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Enticing but risky dune climbing


Atif

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https://youtu.be/vAtE7qVPANw

Saw this video and my initial reaction was that the guy is a capable driver. However, where I stand in my current driving skills, I feel the risk being taken is not worth it for the adrenalin rush. The vehicle is a lifted FJ Cruiser and the precarious point in the video come 48 sec to 50 sec of the video. My points for general discussion are:

Wasn't there a little bit of fish tailing? 

When I get even a bit of fish tailing I feel like turning downwards to avoid risk of tumbling down. How does one decide on when a fish tail is too much? In this case the dune has a big dip at the beginning so turning downwards at the first sign of fishtailing would be risky too?

In addition, as the FJ is a modified ( lifted by 2 inch) isn't it to much of a risk to go over the bumps at that speed?

Caution: I am not encouraging this type of driving so please do not attempt after watching it even though it may appears tempting. Leave it to the Carnity Marshals to advise on when a dune is safe to climb based on your level and skills. 

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Wow @Atif bhai, what a thought provoking post. many people would wonder about these things but never ask. That was not much of a fishtail, just a little bit due to the jump and the FJ settling in. It is a good practice to steer down as soon as you start to feel the fishtail, you are absolutely correct in doing so. That threshold of you acting as soon as you feel the fishtail will develop and a delay will automatically come to you as you get comfortable. There is a very fine line between fishtail and a roll over, its always better to react early rather than being too late.

Another one of your questions is would turning down due to the bump would be a good idea when fish tailing, as I see it that would be the safest choice, it is always advisable to make a big turn and reduce speed as you are coming down. However I do not feel it was that big a danger in this case.

Any vehicle being raised by 2 inches has to be dangerous as it changes the center of gravity, however increasing the base by an inch with a proper wheel spacers should take care of reducing the chances of a roll over. From how I see it the jump at the start his vehicle was pointed up and not on a sharp angle so did not pose the danger that you see it to be. However at Carnity we do take extra precautions to make sure the Marshals ride out the sideys first and advise fellow members regarding the dangers and bumps to avoid.

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There was a bit of fish-tailing but nothing major, and it is only with lots of practice and experience that you will be able to decide for yourself when a fish tail is too much. This is a delicate balance and depends on momentum, reaction time, vehicle type, terrain type, etc....

The side slope he did tells little to us if he is a skilled driver or not. Many Newbies or Fewbies have a capable 4x4 and will attempt the same thing, but the question will be if they will have the instinctual reaction to correct their steering when needed.

From Fewbie+ level onwards this kind of sidesloping comes into play, so i do not think this was so crazy.

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"Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further."

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What I learned from driving with @Carnity off road club is that I don’t go beyond my vehicle capacity and my own skills. If in doubt the first attempt I do it to explore and the second I boost it confidently. 

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