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My reaction when I noticed @amir.rophail and @G.huz signed up for the drive..

I am not actually, when buying a car for the main purpose being Daily Driver + Weekend Off-roader, I will always choose a Japanese make. We drive these cars daily and then at the same time push them in 40+ degree heat! They have to be tough and reliable. RR or Jeeps are good, but I have never come to trusting American/British makes just because the Japanese are second to none in build quality of a vehicle and they are inexpensive to maintain! I had a 2005 Prado LWB for the past 3 years and I have very few complaints about it after 276K Kms. Just recently switched over to a 2006 Pajero SWB for a change. For the dunes I prefer having an old car with less computer management etc. It makes the experience on the sand more raw and in my opinion will make you a better driver, anybody can buy a 2019 Prado and get stuck and use Crawl Control to get them out. But if you're really into the sport of Dune Bashing I think knowing the methods/techniques of self recovery etc are just as important and this only comes with Experience. But then again the newer models are much safer so if you intend to take family/loved ones around everywhere the newer models are much better. Lastly, in my opinion, I think any of the 4x4's we have offered in the market (Pajero/Prado/LC/Patrol/JK etc.) are all perfectly capable vehicles. Each has their own USP's but overall they all will run the toughest sands the Middle East has to offer just fine :D. I'm a strong believer of the saying "It's the driver, not the car". If you know your car well and how to take advantage of it, there is no dune that will hold you back! Oh! Also this is my first post here and I hope to be seeing you guys soon on some drives. 😁 Cheers, Jas

@Jas Gajaria, welcome to Carnity and it's offroad club. The very nice introduction you gave in the opening post, looking forward to driving with you. As much as I agree with everyone points here for the driver comes first, I also believe that car is equally important to really enjoy the dune bashing. I have changed 5 cars before I actually started enjoying the desert driving. @G.huz this guy video reviews and his credibility has been already discussed a few months back here so I really didn't pay any heed to his opinion and feedback, when he was crying for flat bench third row in Pajero for an hour long video. Having said that, I don't love new Pajero's either but the value of money they offer and reliability it comes with is close to none. With little expense, you can fix minor bumper trimming or lift issues and they can be good offroaders. Last but not least whenever you are confused for your next offroad rig, ask yourself which 4x4 you have seen in the desert more and you can't go wrong that way - it will be - Wrangler, FJC, Xterra, LC, Prado, Pajero, Patrol, older pathfinder, older Cherokees etc. I very rarely spotted JGC, LR4, LR3, Touareg, ML, etc in dunes tbh. Like I always mention that sand offroading is TOTALLY different than those overland trips, rock climbing, water wading etc. For Sand, you need basic HP first and then torque, for others it's mostly torque. That's why Landrover defender termed as best 4x4 by far coughs up on half the big red climb with 2.5 diesel engine unlike before V8 Petrol (1999).

My old Prado was a high school grad gift. I wish I could buy another Toyota but they hold their value sooooo well! I had the option of going down and buying a Prado SWB full stock or buying the Pajero and spend the same budget in performance and mods. Let's see how this turns out!

I'm not supersized at all. I can of course not compare the models as i do not have first hand experience with any of them apart from the Prado. I also have quite limited experience with electronic traction aid systems as i prefer good old diff-locks.But i have seen them doing magic. I'm actually also fine with the dash board in the Prado.. My next car will likely again be a Toyota. . I fully agree on Jas points above.

Hey Derick, Go for a full suspension system, and I'll tell you why. 1. Spacers will lift the body of the vehicle and not provide an actual increase in ground clearance (You are basically high centering the car and raising the center of gravity which is bad for cresting with no added benefit) (Refer to the pics below). A suspension lift is what allows for that ground clearance increase as you are lifting the car from suspension up. 2. Spend the extra cash and you will get a suspension which gives your performance! Fast paced rides on the sand will be smoother and the car on the road will have less body roll and a better driving style. 3. As far as Camber goes, don't worry.. A re allignment will settle that back to normal - I myself am waiting to get the suspension lift done for my 3.8 SWB, Planning on going with the MRR Dobinsons (Expensive but I intend to keep the car for long + its fully tunable so with time I can get the car suited for my driving style.) Reservoirs will provide you with good cooling in the shocks so they don't fade! You will always get what you pay for! 😆

Welcome to Carnity @Jas Gajaria !

