want some input on sand tyres people

Just curious.... do you let the tyres down??? I ask because we run 33" X !2.5" Pro Comp muddies on our LWB GQ and have not had any problems with them at all on sand, mainly on Fraser Island. We run them at 22psi and they "glide" very well. The oher thing we have found is that it is best to use Low Range when in the soft sand.... High Range for the hard packed sand... and not rev the bejaysus outta the motor, rather let the engine do the work so to speak.
Hope this helps.

Hi Anarchy,

I used to have the BFG all-terrains which were fairly good as well. Since I've swapped over to the Cooper Sts I've found the coopers perform better. I think it's due to the more aggressive pattern and lugs sticking out of the sides.

They perform better at 18psi - 40psi.

These are a good alternative if you don't use the muddies as often as you would like.

regards

There was a thread on this last week.. have a look back a few pages.

i have goodyear mtr much better than smooth tread patterns in my view,had no trouble towing a dead cruiser around the bottom third of fraser through the soft sand at the barge.

IMHO I don't think tread pattern has any significant affect on performance in the sand. This comes from my own experience and that of many I have travelled with, all running different types of tread patterns and brands of tyres.

Tyre pressure is the key. Without going into the physics of the issue, the greater the surface area of the tyre in contact then the vehicle load is shared by this greater contact area thus lowering the kg/square cm or psi or whatever unit of pressure you want to use. Lowering the pressure in the tyre increases the contact area and therefore lowers the contact pressure.

The best analogy is that of a 60 tonne army tank and how it can traverse ground that a much, much lighter wheeled vehicle gets bogged in. Simply because the contact pressure is much lower with the tank due to the mass being spread over a very large contact area between the tank tracks and the ground.

Tyre pressures tell most of it, however in marginal situations a smoother tread won't cut the surface and break up the crusty bit that helps support a bit more weight. Once the surface is broken (ie chewed up) the tread pattern probably won't make much difference. If you look at dedicated sand tyres like the michelin saharas the lugs are designed to compact the sand more than grab at it.
jmo

regards

A