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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/15/2019 in all areas

  1. With so much information that can be found online, i wanted to try to bundle this a bit into 1 article to make things easier for people new to off roading here to provide a bit of information about tow straps / snatch straps / recovery ropes. I will just try to share the information that i've come across and what was also found on Carnity about the well-known Viking Ropes and AOR ropes (Thanks @Rahimdad for previous article on that one) ! With the main aim on safety, i will try to give a view on the DO's and DONT's so we can all ensure that everybody goes home safe and that these practices can be carried forward. Every time i take the kids to Al Qudra Lakes i still see so many people doing such crazy and dangerous things while recovering/pulling others. These people don't have any bad intentions, but just don't know any better. We'll start with those: Gas-station 40dhs Tow Straps: *Mostly made from Polyester or Polypropylene, and ONLY meant to tow a normal (sedan) vehicle home. DO NOT USE THESE STRAPS FOR RECOVERY WORK !!! The metal shackles are projectiles that will fly off on the first decent tug attempt. Kinetic Recovery Snatch Straps Kinetic snatch straps are made from Nylon, which is a material that will allow for around 20% stretch. This stretching creates a less brutal jerk when recovering a vehicle, and additionally the "recoil" effect will generate a massive amount of energy, which is a good thing, but also something you need to be aware of, the lack of feeling that brutal jerk will probably result in you pulling harder than usual, and that could result in damages to tow points or chassis. Like in every recovery the first pull should be a gentle one to assess how stuck the vehicle is, and the second one can be slightly more aggressive, if still the vehicle is not moving it might be better to dig out a bit more and than do a last attempt which should do the trick. (inshallah).. Due to the stretch they are not ideal for towing a car along the highway, but it works. Kinetic Recovery Ropes Similar to the Kinetic Snatch Straps mentioned above, made of Nylon, but in rope form instead. Both AOR and Viking are well-known available brands. Also not recommended for towing a car along the highway but it will do the job. How to Correctly Use Your Kinetic Recovery Rope Step 1: Verify your equipment is adequate for the use and in good condition. A Kinetic Recovery Rope should be sized such that the Min. Breaking Load (MBL) is roughly 2-3 times the Gross Vehicle Weight. To properly select a rope for your vehicle, follow the guidelines on the chart below. Step 2: Securely attach rope to both vehicles - use a proper shackle or tow point. Recovery points should be properly welded or bolted to the vehicle chassis. WARNING: Never connect recovery equipment to a tow ball, as they are not designed for this type of load and can fail, causing serious damage. Step 3: Ensure all bystanders are well clear of the area. No person should be within 1.5xthe rope length of either vehicle, unless inside one of the vehicles. Step 4: Tow the stuck vehicle out. The towing vehicle can start with slack in the tow rope and drive up to 25km/h max. WARNING: Do not exceed 25KM/H with a properly sized rope. WARNING: Do not pull in a direction that would side load your recovery points unless they are specifically designed to handle side loads; most are not. Continue to pull on stuck vehicle until no longer stuck. Step 5: Unhook and stow your rope. Industrial Webbing / Sling Straps These are not really made for off-road recovery, but if properly sized (3-4 inches width) they make a pretty good recovery and tow strap. They are made of Polyester or Polypropylene and because of their higher number of items sold and less marketing bla-bla, they are generally cheaper and available from the general traders. They come with a certificate that details the load they can take. Using it during recovery will however result in a more brutal jerk when pulling out your off-road buddy, but on the other hand it makes you realise the amount of force you are applying and that is always a good thing. How to recognise good quality straps or ropes ? * Type of material is clearly mentioned (Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene). * Load capacity is mentioned, together with safety rating (5:1 for example) this means break strength would be 5 times higher than the load capacity. Beware that the pulling force is easily 2-3 times higher than the weight of the car. So a 2.5 ton vehicle will easily have a total pull force of 5 to 7.5 tons. * Brand information can be found on Google, maybe even with positive reviews from other off-road sites. * Industrial slings will always have a certificate with clear details on how much load it can take with manufacturer stamps. * The ends should be reinforced. What is the lifetime of Kinetic ropes vs Kinetic Straps vs Industrial Webbing Slings ? That is a question that's probably difficult to answer. I will leave that to our senior experts to give their feedback on how many pulls they were able to do with Kinetic ropes, Straps, or Industrial Webbing sling before they broke. Beware that even a small cut in the strap degrades the total strength severely, so it makes sense to inspect it every now and then. Rated Shackles vs Soft Shackles ? To connect your rope or strap to the vehicle's tow hook, you will need shackles. Avoid the cheapest shackles because they will have no load rating. Go for rated shackles IF you can find them..... However, most show load ratings on them but imho the ratings are very questionable as there are international standards but to my knowledge there is no clear legislation in UAE itself. All the reason more to choose soft-shackles because this completely eliminates the risk of having a metal projectile flying through your windshield. When using Kinetic ropes, the soft shackles are definitely an essential item, due to the massive amount of energy being released during the recoil effect. I hope this provides a bit more information on the subject straps and ropes. Feel free to correct, comment, and remark !
