Rubicon in the Sand?

[DLAW]

I always air down to around 16 PSI. 4-Hi and Offroad+ so it turns off traction control. Works great on Delaware beaches.

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[Gvsukids]

He's talking about the 4 to 1 ratio for low range of the Rubicon transfer case. Not the 4.10 to 1 gears in the axles.
The other transfer cases have a 2.72 to 1 ratio low range.

The quote was from a Mojave owner discussing Mojave transfer case, not the Rubicon one.

Absolutely. I have rub takeoff falken MTs, and always put them down to 18-20 off road or especially the sand. I'm no expert on beadlocks, but I think people really want them for going way low, like 6-12 psi range. Wider wheels impact this as well

I've gone 10-12 on stock rims and Falkon tires.

 

[treadmark]

I have taken my Jeeps (JK, JL, and now the JT) to the Outer Banks every year to drive in the sand. They all have had manual transmissions and 4HI works best. I admittedly never air down and have never gotten stuck. I apply the same techniques as driving on ice in NJ where I grew up: steady speed, no fast starts or stops, and gentle turns. If I did get stuck, I would air down, as I carry a compressor. I also have started carrying traction boards, which I have yet to use.

 

[RudeJeepin]

The quote was from a Mojave owner discussing Mojave transfer case, not the Rubicon one.

Ya I see that now, brain must of been addled from being up to early and no coffee yet.

 

[dos0711]

As far as the nanny talk goes, my old 68 CJ5 would go anywhere in sand in 2WD unless I was climbing a hill. I miss the days when your transfer case lever was actually connected to the transfer case. It was all up to the driver. But they don’t make them like that anymore and the Gladiator does much better on the road vs the CJ.

 

[RudeJeepin]

As far as the nanny talk goes, my old 68 CJ5 would go anywhere in sand in 2WD unless I was climbing a hill. I miss the days when your transfer case lever was actually connected to the transfer case. It was all up to the driver. But they don’t make them like that anymore and the Gladiator does much better on the road vs the CJ.

So true, my fiberglassed bodied 79 CJ5 with an AMC360 would go just about anywhere I pointed it in the sand. Hardly ever aired down or used 4wd. But then again I usually ran 20ish psi. Fun times, but the newer stuff is so much more comfortable on the HWY.

 

[hjdca]

I have been to Pismo Beach (Oceano Dunes) a few times with my JTR. Both when it had 33" tires and 37" tires. The best configuration was:

1. Sway bar disconnected
2. 4WD high, 1st gear
3. Both Lockers turned off - Lockers push and dig sand during turns. You want to float.
4. Tires set at 14-15 psi with 33" tires, 12 psi with 37" tires.
5. If you start digging in during climbing dunes, turn your front wheels right and left back and forth quickly to get you back on top of the sand so you can finish the climb.
6. Falcon shocks set to 2.3/2.4 to avoid hitting the bump stop (shocks set stiffer than normal off-roading).
7. Important - turn all Nannys off. Turn off traction control. You want to spin the tires as much as possible to stay on top of the sand. If you have a tazer, hold the traction control button down for 6 second to completely defeat all the Nannys.

If you get some speed up, you can climb some good size steep dunes with these settings/technique.

 

[KevinC]

The Rubicon T-case is not a concern, it just means you might be in a higher gear or higher RPM's than a non Rubi T-case.

It is my understanding that the Rubicon RockTrac 4:1 transfer case has the same gears in 4H than the transfer case in the other JT's. The difference is a stronger case and lower gears in 4L.

I use Off Road + and 4H in sand when traveling long distance. It keeps the RPM constant and seems to keep the transmission cooler based on my observation of the Off Road + gauge cluster.

KevinC

 

[bleda2002]

As far as the nanny talk goes, my old 68 CJ5 would go anywhere in sand in 2WD unless I was climbing a hill. I miss the days when your transfer case lever was actually connected to the transfer case. It was all up to the driver. But they don’t make them like that anymore and the Gladiator does much better on the road vs the CJ.

These are still cable actuated transfer cases for the non-select trac as far as I know.

 

[Gvsukids]

1. Sway bar disconnected

Wouldn't that be dangerous if sideways on a hill?

 

[hjdca]

Wouldn't that be dangerous if sideways on a hill?

Do not go sideways on a sand hill. Only go straight up and down. Going sideways on a hill even with the sway bar connected is dangerous. If for some reason you loose traction and pitch a little sideways, put it into reverse and back down straight. Oh, and I forgot one of the most important details:

Important - turn all Nannys off. Turn off traction control. You want to spin the tires as much as possible to stay on top of the sand. If you have a tazer, hold the traction control button down for 6 second to completely defeat all the Nannys.

Note: If you leave the traction control on, you will not be able to climb any hills - as soon as the tires start spinning, the traction control will pull power from the engine. The truck will feel very anemic and you will be very frustrated.

Note: Very Important - do not try to do any power slides in the sand. Sand will build up on the side of your tire and you will plop over on your side.

Here is a video of 3 of us at Pismo last year. You need to get a good running start in 1st gear 4WD High to climb a sand dune. Make sure you know what is on top and the other side. It is easy to fall inside a hole and the sand dunes are shifting all the time. If you get high centered at the top of a dune, do not keep digging in, just back up and go straight back slowly. The less PSI you can run, the better. 12 PSI is the lower limit you can run if you have 12.5" wide tires with 8.5" wide rims. It might be best to stay around 13-14 psi. Remember, no tight turns. If you are going fast, go straight only.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Wouldn't that be dangerous if sideways on a hill?

We usually do not disconnect at Silver Lake. Not the type of wheeling where it's helpful to have the sway bar disconnected.

 

[Max-t]

Yea… sand is not a good general term. The blown sand in the desert near me is like half set concrete. Can just drive over it. Ya barely notice it. The sand in washes can be soft and deep but has huge particles that stick when you need em to. Go out into the older deserts and it can be like talc and offer nothing for traction. The beach here is worse than some other sand, mostly due to it’s depth. airing down is all but necessary and mt tires will potentially get you stuck. It really depends on your sand.

general rule is speed and traction control off though. Traction control is the enemy of sand and usually mud. Very frustrating to try to hit sand or mud at speed just to have the jeep decide it needs to stop.

 

[hjdca]

We usually do not disconnect at Silver Lake. Not the type of wheeling where it's helpful to have the sway bar disconnected.

Sand can be bumpy when you are running hard, and the ride is so much smoother in general with the sway bar disconnected. I like my sway bar disconnected, and my shocks set stiffer than normal 4wheeling to avoid hitting the bump stops.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Sand can be bumpy when you are running hard, and the ride is so much smoother in general with the sway bar disconnected. I like my sway bar disconnected, and my shocks set stiffer than normal 4wheeling to avoid hitting the bump stops.

I’ve never had adjustable shocks. It would be nice to have that option.

I was usually running soft shocks back when I was going to the dunes several times a year. Not much fast stuff either, didn’t have enough motor. ?

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