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@Ale Vallecchi really fun drive with some great ridge riding and criss crossing and then a bit of tecky stuff thrown in for good measure Love these mid week drives - just breaks the week up 😃 Well done @Chinthaka Ruwanat 2nd lead and as always reassuring to have @Gaurav Soniat sweep Cant finish this post without mention of my first pop out - having seen a few being fixed before it was good to be able to do this one for myself. Thanks to everyone who assisted and expert guidance from @Ale Vallecchiand @Gaurav Soni. Will keep and extra PSI or 2 in the tyres going forward 💪 See you all in the sand soon

Escape from Lisaili - Midweek Drive Report "From the moment you entered this world of existence, a ladder was put in front of you so you could escape" - Rumi Dear Desertanuts, Escaping was the plan: first of all, from the routine of our weekdays, and once given that opportunity, escaping from one of the most diverse desert areas in Dubai, through its technical areas, via its furthest reaches, across a mix of technical dunes, long range cordons, and sabkhas, all the way to Murqab's mosque. The plan was to reach it at sunset, and so we did. This itinerary was almost entirely an exploration drive, and indeed it "flowed" a little less smoothly than more practiced tracks. Entering the area from the Three Trees side, we went in towards Solar Park, instead of in Lisaili's direction. Then turned north-east, to reach an area with lots of trees, well away from the pylon track (closer to the "chimney" area of Solar Park's new phases), from there we aimed back in toward Lisaili, but turned east again, upon running into an area of large sabkhas and low dunes, which was the gateway to reaching Murqab's tall, bushy, long range dunes and bowls. Most of the terrain was quite technical, with the added challenge of having to ride and cross ridges made soft and shifty by the strong wind, which had created an accumulation of fine sand forming a "step" on the hard-face of the dunes. This was an unusual situation, which I found myself facing for the first time, and which clearly was "designed" to make our escape a little more difficult. The convoy behaved extremely well, responding to each different environment with minimal refusals, and with just the need to stop three times, for a pop-out repair, and for a couple of tugs. Thanks to @Chinthaka Ruwan for a clean Second Lead, to @GauravSoni for a very reassuring Sweep, and a very well deserved thanks to the rest of the convoy - @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Zixuan Huang - Charlie, @JeromeFJ, @PaoloMaraziti, @Darren Brooke, and @Zed. Great driving, and ability to adapt to the different terrains. See you soon out there. Enjoy the rest of your week.

@GauravSoni @Farouq Owdeh @Ruan van den Heever @Zed @Mus_hus78 @Xavier Treasurer @Hasan Wahlan @Lakshmi Narasimhan Now, this is what I called a Super Strong FB Convoy. So famous are the Sweihan boys, that we have quite a few drivers coming all the way from Dubai and Sharjah to see what the hype is all about. So here's hoping for another rocking drive in Sweihan 🤞 With the able support of the flying Italian @Lorenzo Candelpergher, I will be more than happy to push the pace and increase the challenge during the drive. See you all at the meeting point tomorrow at 9 PM. Convoy numbering would be announced tomorrow morning.

@Ale Vallecchiyour drive brief, pre brief, drive directions, post drive report are equally eye catching like your leading the drive on sand. I love all your exploratory drive theam, planning, execution and exit. As usual it was wonderful and refreshing mid week drive. It is assured that your mid week drives defeats the heat of the sun and is full of fun, thrill and learning. Thanks to the entire convoy for being part of the fun drive.

