Keeping your beach drive fun.

Staying safer on the beach.

Remember - The beach is a habitat and a highway.

If you drive in such a way to look after your passengers, you are looking after your car, and you are looking after the terrain/environment as well.

Big run ups, and spinning tyres may look impressive on YouTube, but they are unnecessary, unsustainable and dangerous.

Successful sand driving is 4 things.

1.       Planning – You should never be caught unawares by the tide, tide tables are published well over a year in advance, there are many weather or tide apps that are freely available for your phone or device.

a.       Plan to travel within 2 hours of low tide.

b.      Allow for strong winds to increase the effective height of the tide.

c.       Be realistic with how much you can see or do in one day.

d.      Don’t rush, the beach is a highway, aircraft landing strip, fishing mecca, playground and habitat – slow down.

2.       Clearance – you either have this on any given day, or you don’t. You can certainly improve your vehicle’s clearance – legally, but about 75mm for the body work and 25mm for the running gear through a combination of suspension and tyre size increases. Having appropriate clearance under the vehicle makes for less stressful motoring and allows you to choose the best line through the inland tracks without fear of becoming ‘grounded’.

a.       Consider if upgraded suspension or taller tyres is appropriate for your needs.

b.      Consider replacing the flimsy original ‘bash’ plates with more substantial ones.

3.       Traction – or “Getting your tyre pressure right”. Here at the Australian Offroad Academy we do not throw psi figures around, or at you. We say “Go as low as you need to go, but no further”. Getting tyre pressure right depends on;

a.       The size, type and construction of your tyre.

b.      How heavy your vehicle is.

c.       The conditions on the day.

There is no ‘best pressure’ there is only the pressure that allows you to traverse the terrain (in this case sand) with the minimum loss of traction (spinning wheels) on any given day.

4.       Torque – it’s torque that allows your 4x4 to pull through the softer bits of sand… It’s torque that makes your wheels turn when the resistance increases. You get torque right by getting your gears right.

a.       There is nothing wrong with using Low Range on the inland tracks

b.      There is nothing wrong with using Low Range on the beach when the going gets tough.

Beach driving is a special experience, it’s great fun on its own but it also allows us to access many other forms of recreation. It doesn’t need to be scary, or dangerous.

Top Ten Take-away Tips

1.   Plan your visit, get your permit and a map, be realistic, understand the tides.
2.   Inspect, (replace if necessary) and pack your recovery gear, clean rubbish and unnecessary stuff from your 4x4.
3.  Try to avoid roof loading, or at least plan to only put light, bulky things on the roof.
4. Get your tyre pressures right – ask the locals what conditions have been like
5. Enter the beach with caution – select low range for beach entries and exits – maximise torque while minimising speed in this ‘bottleneck’ area.
6. Be prepared to adjust your tyre pressures, up or down.
7.  Maintain a careful watch, there is no driving environment more dynamic, look out for animals, children, fishing gear, planes, washouts, other traffic and more.
8.  Be aware of speed limits but drive to the conditions (this often means traveling well under the posted limit.
9.   Take care of your crew – seatbelts are not optional.
10. Take heaps of photos, have a great time, and tell all your friends how lucky you are to be able to drive on our fabulous beaches.