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We can distinguish 3 different controls on most modern 4x4 cars: 1) ABS (Anti-Lock braking system) A standard Anti-lock Braking System uses four wheel speed sensors, a hydraulic pump, hydraulic valves, and a controller. The controller in the ABS system monitors the speed of each wheel using the wheel speed sensors, which are usually hall effect sensors. If the controller sees that one wheel is decelerating at a rate that couldn't possibly correspond to the vehicle's rate of deceleration, it actuates the hydraulic valve in that wheel's brake line to reduce the brake pressure applied to that wheel. This allows the wheel to turn faster. Once the wheel is back up to speed, it uses the pump to introduce the pressure back into that brake line, applying that brake again. When the controller sees rapid deceleration again, it activates the valve and the cycle repeats about 15 times per second. The ABS system is mainly made to avoid your brakes from locking up during hard braking, which would cause your vehicle to start slipping. 2) ESC (Electronic Stability Control) Electronic stability control (ESC) is a computerized control system that applies brakes to individual wheels and reduces engine power to ensure that drivers maintain control of their vehicles. The six main components of an ESC system are: wheel speed sensors, a control module, a steering angle sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an accelerometer, and the hydraulic modulator. Note that the hydraulic modulator is the same one used in an ABS system, meaning that ESC adds only the yaw sensor, an accelerometer, and steering angle sensor to a standard ABS system. To understand how this system works, imagine you are driving down the highway at 60 miles per hour. You swerve left to avoid hitting a raccoon. What happens in the short duration to follow? The yaw rate sensor determines where your car is pointing, the steering angle sensor determines where your front wheels are pointing, the accelerometer determines if your vehicle is sliding, and the wheel speed sensors monitor each wheel’s speed. If you turn your wheel very abruptly to the left, your vehicle will initially under steer. This is simply Newton’s First Law. Since the front tires do not yet have enough traction, they slide and the car continues to move forward. The control module recognizes the discrepancy between the intended path (communicated by the steering angle sensor) and the actual path (communicated via the yaw rate sensor) and sends a signal to the hydraulic unit, directing it to increase braking power to the left rear wheel. This causes the automobile to rotate left (the desired response). If necessary, the control module will also reduce engine power by sending a signal to the throttle actuator asking it to close the butterfly valve. 3) Traction Control Traction control works in a similar way as ESC. If a vehicle is unable to gain traction in icy conditions, one wheel will spin while the other simply remains stationary. This is the nature of an open differential: the wheel with the least traction receives the most power. This is undesirable in low-traction situations. As such, traction control can step in. Traction control monitors wheel speed using ABS wheel speed sensors. If a wheel is slipping, traction control reduces engine power to help the wheel regain traction. If necessary, traction control can also apply the brakes to the slipping wheel. This will transfer power to the other wheel (which now has more "traction") depending on surface conditions. As you can see above, these electronic aids are functioning together, all with the same aim of increasing safety for you and your passengers. During dynmamic offroading in sand, the speed and yaw sensors will assume that you are losing traction, and the system will start to react with reducing engine power and diverting power to the wheels that still have traction. That is the main reason we disable these systems.

Thanks to @Jeepie we are able to add all the waitlist. We will be splitting to 2 separate convoy. One will be lead by me and other will be lead by Jeepie. See you all tomorrow morning. Convoy 1 Convoy 2 NO NAME LEVEL CAR NO NAME LEVEL CAR 1 SERTAC EXPERT XTERRA 1 JEEPIE EXPERT WRANGLER 2 RIZWANM2 FEWBIE XTERRA 2 ASHY FEWBIE GRAND CHEROKEE 3 ARDA YAGCIOGLU FEWBIE LR2 3 DAGDAG SOFIANE FEWBIE PAJERO LWB 4 ASHOK CHATUVERDI FEWBIE PAJERO LWB 4 PIOTR KOLODZIEJ FEWBIE FJ CRUISER 5 NIVIN INTERMEDIATE XTERRA 5 LORENZO CANDELPERGHER INTERMEDIATE PATROL 6 SAJITH MODIYIL FEWBIE XTERRA 6 KAILAS FEWBIE WRANGLER 7 SIDDHARTH MAHESHWARI FEWBIE WRANGLER 7 CRAIG FINLAYSON FEWBIE WRANGLER 8 JOSE MARTIN FEWBIE PAJERO SWB 8 CHAITANYA D EXPERT XTERRA 9 WRANGELD MARSHALL PAJERO SWB

Convoy 2, with Jeepie (Marjan) as lead will use radio channel 4

Kill switch is off the cards but you can still remove the fuses. Once you get used to doing it, it will only take a minute. Although if you’re going to do that, I would recommend buying a cheapo code reader so you can clear the logged codes before you go for service. Service center monkeys will never know. Take it from someone who knows that the service centre mechanics are no more special than any other trained mechanic. They just have more expensive tools.

