Paul3.2A4avant
07-01-2007, 04:53 AM
We have been going to a nearby drive-on beach for years. A neighbor that went earlier this week warned us that the sand was very soft and deep, probably due to no rain for the past month. Plus, we made the mistake of going on a busy Saturday at high tide. Usually there are two sets of tire ruts, one set for going out and one set for returning. The tide was so high that a line of 50 or so SUVs was parked in one of the ruts, leaving one travel rut. As we get halfway to where the line of SUVs ends so we can park, there is a Land Rover Discovery leaving the beach, coming head-on. So we both leave the ruts to squeeze past each other. We're about to scrape each other so I move farther right and come to a stop, since vehicles leaving the beach have right-of-way. I glance down to be sure I have ESP off, and I'm in tip in first gear. I step on the gas and feel the Q7 sink. More steady gas, more sinking. We're going nowhere. I put the Q7 in lift mode for more clearance and get out to start digging. After digging, I have my wife drive and with 3 guys helping me push, we get the Q7 moving again. I told my wife that once it gets moving, do not stop until you get to the end to park. I walk the rest of the way, wondering if I should have bought a Chevy Tahoe.
First of all, I think there should be a true ESP OFF mode. I'm sure the engineers spent hundreds of hours developing ESP offroad calibrations. In the end, they developed a compromise for various conditions. All I felt was the Q7 rotating in place searching for a wheel with traction and the smell of burning brake pads. I had gotten stuck in sand with my old allroad and my wife's old MDX. It was simple to get out...ESP off, steady power and "saw" the steering wheel left and right. No true ESP off in the Q7 to get the EDL on and all 4 wheels spinning. If anyone knows how to turn the ESP completely off, please let me know. Land Rover has it right...the LR3 has multiple offroad settings, each for a different surface such as snow, sand, rocks and mud.
Do you think my 18" winter tires would do better in sand than the 20" low profile tires? I figured the wider tires would be better in sand.
Finally, does anyone know where to install the front tow loop on an S-line Q7? The manual shows a non-S-Line tow hook location.
I love our Q7 and bought it to drive mostly on roads and quattro is amazing in the rain and snow. But I didn't expect to be embarrased by it on the beach. I saw a GL450 get really stuck. The driver did some fiddling and powered right out. I know the GL450 has a low gear transfer case and maybe he could totally shut off the ESP. Worse yet, I saw some small KIA SUV drive right through where I got stuck with no problem.
First of all, I think there should be a true ESP OFF mode. I'm sure the engineers spent hundreds of hours developing ESP offroad calibrations. In the end, they developed a compromise for various conditions. All I felt was the Q7 rotating in place searching for a wheel with traction and the smell of burning brake pads. I had gotten stuck in sand with my old allroad and my wife's old MDX. It was simple to get out...ESP off, steady power and "saw" the steering wheel left and right. No true ESP off in the Q7 to get the EDL on and all 4 wheels spinning. If anyone knows how to turn the ESP completely off, please let me know. Land Rover has it right...the LR3 has multiple offroad settings, each for a different surface such as snow, sand, rocks and mud.
Do you think my 18" winter tires would do better in sand than the 20" low profile tires? I figured the wider tires would be better in sand.
Finally, does anyone know where to install the front tow loop on an S-line Q7? The manual shows a non-S-Line tow hook location.
I love our Q7 and bought it to drive mostly on roads and quattro is amazing in the rain and snow. But I didn't expect to be embarrased by it on the beach. I saw a GL450 get really stuck. The driver did some fiddling and powered right out. I know the GL450 has a low gear transfer case and maybe he could totally shut off the ESP. Worse yet, I saw some small KIA SUV drive right through where I got stuck with no problem.