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Since joining the club i have seen a plethora of 4x4's in the sand, all performing differently based on the driver skills, how powerful the car was, or how the ground clearance made it easier or more difficult to cross dunes in the UAE. What many people seem to assume is that wider tyres would improve their footprint in the sand, and would make it easier for them to drive in the dunes or climb hills. Others choose these fat tyres more for the looks than anything else, without knowing how much it affects their performance negatively. How is this possible ? Basically it all comes down to the surface area that any tyre will take up on the sand. A longer footprint will distribute the weight of the 4x4 better so it "floats" better and does not sink in that much. The surface area is determined by the weight of the 4x4, tyre construction, and tyre pressures, but NOT tyre dimensions. In fact a narrower tyre will deform more during deflation than a fat tyre to achieve the same footprint. The second factor is the rigidity of the sidewall. The more rigid the sidewall is, the less it will form a longitudinal footprint. We have seen this very regularly on our drives where a BF Goodrich tyre needs to be deflated below 12psi to get better flotation. This is due to the rigid sidewall, which is a good thing in wadi or mountain driving, but that is a different story. What does seem to help in favor of desert driving is a larger overall diameter, as it has flatter interface with the sand and lets the sand behave more like a solid. Smaller tyre diameters have a sharper radius and sand may flow out more easily from underneath the tyre. A good example are the huge rear wheels on tractors and their incredible ability to not get bogged. Tractors have very larger diameter tyres. They do not have wide tyres. Another important factor is that fatter tyres are much heavier and will take away lots of power from the drive axles, and on top of that will create early wear and tear on the axle and drivetrain. Moral Of The Story ? Given the above description, it makes sense to stick with the OEM tyre and rim sizes, or when upgrading only go for a slightly larger diameter (not necessarily wider). A larger sidewall will give you better protection from rocks and will minimize popouts. Personally i have seen lots of Jeep Wranglers performing the best in hill climbs with their 245/75/17 tyres which may look a bit skinny but climb so much more easily in comparison with Jeeps that have the massive bulky tyres.

Great topic @Frederic. Also good to note that the tire pressure we suggest to you as newbies is within safety constraints. We do not want you to pop your tires out on your very first drive. The accuracy of your gauge can be checked in several ways. I have seen several modern vehicles having TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system), a lot of member with this technology double check their tire pressure gauge against what is shown on their dash. This is one way to make sure you're down to the right pressure. Another technique is to check it against the tire inflator at any petrol station. Once you have ensured your tire pressure gauge is accurate it's time to experiment. Say we started you with 15 PSI and you're comfortable with the drive, try going 1 PSI less, that is at 14 PSI. If that too is comfortable, keep dropping your tire pressure till you find the best figure for your setup. So example is I reduced my tire pressure down to 10 PSI with my current setup, however since I did not feel any difference between 10 PSI and 11 PSI I stuck with 11 PSI to avoid any chance of pop-outs. Pop-outs are mainly due to driving at lower air pressure, but also can be due to aggressive driving style. Pop-outs in themselves are a whole new topic and will be dealt with in another episode of "if you don't know, now you know"

I totally agree with @Rahimdad's suggestion to experiment. When I started offroading with my Nissan Patrol Y62, I was initially deflating to 18psi, but would often get stuck. I then started deflating more, to 15psi, but I had a (record) number of pop-outs, mostly due to a) having low profile tires and b) being still inexperienced in controlling power and fishtailing. The real game changing moment for me happened when I started driving with much less power (and for a long time in D and watching actively my RPMs to learn how to use the power and what the car would do in the absence of my direct action) and, most importantly, when I shifted from 20" to 18" rims with high profile tires, a fundamental requirement to make it to Intermediate. With less risk (and less mental fear) of pop-outs, I started to deflate more and more as I got more experienced, finding out that 12psi works almost always quite well, with 10-11psi being optimal in very soft sand conditions.

Please watch carefully and enjoy Look for the speed control and approach from above by drone and most important the music in back ground of the clip 😎

I'm so happy @Mario Cornejo. Congratulations on your promotion. As a special gift Danny has been promoted to Junior Marshal. He can start shovelling with me on our next drive together.

Thanks @Chaitanya D for the nice Saturday morning i like the quick start for the radio briefing, loved the way u lead the convoy and your very clear instructions to get me out from the refusal. And you really did a good job on handle the tyre pop out situation.

