Trail Savvy: Sand: The Grainy Truth

Off-road driving tips, skills & practices.

- Andrew Middleton

All over South Africa, and especially in Namibia, sand is a vital part of any 4x4 adventure. Once the skills to conquer it have been mastered, sand driving is possibly the most fun you can have in a 4x4. In this chapter, we delve into some of the tips and tricks to keep you on top.

Drop the pressure

Arguably the most important aspect of sand driving is tyre pressure. If you try driving on sand with hard tyres, you’ll soon find yourself struggling. When you reduce pressure by as much as 50% below standard, the footprint of your tyres is lengthened, thus spreading the load over a bigger area. A common misconception is that a softer tyre widens the footprint of the tyre, and although this is not technically true, the bulging sidewalls do offer an added modicum of support if you get bogged down.

Remember that by deflating your tyres, you also increase the likelihood of their popping off the rims, so smooth steering is vital (especially over ruts) if you want to avoid the tedious process of a tyre change in baking sand.

Another common misconception is that wide tyres improve performance in sand. Remember that increased width equals increased resistance. Very wide tyres cause larger piles of sand to build in front of them, and this will slow you down. As we found at the Battle of the Dunes in Namibia, the guys who struggled had fitted massive, wide tyres.

When in doubt, flat out