Silver Lake Dunes advise

[MegaCab Mike]

I am new to the sand, I have been through mud, rocks, dirt, hills and bogs but not sand. In mid-July I am taking the family to the dunes. I need some info on going through sand. I am assuming we need to lower the pressure but how low? Also I have a heavy truck (Dodge MegaCab) should I have a full tank (35 gallons) or should I try to lighten the load as much as possible?

Thanks in advance from the newbie

[joe_jeep]

the mega cab is a very long wheelbase. make sure if you have steps or running boards they wont get torn off cresting a hill. hopefully its a hemi. most wheeling there is pretty high rpm. we went a few years ago and my friend had an older cummins dodge(stock, extended cab, long bed, automatic) and he had very little luck with it. if its a hemi try low range and hi range see what works better for ya. im betting on low range and pretty hi rpms (3500 to 4000ish). yes your gonna need to air down! if its a stock tire on a stock rim probably in the 15 to 20 range. take it down to 25 or 20 and see how it works. you can always let out more if need be.
remember straight up, straight down! never turn or sidehill. if you dont make it up a hill, put it in reverse and let go of the brakes. it should stay pretty straight and go to the bottom very easy. if your not gonna make it up the hill, give up and back down. dont did a hole to china, it will seldom do any good. your gonna need a flag and flag mount. your gonna need an orv sticker. pack food and drinks(no booze) the beach is a nice place for lunch. you might also look for some full size trucks to follow around and watch. this will give you get a good idea on how your truck will react to certain obstacles. good luck, have fun!

[Creative Fab]

^what he said^

[Renegade II]

Arrrrrrrgh, Beware the curse of the megacab......

[calvynandhobbs]

He summed it up above. Stay straight on the hills and you'll be ok. The other thing is take it easy and do a couple laps around the park nice and slow to see what the peaks look like before running hard. I was out there a couple weekends ago and there were a couple drop offs I wasn't expecting out in the slow rolling hills area. One of my buddies was cruising along some small rolling hills and found out the hard way that the backside of one of those was straight down, shoved his front tire into the fenderwell of his YJ and snapped his front leaf spring when he landed.

[MegaCab Mike]

haha thats the same color as mine. I hope I dont repeat that!!!

What about cresting the hill? How fast do you want to be going to make it over?


Sorry for the nOObish questions but I dont want to get stuck with the kids in the truck, dad has to look like I know what the hell Im doing!!!!

[joe_jeep]

haha thats the same color as mine. I hope I dont repeat that!!!

What about cresting the hill? How fast do you want to be going to make it over?


Sorry for the nOObish questions but I dont want to get stuck with the kids in the truck, dad has to look like I know what the hell Im doing!!!!

in my last jeep i was 3rd gear low range 3500 to 4000 rpm till i almost crest then let off. in your mega cab i have no clue! i would go try some of the smaller yet steeper hills near the beach to get a feel for it. go at it slow(you wont make it). back down, try again a little faster. reapeat till you make it. this will teach you alot. i doubt i could go much over 35 mph in my jeep in 3rd gear low lock. i always hit the hills at 3500 to 4000 rpm in 3rd low. this may be no help to you at all, but it worked good in my jeep. id look for a couple full size trucks that are close to stock and go say hello. intruduce yourself and ask if they mind if you follow them around for a while. at least you will see what speeds are needed in some situations. you most likely will get stuck at some point! on the hills its no problem you can almost always back out of the hole you just dug. on flat ground it aint so easy. someone will almost always pull you out. always offer to try and pull someone else out, its good karma. bring a good tow strap(no hooks on it), no chains.
good luck

[MichEE]

So... how'd it go??? Did you make it up there?