Gas mileage on sand in four-wheel-drive mode?

[Vindr68]

I am still new to the Jeep Gladiator so I have only been overlanding for a short time. I have yet to take my Gladiator onto the beach or sand. I am planing on going camping on Padre Island National Seashore. I am not sure what to expect for gas mileage. I will air down my tires to maybe 15psi and run in four-wheel-drive mode, so I know my gas mileage will be bad, just not sure how bad. I only ask because I want to know if I need to take some gas cans with me to fill up on the drive. I don't plan to drive the full 60miles of beach they have, but I do plan on going aways down it. I am sure I am over thinking this but I just don't have the experience doing this kind of drive and don't want to get stuck without gas.

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[ZoMojave]

For the most part, these things get poor mileage on flat, dry, perfectly smooth pavement in a low elevation environment! Part of "the charm".

 

[Jaxmax]

I drive 3.5 hours to Delaware , then drive on the beach for the weekend and and then drive part way home before filling up, start your day with a full tank. I guess the question is are you just going to be driving up and down the beach the whole time, or stopping to chill or fish? I fish, the drive to the way to the spot. Don't go to 15psi unless it is really bad, I run 20 on my Mojave with factory Falkens, and even with the current sand situation in Delaware (beach replenishment sand on beach was getting a lot of people stuck, a lot, including some of my family, I was at 18PSI)
i was fine. 4Hi is fine, and usually manually shift up a gear , to keep RPMs down, Delaware beaches can be pretty tough, I see a lot of pictures of others on the beach and can't even see tire tracks in sand.
Don't over think it and have fun!.....Jack

 

[chadinsc]

my old jkur averaged around 5mpg off road in the mtn and it got 13 on the street. sand shouldn’t be as bad though and you will probably not be going as slow. i would plan on half of normal mpg

 

[sharpsicle]

Your mileage won't be so bad that you can't make 60 miles on one tank. You'll be perfectly fine, I would just keep it above a half tank. No need for extra cans.

 

[Sponge60]

Top off before you get to your camping spot. You'll be fine. Enjoy!

 

[JDChris]

Driving for a couple hours on dunes, going up and down hills, accelerating quickly, even hitting flat stretches at 50 MPH in 4H / Offroad+, running around 14 PSI, I get about 12 MPG.

I did not reset my stats before going on dunes last time so I suppose that could be a little high, but as others have pointed out, it won't be awful.

 

[texanjeeper]

Um....what? Why would anybody care about gas mileage on the sand, if there is no avoiding it, or if that's what you're there to do? I guess you could fill up right before, write down your mileage and how many gallons you put in, then fill up again right after and calculate your mileage, but it's one of those things that if you're going to do it, just go and enjoy yourself. If you're worried about the mileage, then maybe you shouldn't be on the sand in the first place.....just sayin'.

If you're really worried about running out of gas, then put a couple of 5 gallon tanks in the back of the JT and fill them up before you get on the sand. I would think that would bail you out of just about any situation you could end up in.

 

[TheGreatCO]

Just fill up before you go on the beach. Even if you're getting a mere 10MPG, you've got 200+ miles of range in the tank. If you're really worried, throw a 5 gallon portable in the bed before you head out. Be sure to check the rules, portable tanks may not be allowed on the beach, fines can be significant.

 

[Vindr68]

thanks for all the feedback it really helped me out.

 

[KQL]

Um....what? Why would anybody care about gas mileage on the sand, if there is no avoiding it, or if that's what you're there to do? I guess you could fill up right before, write down your mileage and how many gallons you put in, then fill up again right after and calculate your mileage, but it's one of those things that if you're going to do it, just go and enjoy yourself. If you're worried about the mileage, then maybe you shouldn't be on the sand in the first place.....just sayin'.

If you're really worried about running out of gas, then put a couple of 5 gallon tanks in the back of the JT and fill them up before you get on the sand. I would think that would bail you out of just about any situation you could end up in.

I don’t think he cares about the actual MPG, more like range. And obviously knowing MPG and tank capacity can help one plan their range. Calm down with the “maybe you shouldn’t be out there” sentiment. People are all different, some like to know what they’re getting into before getting into it, myself included.

 

[Kirkfukstik]

I'm about to head down there in a couple weeks. Got any "lesson learned" or things you forgot/didn't think about to impart?

 

[kb5zcr]

I camp on the national seashore 4 times per year, I stay a week at a time. I usually camp around mile 50 or so. I also camp at 35 many times. I get about 10 mpg pulling my 6x12 cargo/fishing camper. I usually drive down to the cut at mile 60 just to make sure its still there .
I also make sure I'm aware of when the high tides are.
I take about 20 gal of extra gas since I run a Gen for the a/c at night.

Some pics.

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