Dear Desertnauts. Time to prepare for tomorrow's afternoon drive. This time, we'll start in a very little driven area of Dubai, and will gradually move toward the better known stomping grounds. From the yellow dunes of Murqaab, we'll cross into the white dunes of Lisaili, with the goal of reaching first Solar Park, and with time permitting, Qudra Parking. We'll drive with care through the more technical parts of these areas, but also with speed and more exciting maneuvers in the longer range dunes we'll find toward the middle and the end of the itinerary. These will be the convoy order: @asifk will be my Second Lead @VipinShetty the #3 driver @Piotr Kolodziej at #4 @Gok Krish will be #5 @Abu Muhammad in spot #6 @Pancho will anchor the middle of the convoy @Kailas will be #8 @topgear will drive in #9 @Alexander Alcala will wear #10, and @Foxtrot Oscar will make sure nobody is left behind. The meeting place will be just past Murqaab Mosque, in an ample space, where we can line up and start deflating as soon as we arrive (to about 12-13 PSI). Once at the deflation point, please tune into Carnity Channel #2 (446.031). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, I wish you a nice Wednesday evening.

Dear Desertnauts. Time to set your alarm tomorrow morning, and get ready for the first drive of this long weekend. As announced, this itinerary will cover a relatively unknown area of Dubai (bordering with Sharjah), mostly visited by locals. We'll see a few camel farms, we'll cross an oil pipe, and we may encounter Emiratis falconeering in the early morning. The purpose of the drive is to reach Skydive, on the Dubai-Al Ain Road. As most desert crossings, we are planning to go from A to B, and will do our best to reach our goal. This means that, even though we will be exploring and playing (there are locations for both activities along this drive), we will also try to make good time, by also speeding up (safely) when necessary. The convoy order will be the following: @Tamas Hoffmann in Second Lead @Athula Dharmadada at #3 @Abu Muhammad in position #4 @RaYan E at #5 @Jihad Hachem will be #6 @Alexander Alcala will anchor the middle if the convoy @Yasas Dharmadasa will be #8 @Anand Nataraj in spot #9 @Javier Lucero will be #10 @Senthil Kumar at #11, and @Foxtrot Oscar will Sweep the convoy. Please reach the meeting point punctually, or slightly before, and deflate to 12-12 PSI. The meeting point will be to the right of the tarmac road, a few hundred meters past the big truck parking lot in Lahbab. Once arrived, please tune in to Carnity Channel #2 (446.031). Make sure you have all the necessary equipment with you, including at least a compressor, a good shovel, and possibly a kinetic tug rope. Have a good evening, and see you tomorrow.

Good evening Qudra Round Abouters. CORRECTED VERSION ~2 Please find below the convoy list and numbers for the Afternoon fewbie drive tomorrow in Qudra. @Hardik Mody @Sharooq Fassul @Mahmoud Asar @DANIEL NOGUEIRA @Anvar Sadath Bekal @RAKIN KURIAKOSE @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ @Sai Baskaran @syed salman raza @Jeepie @Probir Mukherjee @Malachy McGrogan We will be using Channel 1 from Carnity. Please make sure your radio is set to the correct channel and is properly programmed. We will not be able to program radios at the start point tomorrow morning. PLEASE CHECK THE DEPARTURE POINT FOR THE DRIVE AS THIS HAS CHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL POST https://goo.gl/maps/oSqDeMS5W7KFwhjY7 PLEASE ALSO BRING A COMPRESSOR. I AIM TO FINISH AT LAST EXIT, BUT LAST EXIT IS VERY BUSY IN THE EVENING AND THE COMPRESSOR IS VERY, VERY SLOW Morning Newbie Desert Drive Qudra 29 Oct 2020 Attendees Level Car Radio Pos # Wrangeld Marshal Mitsubishi Pajero SWB Y 1 Hardik Mody Newbie Mistubishi Montero Y 2 Sharooq Fassul Newbie Jeep Wrangler SWB Y 3 Mahmoud Asar Newbie Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Y 4 Muhammed Kashif Razzaq Newbie Ford Explorer y 5 Daniel Noguiera Expert Dodge RAM 1500 Y 6 Anvar Sadath Bekal Newbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 7 Rakin Kuriakose Newbie Nissan Pathfinder Y 8 Sai Baskaran Newbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 9 Probir Mukerjee Newbie Toyota Land Cruiser Y 10 Syed Salman Raza Newbie Jeep Wrangler Y 11 Malachy McGrogan Newbie Ford F150 Y 12 Jeepie Expert Jeep Wrangler Y 13 Looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow afternoon in the sand.

