Just wondering if anyone has much experience driving in sand. I'm here on the outer banks, NC with my '05 RS on vacation wishing I had my '84 GL so I could hit the beach.

 

I'm curious if my stock 4wd wagon will be ok on the sand, it sits pretty darn high in the rear, but not as much in the front....... anyone get their subes out there while stock?

I took my OBS out into the dune at Pismo Beach.

 

Remember to air down to about 15 psi or so and then keep your momentum up.

 

Since you have low clearance, bring some boards and something to dig with. Getting stuck will most likely be caused by being high centered. At Pismo early morning driving is the best time b/c of dew keeps the sand moist.

 

Keep on the firm stuff and away from the powdery stuff. You also need smooth acceleration.

 

If you are duning, try to get an idea of how the winds are blowing. Dunes have steep dropoff on their lee side. Just use you common sense and when in doubt scout it out.

 

The most important part is stay away from salt water. It's really bad for your car. If you can't resist, make sure you wash the entire underside of your car afterwards, I mean really really wash it out.

 

Have fun and don't be afraid of the skinny pedal.

 

BW.

whats up dude. u should have no problem with ur wagon. i take my 85 hatch out all the time. just air ur tires down to 15 to 20 puonds pop it in 4 low and give her hell. dude it will go like a champ. you will need to keep ur rpm,s up and keep momentum. sand can get soft so be cautious. there not hard to dig out. and turn ur heater on as ur engine temp will increase. other then that have fun and kick rump roast.

'experience'?... I'd say this was quite an experience(watch the first 30 seconds or so.) That was my first time on the beach. I hadn't even let the tires down.

 

Pretty much all I can add to what has been said is, say goodbye to all that pretty metal that holds your roo together :-\

that was an awesome video.... very entertaining good job on the editing also! i like that the white subaru knew it was gonna make it.

Thanks for the info guys. I think I may wait until I lift the wagon. Down here the ruts are a foot or deeper, I saw a mid '90's Elxplorer bottom out and get stuck while I was out today and a blazer get stuck also.

 

I keep saying I want to wait for a better wagon to lift, but I suppose the fact that the rockers are rusted out may not be a bad thing for a sand wagon. I still really want to do rocker covers out of diamond plate.

I would love a set of these rocker covers, but they cost like $200 a set or something http://www.sub4.co.nz/rocker.htm

Some of those EA81 heads they make would be nice too!

Yeah, those are awesome.... I try to avoid looking at the engine as much as possible (usually means somethings wrong) so I'll skip those, my wagon is hideous... no need to dress it up now.

my wagon is hideous... no need to dress it up now.

...! What? Hideous?? It just looks like it is ready to offroad! All you need is a tube bumper, a lift, some bigger tires, and some spotties! It would look awesome then. hehe...

 

On the subject of sand.. take it down the beach on a day you have plenty of time on... Then get it bogged. Easiest way to find out how much is too much.

I've taken all my subies in the sand. stock 84 brat no problems, 98 legacy gt no problems, 94 svx no problems.(the guy riding with me said "Man, you're hauling rump roast in this sand, I know a lot of guys with lifted trucks that couldn't go this fast in this deep sand!"(~40mph)). well I did suck a lot of sand into the air box. The only time I ever had a problem was in the RX before it had new tires and forgot to pressure down.. I got stuck in the sand and burnt up the clutch because my tires wanted to push instead of spin.. stupid stupid should have aired down. Used to go rompin with a friend who has an 88 GL Wagon that always did fine in the sand stock too. 4 Lo is a thing of beauty. If you start to get stuck, hop out and let your tires down to around 15 psi and you should be able to drive right out of there... provided you're not high centered.. which would require a little digging. Digging your rig out is half the fun of sand!!

...! What? Hideous?? It just looks like it is ready to offroad! All you need is a tube bumper, a lift, some bigger tires, and some spotties! It would look awesome then. hehe...

 

On the subject of sand.. take it down the beach on a day you have plenty of time on... Then get it bogged. Easiest way to find out how much is too much.

 

I kinda like it hideous, makes for a great anti theft device

 

I'm gonna try and get back down this way in the fall, It's like a 6 hour drive, the car just isn't ready for that at the moment. I have a shot front CV hauling 415 bricks in the back last summer didn't help

 

On the list of wanted mods are a lift, bigger wheels/tires, sunroof, stereo and bumpers. I have an '81 chrome bumper on now and it's flush mounted with the grille, I kinda like that, so I may just add a push bar.