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Good Morning All, Ashok chaturvedi @Ashok chaturvedi Niki @Niki Watteau @Watteau Dodi Syahdar @Dodi Syahdar Lakshmi Narasimhan @Lakshmi Narasimhan Danish Mohammad @Danish Mohammad Abdul Rahman AK @Abdul Rahman AK varunmehndiratta @varunmehndiratta To be honest, I have vascillated this week. Should we try to cross the whole of the Carnity Sharjah/Dubai territory in a single drive or not. The concern: we heard through the grapevine that there were checks being made in some areas. There's been some great drives taking place in Sharjah this week without issue. So. it's on with plan A. It all depends on us whether we make it 5, 10, 20 or 100km! I am not making promises of extensive ridge riding or criss cross - we have a lot of distance to cover and we will take what ever conditions come along the way. I'll publish a convoy a little later in the day, however, as this is an IM drive, the buddy system will be in place so be preapred for that. See you soon in the sand.

Jeepie Expert Jeep Wrangler SWB green Lead Alain Canivet-Abikhalil Fewbie Plus Jeep Wrangler LWB SL Zixuan Huang-Charlie Fewbie 2010 Nissan Pathfinder - white 3 Adhir Saxena Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB 4 Gregory Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB 5 Ranjan Das Intermediate Rubi-Grey-4 Door CF Ben 84 Fewbie Jeep Wrangler Rubicon LWB 7 Sunhil Mathew Fewbie 2015 Jeep Wrangler 4 D yellow 8 Chris Wing Fewbie Plus Toyota FJ Cruiser 9 Darren Thompson Fewbie Raptor, 2017, 4 door 10 Hisham Masad Advisor Toyota FJ Cruiser SW Choosing radio channel 2

Hi All As promised, the convoy plan for the morning. We will be starting in the dark, so anyone who did not yet have a night drive, I expect around 45 minutes of dark once we get going. It's a different experience than driving in the day. I am proposing using Carnity channel 10. It worked perfectly during the drive earlier in the week. Any questions/comments add them here. See you soon in the sand.