Good evening friends, @Islam Soliman, @tcarrimjee, @Mohamed Seidam, @Anish S, @Arun Mathew, @Nizam Deen, @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, @SureshVNair, @Shaaz Sha, @Gok Krish and dear @Wrangeld Thank you for joining on this long weekend drive scheduled Saturday , the last day of the long weekend. I hope you all come well rested and refreshed for what will be an intriguing desert drive . Appreciate the members who have clicked RSVP and waited till Wednesday to book their second slots as per the new request from Carnity which has been made with an effort to accommodate max drivers with a fair chance for all. Entry - We will be meeting at the start point off Al Ain Road near Murquab , preferably sharp on time and a few min earlier is always good for you to come to the starting point in a relaxed manner. Please ensure to follow the COVID precautions in place. Terrain and Drive Plan - Murquab offers dunes which are medium to tall, long range which never disappoint. We will first practice all the basics that will make you a better Fewbie level driver and prepare you for your progress further. We will try to cover as much as possible of the long range of the terrain in Murquab and drive towards the closest exit depending on the convoy response. Be mindful there are some tight technical areas in this region which will need your attention and finesse for you to drive with out a refusal/stuck. In any situation we will be there to assist and guide you to get out . Climate - Cool and Comfy, after all the winter has set in which is a fantastic time to enjoy the desert. See Up Close - Horse Stables, Camels , Gazelles and Oryx. We will also be close to a massive Solar park which is upcoming in that area between Al Ain Road and Qudra. As you all are aware, considering a long weekend we have a lot of drives scheduled during these days. Which means some of you including me will be doing multiple drives which ultimately takes a toll on your car. Ensure them to be in as good condition as possible. Please advise if there is any issue or you cannot join in well in time so that other in waitlist can get in. We wish and hope one day all members in Carnity Off Road club get a drive without having to wait. Lets get ready to enjoy the long weekend!! Current Waitlist 1. Kailas 2. Athula 3 .Yasas 4. Piotr

Thanks @Frederic for the comprehensive information. I drive FJ and I get this ABS function issue while braking during declines from high dunes or at speed above 40km and it’s very disturbing. I have no option to disable this by default. A kill switch installation was suggested by a few, Hope this is recommended for us during off roading ? How about disabling Airbags during off roading, would be happy to hear your thought and option on this? Thanks.

Rear tow points replaced now

Thanks @sertac, i realized it last time on my drive with @Chaitanya Dwhere i lost power twice on a side slopping. I was thinking if it was me who was also doing a side slopping of a medium sized dune for the first time. I felt i was kind of slipping back losing power and had to turn to come down. Tomorrow with my drive with @Ale Vallecchi i will hopefully catch up with my Traction control turned off and ESC off apart from ABS killed. Thanks @Fredericfor the amazing and patient explanation and bringing in science resources. It is clear now that both ABS and Traction control need to be off to get full power on the wheels. Will be putting the horse to its test tomorrow and will report on success.

Greetings Body, I am on a Wrangler JK fitted with a ABS kill switch. There is also a push button for "traction control off". Should both ABS and Traction control be disabled for the desert drives or just killing the ABS is enough? My last drive, I forgot to turn off the traction but had killed the ABS. Did some googling to learn that the former is for braking the latter is for accelerating. Thanks for sharing the wisdom. Apologies if this question is already addressed regards Gokul

DRIVE RSVP IS CLOSED Convoy Numbering 1. Srikumar 2. Srijith 3. Joanthan 4. Ismaeel Jabaar 5. Pancho 6. Aamir Siddiqui 7. Jack Thomas 8. Mustafa We shall be using Carnity Channel 4. See you at the meeting point at 6:00 AM.

