We're going to Hattaras the last week of August and I know my first concern should be hurricanes but we'll see how that goes.

I've read all the posts on driving on sand and such. My questions are:

Should I replace the stock Goodyears with other tires before I try this? I know I have to drop the psi for sand. Maybe another tire is better for sand?

Have any E owners gone out on the sand at Hattaras? Can you share any cautions I should be aware of on the beaches there?

We're going there with friends that have Jeep Cherokees and such and we want to keep up with them and not be a burden.

I know clearance will be a problem but a smooth, slow trek through the deep sand should get us through.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Regular tires should be fine IF you drop the tire pressure to te 15 psi level.
Stay in the ruts and away from the wet stuff near the water.

A tow rope is always a good idea just in case.

David

We're going to Hattaras the last week of August and I know my first concern should be hurricanes but we'll see how that goes.

I've read all the posts on driving on sand and such. My questions are:

Should I replace the stock Goodyears with other tires before I try this? I know I have to drop the psi for sand. Maybe another tire is better for sand?

Have any E owners gone out on the sand at Hattaras? Can you share any cautions I should be aware of on the beaches there?

We're going there with friends that have Jeep Cherokees and such and we want to keep up with them and not be a burden.

I know clearance will be a problem but a smooth, slow trek through the deep sand should get us through.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

I have done a lot of 4 wheeling in the past on Hatteras Island but never with the Element. There are a lot of places you can get into trouble. The area between the tracks can be very deep. Letting air out of your tires of course is VERY important. Now that I own the Element I am not sure I would risk venturing out on the beach with it. I would rather take my old Jeep Wrangler instead. The reason being is that the Element has no clearance underneath and also no protection like a full coverage skid plate. That bar underneath that is supposed to protect your gas tank will drag through the sand and will not protect your entire tank should you hit something that is buried under the sand. Staying in the tracks would be wise, however there is a point you have to turn around and sometimes depending on others tracks to get you out isn't always possible.
I wish you luck and hope to hear of a good area that you feel safe taking the Element on. I for one am going to leave it those of you who wish to be guinea pigs. I just don't think it's worth it to tear up the undercarriage of my Element.
If I do any four wheeling with it I will stay on the paths leading to the sound side where it isn't so deep. Even there you have to be careful.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

Back in the 'early days' there were a number of threads about beach driving, here and in the corresponding section of hondaelement.org. I have seen pictures from Pismo Beach in California, where the driving is a mix of firm damp sand close to the water line, and loose sand in the dunes inland. The Washington state beach driving that I've done, is pretty well limited to the firm stuff.

I got the impression from those earlier posts that East Coast beach driving would be iffy in the Element. Once you start dragging the under carriage your chances of getting stuck are pretty good.

paulj

I've done a ton of driving on hatteras beaches over the past 7 years...with my wrangler tj. I've gotten into hairy situations with that, and I had 31" tires, lift, 6cyl, tires down to 12psi,....the whole 9 yards. You can hit very soft sand and then you are done. The element really doesnt have the power or the right 4wd system for it. Maybe if you stay up by oregon inlet...its pretty packed down there, but venturing off at road markers for long drives on the beach is something I would stay away from....unless you go with a bud with a jeep and tow rope and/or a winch.

I sold my when I purchased the element....I'll miss those drives....we would go from one town to the next via the beach. You had miles of beach all to yourself. Tons of fun.

I've done a ton of driving on hatteras beaches over the past 7 years...with my wrangler tj. I've gotten into hairy situations with that, and I had 31" tires, lift, 6cyl, tires down to 12psi,....the whole 9 yards. You can hit very soft sand and then you are done. The element really doesnt have the power or the right 4wd system for it. Maybe if you stay up by oregon inlet...its pretty packed down there, but venturing off at road markers for long drives on the beach is something I would stay away from....unless you go with a bud with a jeep and tow rope and/or a winch.

I sold my when I purchased the element....I'll miss those drives....we would go from one town to the next via the beach. You had miles of beach all to yourself. Tons of fun.

I agree, Oregon Inlet is probably your best option but you still have to get there by the ramp and hopefully the sand won't be deep leading there. I would ask some there or walk some of the ramp before you try though just to see how deep it is.
It's risky and probably not worth tearing up your Element. But that's up to you. If you can, go get yourself and old used Jeep Wrangler so you won't tear up your new Element. As much as I am tempted I just don't want to get some Fisherman shaking his head at me thinking how stupid I was to get myself stuck. I have come close to getting stuck with 2 serious off-road
vehicles I have owned. I was lucky and never did get stuck but have seen others who have been out there in the wrong type of vehicle. I saw a Subura Outback get stuck up to the rear axel.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I haven't taken my E on the beach yet here in Delaware but I have seen at least 4 of them on the beach where surf fishing is allowed. They all seemed to make out fine. I would think the stock tire would be fine. Just remember to let out your air. If you want to change tires to get a wider tire. The larger the footprint of the tire, the better the traction.

my first year in hatteras i saw some jacka** in an expedition get bogged down in the soft stuff @ oregon inlet. he was being a hotdog, and got completely stuck. the best was having a jeep pull his dumba** out.