I had a center diff lock issue few weeks back: after self-recovery the center diff lock remained locked and would not unlock, causing heavy steering when driving home. My mechanic was trying to solve the center diff problem by isolation: whether it was mechanical (possible fix: change center diff lock actuator), or was it electrical (possible fix: clean dirty connections). While he was doing that, I was reading the materials from my Land Cruiser Repair Manuals and some other sources. Thought I'd share my "differential enlightenment" here, and try to explain it as non-technical as possible 🙂 FYI, I've arranged it so that everyone knows the context and working background of a diff before using this knowledge to our offroad driving, so read from 1-2-3-4, but if you wanna go straight to how we use diff locks, go ahead to point #4 below: 1. The Minimum 3 Diffs required for most cars Forget if you have 3 buttons with labels: RR/Rear Lock, Center Lock, FF/Front Lock. Forget the IFS vs Solid Axle debate for front drive. Turn your 4WD car upside-down (or easier to look at the underbody diagram in your manual 😁 ), it better have 3 differentials: Rear Diff (Red Sphere), Center Diff hidden in what's known as Transfer Case that also holds the 4LO low-gearing (Purple Sphere) and Front Diff (Blue Sphere). What's that, you don't like this 3D illustration? Let's show a real example with an old Toyota Fake Jeep #whoops I meant FJ 😂 You can see I circled the 3 "pumpkins" casing showing the 3 differentials location 👇 2. Why do we need those spheres/pumpkins/diffs ? The picture below shows 2 tyres on an axle with NO DIFF. Do you think it will turn nicely without slipping? Do we want this kind of horse carriage in our modern 4WD systems? 😅 So there you go, we need Diffs to make smooth turnings without stressing the driveline. In the illustration below, when we turn the Red Curve is longer (travel more distance) than the Blue Curve (travel less distance), so how can they turn at different rates when the engine gives the same power of 1,000 rpm? The answer: the magical mechanical device called a differential 😊 General Motors made this video long long time back, even though it's in Black & White, it explains how the concept of Differential came about (also explained how the Spider Gears work!). The video is optional, only for the technically-inclined and curious ones... 3. Why do we need that Center Diff? So from point #2 above, we know Diffs are used for turning the car, so front & rear diffs make sense, but what does a center diff do? Tilt the car? Refer to sketch drawing below: The car is turning left. Each wheel follows a different curve path: the inside wheels don't need to turn so fast, so in this diagram the front inside wheel needs 50 rpm and the rear inside wheel needs 48 rpm. BUT in order to turn, the front wheels need to turn faster than the rear wheels: thus the outer front wheel needs 54 rpm and the inner outer front wheel needs 50 rpm. Both front wheels are rotating faster than the rear wheels. If you add all the power required, Total Front Drive Power Needed = 54 + 50 = 104 rpm and Total Front Rear Power Needed = 52 + 48 = 100 rpm. WITHOUT CENTER DIFF, the transmission outputs 100 rpm to both Front and Rear drive shafts. So what? Well, that 104 rpm needed to turn wheels is greater than then 100 rpm, so extra stress is created... if continous stress is accumulated, this may lead to the image below, kablooi! So the Center Diff is similar to point #2 above, but instead of allowing inside wheel & outside wheel turn at different rates, the Center Diff allows the front axle and the rear axle to get different power output. Refer to diagram below now: So by having that Sphere/Pumpkin/Diff in the middle, the front drive shaft gets more power to accelerate faster than the rear drive shaft which move slower. Don't believe this paper drawings and theories? Well let's watch how the World Rally Championship uses Center Diffs to make turnings smoother and then lock the Center Diff to distribute power in a straight-line driving: 4. Press that Center Diff Lock! Finally we can use all that theories to use. Refer to below illustration: Red Axle is the rear and Blue Axle is the front. The Front-Right wheel is slipping while the rest of 3 tyres got some traction. Why won't the car move? Here's a little secret: Diffs are great for helping to turn, but the side-effect of a diff is that the output power from transmission will go to the wheel with the least traction. In the diagram above, that means the Front-Left Blue tyre will not turn at all! BUT we still have the 2 Rear Red tyres with traction, don't we? Yes, but from Point #3 we know an open Center Diff allows front & back axles to turn at different rates, so in this case more power is given to the Front Blue Axle because of that spinning wheel that has the least traction... thus the rear tyres spin r.e.a.l.l.y s.l.o.w.l.y , making the driver frustrated and leaving him sweating 😂 Now we hear those famous words from the radio: "Engage 4LO and (Center) Diff Lock" We'll talk about 4LO some other time, but the effect of pressing the Center Diff Lock is now this illustration: No it's not the same image... ok yes, but watch the rotational arrows at the back. You see that Front-Right Blue slipping wheel? That one is stealing all the drive power. BUT because of Center Diff Lock, we now forced the Front & Rear axles to turn at the same rate. So if the Front-Right Blue is stealing 100 rpm slipping, then now the Rear Tyres are also spinning 100 rpm, with probably 50:50, so Rear-Right is 50 rpm and Rear-Left is 50 rpm. Because the Rear Tyres have traction (those brown balls), then the rear tyres move the car forward... or down-right depending on the angle you wanna recover. 5. Press that Rear Diff Lock! So you think Center Diff Lock is enough and no need for a rope tug? Well check the illustration below: Now we have 2 wheels spinning: one in the front (Front-Right Blue) and one in the back (Rear-Left Red). You press Center Diff: nothing is moving. Why? Well the Center Diff allows front & back axles to turn the same, that bit is right... BUT because power is lost to the least wheel with traction, the transmission output will just spin both wheels (Front-Right Blue & Rear-Left Red). Calculatively: Front-Right: 50 rpm spinning Front-Left: Zero rpm not spinning (refer to disadvantage of diff in Point #4) Rear-Right: Zero rpm not spinning (refer to disadvantage of diff in Point #4) Rear-Left: 50 rpm spinning (same speed as Front-Right due to Center Diff locked) Here's what's gonna happen if your 4WD is lucky enought to have a Rear Diff Lock button: It's the same image again? Yessirree but look at the rotational arrows, especially at the rear red axle. So now Rear Differential is locked, splitting 50:50 drive power to the Rear-Right Red tyre and the Rear-Left Red tyre. Now instead of Zero RPM, that Rear-Left tyre will get 25rpm and might just nudge the car forward a bit... slowly but steadily, you might self-recover! Calculatively: Front-Right: 50 rpm spinning Front-Left: Zero rpm not spinning (refer to disadvantage of diff in Point #4) Rear-Right: 25 rpm (due to Rear Diff Lock) Rear-Left: 25 rpm spinning (due to Rear Diff Lock + Center Diff Lock) Yes you have to do Double-Locking: press Center Diff Lock first, then Rear Diff Lock. 6. Press that Front Diff Lock! That situation in Point #5? Well you have a higher chance of self-recovery if your beloved 4WD also has a Front Diff Lock. Refer to illustration below: Calculatively: Front-Right: 25 rpm spinning Front-Left: 25 rpm (due to Front Diff Lock) Rear-Right: 25 rpm (due to Rear Diff Lock) Rear-Left: 25 rpm spinning (due to Rear Diff Lock + Center Diff Lock) You can now do Triple Locking: get out of the car, assess the situation, then press the magic 3 buttons: Center Diff Lock On, Rear Diff Lock On, and Front Diff Lock On. 7. Cars with Triple Locking from Factory If you made it to this point, then you may want to now look for second-hand 4WDs that have triple-locking from the factory 😊 Here are 3 that I know of (please add if you know more): 7.1. Land Cruiser 80 Series: just look at the diff lock indicators on that dashboard. No custom aftermarket buttons to show if your car is triple-locked 😁 7.2 Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. Do you know why I said the order is Center Diff Lock then Rear Diff Lock then last is Front Diff Lock? It's because Mercedes Benz labelled it in that order too! 7.3 Land Cruiser 300: well, this one you have to wait, and there's no second-hand market yet, so this is the most expensive triple-locked currently 😅 Sources: The nice 3D Illustrations are from the Land Cruiser Cool Project.