Dear Desertnauts. Just a quick few words about what's to come this Friday. As mentioned in the drive's post, the goal is to show that Qudra, the place usually chosen because of the possibility to enjoy its low dunes at sunset, and its lakes for picnics, our usual introductory ground to off-roading, has several surprises to offer, even for the more advanced drivers. Most of the itinerary, surely the first part, will be the same as the one we use for the Absolute Newbie drives. The differences, here, will be the speed and the skills we'll adopt: faster, and including criss-crossing and ridge riding. With the goal of completing the AN drive in a much shorter time, what will be left of our planned 3 or so hours, will still be driven in challenging terrain, likely to the south of the bike track, close to the pylons, and possibly all the way to Solar Park, or even beyond it. Welcome to @Paolo Pellegrini, @Sunil Mathew, @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Tareck, @Ben84, @Chris Wing, @luis mantecon, @TT_Dubai, @Alfred Alinazar and @JeromeFJ. The convoy order will follow tomorrow, as well as the final instructions about the meeting point, and the radio channel. Have a nice evening.

@Ale Vallecchi Thanks for another great drive. Wonderful terrain. Everyone did great. Thanks @Lakshmi Narasimhan and @GauravSoni for your advices. Its always happy to see all the familiar faces on the sand again. See you all form next drive.

Because of this drive (9pm to 1am), I made a special mod to the LC: 4 amber offroad lights (amber goes well against dust & fog). I hope I don't blind the car in front of me 😂 PS: ignore the 2 on bonnets, they will be turned 45° to help cornering/seeing before turning ☺️

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for the drive yesterday. The perfect afternoon escape in the middle of the week ! These double sided soft crests were tricky, but excellent opportunity to exercise balance and momentum. And the timing was perfect, with the arrival at the Murqab mosque in the evening light! @PaoloMaraziti, thank you for the footage, that little grey FJ looks like a toy car having a lot of fun 😄😂 !!

thanks again @Ale Vallecchi for lead @GauravSoni for sweep. Thanks both for accomodating an exit, looking back I think it was perfect timing: 1. If my son wasn't sea-sick, I wouldn't have stopped. Stopping made me realize I had a flat tyre (this morning PSI still intact meaning no soft puncture - hey I guess Method's BeadGrip works well and prevented me a pop-out 😂 cc @Mus_hus78 for more fire to fuel 🔥) 2. If I didn't ask to exit, this might continue to be a Night Drive 😂😂 Thank you Everyone too, you all did great as we come home on time ☺️

You are most welcome @Zed, you are now free to join your second, third or fourth drive for the week. @Zed, @Lakshmi Narasimhan and @GauravSoni you guys better sleep in the desert and don't walk like zombies, or I will wake you up with tons of recoveries and shoveling.

And so, it happens

@Lorenzo Candelpergher Thanks for the great drive - This shd be part of a course, "How to ridge drive comfortably in 2 hours" . Posted my video here. Starts with my cresting within the first 5 minutes , tug - thanks to @Gaurav Soni @Ashok chaturvedi for showelling. As time passed by with more and more ridges, the time I could spend on the ridges increased from say 3-5 seconds to 40 seconds at one stretch that too with curves and elevation changed. Great Learning experience. Good to see Richard @Wrangeld, hope car is Good Great to see u guys, @varunmehndiratta, @Ahab Shamaa, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ,@Dodi Syahdar, @Kailas, awesome convoy ...pumped up all the time...

@samamara I've recently fitted both front (which extends to cover the area just under the number plate) and rear plates, and happy to have done so especially during my fewbie drives. I had to look at the cost of the plates, versus potentially damaging expensive engine parts during the drives - and in hindsight was a good decision. Great comments above, especially the explanations from @Gaurav and @Frederic, as usual. The rear bumper in particular is vulnerable, basically acting as a scoop at the wrong angle, so this needs attention. For me personally, a kill switch is not a priority at the moment. I have the same car as you. We don't share workshop names/details on the portal, but if you'd like to discuss further/including workshop contact, feel free to contact me - 050 734 5801.

I do work continuously for 2-3 days I am used to waking for long hours. Body and mind has to be tuned for that. If you can manage no problem will see you!!! If you feel tired then please head back home thats what I will do.

@Shaz Shahvery well deserved, looking forward to our next drive together.

@Rawad

Congratulations @Shaaz Sha

Congrats buddy @Shaaz Sha well done! Well deserved!!

