ltc

Nothing to worry about.....it was done during daylight hours

Darrin Smith

Hi
Just to clarify I was running 18psi all round. Our travelling companion did de-bead his front tyre on the Lexus (landcruiser) at around 12PSI. This is alway a problem in sand when you have to take a sharp turn with low pressure at speed. It was that low to get back up the big hill in the photo. There was a sharp right-hand turn at the top (which you can't see in the photos) which caused the problem. In the end I had to unhitch the trailer and get the lexus to tow it up. The cayenne (by itself) made it no problem. With the extra weight of the trailer we felt it would stop on the bend, and backing out and back down was not really an option. Took about 40 minutes in total, but was definately easier than digging etc!
And yes everything was done during daytime and LOW TIDE! and always with another vehicle (this is a real golden rule for beach driving, especially one you've never been on before). At high tide (which was in the late evening) the water comes right up to the base of the dunes. But the main problem with night driving is that you can't see the driving surface well enough to miss holes and rutts.
I note that Goodyear have just released here in Australia thier Wrangler Silentarmour which has a good off road tread in 18". These tyres have a good sidewall which would lend itself to pressures less than 18PSI. Once the Pirelli's are worn (won't take long, it's the wifes car!) then I'll give the goodyear's a shot.
Happy Trails!

ltc

The Lexus had to do the towing......sad.

PogueMoHone

I think you have crossed the line here.

I enjoy your posts and caveats about the Cayenne; but the above statement (even tongue in cheek) gives one pause.

Darrin Smith

Yeah
It was quite sad for me too. However it was only about 500m out of many kilometres. If time was not against us I would have given it a couple of shots, but we were sort of in a hurry, and didn't feel like digging too much!
The Landcruiser (Lexus) is recognised as King of the off road here in Oz, but to it's credit the Cayenne surprised everyone in the group and most people we met. The Lexus also had the advantage of A/T type tyres, as I mentioned I was running P-zeros! While this may not have made much difference, apart from being able to let them down a bit more, on this kind of hill (The way up is a lot steeper than it looks in the photo) every little bit helps.
The Cayenne did however come out without a scratch, due mainly to it's ground clearance. Unfortunately the Lexus suffered some minor damage to it's running boards, and some other minor panel damage and a cracked light due to it sliding around on the muddy rocks.
I have spoken to another off roading friend today who also says he has spoken to owners of newer 4WD's that cannot turn the traction control off. It basically causes all sorts of problems in boggy fine sand and has become a bit of a sore point. Unfortunately I think manufacturer's will continue to go down this road more and more in the future for the obvious safety benefits.

Dennis C

I manage to get the Cayenne tires off the pavement every now and then when upland bird hunting, but nothing like the sand in your photos. I'm also running street tires, so I try not to get in too much trouble. If I need to do any hardcore offroad driving, I take the H3. It's certainly not the equivalent of an H1, but it is extremely capable offroad - especially compared to most "street" SUVs.

ltc

What, a few more lemmings giving their lives due to the Cayenne ownership experience?

What else am I supposed to do down here at the base of Cayenne cliff?

Who did you think I was referring to?

ltc

BTW, I think Rennlist member 'Colm' is also using your signature line:

Never argue with idiots - first they drag you down to their level, then they beat you with experience

EnigmaWmn

Larry, did you realize that your username is STD for Life???

P.S. Which STD is it, btw?

Dennis C

You have to be careful when dealing with an STD, either way.

ltc

Yes, but the fun part is how you get STD

ltc

I would consider myself to be like herpes.....I never really go away and usually come out to play when I sense 'stress'.

EnigmaWmn

That should go directly into your signature. Priceless!

ltc

No, that would probably be considered 'offensive'....like recent avatars.

However, I think it would look rather good on the Official Rennlist Cayenne Forum T-Shirt....the one that SHOULD have been done by now.......

bgsntth

Darrin,

Pirelli just release their Scorpion ATR in a 255/55-18, and General offers their AT2 and Toyo their Open Country AT in that size as well. When I finally procure a pig, I will most likely go with the ATR.

I really hate the non-defeatable traction control that is becoming commonplace too. My old Lexus GX470, would literally "shut down" if every wheel was spinning (i.e., engine revs but tires do not turn). Not good if you have to stop on a steep ascent. It did have a non published "panic mode", where if you revved over 4K RPMs it would override the TC and spin the tires. My current LR3 will spin its tires as needed in certain of its Terrain Response programs (e.g., Rock Crawl and Mud & Ruts. Can confirm that the diference between Street an AT tires is huge. Greatly benefitted my Lexus (Revos) and my LR3 (Yoko AT-S). I'm planning on replacing the LR3 with a Cayenne when the lease is up in June. Trade some off-road capability for on-road capability. BTW, the LR3 with the Yokos is far superior to anything I've driven off-road.