Hatteras Fishing Trip

[J6Niner]

Took the H3 to Hatteras NC this past week for the Frank and Frans Red Drum Fishing Tournament (surf fishing on the beach). First time off-roading in the 3 and I was impressed. Have taken several Jeep Wranglers, a Land Rover Disco, Range Rover Sport (see pics), and several Ford trucks in the past and must say the 3 was MUCH better in the sand.

Before heading out, I debated on how much air to let out of the tires. I decided to hit the beach first, then see how much I needed to deflate. Wound up not deflating at all. Drove most of the week in 4Hi Lock, but realized after a few days that regular 4Hi was all I needed. Hit a few soft spots that I dropped down to 4Lo and crawled right out.

My pops picked up the Range Rover Sport a few weeks ago and decided to take it on the trip. He was worried about the low profile tires (19" wheels) in the sand. He decided not to deflate until he hit the beach also. Heading out on the first day he was fine. When we left, we had to climb a small incline in soft sand. His back tires burried and took a bit to get out (just about got stuck). After we got out, he aired down and didn't have any problems the rest of the week. Range has the "intelligent" 4wd system where you select the terrain and the truck adjusts. Pretty slick, but he probably could have crawled out of the hole if he could have just manually stuck it in 4low and locked the diffs. Too much technology? Has air suspension also - sits somewhat low for the road but raises about 4 inches when needed.

Pics from the trip (sorry for the overload of beach posing shots) - http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...0538&members=1