Many congrats Nice to see you as Advisor.

Congratulations @Hasan Wahlanfor joining the fewbie plus group , we need more fewbie plus in our drive ….zed and kartikh dude u must join us soon 😇…..

Most Mitsubishi Pajero owners might have heard about the 4WD Super Select II system, which is the control system on their Pajero 4x4. There are a lot of misconceptions on what mode to use in the desert, and the use of differential locks. Below I will describe the functionality of the 4WD Super Select II system and how to use it for offroading in the UAE sand. Also, we will talk about the use of differential locks (center and rear) functionality, when needed. Your Pajero equipped with the 4WD Super Select system has 4 modes. Switching between 2H and 4H can be done while driving (max 100km/h). If you need to switch to 4Hlc or 4Llc you will need to stop the vehicle, put it in Neutral, then select the desired gear. 2H - 2 Wheel Drive This mode is for dry highway roads only, and will slightly reduce road noise and fuel consumption. 4H - 4 High This mode is the one we generally use for offroading in the dunes on most levels. The Viscous Coupling System distributes the power to the front and back based on the condition of the terrain (33% front / 67% rear). 4Hlc: Instead of the viscous coupling used in 4H, this mode locks the front and rear wheels together at a 50/50 ratio. (Center Diff lock) This mode can be used for more advanced offroading or soft areas when required. This mode is not for on-road driving !! 4LLC: - 4 Low with Lock Center differential This mode is used for self-recovery, steep hill climb, and descending from very steep slopes only. The maximum speed you should use 4Llc is 30km/h. Driving beyond 30km/h in Low gear will damage the gearbox sooner or later and should be avoided at all times. The well known Omani hack puts the car in limp mode, and can only be used in Low gear, hence is not recommended to be used if you go beyond this maximum speed. Rear Differential Lock Some Pajero models come with the R/D Lock or Rear Differential Lock. This option can be activated during your self recovery. How does it work ? In normal situations, your rear differential is "open". This means the rear left and rear right wheels can turn at different speeds, and this is necessary because of the speed difference when turning your wheels on the road. When the rear differential is open, and you are stuck in the sand with one rear wheel free, and one rear wheel stuck, ALL the power will go to the wheel that is free, hence recovery is quite difficult. Engaging your R/D lock will lock both wheels on the rear axle (like it becomes one solid axle). So even when your one wheel is free, it will still send power to the wheel that is stuck. The Rear Differential Lock is very useful, but not a MUST HAVE. It will come standard on the 3.8 Models. Drive Mode or Tiptronic Mode As you learn offroading, we generally advise you to keep the car in "D". The reason is that we want you to focus on the terrain and let the car think for you which gear it should take. Once you start entering higher level drives, you might find that the gearbox is a bit slow in reacting, or that it is upshifting or downshifting at the wrong time. This is not always the fault of your transmission, but could also be yourself who is quite nervous with the throttle pedal, making it hard for the car to decide what you want. As a result during offroading the transmission will be constantly shifting and during hot days this will lead to overheating. Tiptronic mode gives you as a driver full control over which gear you want to select. Initially this takes a bit of practice, but soon you will see that you'll be able to keep the car better controlled by choosing the right gear and keeping it in that gear as much as you can. For example during offroading you can keep it in 2nd gear, and shift back to 1st gear whenever you need to tackle a dune. As you can see, the Pajero has a lot of functionalities that might be confusing at the start, but once you start using them it will become clear that the Super Select II 4WD system is one of the best systems for 4WD on the market since a long time.

Hi @Islam Solimanseems won't be able to make it for Saturday. Thanks

Hi @Gaurav 1. One newbie drive..dats it 2. Yes 3. Pajero LWB 3.5L 2017

Just RSVPd, new joiner, 1st ride, have a lot of offroad experience in the snow ❄️, but never in sands. Have all recovery gear, Wrangler Rubicon 4dr.

