Morning Fewbie Plus Desert Drive - Bowling in Sweihan - Chapter II - Abu Dhabi - 18 Sep 2021

[M.Seidam]

58 minutes ago, Niki said:

@PaoloMaraziti I do recognize the experience you mentioned about the car holding the gear longer than needed and forcing us down vs taking the full slope or climb. 

I did manage climbs okay in D, doing Iftar Bowl relatively straightforward in D however i found for climbs, momentum lost with bumps was the killer.  So better suspension helps, subtle left-right steering and also doing a first pass to find the bumps and second run to slow just before a bump and then floor it.  Flooring it on the approach for climbs doesn't always help as the moment you hit air or start the bouncing, you likely have lost the climb.  I do suspect being in manual will help me with larger climbs but haven't had that opportunity yet to experiment! 

For slide sloping - if you were further up the convoy (near the front) then it gave a better chance find a higher line and therefore able to run longer.  further back, even with good intentions to make it up higher on a dune, the previous cars tracks and the slipped sand made it difficult. and ridge riding mid dune i always accepted exiting earlier... i have felt the gear-hold experience a lot on these side slopes but am looking forward to AD dunes to keep practicing.

I have heard the Pedal Commander @Hisham Masaad - addresses the lag in our cars and potentially allowing a more controlled shifting.  I have also heard that feathering the throttle between 4-5k+ rpm can help keep you on a slope... but i have never tried this.

 Very well explained and true . In my opinion when you start to know you car behaviour as it is you will know how to handle it accordingly . However generally speaking no matter how stock or modified is your vehicle ( suspension , tune , tires … etc ) I believe while you are performing specific manoeuvre from A to B like long sidy for example bear in mind that you don’t have much time ( split seconds ) to play with while doing it ( gas , gear shifter , let go gas … ) and that’s why achieving the momentum ( trick : bit higher not much  ) from the start and keeping it constant before the entry point will let you have time to navigate within the momentum buffer without loosing it . 
also flooring the gas paddle is seldom effective if you were not prepared ahead as the vehicle fluids response while in 45 degree inclination at long side or climb is totally different . 

[M.Seidam]