@Biju Abdul I have an FJ and I have a kill switch that disable ESC, traction control, ABS and airbags

Totally agree with Rahimdad on this, after COVID we can't do such things. Btw, Dubai municipality fine upto 50k dhs for desert safari camp sites for leaving any trash behind. If you suspect it was a party or safari camp trash send the pin location to DM and they will figure out the way to handle it. Good observation and concern for wild life, well done.

Well done Piotr! Looking forward to driving with you

Hi traction control must be switched off while off roading. It will kill the power.

Had the same work done as @Sinol. Thank you. Met a fellow carnitian at the garage. This forum is super helpful

@Zaeem Haral you can RSVP here in Absolute Newbie drive.

Yes @Gok Krish I remember what happened but never mind as all this is part of the learning with each drive, you have a great car which can take you to any level. Best wishes

Hi, I drive a 2 door Pajero, I have experience in the desert but this will be my first time driving with Carnity. My tow points are in perfect condition (Front and back)

Hi Gaurav, 2016 Ram Laramie Front and rear tow hooks, front lip removed Minor prior experience, and interested in building it up fast with Carnity. See you Friday P

Wow! News of the day. I confirm, I am all in. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Hi Gaurav, I have a 2020 Ford F150 Raptor. I do not have any prior off roading experience. The vehicle has front and back tow points and they are in perfect condition. Looking forward to Friday. Thanks, Mohamad

Most workshops can install a killer switch for FJ for just 200-250 but unfortunately Toyota service informed me it's not allowed to do this - any modification to electrical system would affect the car warranty. So the only option is to drive for the next couple of years with air bags and ABS on. I hope for the type of offroading we do it will not be a problem for those of us using FJs (and we can avoid incidents with air bags like the one Jorge had recently with the Land Rover) - hopefully, the sensitivity of air bags at FJs is not that high...

Hi Gaurav, I don’t think this standard Cayenne has adjustable air suspension. I’ll check the front bolt-on tow hook is installed. many thanks adrian

yes got it done outside. Pretty convenient with the kill switch I must say.

Hello Gaurav, I’m driving a Porsche Cayenne and don’t have any prior off roading experience. I’ve seen the briefing video, but wondered if the radios are supplied by you... or we need to purchase them prior to the drive?

Thanks @topgear I assume that you got it done from outside? I will try to get it too. Thanks.

Thanks @syed salman raza. See you next time. @DANIEL NOGUEIRA you are IN the drive. can you please confirm it's OK? Thanks a lot.

Great info! Thanks for sharing 👍🏻

Hello @syed salman raza. Can you please confirm by today at 12 Noon that you'll be joining this drive. Lacking confirmation, I will let @DANIEL NOGUEIRA in the drive in your place. Thanks a lot.

Dear @Alexander Alcala, @Islam Soliman, and @Abu Muhammad, you're all IN the drive. Islam, please reconfirm. The drive is now closed. Thanks a lot.

Add me to the waiting list please.

@Zaeem HaralHaral I am afraid we need to sign you out if this drive on Thursday. According to our records you have not yet attended an absolute newbie drive with Carnity. This drive is intended for drivers who have already driven at least once with Carnity.

Current Waitlisted members: 1) Ahab Shamaa 2) Archibald Jurdi 3) Anvar Sedath Bekal 4) Vinojps

Amazing news! Thank you guys - I'm really happy with the promotion and it's been an inspiring and humbling journey to get immersed in the beauty of dunes and discover the best of what UAE's nature has to offer without any limits. I feel I'm learning a lot from you with each and every drive and following Gaurav directly from the second position was truly breathtaking and inspirational - thank you!

Congratulations Athula.

Thanks for the upgrade @Wrangeldbut I'm not expert, I'm still a newbie 😜...

Latest Update: As of now the drive RSVP signup is still full. However as i have noticed that @Archibald Jurdi was not able yet to signup for one single drive on the weekend, i will add him to the drive to get him to have at least one Carnity drive. Please confirm if you can make it Archibald, otherwise the spot will be given to @Ahab Shamaa

Thanks @Islam Soliman. See you soon.

