried it as I haven't needed to. Has anyone tried it and did it make any difference?

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

I am with Mark and AJ with the 3 rules and have done all of the same tracks without getting stuck anywhere. I generally run about 18 in the front and 20 in the back with just enough momentum to get through without breaking anything. Powering over dunes at speed is for mugs or those with big budgets. In my 120 VX petrol with the centre diff locked stability control goes off but traction control stays on and doesn't have a switch like the 150 but it has never caused me any problems at all. I do seem to recall a thread some time ago about removing a fuse [55?] but I haven't tried it as I haven't needed to. Has anyone tried it and did it make any difference?

Very quickly learnt that attacking the dunes at speed is a mugs game, it was rare in the Simpson, and never on the CSR that I had to resort to low range 4WD, holding in 2nd High and just "tractoring" (if there is such a word) over them was the way I handled it. Easy on the vehicle, less "bounce" and due to that a far more comfortable ride.

I will admit I had to resort to low range when climbing Big Red, tried it a few times the same way as I had attacked the others, but its one big mother so the only way my heavily loaded 150 could get up was in 4 low.

[DES_PeRADO Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close DES_PeRADO]

It would be nice to keep Traction Control on

It is my understanding that it is best if you can just turn off stability control alone and leave Traction Control on?

Seems as this is not possible in my GX 150 Series though ??

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Was possible in the 120 but not possible in the 150. Push the TC button and TC is off push and hold and TC and STC both go off.