How to Go Up Big Red

as with all sand driving, it's all about tyre pressures.
if you need maximum power to reach the top then your possibly running too high of a tyre pressure. i've seen people try time and time again to conquore the climb going the maximum power route, one of those vehicles running 12 psi rear and 10 psi front tyre pressure and still fail. eventually the vehicle running 12 and 10 psi reduced it to 10 psi rear and 8 psi fronts and he drove straight over with a small run up. thinking it was easy that time around, he pulled up at the very bottom of the climb and with no run up at all drove straight up and over the dune.
on a side note...he only reduced the tyres to 10 psi and 8 psi because i went down to the bottom of the hill after he had originally given up, reduced my tyre pressures to that reading and managed to get over the climb where he and other travellers had failed on numerous (and i mean numerous) attempts earlier. once i'd done it, he couldn't leave me as the sole person to conquor the climb in the time we were there, so copied my tyre pressures and easily drove to the top.

Holde whatever your name is.

Take note of Rumpig. "It's all about pressures".

Forget the "gunning it". That's for the hoons and those who do not respect their cars. Just drop the pressures and from a standing start a bit back from the bottom criuse up. You could use 2nd low but if it is as easy as it was with us, just let the car choose its own gear. Try the easiest one first just to get the hang of it.

You shouldn't need more than around 2000 revs. We did it with 15psi, low and "2nd start" from a standing start just back from the loose stuff. We have a 100 series auto TC 4.2td with Cooper Maxx 285 wide tyres.

We wne through there about three weeks back and it was almost standing room only at the top. There was a great big tourist bus up ther. A UHF s a good idea so that someone (there will be one who wants to help) can let you know if it is clear just over the top so that you do not hit anyone. If you have a choice do it at sparrow fart or wait until late evening and go. Not one person around and we just had a little fun.

Phil

I would would have to disagree with some of the wise comments above, and below I show you how to prove this.

SAND DRIVING LAW RULE 1
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Driving a sandy plain is about having the right tyre pressures but ultimately driving big sand hills is about momentum.


Its obviously true that lower tyre pressures provide more floation and get you further almost no what the situation however this is only part of the story.

Consider a flat soft hot sand plain on which you can do many test runs, do several runs at slow speed raising your tyre pressures each time - and you will find there is a high tyre pressure at which you simply bog down and can go no further.

Next do the same run a lot faster - you will simply go further - end of test.

Now the sand on Big Red and similar hills ranges in softnest with the weather etc and this is why you get lots of opinions, somedays its simply easy.

Most can make it when conditions and good many more make it up when they lower there tyre pressures further , but there comes a set of conditions which are just to much.

When you reach this point you just have to go faster !

Anyone who doesn't accept this needs to just move there next attempt to the left and take the progressively harder paths over it.

So in conclusion , on many days just having low pressure is enough , but not always.

Your car is a an auto 3lt diesel with poor low end torque and a peaky power band.
Tyre pressures should be appropriate, but keeping the engine reving in the power band will take you the furthest.

Fair dinkum mate...If you've gotta ask how to drive over Big Red..maybe you shouldn't be doing it at all...and taking the bypass road..!!!!

All about tyre pressure my friend

Anything near 12 psi (hot) is good. Easy as !

Just do not turn too sharp.

next time I am up there, I am gunna back up Big red.

Why, because I want to !

Cheers
Bucky

There's plenty of video's on Youtube of 2WD vehicles romping over Big Red with consummate ease . It's the driver,not the vehicle.

Thanks for the replies which have been very informative. I crossed the Simpson last in 07 ( very dry and powdery year) in the NP auto diesel and remember giving it a lot of stick and got up all but 7 of the dunes on first try. TThe auto box worked brilliantly.

The auto on the Pootrol is a very different beast and I'm not sure if the box will want to drop into third gear half way up BR which will mean I lose serious momentum. I believe the Pootrol has much better low end torque than the Paj and having watched both a Pootrol and a Troopy quietly crawl up some serious dunes on the French Line I would like to know if I can do this in my current vehicle which is an 04 ZD30 with 330 ks on the clock.

I guess that tyre pressure is vital and I intend to drop the Maxxis 771 ATs to 15 psi. I figure that if I put the stick into 2nd gear then I can maintain a constant torque and quietly stroll up to the top of the dune. Just to make things clearer I'll be doing this from the Birdsville side.

From the Birdsville side high range 1st at 20 psi would probably do the job.
From the west on easy option 1, 15 psi in 'drive' low range, at a steady pace.
From the west on hard option 2, 15 psi held in 2nd (to avoid changing up)reaching max torque 20m from the top.
From the west on very hard option 3. Unlikely to succeed in a 3L Patrol but try emtying the car, lowering to 8 psi & hold in low 2 on the rev limiter.
From the west on virgin sand to the left of option 3 you will need an FJ Cruiser at 8 psi using all 200 KW's. No Patrols should even bother, simply too heavy ;-))

Cheers Craig..............