Ultimate Guide: Driving on Sand

Last Updated on July 19, 2025 by Felecia at Road Trips Australia

Driving on sand is a step toward expanding where we can explore. Whether conquering coastal beaches or cruising through desert dunes, mastering driving on sand is essential for every Aussie road tripper. With the proper techniques and a bit of know-how, you can confidently cruise over soft terrain —no getting bogged, no drama, just pure adventure. Ready to boost your off-road skills and dive into the ultimate guide to driving on sand!

Why Trust Road Trips Australia?

With over 25 years of remote area travel, including 4×4 destinations like the Simpson Desert Crossing and beach driving destinations, we have included this helpful guide to ensure you experience safe travel, providing you with trusted and reliable advice for your next adventure. Count on Road Trips Australia for an authentic, experience-backed guide.

See us Driving on Sand! Top Tips for Driving in Sand:

Here we venture on a sand driving weekend at Burrum Point in Queensland. This is an excellent spot for beginner sand driving, as the sand is reasonably firm; however, the same principles apply to any sand driving environment. We hope viewers find this helpful!

Essential for Driving on Sand: Your 4×4 Recovery Kit

• Air Compressor: To get the air back into your tyres! You will need to deflate your tyres before going onto soft sand. This means you will inevitably need to pump them up at some point. Deflating your tyres improves traction and reduces the chance of getting bogged. A compressor can be cheap and portable, or if you drive off-road regularly, invest in a quality air compressor and have it installed to be ready. Use this combined with a Tyre Pressure Gauge to gauge the pressure left in the tyre. Don’t try to drive on low tyre pressure to the nearest service station; this is unsafe.

• Rated Recovery Points: We can’t all be like All4Adventure without practice or experience; even Jase and Simon get bogged! Recovery points are fixed-rated points on the chassis or bull bar of the vehicle where recovery equipment, like a snatch strap, can be attached. It is best to be prepared when vehicle recovery is needed.

• Snatch Strap: You may think you won’t get bogged down, but it is better to be prepared for the unknown when venturing off-road. Imagine you are stuck in the middle of a busy sandy track, with no way for anyone to get around, and here you are without any rated recovery points or a snatch strap… Not a good look. Be prepared!

• Note: For those who don’t venture onto the sand that often, you don’t need to break the bank to get more prepared than this. There is a multitude of recovery accessories on the market, but 99% of the time, sensible driving to the conditions, with the correct tyre pressure and the above basics, will be all you’ll need.

Recovery Kit 4WD. Continued…

• Shovel: Often, sand will accumulate in front of your tyres, and if you don’t stop forward momentum when stuck, it could also get around your diffs and suspension. It is handy to have a shovel, nothing flashy, just something to push or shovel the sand out of the way.

• Recovery treads/tracks: Many options are now on the market. These treads are placed in front of your tyres, giving your vehicle traction and assisting in driving out of a bog. Usually, they can be purchased in a pair and double as a sand shovel.

• Winch: A winch is used in more extreme recovery cases, pulling a vehicle out of a bog or loss of traction. Could you talk to your local 4WD store (ARB or TJM) to discuss the best fit for your vehicle? Winches are a valuable tool for remote and solo travelling.

• Sand Anchors: Sand anchors can be buried in the sand and used as an anchor point for vehicle recovery. Some sand anchors look similar to a boat anchor, and some look like a blanket and use the sand for weight.

Remember to think safely in a vehicle recovery situation, standing well clear of vehicles, cables, and anchor points.

7-Steps to Preparing for Driving on Sand

1 – Check the tides if driving on the beach!

Always check the tide, and with the Willyweather App, it’s easy! You only need to watch all the posted videos about Inskip Point or Fraser Island to see how people have recklessly destroyed their 4WDs.

2 – Tyre Pressure for Sand Driving

It’s critical to reduce your tire pressure before you access soft sand. Lowering your tyre pressure makes the footprint of your vehicle larger in both length and width. It may help to inspect the track on foot to better understand what the way looks like and how soft the sand feels. This will guide you on how low you need to reduce your tyre pressure. Reducing your tyre pressure in a safe place before you enter the soft sand is good. Too many people think it will be all right and worry about the consequences afterwards. It’s better to be smart and get the pressure right first; you can always raise or lower it along the beach/creek/track later if needed. A valuable tool to reduce tyre pressure is a tyre deflator kit.

