OBX beach driving tire PSI

3 weeks away from a 1 week long stay in OBX. The house we rented this year is in the 4x4 only area. I'm about 7 miles up from the end of the pavement. Can anyone suggest what psi my tires should be for driving in sand for the week? The bed will be fairly heavy on the way in with food, gear, and plenty of beer for the week.
Thanks,
Mike

 

about 20lbs will give you enough bulge to help and not be so low that you cant hit the streets for some short trips. Generally folks run 15-20lbs.

 

I’ve wondered this myself since I have the 20s. It seems most threads talking about airing down are people with smaller wheels and more sidewalk.

 

I'm running the stock 18" Michelins. I also will have a shovel, tow strap, and traction boards that I hope I don't need.

 

Congrats on what will be a great trip I'm sure. We're planning a trip there in early fall so would love to hear your 1st hand experience upon your return. Good luck!

 

Will do. Very excited to get away for a week.

 

20-25 depending on what you got in the truck. Slow and steady

I have put more miles on sand then I care to think about with an old job.

 

Oh man!! Have lots of fun. Run about 20 psi for your load. Have safety gear with you too. Shouldn’t need it but better safe than sorry if you get stuck. I live 30 minutes away from obx and just haven’t found the time to get down there and enjoy. Enjoy your stay.

 

18-25 psi will keep you from getting stuck. Be judicious with the skinny pedal and turn off all the nannies. If you don't they'll trip you up when you climb one of the entrance ramps going back into the neighborhoods from the beach. Your basically climbing a sand dune. We've gone for the last 15 years and really the condition of the sand is what dictates how far I'll air down, if the sand is sugar-soft (no rain), 18psi. If they have had rain on the regular I'll stay around 25-28 psi. Good luck, and enjoy its a great vacation.

 

Great information! I never considered turning off the traction control stuff. Thank you

 

You should be fine, I've driven out on the beach at Oregon inlet a few times with the stock michelins and they did ok. All I did was air down. Had a shovel but didn't need it. We aired down to 18-20psi. I did have trouble once trying to exit the north access road. I just stopped once I realized I was loosing traction, backed up and picked a different line out. We had a blast driving on the beach and wish we still lived close enough to go. Hope you have a good experience. Like said above, 4Hi with nannies disabled and you should be golden.

 

I run 18 PSI. Watch out for the idiots in the first few hundred yards. You'd be surprised what some people think is an appropriate beach buggy.
Currituck County requires a minimum of 20 PSI.

• Air Down All Tires
  • It is the law, you must air down all tires prior to getting on the beach.
  • Pull over to air down tires at the Corolla Village Road public access facility, located on the east side of N.C. 12.
  • 
  • Pounds Per Square (PSI) inch should be:
    20 PSI for SUV’s & 1/2 ton 4X4
    35 PSI for 3/4 ton 4X4
  • To air your tire back up go to Historic Corolla Park. Enter at main park entrance and turn right into parking lot. Air stations are located at the end of the lot near the picnic pavilion.

 

What everyone else have said but I’ve also ran the north beach at corolla many times without airing down at all on Nitto Ridge Grapplers.

 

Same with EXOs and 50 psi but only after a super hard rain to pack the sand and in the beginning of the season when the sand hasn’t been all ate up

 

I spend a lot of time on NC beaches. I’m aired down to 18psi in the warmer months. The hotter it gets, the softer the sand. Be sure to stay off the wet part of the beach too. A lot more salt in that area

 

My wife is already tired of me saying how much undercarriage washing I plan on doing when I get home.

 

I run a hose under the car and pull a lawn sprinkler down the length of it. Can’t remember where I learned it, but it saved me a ton of time last year.

$88 Melnor 65078-AMZ XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler with 3-Way Adjustment and QuickConnect Product Adapter Set, Amazon Bundle

https://www.amazon.com/Melnor-65078-AMZ-Oscillating-Adjustment-QuickConnect/dp/B07NDZX9XT/

 

Lube everything up with fluid film first. Shit, even WD-40 in a pinch for a short period of time is better than nothing.It will make the sand stick but you’re going to rinse the shit out of everything anyways.

 

Also I concur with all the replies about psi. Been to Pizmo beach many times throughout the years. And like everyone said, 15- 25 psi depending on the condition of the sand, load and vehicle size. If you’re going out into the dunes, I recommend on the lower side of the PSI range. I’ve seen trucks with big ass tires get stuck on the sand highway, and then watch a 2X with skinny tires aired down, roll right past.

If you are hauling a bunch of weight, just pay attention to the bulge as your airing down to determine how low you really want to go. You want that bad boy floating. My buddy had a 70 something jeep and we had to air down to around 10 to 15 psi, just to get the tire to start flattening out properly. Large E rated tires on a light vehicle.

 

Spray off down there to if you want but it is hard water so unless you’re going to dry it keep water off the paint or you will water spot

 

I've been doing this for years. Every time I come home from the beach.
Works great.

 

I just upgraded to this one. Makes quick work of the undercarriage and spring deck cleaning duties.
RYOBI Pressure Washer Water Broom-RY31211 - The Home Depot

 

That's pretty slick. I'll check it out next time I'm at HD.

 

What type of tires do you have? I typically air down until I see enough of a bulge in the sidewall that the sand will pop out of the tread when the tire rotates.

Years ago I had a set of 37" Swampers that were so stiff that I would be down to almost 10 PSI before a good bulge was seen. Not to fun to air back up when on pavement.

 

On Hatteras Island I’ve aired down my stock tires between 18-20 for years. The ramps are the worst. Usually deep sand from everyone not aired down properly and spinning. Take it slow down so you don’t bounce to much and rub your whole undercarriage across the sand. On the way up the tough ramps, give cars in front of you room and don’t hesitate.

 

Well no problem driving on the beach but the day we arrived we had all day heavy rain. All roads from the beach to the houses have giant puddles hard to determine depth and no other way to get to the house. I feel like I took 10 years off of the life of the truck.

 

Yeah, those back roads in Corova/Coralla can pool up quickly. You can either get out and walk them or try to skirt them. Either way you might have to find an alternate route. Or drive through it.

 

I'm on E range 35×12.50's. Last year when I went to OBX I had to air down to 12 psi to pull out a 2wd Suburban on 22' low profile tires. They were about 1/2 mile from the ramp at the end of HWY 12 and the tide was coming in. I ended up pulling them backwards by their hitch receiver all the back to the pavement. They didn't have any retrieval points on the front that would allow the strap to clear their plastic bumper.

You can get away with 12 psi on E range tires since the bead is so much stronger than P, C & D range tires. But I was at 18 or 20 psi before I started helping them with their retrieval.

They refer to tires with inch-based labeling (33x12.50, 35x12.50, 37x13.50, etc.) as "floatation tires" for a reason. Because of their diameter and width they help you stay on top of soft surfaces rather than sinking in.

 

Went ORV last week, Rodanthe Ramp 27 fantastic beach— sprung for the Staun tire deflators $$— highly recommend! They came preset at 18psi and the Tundy registered all four in the 16.5-18 psi range. So nice not having to squat there by the tires for 20 minutes! My only regret is I didn’t get any dedicated pics of the truck!