Beach Driving

[ooSHAZAMoo]

Pretty excited about taking my first beach trip (driving truck on beach) pretty soon! After reading a few forums and posts, here are some tips I found:
1- Air down
*not quite sure how much, any suggestions?
2- Bring my air compressor to take advantage of the outlets and air back up
3- Get a good shovel and straps

Any other tips/suggestions for first timers? Do I leave it in reg mode or off-road? Suggestions for PSI to air down to?

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[MM in SouthTX]

Pretty excited about taking my first beach trip (driving truck on beach) pretty soon! After reading a few forums and posts, here are some tips I found:
1- Air down
*not quite sure how much, any suggestions?
2- Bring my air compressor to take advantage of the outlets and air back up
3- Get a good shovel and straps

Any other tips/suggestions for first timers? Do I leave it in reg mode or off-road? Suggestions for PSI to air down to?

I drive on the beach on average twice a week for about 40 years. So far, even in our soft sand here, I have yet to do anything other than push the pedal when I want to go. I expected that the Lightning, on street tires, with all its weight, would sink. It doesn't, even if I intentionally stop in soft mounds and turn the wheel.

My last vehicle, 2016 Expedition, had BFG AT KO2's, which are the gold standard sand tires. It would dig in pretty readily. It sits low, so I had to put a 2" lift to keep it from high centering. Somehow the Lightning does much, much better. I have been amazed.

Follow these tips, and you will do fine:

1. Be soft on the accelerator.

2. Keep your momentum up in soft spots.

3. Keep your steering straight ahead as much as possible in the deep stuff, especially when going slow.

4. If you start spinning wheels in place, take your foot off the accelerator immediately. Don't dig a hole. Next step is to try backing up a bit. If you still spin in place, get out, and remove the sand in front of or behind all four tires, depending on which way you want to go. That sand is acting like a curb. If you have ever been up against a curb and tried to drive over it, you know what I mean. Remove the curb for at least a foot so that you have a runway to get going again, and try again. You can even fashion a gradual uphill at the end of your runway.

5. If you still dig in, air down all four tires. You really have to go below 20 to have a measured effect. Your surface area on the sand almost doubles when you get to 15. I always worry about rolling the tire off the rim, but if you stay on sand, it will not be an issue.

6. In case you end up getting to step 5, it's a good idea to bring your compressor. Air up before you take a corner at speed on pavement.

Enjoy. Heading to OBX? I did a trip to Currituck County about 12 years ago with my 2006 Expedition. Same 2" lift and BFG's. Deep soft sand, kind of like what we have on Padre Island National Seashore. Lots of friendly folks who offered to help when I stuck it. I had a 16' flatbed trailer with kayaks, beach toys, etc. so it was a challenge. That's when I became a true believer in airing down. Makes a world of difference, but a pain in the butt if you don't have a compressor, and there is the risk of rolling a tire off, so I rarely do it.

Get yourself either a set of 4 tire deflators, or one with a gauge, or both. It takes a while to deflate from 40 to 17. You could get a shovel, but hands work pretty well. A good 30' recovery strap is good to have in the frunk at all times. Get a couple of solid D-shackles as well. Knots get pretty tight when you pull on them.

Edit--just found this tire deflator kit. Set it and forget it. Ordering for myself for Fathers Day!

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

just found this tire deflator kit. Set it and forget it. Ordering for myself for Fathers Day!

That is pretty amazing!

 

[Oneand0]

I drive on the beach on average twice a week for about 40 years. So far, even in our soft sand here, I have yet to do anything other than push the pedal when I want to go. I expected that the Lightning, on street tires, with all its weight, would sink. It doesn't, even if I intentionally stop in soft mounds and turn the wheel.

My last vehicle, 2016 Expedition, had BFG AT KO2's, which are the gold standard sand tires. It would dig in pretty readily. It sits low, so I had to put a 2" lift to keep it from high centering. Somehow the Lightning does much, much better. I have been amazed.

Follow these tips, and you will do fine:

1. Be soft on the accelerator.

2. Keep your momentum up in soft spots.

3. Keep your steering straight ahead as much as possible in the deep stuff, especially when going slow.

4. If you start spinning wheels in place, take your foot off the accelerator immediately. Don't dig a hole. Next step is to try backing up a bit. If you still spin in place, get out, and remove the sand in front of or behind all four tires, depending on which way you want to go. That sand is acting like a curb. If you have ever been up against a curb and tried to drive over it, you know what I mean. Remove the curb for at least a foot so that you have a runway to get going again, and try again. You can even fashion a gradual uphill at the end of your runway.

5. If you still dig in, air down all four tires. You really have to go below 20 to have a measured effect. Your surface area on the sand almost doubles when you get to 15. I always worry about rolling the tire off the rim, but if you stay on sand, it will not be an issue.

6. In case you end up getting to step 5, it's a good idea to bring your compressor. Air up before you take a corner at speed on pavement.

Enjoy. Heading to OBX? I did a trip to Currituck County about 12 years ago with my 2006 Expedition. Same 2" lift and BFG's. Deep soft sand, kind of like what we have on Padre Island National Seashore. Lots of friendly folks who offered to help when I stuck it. I had a 16' flatbed trailer with kayaks, beach toys, etc. so it was a challenge. That's when I became a true believer in airing down. Makes a world of difference, but a pain in the butt if you don't have a compressor, and there is the risk of rolling a tire off, so I rarely do it.

