VX dune running

[WormGod]

I am camping out in Assateague Isle this coming weekend and putting my VX to the sand. The last time I went, I was a little skeptical about running the beach, but this time around, I found a pressure washing spot just down the road from the campsite. A few things to keep in mind of course, are the no no's like getting into the actual ocean water (that salty pit!). Now, out of curiosity, I was just wondering if anyone has done any dune running with their VX already? I was just curious as to how well the VX operates in sand with the use of TOD. I have a few friends who have already been out in the sand with their rides, and they are pretty much abusers of their vehicles. Not the kind of guys I want advice from. The way I baby mine, I totally expect to wash her down EXTREMELY well and get her lubed up as soon as I am back in town. Sand isnt exactly best friends with greased up joints and such.

Anyways, if anyone has any experiences with their VX in sand pits or a beach, I would be grateful if you could share your ventures. :cool!:

[Navigator]

The only major difference between sand and snow is you may NOT be able to dig down to a solid surface to get yourself out of a bad situation. Some of the sand around that area is deeper than hub level, so make sure you have a spotter, and know the terrain well. Also be on the look out for wild pony's. Have fun and take pics :D

[AlaskaVX]

TOD does great in the sand, and you can use 4-lo once you get kinda stuck. We have a bunch of silt up here which is even worse than sand (its even finer than sand). If you get stuck, don't try to power through it just put it in reverse to get out. It helps to stay on hills, since you can easily back down a hill even when your pretty stuck from climbing. Don't be cruising sideways on steep hills with trees below you, the reason I say this is because a buddy with a Pathfinder slid into some trees the other weekend. He wasn't used to having a "heavy load" in the back. He had 2 very obeast women in the back and 1 up front and he tried to do a dune he was used to doing, but with all the weight he just started sliding down the hill and ran into some trees. I have never had a problem in the silt, but I also have tires that are made for it.

Have fun!

[Heraclid]

AlaskaVX,

oBEAST? LOL! Oh, now for somereason that's just cracking me up today. :-) Sorry, I know it's mean, but that was good.


WormGod,

First of all, I take good care of mine too but I did go mudding just once. I think that is out of my system now, but it was fun seeing what these things can do. Now I know firsthand that the hype is justified - these are amazing machines.

All of us who were at the Florida meet mudding and sandblasting our wheels a few weeks ago can tell you we had some pretty deep sand in spots on those trails and no problems whatsoever. I also had never driven in it like that before, and it went off without a hitch. I'd certainly recommend it over mud. :-) You can actually be quite aggressive in sand and it may wiggle around on you a little, but you always feel like the VX is well under control. We liked the sand so much in fact that the Florida crew here at Vehicross.info is actually already contemplating a Daytona area beach meet for August.

You may be interested in this article and the accompanying pics:

http://www.fourwheeler.com/roadtests/5034/index.html

P.S. - Where there are wild horses there are wild horse byproducts. :-)

[Joe_Black]

As Heraclid mentioned there was much sand to be had at the recent Florida Meet. One particular image from the video of -x- and VX1 chasing each other through sugarsand while throwing multiple rooster-tails comes to mind! I've had mine out in the local groves with DEEP LOOSE sugarsand with no problems. With my Trooper RS and BFG MudTerrains I would occassionaly have to hit 4-low, but not so in the same stuff on TOD and stock Duelers.

Afterwards though, I would hit the underside with a good garden sprayer rather than a pressure wash so you don't force the grit further into where it doesn't need to be. All you need from the water is VOLUME, not PRESSURE.

Enjoy and be sure to post pics!

[SGT.BATGUANO]

You should have a portable compressor. You can air down your tires for sand.

Also, make sure your CV joint boots aren't torn beforehand.

[WormGod]

Luckily, there is a compressor at the ranger station just as you get onto the beach. I am a little iffy about the Yoko AVS's on my VX, but I will be with other guys in case they decide to bog me down. Yep, tow strap equipped. Hopefully, I will only have to pull THEM out, heh.

I shall do a thorough check throughout the undercarriage before I leave for the eastern shore.

Does anyone find it useful to bring along any extra lube for sand riding? I imagine any lubing could wait for repacking at home, but just getting some feedback. :)

[VX1]

The Yokos are awesome in the sand, you may fare even better than the others. I run 42psi on the street, and just go to 30-32psi in the sand.

And you wouldn't want to lube anything until it's clean again.

