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2018 Pilot Lx AWD Sand Mode?

7K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  cintocrunch 
#1 ·
Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I haven’t found anything when doing some research.

Anyway, my wife has a 2018 Pilot Lx AWD and I’ve seen videos that pilots have a snow & sand mode. How can I tell if ours is equipped with the sand mode? I don’t know too much about Honda, but we are looking to possibly rent a house at Carova Beach NC and was looking to see if it would be capable of driving on the sand? I would definitely be dropping the tire pressure before touching the sand, but wasn’t sure if this would be a wise idea with an AWD Pilot.

Any incite would be very much appreciated!
 
#2 ·
Look over the owners manual to see whether the “sand” mode is an AWD choice on your Pilot. Otherwise lowering tire pressure will increase your Pilot’s capability in deep sandy mounds. If your on harder packed sand you should be fine. Best to rinse off the salt/sand accumulation after the fun is over. Be prepared and bring a shovel, air pump, gauge etc.
 
#6 ·
Anyway, my wife has a 2018 Pilot Lx AWD and I’ve seen videos that pilots have a snow & sand mode. How can I tell if ours is equipped with the sand mode?
The AWD system in the LX trim lacks the 'Intelligent Traction Management' feature with the Snow/Sand/Mud modes.
If you did have it, there would be a button with a vehicle icon in between the shift lever and the storage compartment.
 
#8 ·
Last summer I drove my '04 Pilot on a stretch of hot sandy beach in NC. The Pilot had no problems on the wet packed sand but I was surprised the deeper sandy sections did not challenge the VTM-4 even when making a U-turn through mounds of loose sand. The newer Pilots have more AWD technology and should have performed better than what happened in the U-tube video. Lot of the comments mentioned driver error.
 
#9 ·
Tires with 20-25l bs of pressure would have looked a lot different than the tires on the "test" pilot for one thing. I'm thinking there was a little bit of driver error as well.

No sand beaches in Kansas, but just across the border in Oklahoma we do have the "Little Sahara." A fun place to tool around. When things get a bit more back to normal, going to give it a try in the Passport.
 
#15 ·
Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I haven’t found anything when doing some research.

Anyway, my wife has a 2018 Pilot Lx AWD and I’ve seen videos that pilots have a snow & sand mode. How can I tell if ours is equipped with the sand mode? I don’t know too much about Honda, but we are looking to possibly rent a house at Carova Beach NC and was looking to see if it would be capable of driving on the sand? I would definitely be dropping the tire pressure before touching the sand, but wasn’t sure if this would be a wise idea with an AWD Pilot.

Any incite would be very much appreciated!
The real secret to driving on all types of sand is to lower your tire pressure. I have been driving in Carova Beach NC for years and have never had an issue. 15 to 18PSI ( I always go with 15PSI)
 
#16 ·
Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I haven’t found anything when doing some research.

Anyway, my wife has a 2018 Pilot Lx AWD and I’ve seen videos that pilots have a snow & sand mode. How can I tell if ours is equipped with the sand mode? I don’t know too much about Honda, but we are looking to possibly rent a house at Carova Beach NC and was looking to see if it would be capable of driving on the sand? I would definitely be dropping the tire pressure before touching the sand, but wasn’t sure if this would be a wise idea with an AWD Pilot.

Any incite would be very much appreciated!
You can search on my posts regarding the modes. Your LX doesn't have that I know of. EX and up have it. I don't think anyone checked if the wiring is in console and upgrade-able with the switch or something else. If you beach or plan to often Staun tire deflators are great screw on, preset for 18psi. Don't forget a shovel, tow strap, know where to put it and how to hook up safely, jack board and anything else they say for beach access by you. Viair 88p is an excellent small portable compressor to air back up after. The beach by me has air hose connections with 2-4 hoses but not always working and often backed up. I carry a 25ft air hose to plug in and the viair. They have another 10 hose outlets and as long as working makes it easier. If not I go to parking lot and in <10 minutes im good with teh portable.

Most others will be willing help if you get stuck IF you show you properly prepared but got stuck anyway. I've seen many guys stuck that people ignored for a decent time because they didn't prepare basics and didn't air down even in their Rubicon Wranglers.
 
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#17 ·
Will the Pilot still let you use Sand Mode and deactivate the traction/stability controls with the tires aired down? I know some vehicles won't allow them to be shut down if the sensors detect low pressure.

It sure seemed to me like that guy had no idea what he was doing. No prep and didn't follow the first rule of sand driving, airing down.
 
#18 ·
No issue. The wife does it when she goes to beach with the kids. Air down, Sand Mode, drive out. What DOES need to be mentioned is that when you start the truck after sitting at the beach you need to put it in Sand mode again. Default mode is "normal" every time you start the vehicle.
 
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#20 ·
This is what happens when you want to drive home after, or if you have a tire issue, or you wish to be a good citizen and help someone else with a tire issue.


Any out of town trip, camping trip etc. and it goes in the under deck storage of my Passport along with a travel toolkit I bought just for such occasions.
 
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