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The Long Drive that could have been longer - Bab al Shams to Ganthoot and Middle Earth Report To beat the iron until it's hot, fresh off the press here's the report of the Long, Long Drive that had to be cut short (if you can say that after 5:27 hours). After a timely departure, blessed by the sunrise in our faces, the long convoy entered the technical dunes after the pylon track, carving through them like a knife in hot butter. So much for my worries that the entry may be the toughest moment of the day: Fewbies behaved like higher rank members, and found themselves in the middle of the long range dunes in no time. However, in a strange twist of things, a couple of stucks materialized in what I reckoned would be relatively easy parcels to navigate. And it would be like this throughout the drive, with the convoy tackling unaffected the more complex bowls, long ridges and trickier tight dunes, while slowing down with refusals and stucks (not that many, to say the truth) on relatively easier terrain. Perhaps when the going got tough, the whole convoy raised the bar of concentration and skillful driving, while on apparently easier places (small steps, low ridges, even some flat spots) part of the convoy was caught by surprise. Nonetheless, we had a blessed drive, with a fantastic landscape of pristine cream colored dunes, the mesmerizing effect of an unexpectedly strong wind pulverizing the taller crests, magnificent rock formations (some looking like ruins of an old city), and the biggest heard of oryx I have ever seen in the UAE (or anywhere else for that matter). Two of our goals for the day were achieved: reaching the outskirts of Ganthoot, and crossing over to the fence encircling the military shooting ground. When the third objective was about to materialize (Luca's debut as Leader, on our way through the "Middle Earth"), my car became jealous and decided to play the old trick of overheating to avoid passing the baton. Fortunately for the car (and unfortunately for Luca) a good rest and lots of fluids allowed the temperature to return to normal. Considering this happened in reach of the southern-most stretch of the Qudra bike track (an ideal exit point), and fearing the incident may happen again once ventured into the mysterious heart of the Middle Earth, we agreed to end the long drive. And long it was, covering 68.3 Km, in 5:27 hours, at a moving speed of 21 Km/h. My thanks go to all the members who drove with great passion and care: @Luca Palanca Falsini for his Second Lead and invaluable assistance with refusals (and directing traffic through the most challenging string of bowls); @Islam Soliman at Center Forward and @Ahab Shamaa in Sweep, for their abnegation, enthusiasm and omnipresence in dealing with recoveries; @Thomas Varghese and @Arda Yagcioglu for doctoring my car back to a healthy state (as well as for a great drive); @N@ved for babysitting me back to the gas station, in case of a second bout of fever (as well as for a great drive); @varunmehndiratta, @Aravind Padmaraju, @Niki Patel, @Denizzalbayrak, @Anand Nataraj, and @Jack Thomas for driving smoothly and responding brilliantly to all the different terrains. I have to say that everybody drove very safely, and that refusals and stucks happened because of the challenges posed by the terrain (even though at times unexpected), rather then due to miscalculations or misbehavior (namely fighting gravity). I believe these are the kind of drives where we all progress to be better drivers, and gain self-confidence (in ourselves and our cars). WELL DONE. PS: I was forgetting. I will soon publish a drive which will allow us to complete this one, through Middle Earth, and drive on to Faqa. I wish you can all join, to finish what we started.

Very good start of the day in an interesting area.. always a blessing to have the sand completely for ourselves. Despite that there were around 4 convoys starting at the same point but we never saw each other once we ventured into the desert. I was impressed with the whole convoy performance, everyone drove well and managed the different challenges thrown by @Ale Vallecchi at the convoy very well with few refusals and stucks. Was unfortunate that we had to exit earlier due @Ale Vallecchi‘s car insisting to stay in the lead and rejecting to come second after @Luca Palanca Falsini’s car.. don’t worry Luca and sure Ale will tame his car soon and to let the Fortuner take the lead Thanks @Ale Vallecchi, @Luca Palanca Falsini, @Ahab Shamaa and everyone for a fantastic drive and hope to c u all on the sand soon.. stay safe!

