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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/21/2020 in all areas

  1. Drives in the Time of Corona We arrived, and did not hug, or shake hands or come that close to each other. Strange that. Stranger, and better was that EVERYONE was on time, so we were able to take advantage and leave for the deflation point very quickly. Briefing was briefer than ususal. Looks like everyone has taken to heart the postings about being prepared for the drive yourself, and the threat of being turned away seems to focus minds - a lot! If we keep this up, we can get into the sand quicker and quicker each time. With @Rahimdad at the lead @J J a trusted second elad again and @Rizwanm2 sweeping it was up to myself and @Jeepie to keep things moving in the middle. As just about eveyone had driven before we kept us a consistent pace. @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ is finding his feet in the Ford, @Anvar Sadath Bekal is mastering the sloes now that he can trust D! and @Shiju Manuel despite having a very full car made the drive look easy. We really were making up great time today. Everyone kept their distance, but not too much and most were able to unstuck themselves from stucks (which for the purist, should of course be referred to as refusals, not stucks ... oh, what ever, you get my meaning) and keep the convoy moving. @Muffy Acidwala and @Emad Malaeb having benefitted from unexpected experiences in previous drives clearly found today's drive an opportunity to practice what's been learned in earlier drives. We had said that due to Covid 19 the likelihood was that instead of shovelling and sharing the heavy sweaty work, we would be quicker to move to a roped recovery than in previous weeks: and so it was that the first real problem of the day required a gentle tug on the rope to free a stuck before we could move on. The confidence coming through, it was great to see @Jolly Abraham @Mathavan Muthukrishnan manage every challenge with aplomb. By the time we reached the foot of Pink rock in seriously record time @Lorenzo Candelpergher had shown that not only were he and his vehicle very well prepared for the drive but the time we had spare let him get his drone out to take pictures of us all lined up waiting for the ascent to the top. Pink Rock is one of the first opportunities for a Newbie to test their car and their nerve. I remember this well from the first time I sat at the bottom and thought, 'am I really going to get up here?'. The adrenalin pumps the hands get a little sweaty and then it's ... I am going to make it up just like I saw @Rahimdad climb up that hill. For a few like @paolo dassi you just need to trust yourself and the car a little bit more. It takes a bit of time to shock your vehicle from the lazy weekend drives to LuLu it was used to. But boy, doesn't it feel good to hear the engine screaming and the suspension howling as you make it up that hill? In then end we all made it, still earlier than planned, so well done to @Shahid Mehmood @Nayan Shenaiand @Nizam Deen who also made it up and allowed us to continue to exit at Big Red rahter than straight out at the December 2nd cafe which was the original plan. And it's always the case that just when you thinks it's all going well, it start to go ... less well. The sort of challenge you think is not going to delay the convoy seems to suck everyone in reminding us that the sand is cruel to one's ego! With the expert help of @Rahimdad (and in the end a rope) we all got through and headed for the exit. Yes, a bit earlier than we had thought but with everyone wanting more: and as any great enetertainer knows it's essential to leave the audience wanting more! It feels a bit strange to reflate and leave and not debrief and 'share bread', which has been a signtaure moment in understanding the difference of Carnity to other driving groups. The interaction was (and remains) a critical element of the all for one and once for all approach of Carnity and with social distancing it's a bit different. Drivers become friends through shared experiences. Let's hope that the physical distance can be oversome as we enjoy shared experiences and develop friendships through supporting each other. For @Jeepie and myself, we always enjoy the learining experiences of helping out where we can, meeting new faces and sharing a great drive. Yesterday was another examples of this. No doubt we will be kept socially disctanced for a few more months: That just means we need to support each other more than ever as this really is one of the last 'social' activities that is still avaialble to us as the city closes down around us. See you soon in the sand.
    7 points
  2. Dear fellow Riders, Its always a joy going you for a ride with you guys, especially with so much of professionalism and accountablity from our leader @Frederic and his wing men @Shamil @Ale Vallecchi @Xaf really a very nice ride with friends, and the best thing is dispite of all the issues of the outside crazy world (Corona and others) we put all that behind and we focused on riding the dunes and enjoying our rides. RESPECT to all of you. See you soon and stay safe Inshaa Allah
    6 points
  3. Thanks everybody for the fun and smooth drive, in very diverse terrains, with mounting challenges (surely we all learned more about our driving styles, and potential). Just one pic from me, but one that I enjoyed a lot taking. See you soon for another beautiful drive.
    5 points
  4. Hello everybody. Good to have you all yesterday afternoon in Al Qudra. Very nice group, good driving (stucks always happen, and this time were very few), one epic recovery (which has given all something new to learn), a great day before this rainy saturday. See you soon on the sand.
