If you have a block that has a square base of 2 cm by 2 cm that is 10 inches tall you can either have it stand up on the 2 by 2 base or the 10 by 2 side. The side has much more surface area but less mass on top of each individual point, while the 2 by 2 has less surface area but much more pressure. Changing the surface area on an object (but leaving the mass the same) generally doesn’t affect friction, although I’m not sure how sand would affect this. This probably doesn’t answer your whole question but hopefully it’s good enough!
From a high school physics standpoint, traction just comes from force. The area over which the force is applied is irrelevant. *However*, on sand, the sand wants to slide out from under the tires. By resting on more sand, it becomes more difficult for all of the sand to slide, and so traction is significantly improved.
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