Tyre pressures for driving on sand: Choose a comfortable starting pressure depending on the softness of the sand and the vehicle’s load.

3 – The Right Tyre Pressure for Driving in Sand

This varies by the size, type, and, more so, the weight of your vehicle. For example, I usually start by lowering the front tyres to 18PSI and the back tyres to 20PSI, as I carry far more weight in the rear of my 4×4. So have a play and work out what works best for your vehicle and the softness of the sand. Just know that if you go too low, you risk rolling the tire off the rim by breaking the bead.

4 – Engage 4WD in Your Vehicle

Please don’t laugh; people forget to do it! Especially for those with hubs. It’s easy to lock the stick into 4L or 4H, then fail to get out and turn the hubs as you were busy letting the tires down and watching all the other flash 4WDs go past.

5 – 4×4 Vehicle Clearance

While not mandatory, vehicle clearance (or height) helps, especially in high-traffic spots with many inexperienced drivers on the track. The track tends to get deeper ruts than it should from this. So, having either basic full-size 4WD clearance or the best recommendation for all-around touring and 4WD’ing is a 2-inch lift kit. You will see what I mean if you are behind an Independent Front Suspension 4X4 (like a Patrol) running a 6” lift with 37” wheels, and he’s just chewed the track to the diffs; the little stock standard Jeep might struggle…

6 – Tyre Position on the Track

Try to say in the “ruts” of the track. This part of the track is already compacted to a point, and going onto virgin sand can become highly soft, causing the vehicle to lose momentum and bog in the sand.

7 – Maintain Forward Momentum

Maintain the right gear and speed to maximise torque availability, as torque is needed to help power through softer sand. So pick a gear that keeps your revs up without driving like a nutter. 2^nd or 3^rd gear low range is a sweet spot for extra soft sand in our vehicle. If you drive an auto, it should be easy in low range.

Towing in Sand

Tyre’s position comes into play here. The trailer may have a different width and tyre width than your tow vehicle. Also, when you turn, the trailer will follow another track to your tow vehicle; it won’t just poke along in the same ruts your car has created unless you are going in a straight line. Tyre pressure is also essential on your trailer; while it’s not doing any of the work, it can strain your tow vehicle considerably by not deflating the tyres on your trailer. It helps spread the footprint to be longer and wider and helps keep it on top of the soft sand instead of trying to cut into it or push it in front of the tyre. Try your trailer tyre pressure on 25PSI and lower it if needed.

Driving on Sand Hills

This could be exiting the beach via a dune or attempting to drive up Big Red in the Simpson Desert. Either way, driving uphill in the sand is something most 4WDs and 4WDers can struggle with. It’s all about the right Revs, Speed, and Torque. If you safely combine these 3, you might reach Big Red’s top.

But back to tyre pressure! Get the correct tyre pressure first, or you will bog down and wreck the track for others! PLEASE, again, get that tyre pressure right FIRST! And DO NOT keep trying to drive up a sandy hill if you have lost all momentum. Reverse down and start again. Spinning wheels to make a sand hill creates woops in the track, making driving a sandy hill at the right speed increasingly tricky!

When driving down dunes, either forwards or backward, ensure you keep yourself in gear and facing straight down; you could easily find yourself in a dangerous position if you start to turn when on a sand hill.

Note: Forgive my evident frustration here. After having driven the Simpson Desert, I have never been more frustrated at the actions of inexperienced drivers; even though there are plenty of signs and guides to instruct people on the DO’s and DON’T’s of sand driving, people still do the wrong thing. I’m hoping this article will help you do the RIGHT thing!

Top Tips for Driving Sand Hills:

• Tyre pressure
• Speed
• Revs
• Torque

If you lose momentum, STOP and back down slowly in reverse. Reassess and try again if you think you can.