    4 points
  5. Great second drive for us! Despite the COVID distance policy (which I would define in half a car lenght ) the welcoming and helpful attitude of all was great. We started with some hard sand driving (hard due to the evening rain in the area?) to go for some more challenging passages. Hits of the day were a couple of refusals I was very happy to get out from almost by myself and the main lesson learned in the steep climb to pink rock. I started with not enough throttle and moreover in fully automatic gears... midway through the slope the car decided revs were to high compared to what it is used to when we go to buy grocery and shifted to second gear, leaving me with not enough torque to get to the top of the slope. Back to the bottom of the slope, I engaged D1 following @Wrangeld suggestion and started with a bit more confidence, getting to the top of rock with no issues. Thank you @Rahimdad and all of you for the time spent together yesterday, see you next time!
    4 points
  6. Dear @Rahimdad and @Wrangeld, It was a wonderful first ride with Carnity, a bit surreal because of the social distancing, but I loved every minute of the company and the lanscape. And the driving, above all! Have a look at my video from yesterday here (next time I'll make sure my windscreen is clean...) and don't miss the drone shot at 1'50"!! Thank you all, and see you at the next ride. Lorenzo
    4 points
  7. TRIP REPORT Sweihan is famous for its large rolling dunes and has a lot to offer for every level of offroaders. Since we were having a good set of Newbies, I was looking forward to having some good fun on some of the broad dunes that this place has to offer. Except for a couple of no-shows, the remaining 12 cars met on time and we left from the meeting point towards the deflation point. Keeping in mind, the new requirements of Social Distancing, we kept the briefing to a bare important essentials and we started off. @Kalahari was my second lead and I was quite impressed with his drive level, as in some tricky places he managed to keep up with me. Well done buddy. @Bibin Tom was our absolute newbie with his Pathfinder and I am sure that driving in Sweihan would have been a fantastic learning experience. You drove well for an absolute newbie and its good that you were calm and listening to the instructions. With a combined shovel effort you were able to self recover yourself from a sticky situation. That is the real fun of offroading, to overcome obstacles. @sebin was driving with us for the third time and his confidence and car control was showing when he was managing the side sloping. However, a small wrong judgement of possibly leaving too much of a gap and not seeing the track taken, caused him to go off the route into a ditch which knocked off some portion of his low hanging front and rear bumper. It didnt seem like a major issue and I am sure that it can be easily fixed back in time for next weekends drive. @Zed and @Chaitanya D managed their patrol Y62s very well and are looking like they are getting in sync with these monster vehicles. Good driving guys. @Jamy B. its good to see the vast improvement in your driving. There were plenty of times that after crossing a dune I would turn back to see how the first few cars were managing and when I would see that it was your turn to cross the dune, I would start moving the convoy. That's a testimony to the confidence that you have given me that you can manage your Xterra pretty well. It was nice seeing @Jas Gajaria back after a long time with his modified Pajero. Though not sure if the Pajero was ready to be back, as due to ECU tuning there were times when the car just refused to start or would die while idling. Hope its not a major issue. @Vanessa8580 was driving her big blue Pajero today, and I am sure she would have felt the difference after the last couple of weeks. But you again showed that in offroading it's the driver that is more important than the car. Well driven today @Shailja Kalia was joining us for the first time in her beloved FJ and though I didn't have a visual on her, I heard some good feedback about your drive skills. Look forward to seeing you in the upcoming weeks. @Pancho was the quiet person at the back of the convoy. Well driven and well managed with zero issues. With a long convoy support at the back is critical to ensure the smooth movement of all the cars. Special thanks to @Brette for supporting the sweep position. You did a great job. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful drive and see you next week.
    4 points
  8. It was a very peaceful adventure ride we had on pink rock this time and reach in record time as per @Rahimdad. Everyone kept social distance to safe guard COVID-19. Even though we finished the drive bit early but it was a nice trip. See you all soon in the next drive. @Lorenzo Candelpergher your video is amazing with complete drive, especially i like the full birds eye view of Pink rock from top. Well done.
    3 points
  9. Hi @J J yes it was one great recovery experience in our group drive yesterday. Great job by @Gaurav @Ale Vallecchi other group members and offcourse jeepers.