Excited with your drive plan, of course we are waiting to follow you where ever you lead us and prepared for what ever is in store on the way, cant wait for long!!!!!

Torn between two Raptors .. good name for a song. See you tomorrow

Looking forward, been 2 weeks since explored the sand.... Squeezed between two Raptors, jeep is up for challenge and ready to Roar!!!

Thanks @Frederic other support seniors and fellow drivers for a most enjoyable morning drive. Attaching some pictures...

Dear @Abu Muhammad Usually the motion sickness start with no warning signs and ends the same once the trigger is removed . Once happened to my elder son in one of the drives while for the middle and little one they were asking for more stunts 🤣 I am planing to write up about this condition and how to deal with it in near future 😊 Eid Mubarak 🙏

@Wrangeld Yes i got meeting point link its available in drive details. Only required radio frequency. Hi @Thomas Varghese Eid Mubarak Yes got it 👍 Thanks for the list of channels😊

The waitlist priority for the drive is as follows: 1. @Chinthaka Ruwan 2nd Weekend Drive 2. @Matt.T 2nd Weekend Drive 3. @Gregory 2nd Weekend Drive 4. @Zixuan Huang - Charlie 2nd Weekend Drive @darren thompson you are added to the drive, please confirm the same.

Fredy needs only a puny 3.0 to go everywhere 😂

Really nice start to the Lisali dunes this morning and I thought the pace was just right as we enjoyed a cool breeze and a nice sunrise. Thank you to @Vanessa8580 and @Srikumar for the energy and enthusiasm and the guidance on the recoveries. There was lots to learn for everyone simply in observing and participating. We had a couple of stucks, a couple of tows, a pop out and lots of shovelling! A condensed recovery masterclass for the newbies and fewbies! 😄 A few pics now uploaded in the gallery. Have a good weekend all and Eid mubarak to those celebrating!

Wonderful drive @Vanessa8580. Thoroughly enjoyed all the challenges you threw on the convoy to make the drive very nice and interesting. Loved being in sweep and helping out with recoveries. Some nice ones done by @TT_Dubai. Well done to all the drive participants.