Best Tyres for Driving on Sand

Believe it or not, a road tyre does better in sandy conditions than a big Mud Terrain tyre. The first time I ventured onto a virgin sandy spit was in the good old Landcruiser split rims with very mild All Terrain Tyres, and with the correct pressure, it drove easily through super soft sand. The Mud Terrains are too aggressive a tread and will seem to try to dig into the sand too much rather than sit on top.

A good all-rounder 4×4 tyre is a good quality all-terrain tyre. My favourite is a standard 33” wheel in 285/75 Tyre. This allows plenty of height, width, and depth for deflation and impacts defence for almost any situation. Talk with a tyre specialist to determine what works well with your vehicle and your driving type.

Pick your Drive Line

Anytime you are 4WD’ing, you should always be attempting to pick the right line. This gets easier to identify with experience. In sandy soft sand, this may mean following the ruts left by the previous vehicle, as it’s already been compacted for you. Be mindful of the width and depth; if you attempt to follow the rut of a car that is wider or narrower than you, you will find yourself fighting the steering wheel and possibly stuck.

The same goes for depth; if that high clearance IFS rig has been through first and you’re in a low clearance mid-range 4WD, you may bottom out, as your wheels sit in the deep ruts and your diff or belly guard scrapes along the centre of the track, leaving you potentially bogged (stuck in a rut!)

Sometimes it may be best to enter the wheel ruts but then jump out of them when space permits. Be mindful of the resistance when you attempt to exit the high-walled rut, and be cautious you don’t overcorrect when it does pop out onto the flat. Once on the flat, you will fight the steering wheel less, but must contend with softer/virgin sand. You have to determine what’s best for your vehicle and driving ability.

Using Water to Harden Sand

If you do get stuck, one thing that is good at making soft sand a little firmer is water! So if you get stuck on the beach, consider grabbing a bucket of water to wet the sand in front of your tyres. It can help immensely. Also, it’s easy if you have an onboard water supply.

Beach Creeks

Be careful of seasonal creeks, large seasonal estuaries, and rivers. A lovely day trip on the beach creek can quickly become a disaster if you are unaware of weather conditions, tides, and the surrounding catchment area.

Electronic Rust Protection and Rust Prevention

Electronic rust protection units are a good option for your vehicle. Some kits can be self-installed, like RS-5, or talk to your local mechanic/auto electrician. Another way to reduce salt corrosion is WD40 or Inox after washing well. Also, after a wash every few months, coat the entire chassis with Inox MX4; this helps protect it from corrosion. Avoid driving into saltwater directly unless necessary; it may look cool, but no matter your protection, it won’t benefit your vehicle.

What to Do if You Get Bogged:

We have been there: getting bogged can be a stressful experience. Here are some helpful tips to help get out of a bogged situation, keeping in mind that every bog situation varies:

• Lower Tyre Pressures – Lowering tyre pressures further (reducing by 5 PSI) can increase traction, helping drive out of a bog. However, too low pressures can risk the tyre coming off the rim, so reduce pressure by small amounts at a time.
• Use Traction Boards – MaxTrax or traction boards placed in front of your vehicle’s tyres can give traction to drive out of a bog.
• Snatch Strap – A tug from another vehicle is a great help in more extreme bogs. Use a Snatch strap attached to rated recovery points to be pulled out of a bog.
• Water to Harden Sand – As mentioned above, this can help harden soft sand, assisting in the ability to drive out of a bog.
• Winch – If there is a safe winch point, use this to pull out of a bog.

Leave No Trace

Remember, while exploring our wonderful natural area, to respect the environment. Stay on the formed tracks, reducing damage to plants and animals; take your rubbish with you, including toilet paper and even pre-existing rubbish you may come across. LEAVE no TRACE to avoid closure of access to these places.

Successful Driving on Sand

Now you have learned how to drive in sand, you may be able to attempt a sandy track, the beach, a Desert, or a dune. Remember to have a recovery kit, lower tyre pressure, and maintain forward momentum. Now enjoy sandy destinations with the best Australian Road Trips and driving holidays. Also, you can discover delicious and easy camping meals to complete the adventure…Happy exploring!