Stock Pajero has decent ground clearance. If you don't want to spend on suspension, you can up size your tyre when you replace them and trim your front bumper which will be more than enough for camping trips. I had attached the picture of modified bumper and i liked the job done on this pajero.

When you can shower comfortably. The water doesn’t freeze you so hard that you can’t breathe, and it’s not like standing under a blow torch. The shattaf doesn’t mess with your asshole. You don’t have to store water in buckets to let it cool and you don’t have to use the water heater to make it warm. The weather isn’t hot, it isn’t cold. All is well with the world. Enjoy while you can before mr sun starts kicking our ass again.

Just came from London a few days back where just a glimpse of sun was like a god gift. Having a drink with friends on a terrace here now so I am not complaining about this time of year 😄

The transmission is coded to match the ECU. Its like getting a new girlfriend. You wake up one day after a few beers and there’s a different girl lying beside you. You’re going to think, hey, who is this, and there will be communication problems. When you change the transmission, the ECU is sending signals to the transmission and the transmission sends a signal back. The ECU says, hey, you’re not my transmission so they don’t communicate and work properly together. The ECU needs to be tricked into thinking the original transmission is installed in the car to work properly. This is why the coding from the old transmission is flashed to the new transmission. This is a big problem with new cars I come across every day. Some cars require simple things like window motors to be recoded to suit the car. Some new cars won’t accept second hand electrical parts, even after recoding. Brand new, dealer only, and they still require coding after that. I only work on classic cars now but I try to stay up to date with new stuff as much as possible and attend every course and seminar I can find. It’s getting harder and harder for the everyday mechanic to repair basic faults without having a degree in automotive or electric engineering. I only do it because you never know when the dream will end and you have to go back to the real world.

mind my ignorance, but how is that either of the two options (lift kit vs spacers) increasing the ground clearance. I thought ground clearance is measured from the lowest point of the vehicle (which in most case is the differential) to the ground. Now, this clearance can only be increased by putting bigger tyres which can be achieved by both options.

This right here is the truth. Over my recently long offroading career this was very apparent because we basically all drove the same car. Land Cruisers. But some even after driving for years could not tackle anything more than some simple dunes ans while other having recently joined would go anywhere. There was a select group of drivers who were allowed to do the Liwa, Wagan, Shuaib type trips and out of those even a smaller number who were assigned to lead the convoy. Unlike majority of the tour companies we did not operate in the regular sandbox of big red fossil rock area but murqab, lisaili and what is now known as Qudra area. During busy time we outsourced drivers, even the so called ACE and best drivers of the sans box struggled in our area due to is varying terrain from small very technical dune to the big ones closer to lisaili close to the sand stone formations. So yeah I too 100% believe its the driver and not the car. As many know later on I moved to a big chunky Land Rover Discovery and everyone said its a whale and wont go anywhere. But I took it everywhere from Liwa to Wagan and once when involved in a friendly high speed bumper to bumper chase behind big red with a wrangler a Cherokee driver actually later on came up and refused to believe the car was stock other than a basic 2" lift after he saw us two giving it a go on the ridges. SO yeah its the driver alright, another example is Formula 1 racing basically they all have to drive same spec cars due to regulations. So only tye best driver wins tye race.

PIV gearboxes were very popular in the days. We had only one mechanic who we trusted to service them. http://www.corrugatedbox.com/gearbox.html But yes, the VFD in combination with a normal gearbox has taken over most applications in the industry. Barry, If the transmission needs reprogramming, is that due to a faulty original program from Nissan ? Or is that solely to match the newly installed transmission with the onboard program ?

On the other hand, a very similar technology has been used in the industry for many years. Use of gear boxes to take away the additional momentum when starting up, to allow smooth acceleration and to ensure accurate speed control. The technology is being replaced nowadays by the Variable Frequency Drive in many applications.

