It seems most of the tire recommendations here are specific to mud traction. I'm in the high desert, and lucky to find a puddle.
All my off roading is in sand (sometimes incredibly fine, deep, and slick), and occasional hills with fist-sized and smaller rocks. Plus some brutally sharp sagebrush.
Whaddya think? A/T? M/T? Kevlar-impregnated spider-silk tungsten-knobbed paddles? Kidding, of course, but any recommendations for a good sand/street tire?
M/T is the opposite of what you want. They are designed to dig into the ground which isn't what you want in sand. You want to glide over it with street tires or a mild a/t.
I would try to stay as mild as possible. If you must have an all terrain I have heard that BFG all terrains preform pretty well in the sand. My dad has Nexen all terrains and he drove out to the outerbanks for a week with 300 pounds of gear in the back of his tacoma and said he never had the slightest problem.
I have BFG KMs and they perform well in sand. I had treadwright guard dogs before the KMs, which are basically the Goodyear MTR tread pattern, and those performed well in sand. Some of the guys I wheel with have Duratracks and those perform well. Other guys run BFG ATs and those perform well. With sand, it has a lot more to do with your driving style than it does your tires. I used to go on the dunes with my stock Wrangler SRAs and got around just fine. Ive seen people there jumping dunes in an Eagle Talon (that was really funny to watch). I will say that the MTs dig deeper, faster and will get you down to the frame a lot faster than an AT or street tires, but the point is to not start digging in the first place. Easy on the throttle from a stop, and youll be just fine.
Best tires to use on sand are usually worn street tires. You don't want to use M/T since they're designed to dig and will sink you fast with too much throttle. I'm leaving for obx tomorrow and where my house is requires the use of my Jeep. I'm running kumho A/T and airing them down to 13-15 psi. Last time I went I had michilen mtx4 tires and they did pretty good so I'm curious to see how the kumhos perform. Also carry an air compressor and foldable shovels.
I live in very similar sand...Sugar sand we call it. My experience basically what everyone else has said. Mudders in sand are a no-go, period. I've used the BFG ATs and they work pretty good in the sand, but they'll still dig in. However, I had those BFGs in my work truck and I can tell you I never got stuck in the sand BECAUSE of the tires. Usually it was because I was too lazy to walk somewhere and decided to go for broke and go somewhere I shouldn't have gone.
Mts are not a "no go" by any means. I love mine in sand. Sure, if you mash the gas in 2wd, they will dig, but if you don't drive like an idiot, they are awesome on sand.
My BFG M/T Km's do very good in the sandy washes here, even very well in my old 2wd cherokee. whether the most expensive tire specifically made for sand or a run of the mill AT or MT, it wont do anything for you if you arent driving right in sand.
Been to the outer banks tons of times with MT's and when aired down to 15-18 psi, I haven't had a single problem. Originally had Kumho KL78's and then Goodyear MTR-K's. Even pulling out stuck vehicles in very soft sand, they spin and dig but eventually grip and go.
Mud tires are kind of like sand paddles you can drive on the street. You don't need them, you said so in your OP.
"I'm in the high desert, and lucky to find a puddle."
Any good A/T will work just fine in sand and give you better traction on the rest of your off roading than street tires.
What you want in sand is
*Flotation*
the biggest footprint you can lay down to give you the least amount of weight per square inch of tire contact.
Put on the tallest and widest A/T tires you can and then air them down when you get in the sand.
I spent a fair about of time with BFG's AT/KO in sand and they did very well! I recently used the street tires on my Commander (Goodyear Fortera) and was also impressed. BFG's did better with most hill climbs and from a standing start.
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