COVID19 Compliant - Morning Intermediate Desert Drive - Fossil Rock to Big Red Express - Sharjah - 7 Aug 2021

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

1 hour ago, Mario Cornejo said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher I regret to inform I won't be able to attend the drive.  It was a route I was looking forward to explore.

I've removed myself from the RSVP list so the next in WL can confirm.

Have a great and safe drive everyone.

Kindest regards.

Oh, no! Sorry to hear that. We will certainly repeat the route soon.

@Francois Germishuys, you are next in line, I've added you to the drive.

[Shehab Alawadhi]

6 hours ago, Mario Cornejo said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher I regret to inform I won't be able to attend the drive.  It was a route I was looking forward to explore.

I've removed myself from the RSVP list so the next in WL can confirm.

Have a great and safe drive everyone.

Kindest regards.

Sad stuff 😟 I always love seeing the mighty VTC in the desert gliding on all the dunes.

[Danish Mohammad]

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher Good evening 

As per previous drive i felt that my car has some tire issue even keeping 13 psi (less than 13 psi it gets pop-out) its not enough for an intermediate drive and in result most of the time it forced me to take a turn and rejoin the convoy with new route. This turning and rejoining breaks the full convoy's movement and lost track. Currently I am using Bridgestone H/T size 265/60/R18.

Please advise as i am confuse to join tomorrow's drive, if these tires again make an issue then everyone will be effected at the back which I don't want too. Shall I join tomorrow OR should I change and then join in next week "if yes" which tires/brand would you recommend ? 

Please.... will be happy to hear some feed back from Pajero owners also before making final selection of tire depending on brand/model and cost.    

Regards...  

[Abdul Rahman AK]

2 hours ago, Danish Mohammad said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher Good evening 

As per previous drive i felt that my car has some tire issue even keeping 13 psi (less than 13 psi it gets pop-out) its not enough for an intermediate drive and in result most of the time it forced me to take a turn and rejoin the convoy with new route. This turning and rejoining breaks the full convoy's movement and lost track. Currently I am using Bridgestone H/T size 265/60/R18.

Please advise as i am confuse to join tomorrow's drive, if these tires again make an issue then everyone will be effected at the back which I don't want too. Shall I join tomorrow OR should I change and then join in next week "if yes" which tires/brand would you recommend ? 

Please.... will be happy to hear some feed back from Pajero owners also before making final selection of tire depending on brand/model and cost.    

Regards...  

I would suggest you give it a try in tomorrow's drive setting the tire at a slightly higher PSI and reduce later if you feel it's required. You need to control your throttle while making sharp turns and allow your vehicle move along the terrain. I feel control on gas while turning is the key to success over pop-outs. @Frederic please put some light on the above concern, as I feel changing tire not the right solution (Though it may help with slightly better traction).

[Srikumar]

2 hours ago, Danish Mohammad said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher Good evening 

As per previous drive i felt that my car has some tire issue even keeping 13 psi (less than 13 psi it gets pop-out) its not enough for an intermediate drive and in result most of the time it forced me to take a turn and rejoin the convoy with new route. This turning and rejoining breaks the full convoy's movement and lost track. Currently I am using Bridgestone H/T size 265/60/R18.

Please advise as i am confuse to join tomorrow's drive, if these tires again make an issue then everyone will be effected at the back which I don't want too. Shall I join tomorrow OR should I change and then join in next week "if yes" which tires/brand would you recommend ? 

Please.... will be happy to hear some feed back from Pajero owners also before making final selection of tire depending on brand/model and cost.    

Regards...  

Since you drive a SWB, try going to 12 psi on the rear tyre with 13 in the front. Avoid sharp turns and fishtailing and you would be fine.

Regarding changing to AT, try to get the feedback from other Pajero owners who have downsized their rim to 17 inch. With more rubber thickness you can afford to go lower on the pressure probably till 10 psi.

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

this RSVP is now closed.

Please find below the convoy order for our drive:

@Abdul Rahman AK, @Danish Mohammad, @Ranjan Das, @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @M.Seidam, @Ashok chaturvedi, @varunmehndiratta, @Shehab Alawadhi, @Dodi Syahdar, @Abu Muhammad, @Francois Germishuys, this drive is going to be very demanding from a technical point of view, both mentally for the drivers and mechanically for the cars, given the extreme heat of these days and the long distance we are supposed to cover in a variety of terrains. It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, especially when we will reach elevated positions on steep slopes, so make sure you come well rested and hydrated and that and you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Also, please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you.

We will be using Carnity Channel 4 (446.08125Mhz).

The meeting point is confirmed at Mahafiz Tree Shade: https://goo.gl/maps/Tj9WXKFDYB43KpWZ9  

See you tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 5:30am (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 5:15am.

[Frederic]

@Danish Mohammad 265/60/18 is a rather low profile tyre which will be more prone to pop outs, but not so very common on a SWB vehicle, so I suspect it’s more to do with fighting gravity or counter steering. Make sure to check your tyre pressure with a second pressure gauge just to make sure it’s accurate. 
On Vanessas car we changed the rims to 17inch and put 265/70/17 Tyres on it, which has more sidewall and should reduce the risk for pop outs. 

