Driving on sand becomes easier once you have mastered the tips and tricks along with enough experience on sand driving. Many of the experienced drivers out there don’t have complete knowledge about gear settings and the uses of different gears on various terrains.
What gear do I drive in on sand? When it comes to driving on sand, this is an obvious question for anyone to whirl around the mind. Worry not, because we have got you covered.
Table of Contents
Gear Selection on Sand Areas
In each sand area, there are variations in different parameters and factors that need different gear selections. With the right gear and super quality sand tires, you can perform with full efficiency.
Firm Sand Tracks
In 4WD (four-wheel drive), all four wheels are being used to drive your vehicle. The main goal of 4WD is to provide high traction on the sand surface. It is necessary when you are driving on firm sand areas.
4WD can be of two categories – high range and low range. 4H (four-wheel drive, high range) will give you better traction and allow you to drive at a reasonable high speed that can defeat the resistance of hard and firm sand.
Suggested Guide: Sand Your Tires
Soft Sand Tracks
While driving on soft sand areas, you need low traction and high power. This is the surface where 4L (four-wheel drive, low range) works great.
In 4L, your vehicle will go with decreased speed and increased torque. You can turn slowly and have a better engine brake in this low gear ratio. The engine works stress-free, and less fuel will be used if you are in a low-range four-wheel drive.
You need to drop the tire pressure between 15 psi to 18 psi while driving in 4L. It is safe to speed up to 15mph as your vehicle can have serious damage while driving at high speed with a low gear.
Related Guide: How to Buff Sand Tires?
Sand Dunes
While driving on a flat sand surface, you can change gears but do not dare that while climbing sand dunes. This will make your vehicle lose necessary momentum and cause a serious accident. Low-range four-wheel drive is great while ascending dunes. Choose 3rd or 4th low before you start climbing.
After going on top, look at the downward track carefully before descending. Put your gear to 4WD 1st low before you start going down the sand dune.
Beach Surface
The ideal gear for beach driving is 3rd gear low range in 4WD. But if you want to speed up a little and don’t wanna take chances of getting stuck, you can go for 4H to have extra speed and momentum.
Final Words
While sand driving, you can experience mild or serious incidents and struggle without choosing the right gear. Hope that we provided you all the necessary guidelines and instructions about gear selection while sand driving. So, what gear do I drive in on sand? You already should have thought about some of those.