@Alex Sidorov, If it’s a long dune climb I turn off the AC ... windows remain closed in my car even though it gets hot just to save me from cleaning the interiors again 😅 sand gets in very easily ....
Learning from @Brette, I try to keep the car in 2nd and 3rd most of the time, unless a challenging dune. sometimes I Feel with the AC on I’d have to downshift sooner and often,
btw I use manual/ paddle shifters as Sand mode tries to maintain the car always on higher revs ... which just puts extra strain on engine cooling system... in my opinion.