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

4 hours ago, Danish Mohammad said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher Good evening 

As per previous drive i felt that my car has some tire issue even keeping 13 psi (less than 13 psi it gets pop-out) its not enough for an intermediate drive and in result most of the time it forced me to take a turn and rejoin the convoy with new route. This turning and rejoining breaks the full convoy's movement and lost track. Currently I am using Bridgestone H/T size 265/60/R18.

Please advise as i am confuse to join tomorrow's drive, if these tires again make an issue then everyone will be effected at the back which I don't want too. Shall I join tomorrow OR should I change and then join in next week "if yes" which tires/brand would you recommend ? 

Please.... will be happy to hear some feed back from Pajero owners also before making final selection of tire depending on brand/model and cost.    

Regards...  

Dear @Danish Mohammad, 

first of all, I definitely think you should join tomorrow's drive with your current tires. You are a capable Intermediate Driver and you have all the skills that are required to perform well in tomorrow's terrain, even more so because tomorrow won't be a drive about "shear climbing", but rather a drive about "continuously flowing": we will cover a lot of distance, moving across various and different terrains, with the aim of moving fast and smoothly, keeping a good rhythm, cruising from ridge to ridge, criss crossing, circling bowls and climbing gently and easily for the vast majority of the drive rather than doing straight bottom-to-top climbs, which will probably be only the case at Faya Big Dune.

Second, you really have to get rid of this concern about slowing down the convoy. You are at your 3rd Intermediate Drive and you compare yourself with guys in the convoy who have done 10+, 15+, 20+ intermediate drives. Obviously they drive better, but I can absolutely guarantee that a) at their 3rd Intermediate they were struggling as much as you may be and b) after 10+ and even more after 20+ Intermediate drives you'll be flying as much as they do. You will make mistakes, you may occasionally slow down the convoy, as everyone of us has done and this is totally OK, as it is what it takes to turn you (and us all) into a great offroader.

Third, I totally agree with @Frederic's comment and share with you a little story. When I reached the number of drives that fueled my ambition and applied to be promoted to Intermediate, I was still driving my Nissan Patrol Y62 with 275/60R20 H/T tires and I was still having frequent pop-outs. @Carnity seniors at the time, introduced a new requirement (which later became a standard in the grading structure) that all cars participating in Intermediate Drives should have high profile tires. Hungry for more off-road adventures, I sold my 20" stock rims + tires and got 18" rims with 285/70R18 A/T tires: so smaller rims, higher profile tires, stronger side walls, all terrain thread. It changed my car completely: no more pop-outs, way more traction, more deflation and, above all, tons of additional confidence. It was the best modification I ever implemented and it allowed me to become, in time, a better off-roader.

In a nutshell: come tomorrow and have fun with your current wheels without concerns about slowing the convoy (total nonsense) but if you are seriously aiming at improving your driving capabilities and your car's performance even more, consider moving to 17", having said - however - that many are brilliantly driving Pajeros on 18" tires, so eventually if you just allow yourself to slowly improve by driving more and more you can get better even without emptying your pockets for new wheels.

[Islam Soliman]

3 hours ago, Danish Mohammad said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher Good evening 

As per previous drive i felt that my car has some tire issue even keeping 13 psi (less than 13 psi it gets pop-out) its not enough for an intermediate drive and in result most of the time it forced me to take a turn and rejoin the convoy with new route. This turning and rejoining breaks the full convoy's movement and lost track. Currently I am using Bridgestone H/T size 265/60/R18.

Please advise as i am confuse to join tomorrow's drive, if these tires again make an issue then everyone will be effected at the back which I don't want too. Shall I join tomorrow OR should I change and then join in next week "if yes" which tires/brand would you recommend ? 

Please.... will be happy to hear some feed back from Pajero owners also before making final selection of tire depending on brand/model and cost.    

Regards...  

it’s great of you Danish to be sensitive to fellow drivers experience in the convoy and you don’t want to slow it down for them .. this is great sportsmanship.. but this is a team sport and you shouldn’t be over sensitive.. anything is expected on the sand and can happen to anyone.. in a team sport such as this everyone is required to raise their tolerance and learn more to work as a team and move as a team.. it’s not an individual sport or a competition.. the success and achievement comes from how the overall convoy performs and exists safely. Plus you are not taking anyone’s place.. you are driving at the right level and you have earned it, we have all been there and and I don’t think at whatever level or after countless no of drives any of us will stop having a refusal, stuck, or popout.. enjoy man and don’t feel guilty or pressured.

[M.Seidam]

I agree totally with @Lorenzo Candelpergherand @Frederic as well as @Srikumar

Before going to bed just commenting regarding the tire size issue .

today I completed 50 drives on 275/70/17 A/T Geo I never popped out , not saying it that something to be proud off no maybe tomorrow I will or at any time , I am saying it just to confirm how changing it to high profile ones makes huge difference and by all means , it’s an aid , not substitute per se to the drive skills … control , perpendicular point contact on descend , avoiding sudden sharp and aggressive turns all theses are measures to avoid the issue of getting your rubber off your rim . On my last drive with @Lorenzo Candelpergher I thought I had a pop-out but it turned its over deflated rear measured 5psi 

@Danish Mohammad come tomorrow and we got your back