[NickOff]

just bought a standard sierra hard top. im planing to do a lot of beach driving and a little bit on trails, whats the best tires for this? can you get wider ones so you dont have to let air out of them? is bigger better?

[alien]

you want taller tyres rather than wider - think of a tank when doing ur mods...

i'd go a 2" body lift and the tallest, skinniest tyres you can get under there, then on the beach air down to around 5psi.

tread pattern, any AT pattern should be fine. a mud tyre will want to dig holes more than anything (i've found).

[matty_wall]

You will nearly always need to air your tyres down when sand driving.

[want33s]

Any tyre will do on the beach... In my experience a bald tyre is just as good as a new AT or MT.

Stock pressure on a Sierra is 20psi..... Hit the beach and see how you go in stock form and then try deflating to 10psi... You will notice the difference...

Larger diameter tyres will help on sand but aren't always necessary.

[NickOff]

thanks everybody, probably the first thing ill do is a 2" lift kit and then see how the tires go

[Che]

Stock tyre pressure is 20 PSI?? Damn - I run my BFG's at 28 - 30.

Yeah, 10 PSI works for me on sand, and I barely ever use 4WD either.

[bagnkat]

che_guitarra wrote:

Stock tyre pressure is 20 PSI?? Damn - I run my BFG's at 28 - 30.

Yeah, 10 PSI works for me on sand, and I barely ever use 4WD either.

I run my BFG 30x9.5s at 18psi on road. Works very nicely, it doesn't jump all over the road, is nice and predictable but not too heavy. They are a lot better with a steering damper too.

[joeblow]

want33s wrote:

Any tyre will do on the beach...

what he said.

[whincup]

alien wrote:

you want taller tyres rather than wider - think of a tank when doing ur mods...

i cant comment for trails or mud, because i dont do hardcore stuff, just mud here and there... but in sand, the wider the better. think of weight distribution. say, if each tyre contacts the ground for a total of 50cm squared... total of 200cm squared (arbitrary numbers, dont nit-pick, just examples...) holding a ton of 4wd... thats 1000kg/200cm squared. 5kgs per square cm. think if you get wider tyres, each tyre is 50% bigger, at 75cm squared, total of 300cm squared... 1000kg/300cm squared is about 3.3kg per square cm.

better way of thinking about it: tent pole. push it in holding it vertical, then compare that to pushing it in horizontal. takes a lot more force...

[whincup]

anyway, back to advice... nickoff, dont choose a mud terrain, road tyres are actually just as good, if not better than M/Ts on sand, but a nice set of A/Ts would be best... 2" suspension lift would be helpful too, just to help ground clearance, but probably not an issue on sand... possibly lockers depending on how expensive you want to go. just remember, ease the accelerator on to avoid wheelspin, and keep momentum through tougher patches. once a sierra is moving, not much will stop them. and theres very few 4wds (if any at all) that will outdo a sierra on sand.

good luck, and welcome to auszookers!

[royce]

Try to keep moving in the soft stuff, avoid heavy acceleration if you can and learn to read whats ahead of you so you can be ready for it, either with more power or getting ready to turn a bit

think float like a butterfly and youll be right

oh, and keep your thumbs OUTSIDE the wheel

[hutch]

alien wrote:

think of a tank when doing ur mods

Do you often think of tanks when doing your MODS?
http://bharatfarms.org/images/water_tank.jpg
Might have to give it a go.

[ninjamoses]

whincup wrote:

alien wrote:

you want taller tyres rather than wider - think of a tank when doing ur mods...

i cant comment for trails or mud, because i dont do hardcore stuff, just mud here and there... but in sand, the wider the better. think of weight distribution. say, if each tyre contacts the ground for a total of 50cm squared... total of 200cm squared (arbitrary numbers, dont nit-pick, just examples...) holding a ton of 4wd... thats 1000kg/200cm squared. 5kgs per square cm. think if you get wider tyres, each tyre is 50% bigger, at 75cm squared, total of 300cm squared... 1000kg/300cm squared is about 3.3kg per square cm.

better way of thinking about it: tent pole. push it in holding it vertical, then compare that to pushing it in horizontal. takes a lot more force...

Not that I'm agreeing or disagreeing, but the thoughts behind the larger diameter and skinny tyres is:

1) The large diameter a tyre is the bigger its footprint (front to back) will be when deflated. Sure it will bag out a little also, but the main increase will be in its "in line" foot print.

