COVID19 Compliant - Evening Fewbie Desert Drive - Pink Rock - Sharjah - 4 Sep 2020

[Wrangeld]

THIS DRIVE IS NOW CLOSED

Good morning Pink Rockers, 

@Jeandre Bezuidenhout  @Mukundan Nair @Pancho @Frederik Bisbjerg @asifk @Jun Zamora @Jeepie 

Below is the convoy numbering for our drive on Friday evening. 

Evening Fewbie Desert Drive Pink Rock 4 Sept 2020
Attendees	Level	Car	Radio	Pos #
Wrangeld	Expert	Mitsubishi Pajero SWB	Y	1	Lead
Jeandre Bezuidendhout	Fewbie	Jeep Wrangler SWB	Y	2	2nd lead
Mukundan Nair	Fewbie	Nissan Xterra	Y	3
Pancho	Intermediate	Jeep Wrangler SWB	Y	4	CF
Frederik Bijsbjerg	Fewbie	Jeep Wrangler	Y	5
Asifk	Fewbie	Mitsubishi Pajero LWB	Y	6
Jun Zamora	Fewbie	Jeep Wrangler	Y	7
Jeepie	Expert	Jeep Wrangler	Y	8	SW

We will be using Carnity Channel 1. 

What to Expect? We have a great, strong convoy so we will try to push the boundaries a little and try move quickly, cover a lot of ground and introduce some new challenges for some of the less experienced fewbies. 

What you will do that's different. We will work on a buddy recovery system on this drive. every driver will be responsible for assisting on the refusals and stucks for the person in front of them in the convoy, The seniors on the drive myself, Pancho and Jeepie will be on hand to make sure that everything goes well and step in if needed, however, each driver will be looking at how to assist in stucks. If a tow is needed, or pop out and you don't have the kit, don't worry, we will have it all available. 

Expected Route. We will approach Pink Rock and then navigate to Big Red and the dunes in between. Depending on time and convoy performance we may double back and end up at the start point. either way, there's lovely dunes all the way, from nice sweeping pipes crests and technical challenges. 

See you Friday afternoon. 

 

[Jun Zamora]

Thanks @Wrangeldfor the advance info. 

[Tamas Hoffmann]

Hi Richard 

I registered for this drive however I can't see my name 

Can you confirm that I signed up? 

Thank you 

[Wrangeld]

@Tamas Hoffmann you are welcome. Hope you se thus in time.

[Wrangeld]

Same, Same but Different

Today was a day of firsts. The first time ever that a (married) couple led a drive together and the first time out, solo, leading in my new wheels. Having massively enjoyed the rugged, uncompromising effectiveness of the Jeep for almost a year we welcomed a 2nd off road vehicle into the family this week and today was the first time out leading in my Pajero. 

With the 'rivalry' in Carnity between Jeep, Mitsubishi and Nissan it felt a little disloyal to buy a Pajero but I am an SWB sort of guy, and with the other preferred options [Prado and Partol for those interested] out of reach, and as rare as hen's teeth, I was lucky to find a 3.8L SWB Pajero that had never seen the sand and had a full service history.

I had supported two drives and been on two scouting drives before this afternoon, so it's not as if I just jumped in and decided to lead the drive, however, the conclusion from the day is Same, Same but Different.

This was an exciting convoy. @Jeandre Bezuidenhout at 2nd lead, @Pancho at centre Forward for his second drive of the day with the Pajeepo (or is is Jeepero?) couple. @Mukundan Nair was also out with us for the 2nd drive of the day. Knowing that @Jun Zamora was going to be there with his Wrangler and @asifk was on the way brought a smile to my face. I have been lucky enough to see the enormous development of both drivers over the last months. 

When we added @Frederik Bisbjerg and @Tamas Hoffmann and @Jeepie as sweep, I knew this was a day when, my vehicle willing, we could push the boundaries a little. Had I been behind the wheel of the Wrangler, there would have been zero concern about the drive ... and yet, sitting behind the wheel of the Pajero despite being one of the most capable vehicles around, i was apprehensive: so apprehensive that I drove off without disabling all the electronic driving aids. This became apparent quite quickly so a quick stop to remove the relays and we were off. 

