Dune Bashing

I took the Jeep out for the first time to do some dune bashing. Dune bashing is climbing big sand dunes. A group of 7 cars met out in the desert. Two of the drivers were experienced drivers and conducted training for the other 5 drivers. There is a ton of technique and car settings required to be successful. Getting stuck is expected, but good technique keeps you from burying the car thus making rescue easier. The standard joke for newbies. Teacher: What kind of car do you drive? Me: Jeep Wrangler. Teacher: I’ll bring a tow strap and a shovel.

In a side note. I was the only American Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain were the other nationalities. All were following the US election very closely.

Four wheel drive is a must. Tire pressure is reduced to 15 psi so the tires flatten out to give more surface area to keep the tires on top of the sand. Traction control has to be turned off. I used low gears and nearly every setting on the Jeep to climb the dunes. High clearance is not always required, but highly recommended.

Below is me getting stuck. I turned too sharp without enough momentum and sunk in the sand. A little shoveling and 4 guys pushing got me out.

The Dodge Rebel had a ton of horsepower and 4 wheel drive, but was not optimal in the sand.

Eventually I mastered this dune. Super steep going down the backside.

The last dune of the day was the steepest. It was recommended for only “Robust” vehicles. Jeep Wangler, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Dodge Ram Rebel and Nissan Pajero completed the climb. A guy in a Hyundai Tucson was wavering on whether to try the dune. The Tucson did surprisingly well on other dunes. Finally the Aussie called him a pussy and the Tucson driver made an attempt.

The Tucson speeds up and and as it starts acceding the dune , car parts start falling off the Tucson. Halfway up the car gets stuck and has to back down the hill. You can see a piece of the car at the top of the hill.

When the car gets to the bottom, the wheel wells are gone, the bottom of the bumper is crushed and panels under the car are torn off. To make the car drivable, the remains of the panels had to be removed. Ground clearance is important. This car was less than a year old.

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This was a super fun day. I will be going out in the future for more dune bashing.