Honeymoon couples still going strong after 30 years of commitment.

THE MARSHAL @Ale Vallecchi

DRIVE REPORT There are only a few places that could come close to LIWA, but Bu Tais is definitely one of them... We all met up on time and came across another convoy (not Carnity) at the same meeting point. They were looking for their marshal and realized a few minutes later they had to go further inside. We did a quick briefing with emphasis on not fighting gravity and keeping it safe at all times. As i mentioned before we would all have to challenge our 4x4's for several hours in this terrain, so we needed to keep a fresh head. With @Asif Hussain in my second lead, followed by the two capable Pajeros @Gaurav Soni and @Mus_hus78, we made quick progress through Bu Tais, with enough sideys to wake us up and get us on the top of our seats. The Xterra boys @Asif Hussain @Kalahari and @Rizwanm2 brought lots of power to the game, but amazing driver skils as well. @Christian Andras felt lonely in the only Toyota but he made it up by trumping us all with the massive power and it truly was a sight to see ! @Gaurav was the silver bullet in the back of the convoy: patiently waiting for his turn to make a sidey and after his attempt we knew there was little possibility to get it more spot-on After having met up at the 7 palms relatively early in the morning, i decided to launch Plan B and head out to Umm Al Oush and its famous star dunes. This involved getting through some funny technical dunes but all managed extremely well ! Once reaching the Star dunes, we were greeted with the most amazing sights, and seeing Asif bhai his smile standing on the top of the star dune made it even better. Apart from some crests and small refusals to keep us a bit active, we ventured around in these dunes with very few issues. As the clock kept ticking and i wanted to get the convoy out on the East Side of Umm Al Oush, i decided to head back, and we took the Paris Dakar dirt track that lead us back to the entry. Could i have stayed longer in this terrain ? Absolutely, but i always remind myself of the quote "Quit when you're winning" and try to follow the same. A big thanks to the support of the drive that was ALL OF YOU ! I wanted to explore this area for a long time already and thanks to you guys we were able to conquer it ! We will be bringing more of those drives this season, so get ready for some action and adrenaline ! https://www.relive.cc/view/vrqDQzYAJLv

Thanks Ale for the wonderful drive.... Though longer than usual, the regularly changing terrain n your leadership ensured that thrill n fun continued till the end. A drive with more Oryx tracks than vehicle tracks...so simply couldn't have asked for a better morning. Thanks Luca, Islam and Ahab for your support and to the whole convoy for making it fun. .

@Thomas Varghese I look worried 😂. Must have been on that roller coaster dune.

Start of the exciting drive.

Hi guys , believe everyone had a fantastic day offroading. For me it was my newbie drive after a long time and my first drive with @Brette since I joined carnity and again my first drive with my "X". All together it was a different experience for me to drive a different car in the sand for the first time and to be the CF for a newbie drive. Thank you @Brette @Janarthan and @Rajeevan Vickneswaranfor considering me in to your crew list and it was an educative and self evaluating drive for me. Got a chance to learn few more tips in recoveries and about the safety measures to be taken while recoveries. It was a pleasure to drive with all others in the convoy and you were all amazing today. Thank you all for superb day and hope to see you soon in the sand. Keep cool 👍

Another fun day guys, thanks for a lovely and safe day out, below some pictures taken from my phone

Hi everyone, Another weekend and another great drive! Thank you @Rahimdad, @Yousef Alimadadi and @Abu Muhammad for your support and above all for making it a safe drive to all of us. All, it was great to drive with you today. The route offered challenges to learn from and amazing views. I just uploaded some pictures in the gallery, hope you all like them. Looking forward to the next drive Best wishes and a nice weekend ahead on behalf of myself and my co-pilot little Danny. Mario