@Mikhail Lukichev : I just got back from Musandam yesterday . I have prepared something that might help you for your trip. THINGS TO REMEMBER 1. Unclear about rules regarding border crossing with Alcohol. (Atana Khasab has a bar called Darts Bar 26.213723, 56.233832) 2. Carry a pen each to fill up forms at the Oman Arrival Hall to save time. They do not usually provide pens. 3. Almost all the places in Musandam use Arab Emirate Dirhams. 4. Save your and officials’ time by applying for e-Visa beforehand (Incase the online application asks for Port of Entry – Al Daara Border) 5. Not clear regarding ownership papers of car - Best if vehicle is under driver’s name. In case of vehicle under mortgage / Rent a Car: approval papers from the necessary organizations are a must) 6. For Oman Visa details: Use “http://www.rop.gov.om/old/english/dg_pr_visas_agcc.asp” to check eligibility for AGCC Visa (50.00 AED – Only for residents of GCC Countries belonging to selected category). Though I have been told that other professions which are not mentioned in the site have also been approved such as ‘clerical analyst’, etc. 7. Definitely take water slippers because the beaches have pebbles and sharp stones. 8. During checking Omani official asked me if I'm carrying any professional camera such as DSLRs . ( Maybe have to pay extra , not sure ) UAE TO OMAN Border Procedure 1. Drive on E11 towards towards Al Dara Border via Ras Al Khaimah . 2. Drive over one-way tire killer at 26.048322, 56.086789 and park vehicle at 26.049580, 56.088251 on right side. 3. Enter UAE departure hall at 26.049787, 56.087717 with: a) Passport b) Vehicle registration card Ask for exit stamp (mention clearly that you’re travelling to Khasab and NOT there for visa change at any of the counters). Pay 33.00 AED per passport for exit stamp (ONLY by card – e-dirham OR Credit card | e-Dirham card cannot be recharged from the office, have to be recharged beforehand) .Receive exit stamp on passports and an extra slip Pink-White slip (keep it safe). 4. Return to vehicle and move to 26.050195, 56.087695 and pass slip to official through window. 5. Park car at 26.051296, 56.087772 and enter Oman arrival hall in front. Carry: a) Passport b) Vehicle registration c) Oman coverage vehicle insurance d) Address of stay e) e-visa if you have applied for VISA online at ROP (https://evisa.rop.gov.om/) 6. Ask Omani officials for VISA form and complete the form (Carry pen each beforehand). Go to counter and provide passport and form alone to official. Provide others when asked for. Pay 50.00 AED (payable as cash / using Card). Receive passport with visa and extra Pink-White (keep it safe) . 7. Move to 26.051993, 56.088070, park car and exit car (only driver) and pass slip to Omani official. Open boot and show to official. Receive slip with approval stamp after vehicle checking. 8. Move to 26.054293, 56.088090 and hand over approved slip to Omani official through window. 9. Drive to Khasab OMAN TO UAE Border Procedure 1. Move to 26.051477, 56.087608 drive through counter with passports. Receive Oman Exit Stamp from the official (Free). 2. Drive ahead and park at 26.050336, 56.087269, and walk to UAE ARRIVAL HALL at 26.049790, 56.087411 with passports and ask for Entry stamp at any of the counters. (Clearly mention you already have residence visa and not there for visa change). Collect passports with UAE entry stamp and extra Pink-White slip. 3. Drive to 26.048406, 56.086474 for vehicle checking. Provide official with the slip. After checking, receive slip with approval stamp. 4. Drive to counter 26.048037, 56.086488 and pass the approved slip through the window. 5. Drive to Ras Al Khaimah. PLACES TO VISIT (BASIC ONLY) 1. Al Jadi Beach Photo Point – 26.172592, 56.173098 (Great) 2. Khasab Fort – 26.198137, 56.249173 – AED 5.00 entrance fee + Information CD + Oman tourism pamphlet (Great) 3. Jabel Harim – 25.976958, 56.231624 (Great) 4. Cliff over-looking Bassa Beach – 26.213799, 56.234985 (Great) 5. Bassa Beach – 26.212017, 56.236424 (Bleh) 6. Khor Al Najd View Point – 26.091901, 56.363611 (Great) 7. Khor Al Najd Camping Spot – 26.096429, 56.331921 (Bleh) 8. Bukha Fort – 26.144883, 56.153464 (Bleh) 9. Al Khalidiya Acacia Forest Entrance – Can drive through - 26.045059, 56.363629 (High chances of getting stuck in mud if rained recently) (Great) 10. Al Khalidiya Children’s Park Entrance - 26.043421, 56.366832 (Bleh) 11. Al Qala’a Fort – 26.141703, 56.173098 (Bleh) PLACES TO EAT 1. Al Shamalia Grill Restaurant – (Equivalent of Indian cafeterias in UAE) Try grilled : Prawns/ Hammour / Lobster. Family section available on 1st floor. Don’t expect fine dining / luxury, it’s a cafeteria. Also delivers to vehicle / hotel room around Khasab. 2. LULU Hypermarket - 26.199750, 56.250536 – Ready to eat food available near Bakery section + Great for shopping . 3. Wadi Qada 4. Telegraph Restaurant 5. Aroos Musandam I have uploaded word file also along with this reply . Musandam.docx

