[spydermn]

I purchased a 2015 F150 last year. (please no "because Ford suck" "should have purchased a _____." keep on subject). I am not happy with the truck but I have to keep it for a while.

I have had it out to the OBX twice and both times buried to the frame FAST!!! as in seconds. For example I started to slow down then next thing I know I am high-sided on the frame. This has NEVER happened to me when I was driving my Tunrda in 5 years driving on the softest of sand.

Now some issues I have that cannot be changed: I have 20" rims (ordered 18", long story) on standard Ford AT tires (275/55R20). I am looking to a leveling kit for wider and taller tires.

I am wondering if this is a Ford 4WD issue or if it is a chitty tire issue or a 20" rim issue. I cannot find much on it on the WWW
on my Tundra I was running 275/70R18

 

[Garboman]

Air down more and lengthen the tire track, the principal is like a snowshoe more surface area to the tire makes it float better on top of the sand.

No links (Opening for Dave....) , I did drive Ford's for twenty years on the OBX beach.

Never Drove or even rode in a Toyota, heard they sucked

 

[DaBig2na]

I have an f250 crew cab.its a 7000 lb truck. LT 265-70-17s Althogh I run 70 psi on the highway.. I air down to 20 .. Have no NO problem..even in soft sand
STAY IN THE RUTS especially if you aren't familiar with beach driving, and the uncertianty of your truck. A 150 is much lighter than the 250.. I'm not a big fan of 20 inch rims though .. The height of your tire might make up for the difference..I believe the 275 is about an inch taller.. ... I believe it is more of a tire and rim selection in your case .. There is a reason I like a tall sidewall on my tires..

I do the exact same ( air down to 18-20) on my TOYOTA 4runmer which I rarely drive on the beach..I probably won't see Garbo when I go to Carrova anyway..:fishing:

Besides Garbo, Dave bought this Xterra he was goin to "TRICK OUT" I'm sure he'd give you a ride in his Nissan, Since you think Yotas Suck.. :--|

 

[surfchunker]

I have a FX150 and only got stuck once in a super bad spot, stopped as soon as it stopped and aired on down to 15 and it climbed right out, the tires play such huge part, how many plys to how tall they are (low profile sucks), more plys the stiffer and worse they will be on the beach, I usually air the back tires down a couple more pounds than the front since the front end has all the extra weight of motor and tranny

 

[surfchunker]

I have a FX150 and only got stuck once in a super bad spot, stopped as soon as it stopped and aired on down to 15 and it climbed right out, the tires play such huge part, how many plys to how tall they are (low profile sucks), more plys the stiffer and worse they will be on the beach, I usually air the back tires down a couple more pounds than the front since the front end has all the extra weight of motor and tranny, tall side wall tires have more flex and do better on the beach, you didn't have it in L4 did you ?

 

[Byrd'sWord]

Spydermn,
I would say that your problem is not with your truck or with the type of tire that your have, but with those 20" wheels. You didn't mention if you aired down any...that may have helped some. However, with anything less than a 35" tire on a 20" wheel, some people may be hesitant of airing down much, for fear of popping a bead or for the simple fact that you don't get much benefit because there is not enough sidewall to balloon out much. I recently ran into the same situation when I traded in my Silverado on 315s (roughly 35") for a Ram 1500 with 20" wheels and 275/60r20 tires. My solution.....buy an extra set of 17" wheels and tires(285/70r17). This may sound expensive, but think about it this way....you can use the 20" wheels/tires for normal everyday driving and then swap them out for the 17" wheels/tires when heading to the beach. This way, you save some miles on both sets, and shouldn't need another set of tires for quite a while. Or...you may find that you like the 17s so much that you decide to sell the 20s to recoup some of your cost. You can get a pretty good deal on 17" or 18" tire/wheel combos on websites like DiscountTiresDirect(~around $1100 for a cheaper combo, which is less than you would pay for most sets of 20" at tires). Going to a smaller 17 or 18" wheel, you wouldn't need a tire any taller or wider than what you are running now (maybe a 275/65r17), therefore eliminating the need for a lift. However, before doing any of this, do research to find out what the smallest wheel your brake rotors will allow; this will determine whether you could use 17s or have to move up to 18s. Hope this helps

PS: sorry for such a long post

 

[BASSnDRUM]

I agree that it probably has more to do with the wheels/tires than the truck. I own a 2013 F150 (with 18" rims) and it performs flawlessly on the OBX sand...have never came close to getting stuck in the 3 years I've owned it.

