'95 Outback and... sand dunes?

Question

There are some sand dunes in the area, and I've been thinking about trying to take them on in my aging '95 Outback. The question is, will I be able to make it through them?

The '95 model Outback lacks the ground clearance of the later models, however it has the same AWD system. In four years of driving it, I've only become stuck once, when I bounced off the road and landed on a large chunk of ice with all four wheels off the ground.

I've never tried sand though, so I'm interested in ideas/opinions from others who may have attempted this with an AWD non-lifted Subie. I'm not a person who is full of pride, so if I end up digging myself a huge hole and need to get pulled out by someone, I won't care too much. :)

-Matt

CompUser · Accepted Answer

Talk with some folks around you who ride sand. There's some tricks you can do with tire pressure, and some good things to take in case you do get stuck. They'll also be able to look at your tread and give you an idea how it will do in sand...not the same as mud, at all.

Steve

Ned Pike · Answer

In news:    CompUser  spewed:ISTR a big Car & Driver comparison a few years back about several types of4WD/AWD vehicles, including the Outback, SUVs, pickups, Jeep Wranglers, andLand Rovers.  One of the high points for the Outback came in the sand dunes,where (IIRC) C&D wrote about the Outback swimming its way up the dunes toask those who buried more "manly" 4WD vehicles if they needed a ride.Apocryphal, as I can't find a cite (C&D site seems down) and, of course,YMMV.

Brian Wasson · Answer

I've never had either of my two OBWs on sand, but have done a bit ofsand driving in my 1991 Isuzu Trooper (which, of course, has muchhigher clearance than the OBW). But, I have seen plenty of Subies onthe beaches in North Carolina's Outer Banks, and they seem to do fine.The main thing to be careful of is getting stuck in pre-made ruts inarea where there is a lot of off-road traffic (like the Outer Banks).These ruts can be quite deep, and that's where having the highclearance is really necessary. In areas where the sand is not sotorn-up (even on dunes), or below the high tide line (at low tide, ofcourse!), the OBW should do fine.

Ronald Donahue · Answer

I have found the biggest problem with a Subaru in the sand is a lack of alow range of gears. Soft sand eats up a lot power and you can bogged downnot for traction but lack of power.Ron Donahue

'95 Outback and... sand dunes?

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