Hello all!

Just got my 08 GL 450 a few weeks ago and slapped on some Nitto Terra Grapplers

Me, the GF, Siblings and even the doggies decided to take a drive up to Pismo beach and do some BBQ , Drinking and some BodyBoarding!

Its a Pleasure to drive this car and it did pretty well in the sand except one time we got stuck in some really soft sand trying to get to the dumpster and my dumbass stopped so i got it stuck. And then some really nice fellas help me push it out and gave me some advice "If you see some really soft sand, dont stop keep on going unless u have some tires for dunes you will get stuck" Now i know. So it was a great learning experience

Sorry I forgot the Camera. So the only thing i had was my Iphone.


Driving down the beach trying to find a spot



My new Baby with Terra Grapplers





Our Setup.. menu : hotdogs , corn , asparagus , all grilled and ofcourse BEER




My family turning my car into a clothes line



All in ALL we had a great time.. And from having a CLK before i couldnt wait to get my GL since i do alot of outdoors stuff like snowboarding , camping and now BBQ on the Beach.


I'm no pro at offroading so im not sure how it would do on the Dunes in pismo.Do u think it would get stuck? Im not an expert. Check out some vids here http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...s&search_type= this is how the dunes look where i was at. you think it would survive there? i mean not doing jumps but like just drive around.

 

Great shots and sounds like you had a great time.

 

Mos,

Great shots and nice looking GL to boot!

My question to you is this... Was Nevada Jack with you at this bbq? I can't believe how clean your truck is (including the tires) after driving through all that sand. I'm thinking he must be the culprit.

Enjoy the new ride and maybe Danno 4x4 can give you some advice regarding those dunes. I know I wouldn't want to give it a try without having a buddy around with a winch just in case.

 

The trick to driving around dunes is to lower your tire pressure...

When I am driving on the sand with my Jeep, I actually lower my tire pressure to 4 to 5 PSI which effectively increases my tire footprint and allows the weight of the vehicle to be distributed over the larger footprint which keeps the tires from sinking in...

With the GL, the real trick is to lower the tire pressure enough to allow them to float on the sand without going too low and risking losing a tire bead.

Here is a link which provides a good rule of thumb for determining tire pressures based on size... It doesn't have our exact tire sizes, but it is fairly easy to extrapolate based on a conversion from metric to standard measurements.

http://www.californiajeeper.com/tire-presures.htm

The standard tire sizes that we deal with which came stock on the GL and their approximate standard measurement conversion are:

265/60R18 = 30.5 x 10.4 R18
275/55R19 = 30.9 x 10.8 R19
275/50R20 = 30.8 x 10.8 R20

The equivalent Nitto Terra Grappler replacement for the 18 inch wheel size which is commonly used is (Mos, I am assuming that is what you are running):

285/60R18 = 31.5 x 11.2 R18

Based on that, here are the tire pressures that the chart in the link would recommend based on the approximate 5300 Lb curb weight of the GL:

265/60R18 = 30.5 x 10.4 R18: Air down to 13-14 PSI and stay below 20 MPH
275/55R19 = 30.9 x 10.8 R19: Air down to 13-14 PSI and stay below 20 MPH
275/50R20 = 30.8 x 10.8 R20: Air down to 13-14 PSI and stay below 20 MPH

Nitto Terra Grappler 285/60R18 = 31.5 x 11.2 R18: Air down to 11-12 PSI and stay below 20 MPH

As far as getting stuck, it is inevitable that it may happen from time to time... The best advice I can give you is that if you feel like you are spinning your wheels and digging in without making any forward momentum, STOP... If you just dig the tires in and are stuck up to the framerails, it is much harder to get out than if you do a little digging.

In that scenario, you can use a shovel to dig out in front of or behind the tires to create a ramp which will let you move forward... Go easy on the throttle when you start out rather than just flooring it and once you have a little forward momentum, then you can floor it...

If it were me, I would turn of the traction control system and manage the power myself. In some cases, a little wheel spin is a good thing, and the Momma Traction Control can sometimes spoil the fun.