Meeting point is posted. Radio channel 10

Hi @Wrangeld Eid Mubarak Thanks for an early update ... i m so excited for this drive because its my first IM and fully prepare to face challenges keeping in mind that safety first. love the convoy list as four Pajero’s are together👌 I request.. please post meeting point link and radio channel frequency number. Thanks 😊

Here is the convoy numbering for tomorrow drive. In case of any emergency you can reach me at 050 5258706. Please watch Absolute Newbie Video Briefing (MANDATORY). No Video Watching = No Drive @Enrico Biscaro, @eldose baby, @Joji varghese, @Mohamad Ziad Alhennawi, @AbdullaB, @Rsjiv Samuel, @Tom V, @AMBATI, @Vanessa8580 Gaurav 1999 Pajero Enrico 2017 Mercedes GLS eldose baby 2017 Lexus GX 460 Joji varghese 2009 Fortuner 2.7 Mohamad Ziad 2007 Hummer H3 AbdullaB 2006 Land Cruiser Rsjiv Samuel 2021 FJ Cruiser Tom V 2014 Xterra Off Road AMBATI 2021 FJ Cruiser Vanessa 2008 Pajero

Thank you @Frederic for leading us through such a splendid, fun filled drive this morning. We had a relatively large convoy and Kudos to all for their superb driving through the close technical dunes to climbing the mighty Faya with finesse. Thank you @Hisham Masaad and @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ for the support, it was a pleasure, as always, driving with you. To the rest of the convoy, it was great meeting and driving with you today. Hope to see you soon on the sands.

I have only driven Jeep among the list shared by group above . And can tell you with full assurance it's something for which the liking grows with every day one drives it .. And this is coming from someone who was always reluctant to go for jeep for it's not so smooth drive - it's my first SUV, first 4WD and I have always been about smooth cars.. ..bought it just an year back and now I just cant step into my wife's sedan (and it's a good one). For offroading - it's RPM to Torque curve is super smooth and flat to make it fun through tech dunes as well as climbing steep hills. Crawl ratio is ofcourse the signature element of Jeep. On road, I have a JL Sahara and it's just a superb drive ..once it touches 100 K mark the sound, the rhythm is just awesome. And there is no limit on accessories and mods available off the shelf for it. Plus the fun of taking off the roof is next level especially in beautiful Dubai winters. Servicing isn't expensive and parts easiky available locally.

Have to agree with @Srikumar there. The drive had no boring bits thanks to @Vanessa8580, splendid team effort too with the recoveries 💪🏽

Thanks for clarifying your fair point @eldose baby, I have added you back in the drive. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

If I have to spend 70K on desert toy, here is my list in priority. 2 Door Land Cruiser (IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND) 2 Door Nissan Patrol SWB (Difficult to find clean one) FJ Cruiser in stock condition 2 Door Pajero 3.8 in stock condition Wrangler Rubicon in stock condition (Difficult to find clean one) Xterra off-road buy for 50K and save 20K (Difficult to find clean one) Xterra is lower in list as you have 70K to spend and max you can spend on super clean 2015 Xterra offroad is 50K as they have discontinued after that. If I have 50K then Xterra will be sitting above Pajero 3.8. Just to put things in right perspective for you, as a new buyer: FJ, Xterra, Pajero and Wranglers are the most common offroaders here in UAE sand, but you can also select less popular models like Tahoe, Silverado, Sierra, Raptor, F150, Armada, Pathfinder etc.

This is minimal you will get used it and no re gearing is required . I believe you are experienced now 😉 to handle it my friend . Best of luck 🙏

Thanks @M.Seidam. My confusion was the size too and you have cleared it. Stock is 265/70/16 and my present tires are 275/70/16. The only problem I experienced with the wider tire is the speedo is off by 10%. Plus the petrol mileage. Maybe more experienced drivers can clear this doubt.

Hi @Thomas Varghese I personally , and many others , drive all around on and off roads on A/T Geo 75/70/16 since my AN and I am happy with them . No noise on road , great on sand for what we do . Even with the stock suspension I have no rubbing or any other issues .

Wow so many numbers and it shows how this is a great club ! I see jeep grand’ Cherokee. I like that car, do they make it with diff lock? If so what model? I’d love to be able to go around and shop, alas time is a tyrant so I am not sure I can find the one Jeep. FJ seems to be the right bet, still, but I have not given up yet.

Hi @Wrangeld added myself to the drive (rsvp was open) and is my first drive of the week. Hope it's okay?