Drive Report: I was expecting a foggy drive to Sweihan, which wasn't the case and I reached our starting point by 7.15 am. Relaxed and enjoyed the cool fresh breeze amidst some stunning dunes of Sweihan. Everyone of the signups arrived on time, deflated and prepped ready for our cool morning drive. We went through the dirt track and hit the dunes heading north towards ADNOC sweihan. We had a mix of all learning- refusals, stucks, crest and special recovery which was done considering the tricky situation we were in. And yes we witnessed what a simple tool like shovel (Big spade with a D handle, not the spoons) can do to get you out of a stuck situation. Some learning points - - Momentum is the key along with having a right approach is the most important key for the correct and safe way to drive on sands without "beating the living snot out of your vehicle"😜. - Do Not fight gravity - when you are losing momentum on slopes the safest way is to steer down and exit. - Dune crossing- to cross over a crest, do not be too shy of gas. Please try to repeat what the car is front does and you will be able to cross over without any issue. - Park your car on a flat dune, or with nose down so that you have a easy restart. - On soft sand when you give more gas when you are not moving - you dig yourself deeper into the sand. If you are not moving then gas will not get you out. We all including me have learnt it by making all these mistakes and learning over time, what we intend is for you all to learn is to do it safely. @Hasan Wahlan was a perfect 2nd lead following my directions correctly and wait when he saw me struggling in some areas.Thank you @Hashem Rihan did well for his first drive in his RR. Some of the self recoveries were impressive. @Amanda Milnes played the role of copilot to perfection. @Alex Sidorov drove well and was getting used to his JGC on sand. Very well done to ask for help when needed , as it is better to be safe than sorry. Love and hugs (covid free 😍)to your son. @muzrma came up with his Patrol Y61 , which was a surprise as I was expecting a ford expedition . You have got a great car which does amazingly well on the sand. @Ruan van den Heever thank you so much for sweeping. Your presence at the back was reassuring whenever you said "all good ". Please note and bring along for the next drive you join - Flag and mount - Programmed Radio ( easiest is to order from edragon mall, online. Baofeng UV5R are worth the price you pay. No conflicts of interest here) - Deflator - Pressure gauge - shovel. Recovery points- you all witnessed how important it is to have proper recovery points (atleast one) in front and back of your car, preferably two if possible. Some stats from the drive in the attached picture. See you all and have a energized week at work. Cheers

Good evening fellow adventurers, Tomorrow we will meet at 13:30 that's 1.30pm, not 2pm, not 12pm, not 10 am . Just so we're clear hee hee. We well head into Faqa to explore the shifting dunes of this stunningly beautiful desert area. We will cross some technical patches as well as some nice long range dunes where hopefully we'll have lots of opportunity to criss cross and ridge ride as we make our way towards solar park. Make sure you bring a sense of adventure as well as an abundance of good humour. The proposed convoys are as follows: Convoy 1 - Using RADIO CHANNEL 1 (one) Attendee Car Level Position @Foxtrot Oscar Black Xterra Expert Lead @Craig Finlayson Grey Wrangler IM 2nd Lead @Mikhail Lukichev Prado Fewbie 3rd @DANIEL NOGUEIRA Dodge Fewbie 4th @Tamas Hoffmann Pajero Adv CF @siddharth maheshwari @Tariq Carrimjee White wrangler White Wrangler Fewbie IM 6th 7th @Goutam Yellow wrangler IM 8th @Pancho / @Desert Dweller Red Wrangler Expert Sweep Convoy 2 - Using RADIO CHANNEL 2 (two) Attendee Car Level Position @Wrangeld Black Pajero Marshal Lead @Islam Soliman Black Yukon IM 2ndLead @Joe Biju Joseph Hummer Fewbie 3rd @Tero Vallas Prado IM 4th @Anvar Sadath Bekal White Pajero Fewbie 5th @Gaurav Soni Grey Pajero Fewbie 6th @David Ortells FJ Fewbie 7th @Jeepie Wrangler Expert Sweep

They did a check. There was no more dripping. It may have been overflow from the overheating. Will look into it. Thanks

@Arda Yagcioglu apparently nothing other than overheating. The computer didn't show anything. They replenished the cooling fluid. The car ran without issues to the gas station and back home👍 Thanks for asking.