When my navigation software logged me out of my account after 10 minutes of the drive, I really began to think this might not be my or the car's day. I should not have worried. 

Driving the Pajero is really Same, Same But Different. The key differences:

1. Comfort and Quiet: Having banged and clattered my way round in the Jeep for months, driving a car with suspension that travels further, leather seats, airco that works and elelctric windows is quite a change. The car feels a little less direct to begin with, but that's just a more sophisticated set up because this car is as easy and almost as nimble as the Jeep. 
2. Power and performance: Comparing the 3.8L V6 with the straight 6 4.0L Jeep is not really the measure of the cars. There is a diffference in the BHP, and frankly, the Pajero has a few more horses than the Jeep. The Pajero is currently running Bridgestone H/T tires, vs. Yokahoma A/T-S on the Jeep and yet, the Pajero seems slightly to have the edge. We did a lot of climbing today and I never felt worried by the legendary cut out at 5000 revs I had been wanred about. 
3. Capability and Care: It's strange. The utilitarianism of the Jeep means that you feel you can literally throw it about and it will survive. The metal bumpers, the exposed wheels, the removable doors and screen all make it feel more sturdy. For the first time, I am driving a car and worried about if the bodywork gets hit. I understand the trepidation of the drivers I have seen over the months nursing their cars round the drives. Don't get me wrong, the capability of the Pajero surprised me but I did find myself taking a few different routes thinking about if the angles at the front would mean that the bodywork might get damaged. 

Our drive today took us from 2nd December cafe on a circuitous route to Pink Rock. At this time of the day it was just too chrned and soft to even think about climbing. Instead, we circled round and came to the top of the rock so that the convoy could appreciate the beautiful nature and view with which we are blessed. 

We descended on the back side of Pink Rock and spent some time navigating the wonderful long dunes and climbs on this side, punctuated by stops to let @asifk's car cool down heading all the time for Big Red. A few climbs round the big dune before Big Red tested the convoy again.  A popout (in my car!) on the way to Big Red was quickly sorted, but did mean that we had to exit the drive in the dark and exit to reinflate. 

Wee really had very few stucks and the buddy system worked really well for the refusals we had. Everyone drove very well and conntrolled. 

Driving a new vehicle. It's the same thing, but different. You need to learn the nuances of the car, the way it steers or slides or delivers power. Thanks to erveryone for maing today such fun and a great way to learn a lot lot more about what the car can do. 

I am not, by any means deserting the Jeep: it's far far too much fun to give up. Like I said, Same Same but Different. 

See you soon in the sand. 

[asifk]

Thanks again @Wrangeld for an amazing drive yesterday. Fast speeds and challenging dunes, coupled with the soft sand was really fun ! I was frustrated with the transmission overheating issue, though really appreciated the patience of the group as I dealt with the issue. I had hoped that with the temperature just slightly lower these days, it would not be as much of an issue yesterday, but obviously the tougher drive had an impact. I did some more research into this today and spoke with Rishi at Specialised Garage in Al Quoz. His feedback was that this pajero must be driven in manual rather than “D”, as in the auto mode it is constantly shifting and searching for the right gear and so overloads the transmission. His own ethos is to keep with a “stock” car so he recommended trying to drive in manual next time and see if that makes a big difference. The other option is the installation of an extra fan, but I have not acted on it yet. Let me try a drive or two in manual and see what happens

Away from that transmission issue, the scenery yesterday and the distance we covered (23.9KM) were amazing. Thanks again and see you soon ! Will post some pics in the gallery

[Wrangeld]

19 hours ago, asifk said:

Thanks again @Wrangeld for an amazing drive yesterday. Fast speeds and challenging dunes, coupled with the soft sand was really fun ! I was frustrated with the transmission overheating issue, though really appreciated the patience of the group as I dealt with the issue. I had hoped that with the temperature just slightly lower these days, it would not be as much of an issue yesterday, but obviously the tougher drive had an impact. I did some more research into this today and spoke with Rishi at Specialised Garage in Al Quoz. His feedback was that this pajero must be driven in manual rather than “D”, as in the auto mode it is constantly shifting and searching for the right gear and so overloads the transmission. His own ethos is to keep with a “stock” car so he recommended trying to drive in manual next time and see if that makes a big difference. The other option is the installation of an extra fan, but I have not acted on it yet. Let me try a drive or two in manual and see what happens

Away from that transmission issue, the scenery yesterday and the distance we covered (23.9KM) were amazing. Thanks again and see you soon ! Will post some pics in the gallery

Hi @asifk

Thanks for sharing. It's a big thing in the Carnity community that this type of experience and feedback is shared. 

