Full Day Fewbie Plus Desert Drive - Solar to Sweihan Sprint - Dubai - 9 Apr 2023

[Frederic]

DRIVE DESCRIPTION

From the razor sharp ridges South of Solar Park, to the complex dunes in Faqa, through treacherous Nahel terrain, and making our way to Sweihan in Abu Dhabi. Expect a high-paced drive with minimal interruptions, so keep your laser sharp focus and bring your best game and fill up your tanks to the brim !

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Fewbie Plus and above 

When:  9 April'23 Sunday

Meeting time:  7:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) 

Meeting Point:  https://goo.gl/maps/5EMvadV6Wz57jpts5 Maktoum Solar Park

Approximate finish time: Approx 3PM

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquette's
• Emergency details for all off-roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month
   

  Please RSVP on below calendar

 

[Frederic]

Good afternoon guys and thanks for signing up for this drive !

@Richard Franks@DP1011 , Deepak wrangler@Rob S@Bjoern@Jona@Looper@AlexM

This drive will offer a good blend of all the skills required as as FB+ driver. I have seen all of you driving before and know that with this convoy we can probably drive to Milkyway Spot in Abu Dhabi  

I expect to keep a high pace and lots of zig-zagging and cresting to make our way south towards Sweihan. We might come across @Gauravhis Newbie convoy over there, and if we do we will definitely go and say hello. 

The final exit point would be here:

https://goo.gl/maps/MnzP3pRE7DAvpSRH7

This is easily a trip in the region of 150kms, so make sure you are fully fueled up upon arrival. We will stop around noon for a quick lunch so bring some snacks or salad/sandwich. (if you are not fasting).

More info later this week with the convoy setup. Peace out !

[Zed]

Hi @Frederic added myself to WaitList. Torn between choosing this or go for @Srikumar's Newbie Sweihan just to meet him and pick up my walkie-talkie 😅 , but the promise of high-paced drive from Solar Park to Sweihan maybe better to test my new Cherokee V8. I'm also guessing this high-paced drive will have less chance of shovelling too 🙏 cos I'll be fasting 😊

[Srikumar]

9 hours ago, Zed said:

Hi @Frederic added myself to WaitList. Torn between choosing this or go for @Srikumar's Newbie Sweihan just to meet him and pick up my walkie-talkie 😅 , but the promise of high-paced drive from Solar Park to Sweihan maybe better to test my new Cherokee V8. I'm also guessing this high-paced drive will have less chance of shovelling too 🙏 cos I'll be fasting 😊

To join Fred and make it to the NB convoy, @Zed please don't get stuck on every dune. 

[DP1011]

@Frederic - As much as I am looking forward to this one, I have recently upgraded on tyres ( from 255 to 285) for mine, warranting Calibration to be done ( Never knew about this hole to pocket! ) , I was told by Showroom guys, without calibration, the warranty gets void, and apparently they receive code/software, which is still not received - hopefully its done by Satday latest. 

Can the experts here throw some light / confirm for my academic knowledge - how risky or safe is it to drive without calibration done ? ( I already feel the RPM going high even on-road drive, in automode, and am hence driving in M mode !) Just being extra cautious to not to go for FB+ Drive without calibration done ! 

[Zed]

44 minutes ago, DP1011 , Deepak wrangler said:

@Frederic - As much as I am looking forward to this one, I have recently upgraded on tyres ( from 255 to 285) for mine, warranting Calibration to be done ( Never knew about this hole to pocket! ) , I was told by Showroom guys, without calibration, the warranty gets void, and apparently they receive code/software, which is still not received - hopefully its done by Satday latest. 

Can the experts here throw some light / confirm for my academic knowledge - how risky or safe is it to drive without calibration done ? ( I already feel the RPM going high even on-road drive, in automode, and am hence driving in M mode !) Just being extra cautious to not to go for FB+ Drive without calibration done ! 

Hello fellow Jeeper (yay I get to say this now), when you upsize to bigger/wider tires, the speedometer is  not accurate anymore and the transmission shifts is no longer optimum (it was optimized for stock size tires 255). Bring a measuring tape and $20 (for adding new VIN license) and with the magic of OBD + JScan app we can calibrate the TCM so the speedometer & shift timings are calibrated to new tire height 😁

OR you can remain as is, the automatic shifting will be a bit late (high RPM as you said), but since you'll be driving manual, you sir are the Computer and you control the shifting 😊

[Looper]

11 hours ago, DP1011 , Deepak wrangler said:

@Frederic - As much as I am looking forward to this one, I have recently upgraded on tyres ( from 255 to 285) for mine, warranting Calibration to be done ( Never knew about this hole to pocket! ) , I was told by Showroom guys, without calibration, the warranty gets void, and apparently they receive code/software, which is still not received - hopefully its done by Satday latest. 

Can the experts here throw some light / confirm for my academic knowledge - how risky or safe is it to drive without calibration done ? ( I already feel the RPM going high even on-road drive, in automode, and am hence driving in M mode !) Just being extra cautious to not to go for FB+ Drive without calibration done ! 

The only issue with 285 upgrade will be, the speedometer will be slightly off. @Kailas never got his done. I did mine, but I could have done with the Tazer JL (I bought it later). They are scaring you with the warranty, as this process is a grand in billing for them.

edit: I did not do the software flash immediately and did it later about one/two services after the upgrades. I did it due to my OCD, as in the back of my mind the KM reading is not right and as a result I couldn’t sleep properly in most nights.

Edited April 6, 2023 by Looper

[Gaurav]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:12 PM, DP1011 said:

@Frederic - As much as I am looking forward to this one, I have recently upgraded on tyres ( from 255 to 285) for mine, warranting Calibration to be done ( Never knew about this hole to pocket! ) , I was told by Showroom guys, without calibration, the warranty gets void, and apparently they receive code/software, which is still not received - hopefully its done by Satday latest. 

Can the experts here throw some light / confirm for my academic knowledge - how risky or safe is it to drive without calibration done ? ( I already feel the RPM going high even on-road drive, in automode, and am hence driving in M mode !) Just being extra cautious to not to go for FB+ Drive without calibration done ! 

Let the dealer calibrate it, just for the sake of warranty even if it costs extra days or money. As for any upgrade, they can easily wash off their hands when some serious claim arises.

[DP1011]

Thanks @Zed @Kailas @Looper for the Conversations/ Inputs..... and thanks @Gaurav, yes totally aligned to your view , for the peace of mind, going ahead with dealer calibrate. it..

[Frederic]

CONVOY LIST FOR TOMORROW

@Rob S @Bjoern @AlexM@Jona@Richard Franks @Zed@DP1011@Looper

Good afternoon guys !

We will be using Channel 3 tomorrow: 446.056 Mhz

See you all in the morning !