Cape Lookout National Seashore

[Kdj]

Does anyone have experience taking your vanagon out there? I’m lifted 2WD with good AT tires and some off road experience in sand. I do have recovery gear also. Really looking for sand conditions, is it super soft or reasonably firm? I’ve seen a a lot of different kinds of vehicles out there in online pictures, but I don’t want to be the guy who got stuck coming off the ferry!
Any feed back accepted!

[Tobias Duncan]

Best defense against sand is the stock 14 inch rim with a large AT tire
Air down to 15 psi and you will float over most sand
I keep a compressor with me for beaches in mexico so that I can air back up once on the solid dirt roads

[nesurfer99]

I was there in a syncro last fall and did not have any issues. I personally would not attempt it in a 2wd but I travel alone mostly and don't enjoy getting stuck. FWIW I believe the park service requires you to have 4wd. There is a mandatory check in when you get off the ferry but they are obviously not crawling under your vehicle and counting differentials.

There is lots of traffic on the beach and road so if you do get stuck I'm sure someone will pull you out.

As long as you have momentum you should be able to power through the deeper sections.

Here are a couple of pics from that trip.

Good luck!

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89 Carat on the road and collecting (s)miles

[vanagonjr]

[R0Batt]

Bump.


Has anyone done it yet in a 2wd vanagon?

I think im going to try it in the next month or two.
Going out there with my buddy that has a lifted duramax on 35s

My van is lifted with some bigger tires and the General Grabber A/Ts

I plan on going out there with a shovel, max tracks, and a tow rope.
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85 Westy

Charlotte, NC

[dhaavers]

^^^ Sounds fun, good start.

If you plan to air down to 10-15 psi & pack a ~$100 12v air compressor, you probably
won’t even need the max tracks, rope <or> ever have to bother your friend.



- Dave
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[E1]

There’s a whole lotta factors in sand driving and especially with 2WD.

We drove out Pismo Beach once on 14s with 27x8.5 tires. In my opinion, that combination was the best start in profile over and above any other factors. We were on BFG ATs (previous to KO2s) and talked to some way more-seasoned sand runners with similar tires and pressured down to 8.

Not sure I’d go that low again, and especially not on C-rateds, but at one point there was a line of trailers right above the high tide line, we had to go a few hundred yards “out back” through the deep, and did not get stuck. Total round-trip was 7 miles of sand.

We run 215/65-16 KO2s now, and the D-rating is the Bomb — on pavement but not so much on sand. The Peloquin helps a lot unless throttle input gets excessive, as does a revvier ring & pinion to bump to 2nd at slow speeds, but the sidewalls are lower and stiffer and it’s a small cut below the 14s. But still very usable.

Traction ramps have bailed us out maybe 10 or so times over 11 years. Invaluable, we have two and may buy two more. When things go really wrong, I’d say they’re far more valuable than any tires.

No matter all that, the secret if digging in is such a low rpm that the thing wants to stall — similar to driving in snow, really. Staying calm and being fully committed when it’s sketchy is a huge part of not getting stuck, hesitation is the enemy nearly every time.

The road photo above is way easier than what a 2WD can do, standard stuff really, if the above considerations are fully in play. The beach photo is a little trickier and needing momentum, but that sand looks damp and firm which is a big help. Dry is the worst.
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[R0Batt]

Finally some optimism!!!

I will definitely air my tires down the general grabbers are load range SL so they should be pretty soft and good for the sand

Yeah ive offroaded a good bit and plan on scouting my line before driving on to the beach to make sure I dont stop in the soft stuff
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85 Westy

Charlotte, NC

[kourt]

The photo has sand and beach features that resemble Padre Island National Seashore on the Texas coast.

That beach always has a mix of easy wet sand and really dry, low traction sand.

You drive on the surf line as much as possible to your campsite, and then plan your arrival at the campsite all around your departure technique.

Sensible driving, momentum, strategy, and deflation will get you out of most problems. I usually deflate to 10 PSI on the dry sand. Keep the throttle down and lock your van into 1st or 2nd gear if it's an automatic.

My Vanagon was a heavy 2WD automatic with Peloquin. I used traction boards once during a hot summer trip, but otherwise have left them at home. If you are not confident in sand, have traction boards and you'll still be able to say you were ready for self rescue.

kourt

[Kdj]

I still haven’t made it out there. Look forward to any reports of how it went in a 2wd vanagon. It will remain on my list of must visit.

[E1]

What if someone has no idea what they’re doing and gets it all wrong and gets stuck? Then you won’t go?

What if someone knows what they’re doing and has all the right stuff and has no problem? Then you will go?

What if either above scenario is in different conditions, different season, different sand conditions, or on different tires, gearing, running condition, tire condition, type, lug depth, and pressures, skill level, outright bad info from total strangers, and tells you nothing at all?

No offense intended (!), just live a little and go enjoy it! Sand is variable, always, every time.

You’ll know in the first few yards if it’s a good idea or not. We once got stuck about 600 feet into what turned out to be a short dune, emptied out weight, aired down more, and got out with traction boards, and a simple desire to get out on 15 year-old, utter-crap Big O offroad tires with no life left. It took some time, but was a great experience if it ever happens again and it probably will. Pack food and water.

Lots of good advice by several above already. My direct comments are only intended for your enjoying your van and your away time from here on out.

The web isn’t Real Life when so many variables exist.

Discovery is Real Deal.

Good Luck, and have a blast.
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[R0Batt]

[bobbyblack]

...[/quote]

Ya, my Padre Island experience too. So close to getting stuck that I was so relieved when I hit the pavement again.. Not sure if just keeping the pedal to the floor when I started feeling the sand sucking me in was right, but the rooster tail out the back end was magnificent. I think some folks behind me were really pissed.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[E1]

Haha Bob, throttle’s the enemy.

[Shonandb]

Used to head down to Cape Hatteras NC twice a year from about 15 years old to 25 but never made it over to Cape Lookout. A few Bus owners I met there recommended camping at Cape Lookout and said that my Bus would be fine if you air down all 4 tires.

I did this when I camped on the Padre Island Seashore south of Corpus Christi 2 years in a row in similar conditions and never had any issues. A few friends and I did about a 10 mile downwinder windsurfing in the Gulf along the seashore. We'd park the Bus and then sail the waves about a mile downwind and then one of us would walk back and drive the Bus down to where the windsurfing gear was and then we'd sail downwind another mile again. We kept the Bus within about 100 ft of the water line and never ventured too far up into the super soft sand.

I would imagine that a 2WD Vanagon with a wider than stock wheel profile (Grabbers or LT tires with an aggressive tread pattern) aired down to below 20psi would be fine but as others have said, keeping momentum, try not to make tight turns, and keep most of the weight over the rear wheels (including the passenger) are key to success when driving in soft sand. If you lose momentum and get stuck, stop, don't bury it down to rest on the body as then you will have a lot more work to do.

The problem areas are usually the transition zone from the access road to the firmer sand near the waterline of the beach. Once on the more firm sand closer to the water, you can drive without issue.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[Kdj]

Like I said previously, it's definitely on my list of places to go. Last year it just didn’t work out. I’m fairing confident a 2wd driven with a bit of skill will make it. Always amazed how well rear engine and rear wheel drive go. And like you said never know till we try. Thinking late September could happen this year but we’ll see how the summer rolls.