I will always prefer the complete suspension kit change which is expensive but only needed when you are an regular off roader as the reach for offroad suspension is good compared to the stock. Spacers doesn't feels good for me as we are adding another extra piece to your suspension( Coils ), But not the shocks,thus extending the suspension reach,compression. Best option is to save up and buy suspension. @WiLfY you can explain it the best way as you have upgraded your suspensions to dobinson. Automechanica is on June. You will definitely have some offers on offroad items.😉

I need a two inch lift for my pajero and tuied up between using a height spacer or change the suspension? I read heap of articles and already very confused on which way to go. Spacers are cheap but at same time I dont want to damage any underbody but also i dont want to spend too much for full suspension change when spacer can give that little lift. please help guys

For me it has to be the Mercedes 190 SL. A lot of people write it off as the lesser brother of the famous gullwing SL but I think it looks so much classier with its sleek lines and open top sports car look. I love a lot of classic cars but this comes top of the list for me.

am surprised with his verdict. does this apply on dunes? what do you guys think? it's a very interesting half hour video

I love nature, if it's not hot you would not appreciate cold, and without extreme cold you'll fail to appreciate heat. It takes all kinds to make this world worth living in.

Rahim bhai you are a human camel 😂 When I originally came here it was -10 degrees when I left. The roads were so bad frozen I didn’t think I would make my flight. 9 hours later I came to Sharjah. It was 19 degrees and I was sweating and dying from the heat. You learn to adapt and survive. 50 degrees? Bring it on!

Cool sentiments. Guess I love being in extreme conditions. Specially standing under a blow torch.

LOL, Will await the drives! Completely agree with the mods, do what is required after you know your driving style! I will always mod a car after I master the technique, Learn the technique and then once you master it you can add a mod which makes your life easier. This way you'll not only be able to become a true pro but will also be able to help and drive ANY car in the dunes rather than only your expensive modded one I am currently away in Canada, coming back in a week so will join you guys for the next drives after the 10th for sure! Cheers, Jas

@Jas Gajaria it was wonderful reading your thoughts, my feelings exactly. Can't wait to drive with you, it will be an honour. I had the LR Disco 1 for 5 years and it taught me a lot. BTW I was there when @desertdude was chasing Championdada in his Jeep Wrangler YJ and it just goes to show how a good driver can make the difference. I had an instance when a guy shouted out which is the best 4x4. Turns out most people responded Wrangler. He bought one for AED 60k. Next he asked what are the best mods. I told him at least step in sand first and than decide what you think lacks and apply the necessary mods. But he listened to everyone else and spend another AED 60k to make it look like a monster from moon. AED 120k spent he came for a Newbie drive and after 2 small dunes decided this was not the thing for him. He tried to sell his ride, but no one pays for mods, so he was stuck with a monster created by him which never fetched him anything close to what he had spent. So conclusion, just make the best of what you have and if the sand bug bites you, you'll make any 4x4 rock your way. Don't go by the reviews of a biased old fart who can complain about anything and everything.

Not really on a beach sand dude, in dune bashing, I can agree to some extent

The pic posted is of a body lift not a spacer suspension lift, usually done on ladder frame chassis truck with really big tires. This is just adding spacers between the body and frame chassis. Extreme example is monster trucks. Suspension lift is just putting block or puck of plastic, rubber or metal between the spring and body. Thus raising the suspension. Not a fan of those though, you still retain the same stock suspension characteristics abiet a bit more wobbly and you still most probably will bottom out and your rear will still sag

@Derick for beach sand or flat sand area - no dune bashing you will be better off with spacers than lift kit to spend so much. Professional lift kits are only good for regular offroaders (dune basher or rock crawling) who really able to use its real value. Just make sure you buy good brand polyurethane spacers that work very well unlike rubber that sags/crack in one year and doesn't harm underbody, like metal spacers. And Srikumar must be right that you are not touching the bumper, but bumper skirt in black plastic that extends to 2-3 inch below the bumper, purely cosmetic stuff (I guess) and you are even better off removing it completely because that might pull the whole bumper down on some low clearance stuck.