On the fan - we fitted an extra fan to the TJ because it suffered the same overheating problems and it has solved it. It is potentially a good solution and not too expensive. 

On drving in D or manual ... if that's what works for you then do it. until it no longer works for you! I am someone who drives in D because I think that for most cars the electronics that are built in are cleverer than me, and I can focus on what's ahead of me. I worry that I will forget to change it from one gear to the other. But that's just me. 

You will find plenty of drivers in Carnity that use their tiptronic or manual option. If that cures the heating problem, great. Please continue to share what happens. 

With the Pajeros the problems seem to be age specific as well. In my 3.8 2010 there is a problem of the rev limiter that changes the car down at around 5200RPM, so you lose power on climbs. 

Maybe newer Pajeros have a transmission challenge that overheats when using the auto box. 

Please do let everyone know. 

[Frederic]

13 minutes ago, Wrangeld said:

Hi @asifk

Thanks for sharing. It's a big thing in the Carnity community that this type of experience and feedback is shared. 

On the fan - we fitted an extra fan to the TJ because it suffered the same overheating problems and it has solved it. It is potentially a good solution and not too expensive. 

On drving in D or manual ... if that's what works for you then do it. until it no longer works for you! I am someone who drives in D because I think that for most cars the electronics that are built in are cleverer than me, and I can focus on what's ahead of me. I worry that I will forget to change it from one gear to the other. But that's just me. 

You will find plenty of drivers in Carnity that use their tiptronic or manual option. If that cures the heating problem, great. Please continue to share what happens. 

With the Pajeros the problems seem to be age specific as well. In my 3.8 2010 there is a problem of the rev limiter that changes the car down at around 5200RPM, so you lose power on climbs. 

Maybe newer Pajeros have a transmission challenge that overheats when using the auto box. 

Please do let everyone know. 

With regards to the Pajeros on Fewbie level drives, i agree tip-tronic seems to work better as the automatic gearbox of the Pajero is a bit slow in reacting, which results in the driver pushing the pedal harder, which then results in the transmission downshifting. So basically a continous loop of the driver trying to tell the transmission what to do. For that reason on Fewbie level drives the tip-tronic on the Pajeros works better and results in less up and down shifting, hence less heat will be generated. 

I takes a bit of practice, and when you are not doing sideys or climbs you can still put it back into D mode. 

See what works for you, and an extra fan can be of help too of course.

[asifk]

1 hour ago, Frederic said:

With regards to the Pajeros on Fewbie level drives, i agree tip-tronic seems to work better as the automatic gearbox of the Pajero is a bit slow in reacting, which results in the driver pushing the pedal harder, which then results in the transmission downshifting. So basically a continous loop of the driver trying to tell the transmission what to do. For that reason on Fewbie level drives the tip-tronic on the Pajeros works better and results in less up and down shifting, hence less heat will be generated. 

I takes a bit of practice, and when you are not doing sideys or climbs you can still put it back into D mode. 

See what works for you, and an extra fan can be of help too of course.

Thanks @Wrangeld and @Frederic. My car is doing exactly what you're saying - hunting for the gear and I'm having to floor it to down shift. I don't have the problem of the car downshifting itself in manual (mine's a 2018). Will try more manual driving on the next drive and see how it feels.  If it still overheats, then will have to resort to the extra fan !

[Srikumar]

32 minutes ago, asifk said:

If it still overheats, then will have to resort to the extra fan !

I would suggest to install the extra fan regardless of whether you drive on tiptronic or not, because as you keep pushing the car it will tend to overheat and repeated AT light means you will be cooking the oil much faster than normal. So you will have to replace it much faster as well.