Hello @Tamas Hoffmann. I have added you at #2 on the WL. Thanks

Alrite i am in !! hi Guys C u all @ 6. 29th mrning BR, Aamir Sid Where is the Marshal 🧑🏻‍✈️ ? 😎

Thank you @Nivin for a very beautiful and heartfelt column on this never ending problem. We have arranged for several Desert Clean up drives in the past and would love to continue such efforts. However at this time due to Covid19 being rampant, there is no safe way of carrying out such exercise. Remember even on our normal drives we are following Covid19 precautions and not allowing anyone to step out of their cars if not really necessary. What we understand from the experts point of view is the PPE we need for 99% safety is very expensive. Even after spending so much there is still a 1% chance you might not be safe. Over the years we have realized that we could run Desert Clean up drives every week and never have enough drives for this purpose. The only way we can make things better is not by picking up someone's garbage, but to spread the awareness by speaking to people about the mess they create and the consequences. My humble request is not to get emotionally carried away and start picking up behind people. As seen not everybody follows Covid19 precautions and gather around in what can only be a Covid19 spreader event. You have no idea if the garbage left behind has any Covid19 traces and I'm sure even if you can survive it, there must be some children or elderly at your place who might not be able to fight the virus. Protect yourselves and your loved ones and spread the word on cleanliness not the virus.

Dear friends @Janarthan, @Christian Andras, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Mehmet Volga, @Ilya Golubinsky and @Lorenzo Candelpergher Thank you for signing up on this intermediate drive starting at Lisaili.As you are aware , since this is an intermediate level drive we will try to drive through terrains which is a mix of long range playable dunes and some tight technical areas which will make you a better sand driver. Always remember to get to play areas one has to cross these technical areas at most places and hence one needs to practise and master on these "baby dunes" which literally suck your car in even if you lose concentration for a second. We will try to start as sharp on time as possible and head on the camel track to the technical areas , where we will take a slightly difficult path for you all to be prepared as you progress in your off road levels. Once this part is clear we will be doing most of the playable long range "honeymoon" dunes in Lisaili, Murquab and onto Faqa. Hence the name "troika" as we will be playing on three areas of white sand. Remember there will be technical dunes separating each of these areas . We will try to reduce them as time progresses and head towards areas which are closer to the exit on to Al Ain Road. Be prepared for repeated sideys, longer ridge rides and higher criss crosses which will keep you engrossed. We will keep good pace and try to cover all of these , albeit if there are some issues beyond anyone's control. Rest assured we will be doing it in as safe a manner as possible.Please check your cars are in the as best of conditions as possible and all fluids topped up well in time. More updates on final members joining soon. Enjoy your week for a fun and adventure filled long weekend!!

I see several good deals on stock Xterras, thanks for the heads up. It seems a bit easier to get one that’s clean. I am 100% behind you that Japanese reliability is great. Thanks for the advice!

Very good question @edouard and thank you @Gaurav for this very helpful answer. I must admit I bearly do a third of those checks, but starting from now I will follow your list. Just like to mention another very simple detail, something we might forget before going back on track : to remove the flag ! It happened to me a couple of times...

Nice thread @edouard and ill try to add few points Check both the number plates are intact and not fallen off or bent inside after the impact. If it's lost, report to the Police immediately and get it replaced. Check the coolant level (visually) in the expansion bottle if its well within the Min/Max range. If it's low in expansion bottle or coolant reservoir tank, then top up at any nearest fuel station. DO NOT OPEN the radiator cap, when hot, it will gush out all coolant like a hot fountain and burn, just top up in the expansion bottle and check the radiator level again next day when the car is cold. Check inside the front grill before the radiator if any shrubs, plant or plastic stuck in front, that can block the air circulation and overheat the car. Check inside the engine bay and under the car from wheel arc with a strong flashlight to spot any noticeable leaks, broken hose, pipe etc. A leak may be very small if you spot any wet hose or pipe, worth diagnosing and getting it fixed as soon as possible. While driving back on road immediately after offroad drive, start slowly to hear any unusual noise, vibration etc and then gradually hit the highway speed. Also while doing this music should be off so you can actually pay attention to any unusual hissing/noise. This means to reach to 120 (highway speed) in 5 minutes and not in 10 seconds so you can drive and notice in different speed, as many time some intermittent noise or vibration comes at a very specific speed only. If you venture in water crossing or mud terrain, important to get the car underbody cleaned asap.

@Javier M you are correct on all counts. Feels good to have such observant people on board. My main intention to post these is to educate people and not repeat the mistakes made by a few.