 

[Papa-T]

Have to agree. Wheels and tires would be my guess. I drive a Chevrolet but have friends with Fords and they do fine. So did you air down any?? I've only gotten stuck once and I hadn't aired down and burried it to the frame. Yep; was happy to be pulled out by a Ford. Been years ago but never made that mistake again.

 

[AbuMike]

My bet would be the rim/tire package also. I know some of the big wheel tires are very hard and even airing down won't do it.

 

[spydermn]

Sorry to all I failed to mention that I was air'd down to 18 psi prior to getting stuck dropped to 12 trying to get out. I hate the 20's. In my tundra there were a couple times I was to tired on a suicide run from Charlotte and forgot to air down and had no issues. I think the issue is with the rims. I hate most aftermarket rims but factory are ridiculous in $$$

 

[VA-Apraisr]

Check Craigslist for a set of wheels/tires........a lot of you guys seem to be trading UP for bigger rims/tires and you'll be able to snatch up a good deal for your fishing set of rims/tires.

 

[surfchunker]

dropping in size will probably mess up your speedo but not sure

 

[Catch This]

I have to echo many of the thoughts above, it is not the truck. The issue is the 20 inch rims and tires. Bite the bullet andgo back to16, 17, or 18 inch wheels.

 

[Garboman]

If you aired down to 18, I will have to agree it is the big rims. If you run around on 12 or less you have the issue of breaking the bead loose if you hit a hole.

Here is a suggestion.

If a new set of tires/rims is over $1000

Buy a beater dedicated beach truck.

I am thinking about an Escalade, now I will have to check if they come with smaller rims than 20".

Garbo would have a difficult time if I am buried to the frame in a $85K Cadillac and have all you fellas in Toyotas driving by, refusing to stop and help and laughing at me

 

[PGHSteelworker]

I have a 2016 f150 with Goodyear 275/65/18 tires and stock 18 x 7.5 wheels and haven't had any problems aired down to 18 psi. I've been on all the beaches from Avon to Okracoke and can travel any part of the beach without having to worry about staying in the ruts. My old 2009 f150 had 275/55/20 factory wheels and tires aired to 18 psi and never had any problems with it either. Make sure the truck is actually going into 4wd and that the integrated wheel ends (that uses vacuum to work) are all working correctly. If you are still looking to go to 18s the sport model 18s with tires and sensors can be had on ebay or local craigslist for less than 1000 dollars. What is the story with your wheels that you mentioned about?

 

[Yota924x4]

any thoughts on your traction control system? i noticed that the traction control on my wrangler is very obtrusive. you have to turn it off. it won't bury you but it''ll cut power and apply brakes and really slow your roll. do you have any mechanical traction aids like a limited slip or lockers front or rear?

 

[NC KingFisher]

Hey Garbo, you can get a set of 18s for it, just won't look right without the 26" rims with spinners

 

[Garboman]

Hey Garbo, you can get a set of 18s for it, just won't look right without the 26" rims with spinners

I am off the Escalade at the moment, it is pretty inside but runs on stock 22's which evidently are a prescription for being buried to the frame rails

Probably just ride the beaches in my Grand Cherokee anyway what was once a 37K vehicle is now a 3.7K vehicle after depreciation sets in....or buy a beater F150 from a non-sand-salt environment.

 

[spydermn]

dropping in size will probably mess up your speedo but not sure

It is the over all diameter you need to worry about. So long as it stays the same you do not have to change anything

 

[spydermn]

What is the story with your wheels that you mentioned about?

I ordered my truck from my Mom's boyfriend (he owns a Ford dealership). I ordered the truck that I have now: 2015 S'CREW, FX4, 4wd, Lariet, 3.5 EB, etc etc etc with 18" chrome wheels and AT tires that come with the FX4 pkg.

Long story short my truck was supposed to be delivered a week after I sold my Tundra. 2 MONTHS later I still had no truck. Thank god I have a buddy who runs a Budget rental place or I would have been up a creek in rental cost. Anyway....THey pulled my truck from the production line for some special rotorooter style QA inspection where they tear the whole truck apart down to the frame then rebuild it. They only do it to 3 special order trucks a year and my Irish luck is mine was pulled.

Soooooooo, Greg (Dealer) calls me and tells me he had to go up to the top of the company to find this out. My truck had no delivery ETA while in the QA thing. So he offered to find me another truck. Well he found one, the only differences was that it was dark grey (original was silver) and had the 20" wheels. So thats the story