    5 points
  2. Try explaining that to RTA when registering the color of your car 🤣🤣
    5 points
  3. If you buy few Pajeros in different colors might be cheaper than putting that on one Pajero....such things could be breaking the bank...
    5 points
  4. Here’s how we solved the problem
    4 points
  5. Congratulations @yogic72 for reaching the fewbie level with Carnity Offroad club. Within last few newbies offroad drives you have shown tremendous progress and well deserve this new offroad rank. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Fewbie: Number of drives 10 (16 regular drives) Level of drives Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune reading Off-road gear Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor (recommended) Drive teamwork Observe recovery from a safe distance and offer help when needed Drive posting/joining Join newbie and fewbie level of drives only Forum participation Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery Social media sharing & inviting friends & family to join an offroad club is highly recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.
    4 points
  6. Superb article on almost all points well covered. Slight addition I like to make on a few aspects: Kinetic recovery ropes or straps have plenty of advantages of softer pull, elastic effect but also has few downsides. After every tug kinetic ropes need some time to recover the elasticity. You can't or shouldn't use kinetic ropes on stuck that require hard tugs to reposition vehicle nose or back - when stuck in a wedge situation. Straps if it's from a proper offroad brand like bushranger or TJM, they need not be a 3-4 inch wide and still do the job very nicely for years as per what they are rated for. I think @Srikumar using one of those and still works fine. Industrial Webbing, often confused with rated straps as they look similar but that's where the logic of 3-4 (min-width) plays an important role. I'm still using (occasionally now) 5-inch wide Liftek Webbing Sling since more than 10 years now and its really capable of dragging heavyweight uphill or giving a hard tug to reposition vehicle with jerks, as sometimes you need these jerks when straight recovery isn't possible. @Mujtaba @Melvin Martin now you know when buying your next webbing, brand rating and width is very important than breaking them frequently.
    4 points
  7. The detailed briefing at the start of drive by @Gaurav and @Rahimdad has a big impact on learning. I cannot thank enough gaurav, rahimdad, @Emmanuel, @Srikumar, @edouard for patitence u guys show during refusals and stucks specially in the new drives.
    4 points
  8. Screw all your practical and logical reasoning, this by itself makes bigger rims worth it!
    4 points
  9. Bigger size rims = more expensive tyres. Bigger size rims = more offset in actual speed shown on speedometer. Bigger size rims = not ideal if you or your significant other likes to park against the curbs. Bigger size rims = will probably slightly increase fuel consumption, but not sure of that. Bigger size rims = less tyre height = will drive "harder" on the road, less comfort. Bigger size rims = will make you stand out more of the "regular" Pajero driving crowd
    4 points
  10. @Rahimdad @Gaurav @Srikumar @Emmanuel Always a pleasure to drive with all of you! It's a wonderful thing to see the member grow and see new people joining and learning like @AKR. Special thanks to all the guys who helped me with the tire situation at the start and sorry for delaying the convoy! @Fuad & all, I hope that this "jump" would be the last, as I wish to keep my car good enough to follow you each friday Special thanks for @Rahimdad for the great write-ups after each drive, it's great to relive the morning on the forum
    4 points
  11. I have signed up for both drives. I am ok to be in either one as the Leads decide
    3 points
  12. This is life. If someone doesn’t want to listen to proper technical advice and wants to keep chasing the lowest price, then good luck to them. Let them deal with high repair costs instead of medium maintenance costs.