Thanks @Frederic exactly the query I was about to ask, mainly as I noted the requirement of high profile tyres for upgrade to Intermediate. I drive a Wrangler Sahara 2020 model with stock 18 inch rim and stock all terrain tyres. I have been happy with performance, especially once it's down to 12-13psi. Plus gives a smooth on road drive So wasn't too happy with thought that might have to change, as didn't understood the expectation well. Your post clarifies it for me. Thanks for the same ..

It was a nice fly after a several times trying to follow @Chaitanya D instructions but you did it man @bassel el rafei😃

Congratulations @Ruan van den Heever 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

Congratulations @Mario Cornejo 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

@Rahimdad what you wrote is true. When I started off as an absolute newbie I was really afraid to reduce the tire pressure to less than 18 psi as it was H/T tires even though @Frederic the Marshal insisted I keep it at 15 psi. Well I agreed but didn't go lower than 18 - the result was stuck after stuck. Then @sertac came to my aid and to my horror reduced the tire pressure to 14 psi. I couldn't resist his intervention and suddenly realized that stucks were getting eliminated and I could self recover. So I started to keep it at 14 psi for the rest of the drives. In a drive with @Ale Vallecchi and @Kalahari there was a bad stuck in too soft sand and they instructed me to reduce the tire pressure to 11 psi which I promptly did and could somehow come out and drove the rest of the drive with the same pressure. This new discovery that I could drive at 11 psi and still not have a pop out boosted my confidence so much to the point of arrogance that I started to drive at 12 psi as 11 psi was little uncomfortable for me regarding doubts about having a pop out. During the last fewbie plus drive with @Foxtrot Oscar I started the drive at 12 psi and regularly checked the pressure and could drive comfortably and with confidence. At the end of the drive when we were about to inflate I found 1 of the tires was running flat with no air to my horror. I doubted it was a puncture but as there was no choice in the evening in a deserted place and as I had the compressor I promptly inflated the tire and drove on. But the fear of a flat tire happening was lingering all through my drive back home. To my surprise when I checked the tire pressure in the morning it was holding the same I put the last night. This confirmed my doubt that it was a pop out which happened during the drive. The next drive with @Foxtrot Oscar I didn't go below the 13 psi and nothing happened even though I was constantly checking all the tires whenever I got the opportunity because of the previous pop out experience. I think for my car and tire 13 psi should be the optimum and anything lower could put me in trouble.

Would be great to have a clear experiment. We have a lot of Wranglers, with both stock and and upgraded tires. So we can shoose hill with no bumps (so driver can just drive), soft sand, same starting point, manual gear... Happy to be part of this excersise!

@Emmanuel it was a manifique morning with great dunes to climb and lots of technical patches with some great exploration at the end. The idea of having a small and experienced convoy was great and made the whole experience even more special agree with @Christian Andras that is was one of the best ever drives! great video @Craig Finlayson ! please do another extreme drive

Hi @Shynil Hashim and @Frederic, the R50 comes with tie down point for recovery and not with the tow hooks. You'll need to check with a turning shop on installing proper rated tow hooks with rated nuts and bolts. If this point breaks it is going to be dangerous and costly repair job.

Hello Everyone 100 series Land Cruiser some prior experience driving in the desert but I’d rather have a fresh start with you all standard tow points on the land cruiser have with me as equipment compressor, shackles, tow strap, shovel, deflator and gauge.

Lovely music @imranaasghar81. Another beautiful 360 degree video. I believe your hard work to set up the right to support your 360 degree camera is paying off. Well done.

Thanks @Chaitanya D for all the tips and guidance throughout the drive! It was my 3rd time with the club and definitely the most fun/challenging so far. Looking forward to driving with you and this amazing group of people again very soon!

Congratulations @Michael Glavanis 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

@Rahimdad, I am not questioning the importance of skills (skills are much much more important than anything else), I believe this is why many of us here, to learn What I am saying is, that with equal skills in the equal conditions 35'' might be better than the stock ones for Wranglers. Because there are arguments supporting this and not, I proposed doing a test Also, big tires don't come alone, you normally do new suspension, shocks, etc.. so you can drive faster on bumpy areas, so you can get more momentum for the place you need it.. but this is one more time about driving technics and skills. I think the original topic was more about traction and adherence itself