I got the impression from those earlier posts that East Coast beach driving would be iffy in the Element. Once you start dragging the under carriage your chances of getting stuck are pretty good.
paulj

Maybe we should take the 2004 CR-V EX? It has the same under carriage as the E but more clearance.

What does the group think about that? Not as cool as the E but maybe we won't burden our friends with the Cherokee to pull us out of bogs as often.

Thanks for everyone's input and we can't wait to get down to the Outer Banks for some R&R and I&I.

Jerry

Go look in the "Image Gallery" and search for my post titled something like "Pismo Beach 56k beware!"

In short, the Element is pretty capable on the sand, as long as you know its limits! ;)

You will love the Outer Banks. I rented a house at the other end of the banks (Duck/Corrola) I took my Element out on the beach loaded with four people without a problem. I seem to remember that they close the beach to vehicle traffic during the summer. Be sure to bring a good tire pressure gauge and some change. If you have a good foot driven airpump that might help as well. I just aired down my tires and drove right through the soft stuff. Just be sure to drive carefully when back on the pavement and get to a gas station right away to get the proper pressure. You will have fun! I predict many trips to the Food Lion for you. If you need to rent a place these folks were great to work with: http://www.twiddy.com/ and the place I rented was G981 - St Tropez. It sleeps 16 people!!! We had 4 people and two dogs. Needless to say we had room to roam from each other.

Looks like an awesome place to go to. Now i'm drooling to get to drive on the beach.

I've been beach driving in Maryland for two years now and its no problem. Just stay out of the real soft sand, drop to 15 psi, and take a shovel with you. The only problem I've had is the Transfer case will stop working if it gets over heated, this happens when theres not enough air flow underneath. Mainly because of the low ground clearence. If your driving long distances (more than 2-3 miles), this WILL happen. You'll feel the car dragging harder through the sand. Stop and give the tranny a rest for 30 minutes or so and it will work again. Make sure to dig out around the axles if you spin the tires at all .
Driving in the rutts does make it easier but the bottom will drag, I've found it better to strattle the ruts until I make it to untracked sand.

[QUOTE=joemama]You will love the Outer Banks. I rented a house at the other end of the banks (Duck/Corrola)

Here's the house we'll be sharing with three other couples.

http://www.carolinadesigns.com/emailreturn.asp?guid=ynW9bBkTpF

Thanks to everyone for the tips. We're going to go for it in the E. And yes, a shovel and tow strap in the back.

I've been beach driving in Maryland for two years now and its no problem....

Where in Md? I would like to hit the beach at Assateague or Fenwick Island but don't know if I should risk it. Wouldn't take much to bottom out. Not like the pavement-like beaches in Fla.

I just got back from the Outer Banks this Fourth of July weekend and took my E out for the first time! It had no problems at all! Here's the thing, you just gotta drive the car with balls, but that's true for any kind of 4x4. I would have liked some more clearance and I am currently looking into a lift kit for my E.

I lowered the pressure down to about 15 psi at Oregon Inlet Marina and then just drove across the street and hit the sand. Stayed in the ruts mostly and then cut across hard and fast toward the wet stuff so we could back up to the water. It was great. Then we cruised later on up and down the beach on the sand. We got alot of looks too!

Anybody seen any lift kits for Elements out there on the net? Or know a cheap way I can get a few inches up?

Hope this helps, and have a good time in NC.

We just got back from Cape Hatteras in our E. She performed like a champ. Gas prices were high at 3.05 plus but our average was 26 mpg with the EXS automatic. On Rt. 13 through Delaware, Maryland and Virginia with all the stop and go I can live with that.

For the most part, I didn't try anything stupid, let the tire pressure down to about 20 lbs and had a tow rope and shovel. Oh and we were trailing a Jeep Cherokee for good measure.

As everyone has said, the clearance is a problem and we heard a few scrapes. We made sure we went slow and steady. To reduce the scraping, I held the steering wheel at about a quarter turn towards the middle hump so that the front wheels kept the undercarriage high. It was like the front wheels steered and climbed at the same time. I didn't notice the back wheels kicking in but they must haved to keep us going.

All in all, a great trip. Thanks to all of you for your input on driving in the sand.

Here's a few picks.

J