Hi @Wrangeld and to all others. 😄 Hope you all are doing well. I'm so excited to be part of this group. I recently purchased a Mitsubishi Pajero 1999 3.0 LWB Manual Trans. It's going to be my first time to hit the dunes and I have no previous off road experiences. The vehicle is already upgraded for off-roading purpose. The suspensions have been upgraded with enough ground clearance, tow hooks both front and back. I have all the necessary accessories such as tow rope, deflator kit, compressor, flag, shovel, sand ladder type grip traction tracks, sand recovery boards, etc. I love driving so much and I really wanted to experience the sand terrain. By joining the club, I'm looking forward to gain more knowledge and experience to ultimately become a professional off-roader. I look forward to meeting you all and have a great time! Thank you.

Great I can make it, see you on Saturday Morning. Looking forward to it

Congratulations @Shaaz Sha bhai!

And with the very strong convoy that we have this weekend, if everything goes well, you will most definitely have a preview of a Fast paced FB+ drive.

Dear @Gaurav bhai, inspired yesterday by @Lakshmi Narasimhan & @GauravSoni's enthusiasm who said they will only sleep for 2 hours after Sri's night drive, please put me in Waiting List as this will be my 3rd drive this week 😂 Besides, I haven't seen you for a long time!

@M.Seidam great news!! Very well deserved, see you in the sand soon

bro @Lakshmi Narasimhan 2nd drive in AUH? Are u joining Gaurav's Friday Morning 5am drive despite Sri telling us this will be over by 1am morning? 😅

It looks awesome man👌👌

Congratulations @Alfred Alinazar..

Congrats @Alfred Alinazar!

Congratulations @M.Seidam

Congratulations @Abdul Rafay-S

Hi @Lawrence_Chehimi sure i will share. Noise was from the plastic cover which got open due to fender push rivets got broken (it was fixed by cable tie) Transmission was not working due to gear knob sleeve was broken and push button was stuck (after removing knob it can be pushed manually while driving.) And gear shift lever was stuck due to panel rubber moved from its channel (after removing rubber transfer case lever became free to move) See you in next drive

Congratulations @Alfred Alinazar well done!

Well deserved 👏

Congrats @Alfred Alinazar!!

Hi @Kailas just realized that i not only signed for two but did it on same day and same time as well. I will step out of the @Ale Vallecchi one and join for this. Thanks for highlighting

Kindly add me to waiting list

Thank you very much gentlemen, @Ale Vallecchi, there is nothing like the snow mode, great grip in the sand.

Good job @Luc Khaldoun!!

Many Congratulations @Shaaz Sha Following u.

@Shaaz Sha amazingly achievement and truly well deserved! 🍻

@Gauravcan we now have some weekly Fewbie + drives in Abu Dhabi?

Congrats @Hasan Wahlan, now that you're Fewbie PLUS, you can be 2nd Lead, Center Forward or Sweeper in our weekly drives 😁👍 and rotate turns with @Mus_hus78 & @Xavier Treasurer !

@Hasan Wahlan congrats!

H Wrangled. Thanks for leading the drive on Friday and I also look forward to meeting you! The car is completely standard – I’ve just fitted a compressor and a flag! I’ve done around 20 drives in the desert over the 12 years I’ve been in the UAE. 10 or so were several years ago when I had a SWB Wrangler and then the odd one or two drives since – I also went out with Off Road Zone a few times. I’ve been driving out to camp in the desert several times in the last year as well. I bought the Raptor a couple of months ago and did a one-on-one half day drive with an instructor for my first time out in it to get the feel of it. I’ve since done another 3 drives with friends in Al Qudra. I tried to sign up for an intermediate drive not realizing I needed to start with an Absolute Newbie drive first! The main things I’d like to get out of off-roading are to upskill my desert driving capabilities in a safe environment where I can learn from those with more experience. I’m also looking forward to meeting new people and seeing different parts of the UAE desert. See you bright and early Friday!