PirateFins

Ok, so I have heard all different sides to the, to air down or not to air down your tires when driving in the sand. So I am going to be airing down my tires somewhere between 12-20 psi when traveling to the OBX (outer banks) this year. The house we rented is in a 4x4 access only area driving on the beach, 4 miles off of the main road.

So my question is what is the best way to re-inflate the tires after returning to the hard surface roads? I need the most economical (money is tight), reliable method. Unfortunately there will be 3 vehicles (12 tires) that will need to be refilled at leaste once, and possibly 1 vehicle refilled multiple times, you know how women can be while on vacation.

Are there any good 12V portable compressors that won't take half of the day to fill 2 tires, let alone 12?
What can you guy's that need to re-inflate after trail riding recomend? An on-board compressor would be nice but not finacially possible
Thanks for your input

TacoBell

Take it from someone who drives on sand all the time...
When I go out to Pismo here in CA, I air down to around 5psi, but thats because I'm going WAY back in the dunes and it makes for a great ride. If you air down to 10-12psi you should be fine. When it comes time to air up, just find a service station that has free air. I have driven over 45 miles on tires with only 15psi in them and had no problems. Just be aware that the vehicle will handle differently when you get in on hard surfaces ie: it will feel like a mushy ride, take your corners a bit slower. This will save you from buying a portable compressor or hauling around an air tank. If you're only going a couple miles to get air, it's no problem. With 5psi in my tires, I've driven 10 miles before I start to worry.

CMD93

PirateFins,

CMD93

Lets try this again...........

PirateFins,

I used to live down on the Outer Banks, and there are plenty of gas stations right when you come off the sand from Corolla where you can air up.
They might be a little wait in the summer, but unless you are going to drive all the way down to Hatteras I wouldn't even worry about airing back up just to drive into the village of Corolla or even to the towns of Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, or Nags Head.

You probably will not even have to air down unless you are messing around in the deep sand. Most off the time you can get around in 2WD just fine on the hard packed sand, although 4WD is a must to go back to the rental homes.

As for advice on personal air compressors I can't help, b/c I don't know anything about them.

Chris

44Runner

i just wouldn't air down honestly

what a pain to have to air down and back up everytime you want to go somewhere. I mean that adds like an extra half hour to a trip...

TDiddy

Are you going to be wheeling in dunes, or just crossing the sand to get from point A to point B?

If its the latter, I'd say don't bother airing down, especially if you can drive on the packed stuff. 4Hi will give you all the help you need.

Robinhood150

And if you do get stuck at street pressure, don't dig yourself to china. You can still air down and walk right out.

Tacoma Dude

I got a hold of a couple of Caddy air compressors and will be looking into following Steve's write-up.

Don't know how much they'll be at your local scrapyard (San Diego's are a bunch of thieves far as I can tell) but you could look into Ebay or something.

Incidentally, Steve's write-up is in the Tech section

Robinhood150

Dang it, I better take that down...

wifesaysimadumbass

scuba tanks if you know anyone that dives borrow a tank or rent one with regulator at a dive shop 3000 psi on tap i've aired up at least six vehicles twice you just need a four dollar air chuck adapter that attaches to the power inflator for the bouyancy compensator. you should be able to rent a tank and reg for around ten bucks at a dive shop just ask the clerk to help you out they'll probably laugh at you but it works great.

TDiddy

Unless he's a certified diver, no shop would or should rent a tank to him. I don't even think you can get fills at most places without a c-card.

PirateFins

I thank you all for the advice. I have drivin in the sand in the OBX before but I air'd down everytime, going off of the advice of others, before I found this wonderful place and the plethera of knowledge.

I like the idea of leaving the air in until trouble airs its ugly head. My question is now would this be feasible when at the begining and end of the trip the vehicles will be loaded ( kitchen sink included if the wife has her way). Will the extra weight cause the trucks to dig in more, needing to air down to float on top?

I also like the scuba tank idea, and do have access to one, but I don't like the idea of having a potential missle in the truck. Not that I don't trust myself, I don't trust the rest of the people on the roads during a 5-7 hr trip.

CMD93
Since you are familiar with the area. What type of off raod driving is it to get to the rental properties above Corrolla? The rental agency has only told us that the house is a 4 mile drive from where Rt. 12 ends in Corrolla. I don't have a problem with this type of driving, but the 2 other couples have never taken there vehicles in the grass let alone, driving on the beach.

