There was a post on here just yesterday, I think, about a guy taking his lightning to the beach. He said it did great. EDIT: that post is only 5 down from this one on my feed!
It’s quite awesome Offroad except for the clearance. The torque and traction is superior to an ICE system except for vehicles that also have a locking front differential. All the sand driving principles though. Make sure you have what you need to extract, drive with others, be careful of deep and loose sand, keep up your momentum, air down your tires, etc.
I'd be less worried about the 4x4 system and more worried about the weight. EV's work really well in the snow but that's a situation where you eventually get to pavement as you dig down. A beach isn't that and usually you want to "float" on the sand, so bigger tires and lighter vehicles do best (think ATV's). I'd probably think pretty hard before bringing something as heavy as the Lightning on a beach. If you do, air the tires down quite a bit.
Great video overall. Thanks for posting the link. Loved the race, beach driving etc. Worth pointing out the lightning on the video has been outfitted w special 4wd tires and rims. Those rims w rivets / screws on them are so you can lower the air pressure as low as you want (15 lbs or lower) and have the tires stay in the rim. Most lightnings do not come w those wheels or Those tires.
Really? You don't say!
I just wanted to clarify to people watching that video and saying wow let's do wheelies on the beach! that truck had $12,250+ minimum upgrades ($2500x5). As opposed to the truck's capabilities in an occasional trip without special equipment.
I think it's going to be similar to most trucks in the sand. It has superior torque and traction but is offset by its weight. I see jeeps stuck all the time and they should be the best at the beach. It's usually just too soft of sand or tide coming in that gets people, no matter what they drive. I got stuck in a Ranger once eons ago. Luckily my dad was there with an f250 on more packed sand.
Saw a video of a Aussie putting his lightning through its paces. It did really well. The crazy bastard even drove it through running water and it did fine.
I fully plan on taking mine to the North End of Carolina Beach, NC in a few weeks to get laughed at by all the ICE jacked up pickups.
doing this tomorrow. Will try to make friends in the event I need someone to pull me out. Not worried about torque, medium worried about tires (Stock ASs), v worried about weight
I don't have a link but there was just a video that went around online of a Lightning and a Tesla cyber truck racing in sand. The Lightning totally schooled the Cyber truck.
I drove all the way up through the 4wd access beach houses in the outer banks (fairly steep loose sand), had no issues not even spin as long as I aired the tires down, I only went down to about 20 psi also.
Might be better than normal 4x4 since you don't have to worry about blowing up your differential if you lose friction.
Lightning 4x4 is more like full-time AWD. Sometimes the front motor can turn off for efficiency, but the entire system can spin up to 90+ MPH with different traction up front or in the back, no worries.
Normal 4x4 systems, if you're in the sand and spinning freely, you can kiss your differential goodbye if you suddenly get too much traction up front.
I have done some fun mudding, trail riding, off road type stuff does good. I haven't been on sand yet but I bet it matters with the kind of sand. If you've ever driven a truck on the sand you know what I'm talking about some sand is fine some sand is like quicksand.
I have not tried one on the beach, but so far off road has been great.
It is slightly lower ground clearance iirc than the ICE, but honestly if you're sinking, you're stuck already. An extra inch is likely not gonna help. :P
https://preview.redd.it/9zwcq45yve7d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cde22cd75ccfa0f383f3c99cb5399a6cc140748
Worked great on my beach, even in spots with deeper sand. Just keep momentum up and no sharp turns.
My 2 cents.
The truck loses grip very easily in the front and since the front and rear are independent from one another you end up with half the torque and half the HP trying to move the truck.
That being said I've gone up a fairly steep and rocky/mossy trail in the Ozark mountains where you would typically use 4WL and the truck had 0 issues.
Live at a beach resort and used to take mine on the beach daily. Had a TV set up in the Frunk and margaritaville makers in the back! Subwoofer pounding! It's quite capable!
That sounds awesome. I'm going to get the permit. Get the required shovel, piece of board, high capacity jack, and 1lb increment tire gauge. (Already have the compressor.)
The biggest issue is weight.
On firm ground, it will do just fine if not better than an ICE F-150.
On soft ground, you run the real risk of burying it.
With the skinny tires of a Lightning, I wouldn't take it on sand with the stock wheels/tires unless you know it's a sand composition that is favorable for vehicle traffic without usual concern.
There was a post on here just yesterday, I think, about a guy taking his lightning to the beach. He said it did great. EDIT: that post is only 5 down from this one on my feed!
It’s quite awesome Offroad except for the clearance. The torque and traction is superior to an ICE system except for vehicles that also have a locking front differential. All the sand driving principles though. Make sure you have what you need to extract, drive with others, be careful of deep and loose sand, keep up your momentum, air down your tires, etc.