However, I think with lowering the tire pressure, you will have no issues with even the soft stuff at Pismo when you are on flat ground.... Going up and down the dunes, is not as critical, because if you get stuck going up, you can always back down....

Have fun!

 

Thanx! And we did! I was so Pissed i forgot my camera. Just got my new car with my new tires , first time on a beach where we can drive , bbq and drink beer on. But I'll be back!!



Thank you. Well you should of saw it when i hosed her down at work on monday. The parking lot looks like a brought Pismo with me

and yes im also worried about getting really stuck cuz the one thing i'm sad about my GL is i have no tow hitch. Where would the tow straps go if i had to get pulled out?


Danno4x4

Thank you so much for such a detailed answer and explantion on how to maneuver through sand i will definetly use it on my next pismo trip. And yes i am running 285/60R18 on my GL. So in the dunes i should 11-12 PSI? Or should i run 11-12PSI all over the beach even on the wet side where its more compacted?


And Danno i have another question. I usually go to the desert and do some target shooting and camping out there . I dont do anything rugged.I basically stick to the trails. And when i used my dads tundra for the desert which is 4x4 i never delfated the tires.Now that i have my own offroad vehicle. You think i should deflate my tires abit? And if i do how much?

Or how about in snowy conditions on and offroad? I usually go to mammoth few times in winter..

Sorry for all the badgering questions.


Thanx

 

Danno is truly amazing!!!

Personally, I wouldn't worry about driving in the snow with your tires fully inflated. I live in the Rockies and have the 550 and only experienced some problems with slush, not snow, or ice. In the end, it all comes down to speed when driving in the snow. Here are a few posts to check out.

October '07
December '07
January '08

 

Now that i have my own offroad vehicle. You think i should deflate my tires abit? And if i do how much?

Unless you are doing more Rockcrawling or more difficult obstacles, you really don't need to lower your tire pressure. I can say however that it will make the ride much smoother, especially on washboard roads... I would take it down to about 20 PSI if you spend a bunch of time in the desert and want to make the ride smoother...

Or how about in snowy conditions on and offroad? I usually go to mammoth few times in winter..

On the road you can leave the tires at the normal pressure, but offroad in the snow or even on road with 2 to 3 feet of fresh stuff, you can lower the pressure and it will help... In the snow off-road I run 3-4 PSI in my tires, but I have 37 inch tires on the Jeep... The heavy GL really isn't made to float over snowdrifts, and you will likely get stuck if you try to do too much offroading in the snow with the GL... But in a pinch if you need absolutely need to get across a relatively small patch of 2 foot deep snow and you have no other options... Go down to 11-12 PSI and get some speed.

Sorry for all the badgering questions.

No Problem

 

Hey Mos - know any beaches south of Pismo where we can drive on sand? I'm thinking a Beach meet Pismo is a bit too far for a day trip with kids.

 

I did a little researching and it seems as though PIsmo Beach (technically called Oceano Dunes) is the only beach in all of California where you are able to drive onto the beach, drink alcoholic beverages (unfortunately no glass containers), bring your canines, and BBQ. It takes approximately 3 hours to get there from Pasadena, CA and the drive is gorgeous given that you pass through Santa Barbara, Solvang - a little Dutch community, and just passed Pismo you can visit Hearst castle. I think it is definitely worth the drive especially in your GL on the beach since the commute not TOO FAR...drivable.

Hopefully you'll make your way out there and keep in mind PIsmo beach has indian summers which means it gets hotter later in the year so Aug - Oct would be ideal months to visit. Look forward to hearing about your possible adventures in Pismo!?!?! If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask...!

BTW - I noticed you got your car in West Covina...did you by chance get it at the Penske dealer??

Dano4x4

Thanks again for your helpful tips! I will definitely keep them in mind the next time I go offroading!

 

Thanks for the info! I'm going to Pismo next weekend, but not in the GL...the girls motorcycle group I ride with is doing a weekend ride.