Thanks again for the help guy's.
Brad

TacoBell

The heavier weight will make you more prone to sinking down into the sand, so you may want to air down a little bit to help stay on top. That's why my Taco can go into the Dunes at Pismo in 2wd when my cousin's Ram has to use 4wd....I weigh in about 1000lbs less than his truck.

crawler#976

Airing down in sand............... brings back some funnay memories of Rocky Point in Mexico. We went down w/ a bunch of guys- they wanted to play in the sand dunes, but refused to air down. They all were driving BFG M/T's . The first guy gets stuck trying to get up the dune from the beach, so my pal pulls down to hook up a winch. Before he gets close enough, HE gets stuck. The whole time I keep tell'm to AIR DOWN. The third guy hauls but down hill to resque the others, turns up the dune...............and got stuck. I keep tell'm to AIR DOWN. They won't

So, along comes a Mexican in a BEAT Waggy w/ bald tires, the cords were showing thru on some kind of wide 50 series low profile tires. He hooks up a strap (at $20.00 a truck) and drags'm up the hill. He asks " why didn't you deflate your tires?" I'm bustin up

IMHO

To get any real benifit from airing down requires dropping pressure below 15 PSI, and usually much lower than that. Sand is similar to snow- it requires a large foot print to get floatation. I've had great success at 4 to 6 PSI- I just run out of power in the dunes.

Sears has 12V compressors that will get the job done for under $40.00. They aren't fast, but will fill'm up. For a few more bucks, they make a Emergency Jump Start/Compressor combo- I take one with us when we travel, and it's come in real handy.

Later

WolfpackTLC

I'm running around on Carolina Beach all the time.. (Southern OBX) But then again, I air down to 10 psi, AND I have onboard air w/ dual air tanks... They're right about the gas stations... there will probably be a wait though...

beachtaco

i would pull over and air down a like 5-8 psi if you are loaded down with gear. but normally i don't unless 1) i know it's going to be soft sand or 2) i get stuck and can't get out. it's ususally soft sand right when you go over the dune and making that left turn heading north.

as for airing up in the summer, you can easily make it down to nags head and air up down there. we usually air up at that gas station right where 12 and 158 meets or a little south along 158. the traffic is always slow moving along 12 between nags and corolla.

BankOwns

I knew you were talking about Corova as soon as I read your post. Just air down and take it easy on the road around town. When you get to Wee Winkes at Corolla on the way home just air it on up and let the fam grab a drink and chill.

The driving, unless it has changed dramatically from what I remember (any good storm will rearrange things) isn't too tough. The worst part is going over the ramp to the hard packed sand at the tide line. Low tide is very helpful. High tide and a swell of any sort can force you into the soft sand towards the dunes. It's much easier to bog down, I have had to run there in low range and run my heater to keep the motor temp down.

Just air down and stay in high, keep your momentum through the soft stuff. Since your in a convoy you've got no worries. Keep a nice interval and watch the other vehicles to see where they bog down. If you get stuck get off the gas, don't dig it down to the frame.

I grew up in Va. Beach and lived in KDH out of school for a couple of years. When I was a grade schooler Dad would drive us all the way down the beach from Sandbridge Va. in his Landcruiser or k-5 Blazer. Back then it was perfectly ok to crawl the dunes and the big thing was conquering "Penny's Hill", the huge Jockey's Ridge like sand dune near Corova. The Postmaster in Corolla had a petrified Mastadons foot he found on the beach! Thanks for the memories.

P.s., somebody is making a little air gauge you screw onto all four air valves. It airs the tire down while you wait to a pre-set level. No gauges or hopping from tire to tire. Pretty trick.
Don't worry if you do get stuck. There are gobs of locals and fishermen running that beach with specialized rigs. High energy v-8's and giant bald street tires. They'll always lend a hand to anyone stuck. Just keep a couple of cold brews handy for a tip. My old roomates went everywhere in a stripped out Oldsmobile Estate wagon with 265's and a 403 automatic. It never got stuck.
Have fun, thanks for the memories.....

upndair

Are you serious?????

PirateFins

That's funny because "Penny's Hill" is exactly where the house we rented is located. Any other info you could give me on the area? All of the maps I can find stop at Corolla. I realize that there won't be street maps but I can't find even Topo maps that are any good.
I am not to worried about myself driving on the beach. I have done it numerous times when at the OBX. I am just concerned about the other first timers in the group.

Here is a link to the house we are renting.Watersedge


Glad I could bring back old times for you.

init6

It really depends on the time of year you go to OBX. After lots of rain, the sand is pretty packed down, where 2wd is fine. Late in the summer, the sands gets pretty fine, and you would need to air down.