Drive report As we gathered around the dirt track everyone deflated promptly and we headed out into the dunes following the little track for part of the way and finding our desert wheels. As we reached the dunes, we had an opportunity to do some gentle side sloping and we also had the chance to discuss the nuances of ridge riding and side sloping. With everyone coping well I decided to up the ante and we found some nice dunes that challenged everyone. We also had @Junaid120120 join us after arriving a little late he had the gumption to find his way to us.. The convoy was all coping well @Jack Thomas handled his F150 extremely well as did @Jon M in his Montero. @AlexPol powered his wrangler up everything with no issues and @Hisham Masaad and @Thomas Varghese were not to be outdone and followed suit. Well done all of you, some really nice driving on display. We had a couple of refusals during this part of the drive but nothing major. As we crossed the sabka to Solar Park we were treated to the sight of locals training their falcons. I’m always mesmerised by this no matter how often I see it. We took the track for a little while before heading into to the pristine sands of Solar Park. There were some lovely low and carved ridges which were the ideal training ground for ridge riding. One by one the convoy came across, two wheels at either side, controlling their momentum and steering. It was great to see. Well done guys. As the sun was setting the wide-open dunes of Solar Park called us on to them, and so we continued. @Ammar Naji had a couple of cracking crests which we managed to dig him out of and we got the rope out too. This was a great learning experience; the art of self-recovery is very very important when we drive in the desert. You took a little convincing Ammar but with a few helpers digging in the correct place we managed to get you down off that crest. The delays meant we lost the light and our convoy had the pleasure of a little night drive, we weren’t far from the sabka , but we still had some dunes to get through. When driving at night it is very important to stay close to the car in front so that you don’t lose the track. You’ll remember next time 😉 Thanks to @Tamas Hoffmann for the second lead. @Lucky sAm I’m glad your son got to experience an OR drive and of course to @Chaitanya D for his support. These evening drives are proving to be very popular. We must do it again 😉 Until our next adventure.

Congrats @Ruan van den Heever !

Congratulations @Ruan van den Heever, well done !!

Congratulations @Michael Glavanis

@Ilya Golubinsky thank you for your kind suggestion. This exercise is not something which we can take care off in an hour or a drive. It should be personal responsibility and commitment over several drives in different terrain to know what best suits you and your car.

Totally agree with @Frederic ( nice profile pict by the way ☺️ ) @Rahimdad and @Lorenzo Candelpergher to highlight such an important subject . Actually it makes a lot of difference after finally you get the balance of the optimum tyre pressure which helps you to float Nicely but also without getting popped out in your own particular vehicle. after practice I am on 10 psi always and till this moment no pop out . But this doesn’t mean that I will not. It’s all about practice and drive style but generally speaking to what the particular drive level dictates for safety reasons i was going from 15 to 10 psi gradually and now Settled on 10 psi .

Please can you wait @Emmanuel till I get to my 5th IM , two more to go 🙏🏻 I am so interested about this action 😅 unless you make discount for me then I am ready from next one ☺️

Thanks @N@ved, the telephoto lens might be not ideal, but then again most of us use what we have and see where it brings us, so nothing to worry about. For night photography and particularly the stars, you want to try to find a wide angle lens (between 16 and 24mm) that has a fast aperture (2.8 and below). I am not a Nikon user, so not sure which lens specifically falls into that bracket, i am sure others here can help. See you soon in the sand !

Wow, nice find @Mohamed Seidam. Poetry in motion. Great example of us telling newbies not to climb from the slip face. Not that it's not possible, but needs some experience to get your throttle and steering control in sync. Once you're capable we do there manoeuvres but at a certain angle and finesse as evident in this video.

Wonderful to see you're pretty well equipped already. You can bring all your offroad gears. To program the radio you can follow below instructions which also mentions the channels we are using:

Thanks Frederic, Looking forward to meet you guys. Any specific tools I need to bring? below is what i currently have: 1) 9Ft AOR Flag with suction mount, 2) AOR Kinetic Rope, with Soft Shackle and AOR D Shackel, 3) 300 L/m, 150Psi Tire Inflator 4) Tire deflator 5) Baofen UV-5R Walkie Talkie, and BF-888S which i can preprogram at home if you give me the frequencies...

@Adib Samara from the above video, it looks like your Defender is very similar to the Discovery Sport. In the rear its just a loop that you can screw in, and in the front you'll need to unscrew the bottom plastic fascia to expose the central front towpoint.

She is beautiful Adib!! Cant wait to see her! You are looking for hooks man, something we can pull you out with if you are stuck in the desert. Do you see anything we can tie a rope or hook to?

Will ask for more stuck next time @Thomas Varghese for you to take more photos 😅

Hey Joseph, Depending on your budget, I would go with a Camel compressor (280-300 AED from dragon mart) and a good deflator is the ARB deflator (amazon), Radio you can get from noon (Baofeng UV5Rwill cost ~90AED) or Dragon Mart as well. You need a flag preferably as well. The Offload-Zone just got them in stock, the split version so easy to pack. Hope that helps buddy.