2) While wider tyres have a wider footprint, they also have the extra resistance to overcome from the terrain in front of that extra width which some what negates the benefits of it in the first place. Its not all about the downwards force, as you are trying to move through the sand. Think of dragging a wide plank through the sand versus a skinny plank etc.

I guess the thoughts behind it are, if wider tyres aren't providing any real advantage over skinnier tyres when at the same pressure, then all they are doing is sapping power trying to spin the larger rubber. Hence get the narrow tyres, deflate them to the correct pressure, enjoy the huge foot print it will give and the extra power you've got from the lighter wheels.

Thats the argument anyway (there are mega debates on it all over the internet if you have time to spare ). Personally if you've got power to spare get whatever bloody tyres you like

[royce]

I remember seeing something once in a mag before there was internet where they painted tyres to measure the footprint they made on the ground, all being equal a wider tyre made bugger all bigger footprint, though on a 4wd it gives you a greater area of ground that might provide decent traction

[Fmoss3]

from personal experience i've found highway terrains to be the best tyre on the sand. If all the driving you were doing was on sand then i wouldn't be too concerned. If you were looking to do some dirt work as well then all terrain's are your only real option. Depending on how much your looking to spend, something like 235/75/15's at's would be more than enough, plus your lift

[alien]

ninjamoses explained it well... give him a gold star =)

[MacDaddy]

From what i understand, a narrower tyre is better on sand and gravel, as you get better power down and less wheel spin, but a wider tyre is better on rocks, as you get more contact, dont know about mud... i had 215/75/15 AT's on my old Vit, let them down to 12psi, and they did great on the Sand !

[303zuke]

And some of the thinking behind a taller, skinny tyre being better in sand is that a tyre of larger diameter effectively increases your gearing and reduces torque at the wheel. This means that you are less like to spin a wheel and break traction, which is the start of bogging in. It also means that your acceleration is reduced though, and that is sometimes what you need to climb the face of a dune.

Like anything, whatever you choose will be a compromise. There is no one "Best" sand tyre or tyre pressure, because there are infinite varieties of conditions you will encounter when driving on sand (ie wet/dry, fine/coarse, flat/steep, loose/hard packed). Just go with any tyre, and get out there and learn the skills to adapt your driving to varying sand conditions. Stockton can provide just about any sort you would want.

[SuziBlu]

whincup wrote:

alien wrote:

you want taller tyres rather than wider - think of a tank when doing ur mods...

i cant comment for trails or mud, because i dont do hardcore stuff, just mud here and there... but in sand, the wider the better. think of weight distribution. say, if each tyre contacts the ground for a total of 50cm squared... total of 200cm squared (arbitrary numbers, dont nit-pick, just examples...) holding a ton of 4wd... thats 1000kg/200cm squared. 5kgs per square cm. think if you get wider tyres, each tyre is 50% bigger, at 75cm squared, total of 300cm squared... 1000kg/300cm squared is about 3.3kg per square cm.

better way of thinking about it: tent pole. push it in holding it vertical, then compare that to pushing it in horizontal. takes a lot more force...

Wide and tall, air down, bigger footprint.

Less weight per square inch of contact. If the beach is hard, its not a prob, but if the beach is soft, then the bigger the footprint the better.

[2stroker]

Why have people advised him to do a body lift, he has a sierra, he will not be getting hung up on the body beach driving. Suspension lift yes bu body lift??

Your standard tyres will be 205/70/15 just go up to a 215/75/15 and it will be pretty good. Choose an all terrain pattern, nicer on the road and and good for the beach, longer wearing.

If you go up to 235/75/15 you should really get wider rims. In a standard sierra with standard gearing any larger that the 235 just knocks your power around too much.

[whincup]

royce wrote:

oh, and keep your thumbs OUTSIDE the wheel

may sound silly, but is VERY important! avoid spraining ur wrist this way... sure quite a few of us can say we learnt this lesson the hard way

ninjamoses wrote:

Think of dragging a wide plank through the sand versus a skinny plank etc.

i see where you're coming from, however you need to remember that the "plank" is being rolled, not dragged... roll a wide plank then roll a narrow plank (both on sand), tell me which sinks in further.

2stroker wrote:

Why have people advised him to do a body lift, he has a sierra, he will not be getting hung up on the body beach driving. Suspension lift yes bu body lift??

exactly. only reason you would advise body lift here is to get bigger tires on the car... which would actually help the most, as its only way to lift the diffs, which are lowest part of the car...

