Is AWD enough for deep beach sand? (Chevy Express AWD Van).

[4wheeldrivevan]

I'll be taking my 2004 AWD Chevy Express 1500 5.3 L to the beach next weekend and I'm a little worried. How does AWD do in deep beach sand?

I'll air down to about 15 psi and makes sure I have some tow straps ready and maybe even take a friend and his big 4x4 pickup....

If it turns out the AWD does not do well, is there a locker you would recommend for the scrawny GM 10 bolt like an OX, ARB or Eaton E Locker?
If I'm not hauling heavy loads is there any reason to upgrade the GM10 bolt to a GM 14 bolt like the 2500 and 3500's have? The heaviest loads I carry are a 350 lb motorcycle on a trailer hitch carrier, sleeping bags and beer.

 

[dreadlocks]

its more down to your tires than the drivetrain, but to answer your question.. I find AWD does better than 4lo because you dont really want your torque all geared up when trying to avoid wheel spin.

if your on sand the important thing is recovery gear and a buddy, just about anything can get stuck in sand regardless if you got all the bells and whistles.. and there's rarely a good way to find an anchor point for winching.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Personally I would air down more. A couple pounds less would be very noticeable. Easy on the throttle in low range with no wheel spin is the goal.

 

[Choff]

TAKE MORE BEER FOR PUSHERS OR PULLERS!!!

 

[b. rock]

I go down to single digit psi in the sand. There's no rock or hard surface to roll the bead off of your tire, and float is everything. I like awd or limited slip center diffs for sand/snow. Only found 4 low useful for steep dunes, but that was kinda sketchy and also because it was a 6-6500lb rig with a grand total of 210 hp. Your V8 will be helpful.

 

[rruff]

I go down to single digit psi in the sand.

That's how you do it! Don't even need 4wd, just good flotation and take it easy.

 

[tatanka48]

the vast majority of folks i have rescued over the years have bottomed(frame n belly of their vehicles resting on the sand) out in addition to loosing traction

low clearance vehicles ARE AT RISK

air down early and have a way to air back up w/ you

just my 2¢ worth

T

 

[rruff]

Good point! If you are already on your belly, then you are going to do a lot of digging before airing down will help!

 

[Josh41]

Airing down is key, as low as you can go. Frame clearance is the next issue, low vehicles tend to get high centered. I tried to pull a guy out this summer, he had no tow points anywhere on his vehicle!!!
Coarse sand tends to be easier to get bogged down in as well. Have fun.

 

[Deleted member 96197]

Airing down has been mentioned a lot, also biggest tires you can fit to help with flotation never hurts

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

This Dunlop tire was made for the sand, worked extremely well and was a big surprise. Looked like car tread but was narrow and tall. Aggressive tire in most cases is not the best for sand.

 

[OldYota]

I was gonna say it looks like a land cruiser rim, then I saw your screen name. Haha

 

[tatanka48]

... I tried to pull a guy out this summer, he had no tow points anywhere on his vehicle!!!
Coarse sand tends to be easier to get bogged down in as well. Have fun.

i mentioned a special set of hooks in another thread that was dismissed by some of the more hard core forumites as being a bit on the frilly(my word not theirs) side

wrecker/tow truck drivers usually carry a set or 2 of these(sometimes just an assortment of individual pieces) to use in the factory holes(actually narrow slits) in car's frames that are used by transport truckers for securing vehicles to the auto transport





no they're not for HD lifting/recovery butt they sure do come in handy when all you need to do is slip a vehicle out of the sand or a slick spot

many of today's unibody vehicles can't take being SNATCHED but will take slow steady gentle pressure w/o damage

GOOD LUCK and be gentle

T

 

[b dkw1]

Air down, be gentle with the gas and brake pedals, stop facing downhill.

For lockers, Tru-trac's are a really good choice for this. You will not really notice they are there, they just work.

 

[Goonie]

I'm a little late to the party.... but I take our 09 chevy express AWD to the beach all the time without issues. We weight in around 7600lbs i think, and we have no issues with 245/70/17 108 load rating aired down to ~15psi. If you have higher load rated tires you would probably need to air down a little more.

90% of the time we are at assateague island beach but I've had no issue at north carolina or florida with the same setup. When I was in florida there were deep ruts and i did rub the sand on the frame a couple times. Now i have a slight lift and have not had to worry about it any more.

Just a couple tips if you have not driven on the sand before....

Keep momentum if possible, stopping perpendicular to a rut with your tire in it can cause you to spin tires and dig deeper.
Don't slam on the brakes to stop if you can avoid it, you'll dig into the sand and form a small berm in front of the tires which can get you stuck.
Don't turn sharply when moving quickly, it's easy to de-bead a tire at low psi
Try not to spin tires if you do get stuck, they will dig you deeper quick! 10 seconds of spinning tires can lead to 30min of digging out sand!

I hope you have a great time!