    3 points
  13. I recently signed up for a newbie drive with carnity and throughly loved it had a blast. Later decided to do it often hence required to make a few changes to my cherokee kk as the front bumper is extremely low. Got feedback from the seasoned carnity offroaders and decided to not get lifts as this affects the overall ride quality. The next option was to get the extra plastics cutoff and get a bash plate installed. I din want to go for a high end job but a basic one to protect the raidator. A budget of 500 was set for the job Found a fabricator in sharjah got a 4mm plate installed with fitting by welding in 300 aed . This included cutting the bumper, installing the plate and painting it. Jazeerat Delma turning shop sharjah 0502216822 Will be putting it through a test soon...will keep u guys updated
    2 points
  14. For the FJ I would recommend going for the fox suspension, it improves the balance of the vehicle and you'll feel much more comfortable with the fox. Normally an inch wheel spacer will make sure that your centre of gravity is not compromised.
    2 points
  15. If you are looking at a 2 inch lift a set of spacers might be better than changing the entire suspension. Normally a 2 inch lift is fine, it should not cause major issue in terms of big change in center of gravity.
    2 points
  16. It's the local parts market, they don't make much money on bushes so rather sell you the whole arm. When clearly if you check online you can find bushes being sold separately and its not just Mitsubishi. Many do this here and vice versa. Sometimes you'll buy parts which are supposed to be sold as a single unit but unscrupulous dealers sell them separately. Like I remember I bought a radiator for a Land Cruiser and the packaging clearly had cut outs for a driier, clips, clamps, bolts etc etc but all were missing.
    2 points
  17. Fitting by welding. Meaning its welded in place? That doesn't sound good. What if you need to remove it to access say a lower hose pipe or when replacing a radiator etc etc.
    2 points
  18. Then there will be special permission from RTA in such order: Monday: Green Tuesday: Yellow Wed........!
    2 points
  19. Yes, we use the LIFTEK brand here at work, and have several ones laying around. We get them tested every year by a third-party company and we are pretty happy with them. I think if well dimensioned they are a very good alternative to a "4x4 Offroad" branded strap that would cost you a lot more.
    2 points
  20. Thank you @yogic72 for brining this to our notice. Your upgrade has been applied. However need more interaction from you on the drives as well as on the forum.
    2 points
  21. Hi Gaurav - thanks so much for getting back to me so quick. I actually saw Barry's flag and was delighted to see another Irishman. I'll give Rainbow a shout on this - thank you!
    2 points
  22. Congratulations @yogic72. With great power comes great responsibilities, use wisely.
    2 points
  23. 2 points
  24. It is acceptable, I just renewed and had no issues with it.
    2 points
  25. Awesome contribution @Frederic Thank you !
    2 points
  26. My advice, open the oil cap and look inside. If it needs flushed, it needs flushed, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. These bottles of engine flush you see that you put in the oil, they’re mostly paraffin. So if you want to save money put a pint of paraffin in the engine, run it for 15 minutes and drain the oil when it’s still hot. Gallons of flushing oil, I wouldn’t put them in any engine. You don’t know what’s in it. The jars aren’t even marked with a grade. Good way to heck up an engine fast. If your engine is really sludged up, no amount of flushing products will fix it. You need to remove the rocker covers and sump and put paraffin or diesel through the oil galleries under pressure. Heres a particularly shitty one I worked on. Rental car company customer, always used the cheapest oil available. Were suprised when the engine siezed up 6 weeks after this. I refuse to deal with rental companies now. If other mechanics want to cut each other’s throats and do oil changes for 30 dhs, let them have at it.
    2 points
  27. Like everyone else said, it’s the rear bushings. Differentials in any car rarely give bother unless it’s totally neglected. Then you would see the oil spots on the pavement outside your house.
    2 points
  28. Hello to all, I wanted to ask if adding a 2 Inch suspension lift on an FJ would mess with its center of gravity. I have done approx 20 drives and I consider myself to be in the Fewbie Level. I have understood the limitations and overall stability of my FJ but I am assuming a new set of suspensions would perform slightly better than stock and also the increased ground clearance would be beneficial. My main fear offcourse is rolling over, so will lifting the FJ by 2 inches increase the center of gravity and hence increase the chances for rollover?? Thank you, looking forward to the expert advice.
