Western Half of Lippincott Road

A Nissan Rouge is not really 4wd; more like 1 wheel drive. The problem with even the straight part of Lippincott is where gullies cross the road. The drop off can be steep, and they tend to be loose. Besides what David's mentioned about street tires, the lack of traction on many rental "SUVs" of today is there is no way to lock the axles for any decent traction.

David Bricker / SYR - ITO

Oh, okay - this would just be a Nissan Rogue or similar rental with street tires. I won't do it then. Looked into renting a jeep, but won't be able to this time.

This is great info - thank you so much, that is helpful!!

Yes, the road is straight between the base of the mountains to the Saline Valley road. There is nothing technical about the road (unless recent flashfloods have done some remodeling), but the trail is littered with rocks and some sand.

Rental SUV? If your own rig, how many plies tread? Many OEM street tires, if you got this far from pavement without a flat tire, will be challenged. And if you continue on up, I can guarantee tire failure. Even larger tires like those on pickups and SUVs. If it’s your rig and you have LT rated tires with a minimum of 6-ply (better yet 10 ply) treads, you’ll likely do OK.

Don’t air down street tires. The sidewalls will bulge, exposing them to sharp rocks. Flats in the treads can be plugged, but not torn sidewalls. The safest tires to air down are light truck rated, 3-ply sidewall tires like B.F. Goodrich All Terrain T/As or similar.

Hi everyone,

I will be in Death Valley next week. When I look at my map, the western half of Lippincott looks like a straight line. I've never been on this road, and am I right in assuming that even the straight part should not be done with an SUV with regular street tires? Do I need to air down to 18 - 20 psi on Saline Valley Road?

Thanks,
kayaker77