Beach Driving
As long as you have the right techniques under your belt, beach driving can be one of the most enjoyable forms of four-wheel driving.
Confidence about driving along a beach means that you’ll always be able to search out that great fishing spot, navigate your way to the best break off the point, or find the perfect place to launch the boat.
TIP: Those lucky enough to own a new Pajero Exceed or VRX have the advantage of a locking rear diff for maximum traction on the beach or on the boat ramp. What's more, if you forget to unlock it manually, it’s automatically over-ridden as soon as the vehicle reaches a speed of around 15km/h.
Some beaches are easier than others. Broome’s Cable Beach, for example, is like driving on smooth concrete.
Fraser Island’s surface varies from similar (though booby-trapped with small creeks flowing towards the ocean), to inexorably traction-sapping on some of the blows, despite corduroyed tracks.
Newcastle’s Stockton Beach is probably a good example of the worst you can expect. On a hot summer day, the sand is loose and deep, drawing the vehicle down. In wet conditions, an initially hard surface quickly becomes chopped up and difficult to drive over.
Getting it on
To avoid bogging down as you access most beaches, you’ll need to drive at a reasonable pace. You’ll have already let down your tyres to anything between 110kPa and 125kPa to broaden the footprint of the tread, ensuring better flotation. You’ll also carry a good 12v compressor to reinflate the tyres. Don’t buy an El Cheapo compressor – they don’t last and often won’t pump up a full-size 4WD tyre to anywhere near the pressure you need to safely drive on bitumen again.
TIP: Remember to keep the engine running while reinflating, because a decent compressor will have a fairly heavy battery current draw.
High or low range?
Whether you employ high or low range depends entirely on the conditions:
*If the sand is packed hard, you should use high range with the centre diff unlocked,
*If it’s easy going but churned up, creating wheel spin, high range with the centre diff locked,
*If it’s soft and difficult, low range is the go.
Whatever range, the idea is to get the vehicle ‘up on the fly’, so that it floats over the sand rather than bogs down in it. But again, this doesn’t mean flat out. If you go too fast and have to make a sudden directional change to avoid an obstacle, you’ll roll over; too slow and you’ll come to a grinding halt.
Manual vs auto
All other things being equal, automatics cope better in sand than manuals, simply because the auto box can adjust ratios far quicker than any human. Manual drivers should aim to reach their optimal gear as speedily as they can, and then if possible avoid making any further gear changes.
TIP: If you have to change down to avoid bogging, make the change brisk and precise, and get back on the accelerator as quickly as possible.
Dune driving
Driving over beach sand dunes is potentially the most exhilarating and hazardous of all wheeled beach sports. There are a few basic rules, like always driving straight up the slope, never tackling it sideways, which, sooner rather than later, will cause the vehicle to roll.
TIP: If you run out of puff halfway up the dune, don’t attempt to turn around – again, you’ll be almost guaranteed of rolling. Instead, reverse back down the slope and try again.
NEVER race over the top of a dune without knowing what’s on the other side. Often, the wind will have carved away the lee side, leaving nothing but air and a long way down. In this circumstance, most vehicles will land on their roofs, and despite the inherent strength of Pajero’s monocoque construction which will do everything it can to ensure driver and passengers emerge unscathed, it’s almost a certainty your wallet won’t.
Descending dunes demands the same principles. Always go straight down the face of the dune in first gear low range. If you feel the rear wheels lifting, ignore natural fear and accelerate gently. If the face of the dune changes, be prepared to turn the wheel to stick to the most level descent.
A few other pointers
*Avoid vegetated dunes.
*Don’t drive in seawater. Highly corrosive, it often masks soft patches that can trap your vehicle completely.
*If you have to stop, do so on hard-pack where possible or if not, facing downhill rather than up.
*If you have to turn, turn down the beach rather than up, minimising the risk of bogging.
*Don’t fight if stuck in wheel-ruts. Just keep the power on and let the vehicle find its own way.
*‘Read’ the sand. Look out for water channels, wind-blown drifts, depressions and natural obstacles like driftwood. Always keep a lookout for pedestrians and don’t assume that they can hear you coming; often the roar of surf and wind completely drowns out your engine noise.
*Always carry a snatch-strap and a pair of rated D-shackles. Even if you’re exploring on your own, it’s highly unlikely that no-one will come along to help you out of a predicament. But the most important piece of equipment in your sand recovery kit is a long-handled shovel to dig the sand out from under the vehicle if you become bogged. Often, it’s all you need.