Finally got to test out the lift and new tire/wheel combo at the Pismo Beach sand dunes a couple weeks back. Last winter, I headed into the mountains after a fresh snow and in stock form the AWDe had me begging for more ground clearance and more traction (primarily due to the OE tires) and it didn't take me long to get stuck in 4-6" of snow (trying to find the limits and get stuck). This year, post lift and AT tires, I ended up snowboarding behind my AWDe after a fresh 6" snowfall and it was AWESOME. This time around I figured I would try my luck in the Pismo Dunes. I wanted to try turning all the electronic restrictions off like I have done previously in my GEN 3, and it only took me a matter of minutes to get stuck. Apparently the same procedure from the GEN 3 puts the GEN 4 AWDe in service 2wd mode and disables the AWD, at least that's what seemed to have happened. I aired down, put it back into regular driving mode, turned traction control off, and put it in power mode and was able to creep right out of the sand and from then on it was full on! I was thoroughly impressed with how well it did blasting through the sand dunes and never once did it even hint at getting stuck as long as you used common sense. The low center of gravity and increased ground clearance was very confidence inspiring even in off camber high speed maneuvers. This car never ceases to amaze me and with each modification I make I enjoy it more and more.