It's nice to know there is still a beach you can park on and take your dogs to. 2 of my dogs love the water. I'll have to make a trip up there in the GL with them so they can enjoy the surf & sand.

 

Here is a website for the dunes. http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1207

Here is some more info : The entrance to the main beach is located at the end of pomeroy where the pier is located at. You can have your dogs anywhere on the beach (North or South of the pier) but cannot have your car on the beach. When u get to pismo make sure you stop by Splash Cafe ,Famous for their clam chowder.Located on pomeroy right before the pier. or you can have dinner at Cracked crab where they have all these types of fresh shellfish that they toss on your table and u just smash them open and dip it in some melted butter MmMmMMm... or i like to do ask for some chopped garlic and you can put the garlic in the melted butter..

Where you can have your car on the beach begins south of the pier where West Grand ave is. There are 2 entrances to the drivable beach, grand ave and pier ave. off highway 1. It cost $5 for each vehicle.From west grand ave to all the way to oso flaco lake is where you can BBQ,Drink alcohol ,bring the doggies and drive on the beach and if u have a dune buggy,atv,4x4 you can go on the dunes.And anything south of post 2 you can can go camping better off to reserve your camping spot before hand though.. it gets filled up quick.. and some people for 3 day weekends such as 4th of july and memorial day gets booked up to 1 year in advance.

 

Thanks so much for the info. & restaurant recommendations! I haven't ever stayed in Pismo -- only drove through several years ago. Now we'll have to plan a GL trip up there with the dogs.

 

I concur, Jen, that this is definitely worth a trip.

Mos - THANKS a ton for the info. I have 2 young 'uns so a trip to Pismo isn't as simple as a weekend trip. BUT, I definitely want to visit now. So, let's see.

 

Ok so I have an '08 Gl550 and it has the factory wheel/tire combo: the 21 inch AMG wheels and the 295mm low profile tires... now i live in Boston and the winter here can get pretty nasty and i was just wondering if anyone could give me advice on what kind of tires i should switch to... I want something pretty rugged that can take whatever i throw at it, but necessarily a "snow tire"

any advice would be great..

 

From my experience, you do not need to switch tires. They'll do just fine in your Boston weather, regardless of season.

 

I would agree to some extent that the tires are relatively good in most seasons, my wife however refuses to go another winter without switching the tires cause there were points when the tires were just dangerous... im not sure, im still a little torn

 

Trust me, and I think everyone else would agree, a wife changes everything. I didn't realize that was part of the equation from your initial post. The bottom line is that if she isn't comfortable driving the 550 in nasty weather, you aren't going to change her mind. However, you might enjoy this post; Wives as Drivers.

Newbie-2-MB, MomsBenz, Chicky, and all other wives who read/participate in this forum, please don't skewer me for being the messenger. I'm just being ornery as you all well know. For the rest of you who saw the original posts, I'm sure you'll still chuckle reading them again.

In all seriousness though, there was a fellow who put 18" snow tires on his 550 and had good success. I've haven't seen him post for several months now, but you might find his posts below helpful; Hot Girls and Ugly Shoes, 18" Tires on GL550 (Side View), 18" Tires on GL550 (Front View)

Good Luck!

 

thanks so much for the help, I think I'm just gonna have to buy some new tires to make the wife happy...

 

Just remember.....


Happy Wife, Happy Life!!

 

No argument with that statement from me.

I was thinking you first might suggest a little blue box before switching out the tires though.

 

That, and, keep her away from this forum, CT

 

That will certainly help soften the blow! I got a nice blue box from my parents for my birthday a couple of weeks ago Hubby knows how to pass along the hints for birthday gifts.

 

I will admit most woman don't do well driving in the snow. I have lived in snow all my life and have no choice but to drive it, hate it or love it still have to do it. Hubby's job takes him away so I have no choice. I am anxious/excited to drive the GL in the snow for the first time. All my other 4X4's have been true 4 wheel drive not all wheel drive. I will definitely be changing the tires, I can tell already the Continental's are not going to do very well. No offense taken, I agree~