Scott Swett
Yokos AVS 265/60/18

[mrtew]

I went out on the dunes here in Michigan with my Yokos and did great! They have such stiff sidewalls that I aired down to 15lbs like they said and you couldn't even tell the tires were low. They questioned my about it before they let me out on the sand and I insisted that they were aired down. They do feel a little weird without the air though.... I keep them at 45lbs most of the time. Have fun! Check out some pictures on my webage below... they look totally pumped up!

[Baxman]

I've been playing in the dunes for 10 years, first in a Trooper, now the VX. Use 4LO, not TOD. Airing down to 20 is almost worthless - go to 13-15 if you have stock tires, 10-12 with stiffer sidewalls. NEVER get sideways on a dune. Once you start spinning w/o making fwd progress, get off the gas and back straight down. Don't worry about sand getting where it shouldn't, I've NEVER had a sand-related problem. Sand is easier on a rig than mud and water. ENJOY!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3db25b3127cce97201279897b0000003610 http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2db01b3127cce9db6270f5c940000004610 http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2dc39b3127cce9ce7db1d15a40000005610

[Moncha]

Originally posted by VX1
The Yokos are awesome in the sand,

I've had my Yok's for about 2 months now and love them!! I've done everything but snow and they do surprizingly well.

[AlaskaVX]

Hey Baxman where was that last picture taken at? I would love to jump my VX there looks like a lot of fun!

[Baxman]

Originally posted by AlaskaVX
Hey Baxman where was that last picture taken at? I would love to jump my VX there looks like a lot of fun!

Imperial Sand Dunes, Glamis, CA. Where Hollywood went to film Star Wars, The English Patient, Dune (?), Flight of the Phoenix, and so on. Related Story by Yours Truly (http://www.off-road.com/glamis/rentalride/index.html)

Rick

[Spike]

Very cool shot!

Yea, I thought I saw some Bantha poodoo out there in the distance...

[Navigator]

Originally posted by Baxman
Imperial Sand Dunes, Glamis, CA. Where Hollywood went to film Star Wars, The English Patient, Dune (?), Flight of the Phoenix, and so on. Related Story by Yours Truly (http://www.off-road.com/glamis/rentalride/index.html)

Rick

Dayum, no wonder it looked like you were dune running in the outer rim territories of Tatooine :D

[WormGod]

Well, the trip went off without a hitch. Except one maybe. One night we had a wild pony get into one of our mesh dome tents and get stuck, only to buck his way out. Totally destroyed that tent. Joy. But, the VX is a BEAST on the beach. Dropped air pressure to 15lbs and took flight. The Yokos werent as bad as I thought they would be in the sand. They got pretty hairy when trying to pul out of a tire rut from other vehicles, but she eventually pulled them. The TOD was dynamic. Looked like a Christmas tree lighting up the whole time. Even more so than in the snow. There was no need for full 4WD, which was sweet. We kicked off to about 5-6 miles down the beach, backed up to the high tide line, and parked. Set up a tarped shelter, drove some tiki torches in the ground, dug a fire pit, and sank our surf rods.We got a bit of body boarding and skim boarding done with the small waves, and the water was amazingly nice. In all, we had a 14 hour fiesta on the beach before heading back to our camp site (you can do just about ANYTHING in this particular beach, EXCEPT sleep). Having no closing time on this beach, we bailed out at about 2am. Totally fun. And the night drive back was crazy fun. It was a little hairy and speeds were kept lower since we had to watch out for the wild ponies, but still fun.

Anyways, I cant wait to get back soon. I am thinking that with the Mid Atlantic meet coming up on Labor Day weekend, Assateague Isle is where my but is going to be staying. ;)

Oh ya, the VX was a MAJOR hit at the beach. Apparently, NOBODY at the beach had ever seen one. All I recieved were good compliments and never a bad one. Even the Jeeper crew there thought she was "an awesome looking ride". :)

[Navigator]

Nothing quite like havine a wild horse try to peek into your tent in the middle of the night to say "Whazzup Shorty :D " Glad to hear you guys had a great time. While I have the MIC, I'll make a brief announcement, WILL THE REST OF THE MD, DC, VA, DE POSSE CHECK IN !!!, please vote on the Labor Day VX Meet poll. There are over 20 of us, and less than 5 have checked in :D Thanks.

[Spike]

(raising hand)

Here!

[Heraclid]

There are wild horses on a barrier island just north of here, and it's a great place with lots of sand/dunes and lots of other types of terrain. I don't think the ferry takes vehicles across though. Hmmm...