Thanks for the great drive and lead @Ale Vallecchi as always it was full of fun and nice challanges. Personally, didn't even realize time when so fast. Please let us know what was the issue once it's diagnosed. Also special thanks to @Luca Palanca Falsini, @Islam Soliman and of course @Ahab Shamaa for attending all the matters quickly and patiently. Take care everyone in the convoy until we see each other in the next drive.

Today's drive surprise. Could shoot only one among the hundreds as they are camera shy and ran off by the time I got the camera out of its bag and the telephoto lens fixed.

Hopefully @Ale Vallecchi's car didn't develop any major problems. Xterra's are rugged and tough but has to be handled with care. Better to get it to its hospital soon. Till now its running but cannot for long. 2007 to 2009 model Xterra's have a flaw in the radiator which makes the gearbox oil to mix with the engine coolant if the separator between them corrodes off. Both flow into the same radiator but is separated inside the radiator coils. Nissan had to recall many Xterra's of that time and replace the radiator with new model radiators. This inbuilt design fault has damaged countless Xterra's engine and the automatic gear box. One symptom @Ale Vallecchi discussed was the car was having a very good thirst for coolant and has to be topped up every week which corresponds to this intermixing of the gearbox oil and coolant. This can only happen if the coolant is going somewhere else rather than the intended path. The leak which developed in this car had a reddish color but had traces of oil in it. If a mechanic checks the gearbox oil level he can immediately detect the flaw as coolant will appear on the dipstick. As the car is running ok and gears are shifting properly I hope there is no major damage and it will be alright once the radiator is replaced, the coolant system is flushed and the gearbox also drained of its oil, cleaned thoroughly and new gear oil is poured. Looking forward to the full day drive promised by @Ale Vallecchi once the stallion is ready and ready to gallop off into the infinite horizon. I hope it will be next week as I really love the way he leads through the desert and didn't get enough of it.

The convoy Ongoing classes for self recovery

@Chaitanya D Jokes apart you managed the whole drive very well, once again thank you for making it very fun and an adventurous trip.

You did very well @Hasan Wahlan. If at any time you felt it was a bit fast you could have let me know.In fact I was very much aware to go slow considering one of the car had a warning light (suspension). But frankly, you all drove well which was fantastic for a Newbie drive. We had a mix of everything, and some good learning on recoveries.

Thank you guys it was fun today, fun and challenging. I believe it was an good learning experience, thank you @Chaitanya D for the tips for tackling challenging obstacles but do go a bit slow on us ;). @Alex Sidorov @Amanda Milnes @Hashem Rihan it was good to see you again. @muzrma @Ruan van den Heever it was nice meeting you. I hope to see you all next week and wish you all an restful weekend.

@Arman good luck on second lead!!! You got this cousin!!!

Looking forward to my second drive with you Angela @Foxtrot Oscar.

Good you got the KYB shocks, i am pretty happy with them too. http://www.jmg.com.gt/en/oil-shock-absorbers-or-gas

Same here was looking for the drive too but really out of hands

Awe sorry to hear that I was looking forward to driving with you @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan it's been sooooo long! Next time!

It was indeed an amazing first day. @Wrangeld and @Tamas Hoffmann were patient and in control throughout.

It's always good to have some nice fun with an equally good share of jokes @Hasan Wahlan. See you all soon , Sweihan is an amazing area with beautiful dunes. Frankly you all in Abu Dhabi are blessed with such nice areas , it's always a treat for members in Dubai to come over there.( with a minor hurdle of Covid testing as of now)

Hats off to @Wrangeld and @Tamas Hoffmann, can't fault the professionalism and organisation, knew exactly what was going on and what was expected at all times, throughly enjoyed ourselves this morning. For my next one can I now go on a newbie drive?