Hi All Unlike others I am a bonafide Absolute Newbie, as required! 1. 2017 Discovery Grey, recently purchased and looks like it has never gone offroad. like me 2. No offroad experience unless you count driving on Indian roads in my formative years (kidding). 3. I believe yes, under the fenders (will remove fenders and send pics) Would appreciate some advice where to procure (in short time) the required air compressor and radio. I already have a pressure gauge cum deflator. Looking forward to the drive Joseph

Dragon mart

https://m.khaleejtimes.com/news/video-dubai-desert-party-busted-host-fined-dh50000-for-breaking-covid-rules?fbclid=IwAR2GGAmf74ReUWDLgRVTNBh6Rsdk_yVwJxsejtM-cH7fTwrxZw7Dixpttb0 covid precautions getting stronger again.

Congratulations @GauravSoni. I'll always hold it against you that you took my chance away to drive with you when you joined @Gaurav bhai drive where you had joined my drive. Jokes aside really happy to see you grow and enjoy learning and polishing your skills. Keep it up.

Hi @Emmanuel, I have all the above except the flag, my old flag's bolt is ruined, I have mounted the quick release flag base but I am waiting the split pole flag (2 piece), it was supposed to be availabe this week but probably it will not as I understood from XXXXXXXXX today they said might be next week, is there any other place including Ace and adventure HQ where I can get such a flag pole? I have been struggling with the long 'one piece' pole in my car.

Dear @Mario Cornejo, @khurram.k, @Michael Glavanis, @Nagham Albeitawi, @frederic demolder, @pqpqpq, @Badar Tariq, @Ammar Naji, @Larry Cadden, @Ahmed Wagdy Happy to see you on Friday afternoon. I just wanted to inform you to make sure you guys have all items onboard: 1) Offroad flag 2) Shovel 3) Pressure gauge / deflator 4) Compressor (gas station nearby has no compressor) 5) Radio with the Carnity frequencies programmed. Please make sure you are equipped with above items, otherwise we won't be able to allow you on the drive. If you have any questions in particular about where to buy, which model, please have a look at below advice:

Can any one share mobile no here ?

Congrats @Mario Cornejo

Thank you everyone!

Congrats Mario

Congrats @Mario Cornejo !!

Congrats @Mario Cornejo on this promotion. Well deserved

Congrats @Mario Cornejo well done 👍

Trip Report: It was great to see the newbie members on time and most of then prepped up for their drive on Saturday morning at Lisaili. This terrain offers mix of all and the way you all drove was really amazing at newbie level. I tried to test you initially by going back into the tight technical areas , where few had few refusals only and a tug. Well done all of you. We had our share of refusals and learning, tugs and pop out fixing which are all part of the game to become a good off roader, safety being foremost. Learning points - Approach and momentum are the key in tight areas and in churned up sand. - Gas is not always your friend, low RPM with steering maneuvers gets you out - Diff locks used to perfection with proper manuvers , using gravity to assist - Aggressive steering left and right is not advisable when drivig on sand at speed , increases the risk of pop out. @Ben84 was perfect as a second lead. Great car and great to see how you used double diff locks to perfection. @Yahya Munir to me was the driver of the day . Some quick learning with perfect maneuvering to get his Jimny perform amazingly well on this terrain was a treat to watch. @Matt.T managed his SWB wrangler to perfection. Great control in all areas ,well done @William Fernandes was quick to sort out his refusals with his fantastic FJ. You will only get better as you drive more. @Trekado Mohamed drove well in his Pajero, fee refusals managed very wevery. Great driving @Jasim Khumi managed his Swb pajero well. Some great feedback on knowing the directions from the lead. We will improve on this suggestion and make sure the cars at the back are informed about the terrain by on of the seniors @Badar Tariq drove well in his Pajero. Quick learner to make the best use of the momentum and approach. Refusals recovery was impressive @Karim Allam did well in his FJ, learning how to use perfect gas and RPM to get out and move in soft sand. Remember the psi in tyres goes up as u drive. Sometimes it is useful u check tires regularly during breaks @bassel el rafei was doing great in his new desert driver. You know it now how to avoid a pop out and hope your car doesn't have any heating issue anymore as it happeend on previous drives. @Mohamed Seidam, @Kailas and @Anish S thank you all for the amazing support you gave for this drive. I hope you enjoyed passing on the experience you all have to the new members ,who I am sure will improve and become like one of us managing drives soon. Some pictures uploaded in gallery. Well done and see you soon friends. Enjoy your week.