1979 Chevrolet Blazer (BlueKnight)

Higher gears are great for sand, as speed and momentum keeps you flying on top rather than sinking in. Depending on the type of sand—from fine to coarse and from wet to dry—different speeds and gears may need to be used. Usually, spinning the tires is needed since wheel speed is a factor to keep on top of the sand. Lowering air pressure and running wide tires help in the flotation department as well. Sand dunes can have steep drop-offs and other obstacles, so being alert is extremely important. If you?re climbing a sand hill and realize you?ve run out of engine poop, downshift quickly, and floor it without losing momentum. This is where automatic transmissions excel—virtually instant downshifts with no loss of momentum. Shifting a manual truck usually means the momentum is gone before the clutch is ever let back out. Side hilling in the sand or running a bowl is great if you have enough speed and power, but turn downhill as soon as you start to bog down. Point your ride straight down, and if the nose starts to go sideways give it a little gas to straighten it out.

When it comes to driving in sand, wide, aired-down tires offer the most advantage. Tires with open tread work well, but ?wheelers who spend most of their time in the sand often install paddle tires to get the best possible grip in the soft, shifting sand. You will still get stuck, however, and you?ll likely do it while trying to get to the top of a sand bowl. When you?re heading toward the top of a dune and you feel your vehicle bogging, just point the nose back downhill and keep your foot on the gas. Lift, and you?ll be stuck.

Flotation, light vehicle weight, and lots of horsepower are critical elements. The less flotation you?ve got and the more weight, the more horsepower you need. And as in other situations, maintaining momentum is extremely important. If you?re alone and get stuck, a winch and a sand anchor will come in handy. There are several types of sand anchors available on the market, and some ?wheelers even fabricate pretty decent ones in their own shops. When you?re in a bind, bury your spare tire and use that as an anchor. When we were in Australia, we saw sand anchors of all shapes and sizes bolted on the backs of 4x4s. A good all-around anchor is the new RW 11000 ?military-size? Pull Pal which is rated up to 11,000 pounds.

Lowering the air pressure and going slowly is the best recommendation for rocky trails or hard-core rockcrawling. Tires should be placed on top of the rocks, which allows the axle and undercarriage to avoid hitting the boulders. On IFS rigs or Hummers, for example, the available clearance in the center of the undercarriage is sometimes better, but straddling rocks can still get you stuck in any case. Your lowest speed that keeps your momentum going is usually the best. If you go too fast you end up bashing and crashing while hurting your rig and generally getting stuck. Rockcrawling is truly the home of elegant driving as coined by the late great Granville King. By making this activity a true art form of fluid motion like a mechanical ballet, a greater amount of obstacles can be scaled with less damage to yourself and the vehicle. Likewise, raw power and speed can jet you over the boulders, but the hopping and flopping action of bashing and crashing your way through a canyon of boulders is in no sense of the word elegant, and it?ll cost you more in the long run. One way to stay in control with an auto tranny is to use one foot on the brake and one on the gas. On a stick-equipped rig the engine compression braking gives you greater control, but using the two-foot method on an auto will mimic this action.

Maintaining traction on rocky surfaces has a lot to do with the condition of the rock itself. If you?re attempting to traverse a loose, rocky section, large, wide tires with an aggressive tread are what you want. Air them down—way down—so that your tires? contact patch can more easily conform to the profiles of the rocks you?re driving over. But be aware that low pressure means sidewall bulge, and sidewall bulge can greatly increase your chances of rock cuts on those sidewalls. So bring a spare and be prepared to use it. Horsepower is less important on the rocks than it is in other situations. But what?s important here is picking your line. While you?re watching where your tires are going in the next 10 feet, you?ve also got to keep an eye on where they?ll be going in the next 20 feet after that. Be thinking of placing your tire contact patches where the most grip can be found.

What you also need is a locking differential, a transfer case with a low-range ratio that is very low (some aftermarket units are as low as 4:1, while OEM transfer cases more typically are between 2:1 and 3:1). And if your goal is to run hard-core rockcrawling trails, a good flexy suspension plus great tires and lockers front and rear are a must. As you may already know, there are many companies that offer aftermarket suspension systems. Among them, long-travel suspension systems work great on vehicles such as Jeep TJs, providing extreme amounts of flex that can result in less wheelspin, hop or bounce—and that means more traction.