Get yourself either a set of 4 tire deflators, or one with a gauge, or both. It takes a while to deflate from 40 to 17. You could get a shovel, but hands work pretty well. A good 30' recovery strap is good to have in the frunk at all times. Get a couple of solid D-shackles as well. Knots get pretty tight when you pull on them.

Edit--just found this tire deflator kit. Set it and forget it. Ordering for myself for Fathers Day!

What a wealth of knowledge! Thank you very much for sharing it. I took a screen shot of everything and saving it.

 

[carys98]

These deflators are pricier but have the best reviews. Some of the cheaper ones aren’t as reliable.
Staun Tire Deflators | The Australian Original Tyre Deflator (Airdown to 6-30 PSI Standard Range) https://a.co/d/gltqsJU

 

[MM in SouthTX]

Oh, one more thing. I did not learn this until recently. NEVER put a tow strap over a trailer hitch ball and load it up. Hitch ball shanks are not designed to be loaded like that. There are a number of reports of injury and death from sheared hitch balls flying back.

 

[ooSHAZAMoo]

These deflators are pricier but have the best reviews. Some of the cheaper ones aren’t as reliable.
Staun Tire Deflators | The Australian Original Tyre Deflator (Airdown to 6-30 PSI Standard Range) https://a.co/d/gltqsJU

Awesome tips. Think you covered all except drive mode. Should I do off road and Trac control off ?

Found thd e last week

ALL-TOP Nylon Recovery Kit with Hitch Receiver: 3" x 30' (35,000lbs) 100% Nylon Snatch Strap + 2" Shackle Hitch Receiver + 3/4 HD Shackles (2pcs) with Isolator + Storage Bag https://a.co/d/18UBnUs

 

[ullearn]

Better, get addicted to Matt’s Off-road Recovery and stock up on soft shackles and yankum ropes https://mattsoffroadrecovery.com/collections/recovery-gear

 

[MM in SouthTX]

Awesome tips. Think you covered all except drive mode. Should I do off road and Trac control off ?

Found thd e last week

ALL-TOP Nylon Recovery Kit with Hitch Receiver: 3" x 30' (35,000lbs) 100% Nylon Snatch Strap + 2" Shackle Hitch Receiver + 3/4 HD Shackles (2pcs) with Isolator + Storage Bag https://a.co/d/18UBnUs

I don't have any idea. I haven't challenged the truck to that degree, or maybe it has not been challenged by what I've thrown at it. Maybe traction control is why it stays on top while the Expedition dug in. When I shifted to 4H on the Expedition it probably turned traction control off. One big caveat of driving on sand is don't spin your wheels, i.e. don't throw sand. Ford may have gotten the traction control tuned so that it performs well in sand, by accident or design.

 

[MM in SouthTX]

Better, get addicted to Matt’s Off-road Recovery and stock up on soft shackles and yankum ropes https://mattsoffroadrecovery.com/collections/recovery-gear

$60 shackle? $260 Rope? Wow. I think I'll stick with Walmart.

 

[carys98]

Awesome tips. Think you covered all except drive mode. Should I do off road and Trac control off ?

Found thd e last week

ALL-TOP Nylon Recovery Kit with Hitch Receiver: 3" x 30' (35,000lbs) 100% Nylon Snatch Strap + 2" Shackle Hitch Receiver + 3/4 HD Shackles (2pcs) with Isolator + Storage Bag https://a.co/d/18UBnUs

I haven’t had a chance to get to the beach with the Lightning yet. I’m assuming that off road will be the best option. I’ll be interested to hear what your experience is. Traction control designed for the road can be too aggressive on sand. Driving in sand you will fish tail and drive sideways at times and you don’t want the traction control working too hard to fix it. My old 4Runner would got nuts if I didn’t lock the center differential.

If you are going to the NC Outer Banks the sand out there has been really loose this year. I guess it has been unusually dry and they describe it as sugar sand. Check the Facebook groups “Oregon Inlet Idiots“ and “Corolla Beach Idiots” to see how things have been. You want to avoid getting posted on those groups.

 

[ullearn]

$60 shackle? $260 Rope? Wow. I think I'll stick with Walmart.

understandable - https://www.alltop4x4.com/about-us

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Pretty excited about taking my first beach trip (driving truck on beach) pretty soon! After reading a few forums and posts, here are some tips I found:
1- Air down
*not quite sure how much, any suggestions?
2- Bring my air compressor to take advantage of the outlets and air back up
3- Get a good shovel and straps

Any other tips/suggestions for first timers? Do I leave it in reg mode or off-road? Suggestions for PSI to air down to?

That sounds like such a good time! So glad to see you're enjoying your F-150 Lightning!

 

[ooSHAZAMoo]

That sounds like such a good time! So glad to see you're enjoying your F-150 Lightning!

It was awesome. Saw a few vehicles get stuck but the truck handled it well! No issues.

 

[Ryanhu1234]

Aired down to 15 psi no problems

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