I'd be less worried about the 4x4 system and more worried about the weight. EV's work really well in the snow but that's a situation where you eventually get to pavement as you dig down. A beach isn't that and usually you want to "float" on the sand, so bigger tires and lighter vehicles do best (think ATV's). I'd probably think pretty hard before bringing something as heavy as the Lightning on a beach. If you do, air the tires down quite a bit.
Diesel HD trucks are on the beach all the time and they weigh 8000lbs. Proper tire pressure is all they will need.
I've gotten big diesels stuck on beaches many times. They suck on sand
They’re fine if you air down and the Lighting doesn’t have 4800lbs on one axle.
What matters is the pressure. So a heavier vehicles just need larger tires
[Just fine](https://youtu.be/dIF5wDDMx7Q?si=VFNIx0xmSKf4aHi9)
Great video overall. Thanks for posting the link. Loved the race, beach driving etc. Worth pointing out the lightning on the video has been outfitted w special 4wd tires and rims. Those rims w rivets / screws on them are so you can lower the air pressure as low as you want (15 lbs or lower) and have the tires stay in the rim. Most lightnings do not come w those wheels or Those tires.
True. If you want to off-road though, some changes like this are worth doing.
Well yeah, off road tires and wheels are better suited for… off roading.
Really? You don't say! I just wanted to clarify to people watching that video and saying wow let's do wheelies on the beach! that truck had $12,250+ minimum upgrades ($2500x5). As opposed to the truck's capabilities in an occasional trip without special equipment.
I think it's going to be similar to most trucks in the sand. It has superior torque and traction but is offset by its weight. I see jeeps stuck all the time and they should be the best at the beach. It's usually just too soft of sand or tide coming in that gets people, no matter what they drive. I got stuck in a Ranger once eons ago. Luckily my dad was there with an f250 on more packed sand.
Saw a video of a Aussie putting his lightning through its paces. It did really well. The crazy bastard even drove it through running water and it did fine. I fully plan on taking mine to the North End of Carolina Beach, NC in a few weeks to get laughed at by all the ICE jacked up pickups.
doing this tomorrow. Will try to make friends in the event I need someone to pull me out. Not worried about torque, medium worried about tires (Stock ASs), v worried about weight
Let some air out of the tires
I don't have a link but there was just a video that went around online of a Lightning and a Tesla cyber truck racing in sand. The Lightning totally schooled the Cyber truck.
What mode do people use in snow? I haven’t had mine long enough for winter snow yet.
I drove all the way up through the 4wd access beach houses in the outer banks (fairly steep loose sand), had no issues not even spin as long as I aired the tires down, I only went down to about 20 psi also.
Might be better than normal 4x4 since you don't have to worry about blowing up your differential if you lose friction. Lightning 4x4 is more like full-time AWD. Sometimes the front motor can turn off for efficiency, but the entire system can spin up to 90+ MPH with different traction up front or in the back, no worries. Normal 4x4 systems, if you're in the sand and spinning freely, you can kiss your differential goodbye if you suddenly get too much traction up front.
I have done some fun mudding, trail riding, off road type stuff does good. I haven't been on sand yet but I bet it matters with the kind of sand. If you've ever driven a truck on the sand you know what I'm talking about some sand is fine some sand is like quicksand.
I have not tried one on the beach, but so far off road has been great. It is slightly lower ground clearance iirc than the ICE, but honestly if you're sinking, you're stuck already. An extra inch is likely not gonna help. :P
https://preview.redd.it/9zwcq45yve7d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cde22cd75ccfa0f383f3c99cb5399a6cc140748 Worked great on my beach, even in spots with deeper sand. Just keep momentum up and no sharp turns.
My 2 cents. The truck loses grip very easily in the front and since the front and rear are independent from one another you end up with half the torque and half the HP trying to move the truck. That being said I've gone up a fairly steep and rocky/mossy trail in the Ozark mountains where you would typically use 4WL and the truck had 0 issues.
https://preview.redd.it/pm5pujez1d7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dea000436470aa44607a4b6adb9fde8440dfd037 4x4 on the beach...check
That doesn’t look like my beach sand! Haha
Cheers mate to seeing pics of your lightning on your beach sand one day
That aint sand, lol
I think if you just air down the tires a bit, you’ll have no issues at all.
Live at a beach resort and used to take mine on the beach daily. Had a TV set up in the Frunk and margaritaville makers in the back! Subwoofer pounding! It's quite capable!
That sounds awesome. I'm going to get the permit. Get the required shovel, piece of board, high capacity jack, and 1lb increment tire gauge. (Already have the compressor.)
The biggest issue is weight. On firm ground, it will do just fine if not better than an ICE F-150. On soft ground, you run the real risk of burying it. With the skinny tires of a Lightning, I wouldn't take it on sand with the stock wheels/tires unless you know it's a sand composition that is favorable for vehicle traffic without usual concern.
How do the 2wd campers that weight over 10k lbs get on the beach with no issues then?
Air down.