Sorry to say, both are lifting the body and increasing the approach and departure angle and not as pic posted - It's not right. However, with suspension change, you will get long travel suspension to absorb the bumps at high speed, where spacers might fail if stock shocks are weak or don't allow much travel. I'm using 2 Inch spacer at back and twisted torsion rod for a 2-inch lift from the front since last 6 years and waiting for my shocks to fail to upgrade the whole suspension. Reason for hanging for so long is that with my present suspension I have a Soft Medium Hard setting switch that gives a beautiful comfy ride for road and stiff for offroad. Unfortunately, in aftermarket suspension, you will most of the time driving hard even on road. I had Aragosta suspension on my Patrol and it used to kill my back even when set at the softest setting from the outside reservoir remote x 4 times changing the dial, instead of one switch inside the cabin to flick for all 4 sides.

Yes, it's diffinately the driver i thought maybe the video didn't tackle desert dunes very much, I was thinking maybe offroading on desert dunes is a big different than rock crawling, so maybe the judgement would've been different? Also I was hoping for bigger collection of cars to compare with, maybe in next episodes. Am hoping that my next car would be SWB Prado or Patrol, if I can't afford them, maybe a Pajero... Or I'll stick to my wonderful Pathy I loved the old Discovery, I watched couple of the Camel Trophy races years ago, insanely capable car, but the newest model, super ugly in my opinion, and kind of expensive.

Lift kit, always lift kit.

Dobinson MRR excellent choice. 😍

I think the design itself is flawed. All the power is being transferred through a tiny mostly rubber belt slipping and sliding on two cones. For low power applications it might work and I mean 2 wheel moped type stuff. There is a reason why there are no big power engines coupled with CVTs. I think the biggest motor with a CVT you can find is NA V6 just over 250hp

Same concept but 50 years later. Everyone thinks it’s a new modern thing. How did Nissan get it so wrong with 50 years of research behind them? I got a Nissan in last week. CVT was faulty. Previous mechanic changed the transmission 3 Times and it wouldn’t work. Car came to me this week. I spent 10 minutes reprogramming the transmission and it worked perfectly. If only people would spend a few hundred extra dhs to pay for someone who knows what they’re doing instead of paying 50dhs to a monkey in rashidiya with a computer, their life would be easier I charge a bit more but you don’t have to deal with bulshit mechanics or wrong diagnosis.

That's exactly what even a modern CVT is, a belt with some metal keys driven between two cones.

I love modifying stuff, it’s my job. But one thing that I hate is stupidly stretched tyres and massive negative camber. I modify stuff to make it go faster or look better. If you do stuff like this for fake internet points, youre a twat

@Rahimdad it was a DAF/Volvo 55 I had. I think it was a 71 or 72. I bought it from and old guy who wanted to restore it but he had a stroke. I bought it intending to put a big engine in it but there was no room to fit a pedal box so I had some fun with it and sold it to a guy from the Isle of Man on the internet. It was an early form of CVT. It had a rubber belt that used to slide between 2 cones as you drove different speeds. The fun part was that it would do the same speed backwards as it would do forwards. I tried it once and trust me, it was more scary than fun 😂

This car is lifted (dobinson) i know the owner. Bumper trimming 😍 perfect angle

Well in my case offroad is not much, but loading car with 7 pax and camping gear really push and sag the suspension so much that on road side sand sometime i hit the bumper, especially those wavvy sand, I cross very slow.

I think till about a 2 inch lift it probably doesn't cause the camber issues. We had a couple of guys in the offroad club who had done it and had not faced any issues

Don't Jeros get Camber issues with lifts being IFS on all 4 corners. I've seen one after lift here and looked bow legged i.e bottom of the wheels pointing inwards while the top facing outwards. Looked really odd

For a Pajero I have seen a few who kept the stock suspension and got some good brand of 2" spacers. @Fuad @WiLfY please advise.

Gents, please don’t forget this 👆