Go Home Sand & Rocks Dirt Roads & Hills Water Crossings Mud, Snow, Ice		Sand & Rocks These are tips that I have gathered through the years from magazines and other 4 wheelers. As I find more info I will post it. Some of this info is quite helpful and will aid you in getting further on the trail.Enjoy Sand: Higher gears are great for sand, as speed and momentum keeps you flying on top rather than sinking in. Depending on the type of sand—from fine to coarse and from wet to dry—different speeds and gears may need to be used. Usually, spinning the tires is needed since wheel speed is a factor to keep on top of the sand. Lowering air pressure and running wide tires help in the flotation department as well. Sand dunes can have steep drop-offs and other obstacles, so being alert is extremely important. If you?re climbing a sand hill and realize you?ve run out of engine poop, downshift quickly, and floor it without losing momentum. This is where automatic transmissions excel—virtually instant downshifts with no loss of momentum. Shifting a manual truck usually means the momentum is gone before the clutch is ever let back out. Side hilling in the sand or running a bowl is great if you have enough speed and power, but turn downhill as soon as you start to bog down. Point your ride straight down, and if the nose starts to go sideways give it a little gas to straighten it out. Building & Survivng When it comes to driving in sand, wide, aired-down tires offer the most advantage. Tires with open tread work well, but ?wheelers who spend most of their time in the sand often install paddle tires to get the best possible grip in the soft, shifting sand. You will still get stuck, however, and you?ll likely do it while trying to get to the top of a sand bowl. When you?re heading toward the top of a dune and you feel your vehicle bogging, just point the nose back downhill and keep your foot on the gas. Lift, and you?ll be stuck. Flotation, light vehicle weight, and lots of horsepower are critical elements. The less flotation you?ve got and the more weight, the more horsepower you need. And as in other situations, maintaining momentum is extremely important. If you?re alone and get stuck, a winch and a sand anchor will come in handy. There are several types of sand anchors available on the market, and some ?wheelers even fabricate pretty decent ones in their own shops. When you?re in a bind, bury your spare tire and use that as an anchor. When we were in Australia, we saw sand anchors of all shapes and sizes bolted on the backs of 4x4s. A good all-around anchor is the new RW 11000 ?military-size? Pull Pal which is rated up to 11,000 pounds. Rocks: Lowering the air pressure and going slowly is the best recommendation for rocky trails or hard-core rockcrawling. Tires should be placed on top of the rocks, which allows the axle and undercarriage to avoid hitting the boulders. On IFS rigs or Hummers, for example, the available clearance in the center of the undercarriage is sometimes better, but straddling rocks can still get you stuck in any case. Your lowest speed that keeps your momentum going is usually the best. If you go too fast you end up bashing and crashing while hurting your rig and generally getting stuck. Rockcrawling is truly the home of elegant driving as coined by the late great Granville King. By making this activity a true art form of fluid motion like a mechanical ballet, a greater amount of obstacles can be scaled with less damage to yourself and the vehicle. Likewise, raw power and speed can jet you over the boulders, but the hopping and flopping action of bashing and crashing your way through a canyon of boulders is in no sense of the word elegant, and it?ll cost you more in the long run. One way to stay in control with an auto tranny is to use one foot on the brake and one on the gas. On a stick-equipped rig the engine compression braking gives you greater control, but using the two-foot method on an auto will mimic this action. Building & Surviving Maintaining traction on rocky surfaces has a lot to do with the condition of the rock itself. If you?re attempting to traverse a loose, rocky section, large, wide tires with an aggressive tread are what you want. Air them down—way down—so that your tires? contact patch can more easily conform to the profiles of the rocks you?re driving over. But be aware that low pressure means sidewall bulge, and sidewall bulge can greatly increase your chances of rock cuts on those sidewalls. So bring a spare and be prepared to use it. Horsepower is less important on the rocks than it is in other situations. But what?s important here is picking your line. While you?re watching where your tires are going in the next 10 feet, you?ve also got to keep an eye on where they?ll be going in the next 20 feet after that. Be thinking of placing your tire contact patches where the most grip can be found. What you also need is a locking differential, a transfer case with a low-range ratio that is very low (some aftermarket units are as low as 4:1, while OEM transfer cases more typically are between 2:1 and 3:1). And if your goal is to run hard-core rockcrawling trails, a good flexy suspension plus great tires and lockers front and rear are a must. As you may already know, there are many companies that offer aftermarket suspension systems. Among them, long-travel suspension systems work great on vehicles such as Jeep TJs, providing extreme amounts of flex that can result in less wheelspin, hop or bounce—and that means more traction.

Sand & Rocks