TGRaboo

Heading up to the Outer Banks this Summer. I've driven a Toyota FJ Cruiser on the soft deep sand up there but taking the GX will be a new one. Has anyone ever taken their GX on the beach up there?
Rob
Chas., SC

wolfalp159

I went out at buxton in Dec. No problem. Let the air out and cruse. It ran much easier than my expedition

97JZA80

Im going in a few weeks too, wolfalp159-any recommendation on PSI?

TGRaboo

Did you stay in 4wd high the whole time?

cssnms

I've been going to Ocracoke, NC every year since I bought my GX 5 yrs ago. The only way to get on the beach there is by driving through some really soft/deep sand. The GX handles it without problems. So far I have never needed to put it in "low."

cobra2top

All, sitting here in Corolla NC (Outerbanks) on a weeks vacation and thinking of taking my 05 GX to the 4x4 beach to show the kids the horses and let daddy play a little in the sand with the GX.

I talked to a few locals and they said to air the tires down to around 20 psi. The question they asked is with the Tire Pressure Sensors, will the truck go into a "limp home" mode? One said that his Honda Ridgeline (truck) would do that and caused him to get stuck as the traction control would overide the system. I know, it sounds odd but just want to make sure the GX does not have any TPS issues when (if) i air down.

cssnms

I will be in Ocracoke NC next week for 10 days with old trusty (my GX).

I am sure you answered your own question already, but the answer is "NO." Lowering the tire pressure to drive on the beach is fine and it will not impact the performance of the vehicle other give it better traction in the sand. The TPS light will come on, but other than it's perfectly safe to do. Hope you have fun and just remember to fill the tires back up before the trip home.

97JZA80

offtopic but have any of you ever stayed north like up in North Swan Beach area? Im curious how long it takes to get there from Duck.

cobra2top

From Duck, it is about 40 minutes to the 4x4 beach area. Then to Swan it is around 10 minutes up the beach.

We stayed up in Corolla Light. Great area with more of a resort feel then the other areas in OBX. They sponsor alot of activities throughout the week to keep the kids happy/busy. Also they have wait staff for both the pools and beach. Nice.

As for taking the GX on the sand, ended up wimping out, not because it could not make it, only because for $169 we ended up renting 09 Jeeps with a guided tour. We followed a guide who took us to all of the "spots" to see up there, including finding the wild horses. It worked out better as we beat up their vehicles and I did not have to worry about tearing our GX up 7 hours from home. No Lexus dealers in OBX if something did break!!

As we were driving the beach it did get pretty soft and deep in some areas where the jeep bottomed out. Funny because at alot of those deeper areas had these little black "strips" sitting off to the side. After further review, they were the little black front spoilers on trucks! We counted atleast 10 of them all over the beach.

We did see 3 GX's on the beach. One was driving way over the speed limit of 20 mph. He blew by us and it looked like he was having zero issues but was beating the crap out of it. It was bouncing all over the place. Another passed us going a little slower but he passed at the one area the sand was hard. So I did not get to see him navigate through the softer sand. The third was parked at a house and he had it's supension in the high position.

If you head up to 4x4 beach, good luck. Definitely take your tire pressure to 20 psi and you should have no issues. Just be prepared for some pretty deep sand in spots.

97JZA80

Thanks for the info. Definetely always nice to tear up rented vehicles vs your own. I do want to see what this will do sooner or later though. Sounds like a cool area. I havent really spent anytime that far north yet. Maybe soon.

TGRaboo

The OBX trip is now a day away. The GX is ready complete with a recently installed front trailer hitch for the rod holder rack. This will be the first time for the GX to run on the beach. I'll report back when I return on how we do on the soft, deep sand.
Rob
Chas., SC

redrocks

Have a great trip!

cssnms

I would love to see some pictures with the rod rack on and off. I have considered doing this over the years, but kept coming back to my rooftop rod rack as I was afraid the site of the hitch (without the rack) would ruin the clean look of the front end.

Enjoy your trip, I am leaving for Ocracoke, NC Friday.

cobra2top

Have a great trip. Our week went super fast, but don't all vacations go fast!!

Definitely post up some pics of the rod rack. I too would be interested in seeing how it looks/works.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Were always off road in our GX. Went to Pismo Breach not too long ago where for $5.00 they let you drive on the beach. The GX was perfect. 4wd was not needed.