stock jeep in sand????

I know you guys might think this belongs in oem tech, but give me a second. I have a 2001 sport with the 4.0l and auto trans, open diff. and stock wheels/tires. If i air down, can my jeep be driven agressively on the beach? It is all stock, except for a system, and brush guards, and a tow hitch. (it all adds weight). If it cant be driven hard on the beach, what mods would you guys recomend that i do to it, so i could drive it in sand. I am planning on using it for surf fishing. its a daily driver, so i need to keep it under control. Thanks a bunch - tom

Budget boost to run bigger tires for more floatation. 31" A/Ts should be fine. Air 'em down. Depending on your beaches you might get a lunch box locker in the rear. I used to run Florida's softest beaches on my 31" BFG A/ts with a locked rear. Depending on what you mean by 'aggressive' could be the difference in 'keeping it under control'. You won't be winning the sand drags with this set up, but you should be able to surf fish.
HTH,
Crunch

Before I lifted my 96 XJ I ran it stock on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes all the time and there are big hills out there. Just gotta know how to drive it and what it's limits are. Don't let off on hills till you know that you will crest them or you'll high-center. Always park on a downward slope if you can and you should be fine and of course air it way down.

I went to Matagorda, TX. last weekend in my Cherokee and it was fine. Now it's not stock, but my friend who has a stock Cherokee Sport 4x4 had no problems either. Interestingly, a second friend that had a 4Runner got stuck 3 times and he didn't even get into the loose, deep sand that the 2 Jeeps did. He did not have 4x4 though. That makes the biggest difference. He did have larger/wider tires that either of the Jeeps though.

we wheeled my wifes XJ with junk 31's and open front/rear in the sand last weekend and were able to climb hills with it, it took some speed but we never got stuck and we never aired down.

You should be fine on flat ground for sure.

Carry a pump & jack, and carry a 2'x2' piece of thick plywood for a jack base. Bring a friend and a tow strap (and ID your XJ's tow points).

Shift in 4WD before you need it (before you go onto the sand). Try 4hi and 4lo, play a little with throttle (easing-in and flat pedal take off drills), and drive some circles. Do all this when you are still in eyesight of the hard road (so it's not too hard to get back to the road).

If you start to really dig into the sand, stop before you bury the XJ and air down the stock tires to 15 psi. Then go play some more to get a good feel for the drive, and have fun.

Remember to air back up before driving too far on the hard road going home (remember that pump). Remember to wash the XJ off with fresh water soon after going home (over, under, inside the rails and fenders, everywhere... salt is your XJ's enemy).

You should do fine (I had my 88 on the long beaches of Baja two weeks after I purchased it new).

I use to drive my stock TJ (215x35x15 tires i think) in the sugar sand of South Florida. And never got stuck and never had to air down. I don't know what the sand is like in your area but in FLorida it is like sugar. pour some on a table and watch how it rolls away from every thing! I have seen many 4x4's stuck on the beaches of Florida that never had a problem any where else. Get use to the sand b4 you go hog wild! But you should be fine!

We call that "sugar sand" down here....get yah stuck quick...lol...the best tires for sand are worn out wide street tires aired way down...and as wide as possible...and never stop if you are moving...better to crawl than sink...baby the throttle....try to not spin the tires...with a little practice it ain't too hard...

low psi is the key. like 4-5 psi is much better then 12.

if you do try any hill climbs and find you wont make it ,,,,, do not stop..... do not wait till your forward momentum stops because you will dig in.... think it thru before you try it... at just the second you let off and stop your forward movement... hit reverse and stay off the brakes... it will back right out of it for you... all idle speed no brakes.... and do not turn the wheel..... straight up, straight down..... digging out on a hill sux!!!

Also be wary of the high-tide times and approx limits.

Only thing suckier than being stawk on the beach is being stawk down close to the surf on a rising tide