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Live by the Pacific Ocean and can drive on the beach, my previous truck 2001 F150 King Ranch 5.4L, had no problems in the sand.
Replaced that truck with a a 2015 F250 6.2L, Lariat, this one is having trouble in the sand, I believe it is the Open Range tires that I have now.
What would be the best tire for towing a bumper tow trailer and also driving on the beach (without the trailer)?
No off roading except for the beach.
7/24/2023 Added
4x4 crew with short bed.
Southern Washing where the Columbia river meets the Pacific Ocean.
Very loose sand.
Last edited by geodane; Jul 24, 2023 at 10:07 AM.
Reason: Added info
The size of tires will make much more of an impact than the type of tire...
First thing though... did you air down at all? Just taking out 10psi will make a big difference. I will air down to 20psi for beach driving and I am running 35x12.50 tires.
If you want to get a new tire though, get something wider as it will give you better floatation. Larger diameter tire will help as well, but wider will be better.
There is an ongoing discussion with regards to AT or MT being better in sand. From my experience AT's are a bit better for the casual driver as they don't dig nearly as much. Guys who are in the dunes who have dedicated offroad rigs will probably benefit from an MT as they bite better.
Mt's in the sand are a disaster IMO, so are duals. Once living at Pismo beach the balder the better is the way, as well as the lower the pressure down to 10psi is better. Imagine rolling a bowling ball across the sand then imagine rolling a partially deflated beach ball across the sand and you'll get the idea. You didn't mention is the new truck is 4x4 or not and if either came with a LSD diff or rear locker. At any rate floating on top of the sand vs digging is the idea. The wider the foot print the better as well. Far as what tire...sheesh..there are way to many choices.
As others have said:
-the wider the tire the better when it comes to sand
-AIR DOWN! These trucks are heavy, my F250 won't make it far on the beaches of OBX unless I air down
-I have nitto ridge grapplers and have been happy with them. I'd look at similar tires that fall into the "hybrid" category (hybird= mix of mud terrain and all terrain). Or just go with a semi aggressive all terrain
It also depends on the kind of sand. I went down to daytona beach and the sand down there is packed tight. Camrys and other such cars had no issues driving on that. Now at OBX the sand is super loose and you better have 4x4 to make it through some spots
It also depends on the kind of sand. I went down to daytona beach and the sand down there is packed tight. Camrys and other such cars had no issues driving on that. Now at OBX the sand is super loose and you better have 4x4 to make it through some spots
This right here, what kinda sand are you dealing with? I've taken multiple vehicles on hard packed beaches without issue, including a full size old Caddy on Daytona, but the same vehicles regularly got stuck in local sand pits with loose sand..yeah even that Caddy. Wider, low pressure and a harder compound for loose stuff. Width isn't as important on hard pack, but you'll still want to air down and you'll want a stickier compound tire.
Live by the Pacific Ocean and can drive on the beach, my previous truck 2001 F150 King Ranch 5.4L, had no problems in the sand.
Replaced that truck with a a 2015 F250 6.2L, Lariat, this one is having trouble in the sand, I believe it is the Open Range tires that I have now.
What would be the best tire for towing a bumper tow trailer and also driving on the beach (without the trailer)?
No off roading except for the beach.
7/24/2023 Added
4x4 crew with short bed.
Southern Washing where the Columbia river meets the Pacific Ocean.
Very loose sand.
Just take a look at the Harbor/Beach Patrol trucks that operate on the beach.... you will have all the info you need!
As stated ^^ "Air Down" yes, good tires help, I have gotten out of numerous "sticky" spots with stock tires by airing down, sand and snow mostly. When I go up wheeling, if they aren't already aired down from the last trip, I'll drop to 20 in the front and 15-16 in the rear. If you're mainly going to be on sand, I would go with an All-Terrain, I've run BFG's, Nitto's, Toyo's, Cooper, had the Hercules AT's on a few of my trucks and was pleased with them also. Use to drive me nuts when I would get my work truck serviced and tires balanced and rotated, and they would air all of them up to 80... in summer I ran 55 F 45 R, in the winter I would bring the rear up to 55-60 as I was towing. I got stuck goin up a mtn road in about 16-20" of snow, got out, dropped front to 20 R to 16, drove the rest of the way up and down, makes for a little bit squishier drive on the way home but saved me from spending hours winching all the way up the hill.
When I see the beach rangers or lifeguards in their bone stock ram trucks or old f-150s, they look like they're running regular street tires to me. (or some kind of very mild a/t)
Airing down is the best solution for a stock truck. If you have oversized tires, the wider the better. (think innertube on sand vs bicycle wheel on sand)
my .02
I am in sugar sand all the time with my dually running stock tires and a truck camper on the back, the key is to air down to around 20psi and take your time. I also have a bunch of recovery gear with me when on the beach. I run Nitto ridge grapplers on the front and a MT tire on the rear that I am not as happy with, but it works.
I live near the NC outer banks. An aired down AT is hard to beat. If you can a go a little wider that's a plus. When you air down your tires it's not so much the width you are gaining but the length of tread pattern. You are adding to the front end AND aft end of the footprint. This is helping the tire "float" better. Even so, if you drive much on the sand you will eventually get stuck. Don't sweat it, BUT DON'T MAKE IT WORSE. Get out and assess what you need to do. Run with tools you will need. Shovel, recovery boards, straps, jack, maybe a winch with a sand anchor & WATER.
I have been driving on beaches for 40 years. Normal street tires are far better than those with aggressive tread. I run Michelen LT's on my 250 aired down to 20 lbs with no issue. The only off roading I do is on the beach. The Michelen tires are good on the beach and quiet on the highway.
Live by the Pacific Ocean and can drive on the beach, my previous truck 2001 F150 King Ranch 5.4L, had no problems in the sand.
Replaced that truck with a a 2015 F250 6.2L, Lariat, this one is having trouble in the sand, I believe it is the Open Range tires that I have now.
What would be the best tire for towing a bumper tow trailer and also driving on the beach (without the trailer)?
No off roading except for the beach.
7/24/2023 Added
4x4 crew with short bed.
Southern Washing where the Columbia river meets the Pacific Ocean.
Very loose sand.
When driving on the beach near Long Beach, Ocean Shores or Moclips, I would air down to 30 PSI . I was always concerned about popping a bead if I went lower.
I ran the Michelen LT's on my 2001 F-150 King Ranch and had no problems on the beach and never aired down the tires. But this 2015 F-250 Lariat is heavier and doesn't do well with these Open Range tires. I am seriously thinking i will go back to the Michelen LT's
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