    1 point
  29. Hi guys, New to the forum (and Dubai having come from Ireland). I picked up an E60 M5 a few weeks ago and I'd like to have the calipers painted (M-Sport Blue). Can anyone recommend a place that's good for this? Id love to do it myself by the sand/dust levels in the underground at the apartment are horrendous. Thansk so much Gordon
    1 point
  30. A Dublin lad! Spent a while working there. Always good to connect with people from home. I spent a while working near Ballyfermot. I visited Ballymun once but that’s an experience better not talked about 😂
    1 point
  31. I have been hearing a lot about Dobinson lately, it's not a cheap mod so if you don't like you can change. Try to check with people who own FJ and have already moded, check with them if you can try their ride and decide. Maybe the garage you want it done at has a moded vehicle they will let you try out. Check with Future Tyres in the business listings. Lot of positive feedbacks for them and they might be able to point you in the right direction. Regarding the wheel spacers please go with a good brand spacers and not the Iranian ones. Plus after the spacers the wheels might protude out of the vehicle which is a no no for RTA, so you will have to het bigger fender flares so the tires don't show out of the body. Plus get a good alignment and balancing job done after the lift, preferably from the same shop that is doing the lift for you.
    1 point
  32. It's low hanging fruit so to put a bashplate was a good idea. But welding it in place, not so much.
    1 point
  33. Ta me go maith Barry, go raibh maith agat. Agus tusa? Ca bhfuil to i do chonai? Taim in mo chonai i JBR. Tra agus mo BMW!
    1 point
  34. Hate to break it to you but it’s not real. That video was going around on Whatsapp a while back.
    1 point
  35. @AKR Looks like a decent job. Can you please upload few clear pics of the plate. You can click some during car washing session when your car is raised.
    1 point
  36. Only the top aluminum arm is for around 1500 genuine new. try to get some good quality bush it will be cheaper and try to change your driving habit of the way you accelerate from stand still.... should last you bit longer....
    1 point
  37. Hi Gordon, we have another senior techy from Ireland @Barry you are not alone now, lolol For calliper painting, if I may suggest opting for powder coating instead will last very long and also looks nicer than the paint. My friend has used http://rainbowpowdercoatings.com/ for his wheels and he was pretty happy with the pricing and quality offered
    1 point
  38. Great write up. My snatch strap I got femrom Ace lasted me 7 years. Just for a careless tug from someone who left a knot in the rope it broke on the very next attempt. So a cut in the rope is a long way as a knot can easily break your strap. There is no certain life, but if you keep your rope or strap in a shade and clean the rope to make sure no sant is stuck in it can last you a very long time.
    1 point
  39. The bigger the rims get...the thinner the tire wall gets why do you want to experience each and every pot and hole on the road...
    1 point
  40. Mines 265/65/R17 . Anyways will check out with some shops. I heard that bigger size rims wil reduce fuel consumption n ride quality .
    1 point
  41. 16” Rim-265/70/16 = 30.6 Inch 17” Rim-265/65/17 = 30.6 Inch 18” Rim-265/60/18 = 30.5 Inch 19” Rim-270/55/19 = 30.7 Inch 20” Rim-265/50/20 = 30.4 Inch You can calculate your stock tire height first and then upgrade to any other wheel size + downgrade the profile of tire to result in overall similar height, to avoid any rubbing issues. Here's how to calculate tire height Example: 16” Rim-265/70/16 = 30.6 Inch 265 x 70% = 185.5 mm (One side profile height of tire) 185.5 x 2 = 371 mm (up and down profile height of tire) 371 mm = 37.1 cm = 14.6 Inch (Total profile height of tire in Inches) 14.6 Inch + 16 Inch Wheel = 30.6 Inch total tire height
    1 point
  42. Thanks guys! We were too busy being scared to film the good bits so the video makes the drive less exciting. But there will be more! cant wait to come. Thank you all for your kind help. It is truly amazing when people put time and effort into something they are passionate about.
    1 point
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