Fmoss3 wrote:

from personal experience i've found highway terrains to be the best tyre on the sand.

ive only ever used BFG A/Ts myself, but people do say it all the time, and it does make sense. float straight over the top rather than digging it up...

[NickOff]

thanks heaps everybody, really apriciate it

[atari4x4]

whincup wrote:

royce wrote:

oh, and keep your thumbs OUTSIDE the wheel

may sound silly, but is VERY important! avoid spraining ur wrist this way... sure quite a few of us can say we learnt this lesson the hard way

ninjamoses wrote:

Think of dragging a wide plank through the sand versus a skinny plank etc.

i see where you're coming from, however you need to remember that the "plank" is being rolled, not dragged... roll a wide plank then roll a narrow plank (both on sand), tell me which sinks in further.

2stroker wrote:

Why have people advised him to do a body lift, he has a sierra, he will not be getting hung up on the body beach driving. Suspension lift yes bu body lift??

exactly. only reason you would advise body lift here is to get bigger tires on the car... which would actually help the most, as its only way to lift the diffs, which are lowest part of the car...

Fmoss3 wrote:

from personal experience i've found highway terrains to be the best tyre on the sand.

ive only ever used BFG A/Ts myself, but people do say it all the time, and it does make sense. float straight over the top rather than digging it up...

when driving in the sand there is always a small pile of sand that you are constantly trying to drive over, the wider the tyre the wider this pile of sand is & the more resistance you will come across.

if highway/mall terrain tyres are better why do people fit sand paddles to dirt bikes/dune buggies? i find that my mud terrains work well with the right amount of throttle application and can be felt paddling it self forward where a mall terrain will only dig holes with no forward progress....

[want33s]

atari4x4 wrote:

if highway/mall terrain tyres are better why do people fit sand paddles to dirt bikes/dune buggies?

Dirt bikes/dune buggys are underweight and overpowered for their size and paddles work well on them but Sierras aren't dune buggies and certainly aren't overpowered.

atari4x4 wrote:

i find that my mud terrains work well with the right amount of throttle application and can be felt paddling it self forward where a mall terrain will only dig holes with no forward progress....

Have you ever driven on sand on HT's or bald tyres?... I have and would prefer them on loose, dry sand to MT's as they may spin but don't dig down.

[BLZUK]

personally the highway tyres thing i think is crapola, sure if u cant drive then muddies will get you into trouble on the beach but i'd rate muddies over highways, maybe the sand is different down this way but i've had more success with muddies over AT's.

All i've ever run was 2inch lift and 235/75's MT's and havent been bogged and rarely aired down

[atari4x4]

want33s wrote:

atari4x4 wrote:

if highway/mall terrain tyres are better why do people fit sand paddles to dirt bikes/dune buggies?

Dirt bikes/dune buggys are underweight and overpowered for their size and paddles work well on them but Sierras aren't dune buggies and certainly aren't overpowered.

fair enough on a gutless sierra, but my vitara has plenty of poke & paddles would be fun.

atari4x4 wrote:

i find that my mud terrains work well with the right amount of throttle application and can be felt paddling it self forward where a mall terrain will only dig holes with no forward progress....

Have you ever driven on sand on HT's or bald tyres?... I have and would prefer them on loose, dry sand to MT's as they may spin but don't dig down.


yep & i still reckon with decent throttle control i could get further with muddies

[zooked]

The wider the better and with a zook heavey right pedal is the only way to go

[SuziBlu]

zooked wrote:

The wider the better and with a zook heavey right pedal is the only way to go

X2, and Baja Claws, I love the very deep heavy tread pattern, and back them against any other tyre, sand.

[2stroker]

Well there you go Nickoff, you have so many opinions that you are probably more confused than ever.

In the end you have a Suzuki which is better on the beach than just about anything anyway. I guess that from all the posts it is obvious that no matter what tyres or combination you end up running it will work and you will do well.

Welcome to Suzuki land....

[4x4ish]

my experience i like 235/75R15 down to 10-12 psi. did most of fraser in 2wd this way if momentum was kept up. as want33's said bald tyres are great, highway tyres are what u want. i had 20% tread on hyw tyres when i did fraser. they were on standard rims.

There are alot of different opinions here, im sure most work great as ive seen muds do well in sand too but what ive said above is what i personally find best.