Arriving 8:15. Apologies

Hi everyone

Hi my fellow off-roaders, time to close up the drive and share the convoy numbering and the radio channel we will be using tomorrow. DRIVE RSVP IS NOW CLOSED Convoy numbering: Rahimdad - Pathfinder Nitin Mohan - Prado (2nd lead) Satish Mungse - Pajero Jasim Khumi - Pajero Mario Conejo - Patrol Y61 Sanjay Malik - Toyota Land Cruiser Yousef Ali Madadi - Pajero (Center Forward) Sara El Fanidi - Wrangler JK Larry Cadden - Wrangler JK Junaid120120 - FJC Rob Harper - Toyota Tundra TRD Paul Zeitoun - Ram 1500 Abu Muhammad - Toyota Sequendra (Sweep) @Nitin Mohan @Satish Mungse @Jasim Khumi @Mario Cornejo @Sanjay Malik @Yousef Alimadadi @Sara EL FANIDI @Larry Cadden @Junaid120120 @Rob Harper @Paul Zeitoun @Abu Muhammad Please find your names and convoy numbering above. When you arrive tomorrow morning, you can start deflating your tires to 15psi if you have normal/highway tires, and 12psi in case you have off-road tires. Please arrive on time 7:00 AM, earlier is even better so we can help you out with deflation if needed. We will be using Carnity Channel 1: 446.00625 Mhz. Seniors on the drive are myself, @Yousef Alimadadi, @Nitin Mohan and @Abu Muhammad who will be sweeping the convoy and we will all help you out in case of refusals, stucks, which is all part of the game (and fun) After deflating we will do a briefing to emphasize on the aspects of off-roading and the teamwork involved when becoming part of our off-road community. Since the number of cases has gone alarmingly high, I would recommend only drivers to be out for the briefing with social distancing rules. In case of emergencies, you can contact me on 050 674 9099 See you tomorrow !

Congratulations @Bernd Stucke for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. Fewbie: Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Basic self-recovery techniques Advance side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives And Fewbie Plus, after 5 drives at Fewbie level only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@Alex Sidorov it started with me wanting a daily driver but also something that was capable to go for the occasional camping trip. I did look at a few other cars but have always liked Jeeps so settled for the JGC. When I joined Carnity in October 2018, I expected to do just a few drives to get a feel of the vehicle and see how it handles in this terrain. For a year, my drives were on and off mostly but I kept coming back for more as this grew on me. If you ask me if this is the best car for the desert, the answer is definitely a big NO for a few reasons. It is Jeeps luxury segment and has too many safety features that are excellent on tarmac but a pain when offroading. If you didn't know better, you would think turning it into sand mode kills the traction but the moment the 101 sensors find the wheels spinng or sliding, the system overwrites everything and kicks in and suddenly your traction control is back on and the only way around it is a kill switch. There are quite a few quirks like this to get around. Secondly, even if you do get around to living with the few flaws, there is always the lingering feeling that if something does go wrong, it's gonna cost an arm and a leg. To summarize it, I personally took it as a challenge to myself to find a way around most of the issues and it's been a fun ride so far. Would I buy a JGC again to do the same thing? Probably not. Get a cheaper toy that you will not worry about each time you enter the desert. There are a lot of options out there depending on what you really want to do in the desert and how far you want to push yourself, the most common being the wranglers and pajero's but the Xterra is also gaining ground of late. Here is a pic of my JGC, it's a 2017 Limited. The only mods I've added are a skid plate, 2 inch levelling kit from Rough country in the front, 1 inch wheel spacers all round to maintain the COG due to the lift on the front end.

A correction to my earlier comment, Bilstein 4600 is for stock height, and Bilstein 5100 is for lifted cars. So if you are running stock height you have to look at 4600 series.

I recently changed my front suspension shocks and went for KYB Excel series. They are a good OEM replacement, but not specifically seen as an upgrade when it comes to "offroading". My original plan was to import Bilstein from US, but due to time constraint i settled for the KYB. With importing from US, i was looking at ordering here: https://shop.adventuredrivendesign.com/ My Pajero is my daily driver, and with stock suspension you will be able to do almost everything when it comes to offroading.