DRIVE RSVP IS NOW CLOSED The plan is to explore Suwaydan, which is located on adjacent to Pink Rock, and make our way to Faya. From Faya, if time permits we will drive to Mahafiz. Below you can find your convoy positions for tomorrow: 1) Frederic - Pajero SWB - Crew @Frederic 2) Ranjan Das - Jeep Wrangler SWB - Intermediate @Ranjan Das 3) Munkybizness - Nissan Patrol Super Safari - Newbie - @munkybizness 4) Savio Fernandes - Nissan Patrol - Newbie @Savio Fernandes 5) Shu Yang - Nissan Patrol - Newbie @shu yang 6) Hisham Masaad - FJ Cruiser - Advisor - @Hisham Masaad 7) Sheri - Pajero LWB - Fewbie - @sheri 8- Jeetu Sharma - Pajero LWB - Newbie @jeetu sharma 9) Joseph Sebastian - Jeep Wrangler - Newbie @Joseph Sebastian 10) Zixuan Hunanh (Charlie) - Nissan Pathfinder - Fewbie @Zixuan Huang - Charlie 11) Hafizah Okunnu - Jeep Wrangler SWB - Newbie @Hafizah Okunnu 12) Aisha S - Jeep Wrangler SWB - Newbie @Aisha S 13) Alan Canivet - Jeep Wrangler LWB - Fewbie+ @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil 14) James Thorn - Lexus LX570 - Newbie @James Thorn 15) Muhammad Kashif Razzaq - Jeep Wrangler SWB - Support Team - @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ We will be using Channel 2 - 446.03125 Mhz Please don't forget to bring your Offroad gears as per your level. For Newbie and above this means a flag, shovel, pressure gauge, and programmed radio. See you all tomorrow !

Congratulations @Ranjan Das for reaching the Intermediate 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. INTERMEDIATE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie Plus drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. What you'll learn Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing Skills required Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS. Drive teamwork Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@Frederic thanks

Thanks Fredy for sharing the link It's their on this drive topic first page, first post.

Welcome @AMBATI @AbdullaB and @eldose baby for joining this Absolute newbie drive, will surely have nice and relaxing fun desert drive coming Friday and I look forward to seeing you all. Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Confirm your vehicle has minimum of 8 inches of ground clearance.

Actually the speedo is showing 10% more and helps me in preventing speed radar flashes.

@Srikumar first of all thank you for taking time on a public holiday for a Carnity drive, even though the participants were not many the drive took off. Yes, there were problems that did not allow us go through your drive plan, but there is always the positive of learning something and the opportunity to help each other. Let's not forget we had amazing weather, imagine if sun and heat would have been in full blast! @GauravSoni amazing driving before and after the mechanical issue in your car. @Thomas Varghese great camaraderie and support as always. @Abu Muhammad I hope your passenger is feeling much better now. Guys, wish you a great rest of the week and a fantastic weekend ahead. Drive safe, stay safe and hope to see you all soon in the sand.

To tell you the truth I expected 70k. The tires are still not bald. But considering @Srikumar's advice I'm changing it. Moreover last couple of week's drive I have felt the car is not holding steadily on side slopes and tend to slide down sooner than expected. Kindly give me your choice on manufacturer and make I should be fixing on my Xterra. My preferences are Yokohama and Kumho. Both are AT and almost same price with Kumho up by approximately 100 AED more each tire.

Hi Gaurav, Sorry for the late reply, Actually last time I took my friend's car FJ. I wanted to try with my own car - Lexus GX 460 to get confidence.

Hi @Jeepie, sorry as I am also joining Intermediate drive this Friday with Richard. See you soon!

Welcome @Enrico Biscaro to join Italian gang with @Ale Vallecchi @Lorenzo Candelpergher and @Luca Palanca Falsini . For buying any off-road toy, there are two most important things. First you answered above, that you wish to drive at Extreme level in the sand, its clear. Second is your final budget that you plan to spend on this off-road toy? Please share your budget indication and we can advise further. And just to give you some perspective you can take 20K car to extreme level too instead of 100-200K worth, but lower the budget, more time you will spend (initially) to bring her to desert worthy state. More expensive and newer model will come with tension-free ownership.