    3 points
  10. Thanks @Srikumar for leading the Sweihan Convoy, and you even called it off at the right time so that everyone's in the Adnoc Station by 12noon, so those going to Qudra can make it (I hope they did) and also the rest of us can continue with the afternoon. Some Lessons Learned yesterday: My first time shoveling with the Spoon. I was sure that we were gonna tug that Pathfinder from behind, since there's a small ditch in front of it... but wow, Mr. @Srikumar patiently advised and mentored the driver to slowly push forward, then a bit to the right, and voila! Wow, that Big White Pathfinder just got itself out of the ditch! This is very useful in case I get my White Patrol stuck in similar situation (though I hope I don't find myself in that position *fingers crossed). Years ago, I had a "Flying Pajero" incident, where my I hit full gas on the acceleration and experienced that thrilling feeling of Superman in seconds, before of course... gravity reality sets in, and... oh well, i leave that story for in-person BBQ chatfire sessions 😁 This is why every time I go up and hit full gas, I just had flashback and sort of hesitated. But Mr. Sri again managed to mentor me and I pulled through my first Side-Sloping with 3,500kg car. After that, hey I think I just conquered my fear and pat my Patrol on the steering wheel. Turns out you don't need a 4L for this kind of maneuver. Btw, who has my photo of me nose-diving with the Patrol? cc @Jas Gajaria ? Thank you everyone who were at the convoy, some camaraderie and hope to meet you at future drives, cheers!
    3 points
  11. hello, how do I posted some photos. I do not know if this is the way to do it and hope you like them. I have got some more and if needed I can send higher quality per email. I am sorry my red car is on most of them
    2 points
  12. You should add them to the gallery. They’re amazing pictures! Here’s the link https://carnity.com/gallery/category/192-newbie-al-qudra-dubai-20-mar-2020
    2 points
  13. @Lorenzo Candelpergher great video !! Covers the whole drive
    2 points
  14. Dear @Lorenzo Candelpergher very amazing video , Thanks 👍
    2 points
  15. Maybe I was the quiet person in the convoy (in the beginning no radio) but I felt I did extreme dune rides for my second time and you cannot imagine how much fun I had. Next week I will try to sign up for 2 rides. I am really addicted and want to learn. I did have a recovery but with excellent guidance of @brette I recovered within a few minutes. It is amazing what you can do with car. Thanks @Srikumar for the beautiful route.
    2 points
  16. No they are not the same. LSD has clutch plates in it and when one wheel start to spin they catch and transfer power to the other hence momentarily locking both wheels and you'll never find a center LSD diff. Only rear. Similar concept is there for all wheel drives in the center like RAV4 and Honda *RVs but that's called a torsen diff. Working principle is the same as LSD. A.Trac is just Toyotas fancy name for traction control.
    2 points
  17. Some pics I took. System wont let me upload the video of the Pajero being rescued
    2 points
  18. Thanks @Gaurav and @Ale Vallecchifor another wonderful drive. Good to see and learn a very tactful rescue when the car got stuck between sand and rocks...with help from the jeepers...its amazing how people help each other in desert when someone is stuck. Wish it is true in all aspects of life when people are helpful for eachother . Have a safe time ahead all of you and take care of yourselves
    2 points
  19. Amazing lead @Frederic thank you for an amazing drive as an offroader i will never wish for more than what you offered to us today, a safe fun drive with all meanings. Starting from setting up the convoy in the perfect order and the gradual of the challenges in the driving techniques and the dunes was significantly amazing. Well planned and well executed. You gave us a very good example of how to lead with full dedication, i saw you talking, explaining and advising each team member equally from new fewbie joiners to the intermediate drivers that were in today's drive. Once again thank you @Frederic @Shamil @Ale Vallecchi @Xaf, I would like also to thank each carnity member joined our drive today.
    2 points
  20. Trip Report The Mahafiz to Fossil Rock is a relatively well known area for the Carnity members. But my plan to bring them to Faya would definitely bring a new flavour and I was excited to see how everyone would manage. We started off at Mahafiz Mosque with everyone on time, and after the short briefing we drove towards the rising sun. The first half hour we explored an area that we haven’t done often yet, but due to a bit too much vegetation I decided to head a bit more north towards the bigger red dunes. Apart from some small refusals and one stuck we easily made it up Fossil Rock. I wasn’t really interested in taking the convoy over Fossil Rock so decided to drive around it and drive towards Faya. From that point onwards I started to ramp the level a bit by bringing more crisscrossing and ridge riding in the game. Reaching the back side of Faya where the dunes become massive proved to be a little bit tougher for some of the cars. We rerouted a bit and climbed all sides of Faya. @Lucky sAm was feeling in his element and was unleashing his beast more and more. Was great to see you with that excitement and confidence buddy, but be careful on the way down. But you drove well throughout the day! @tjsingh as a second lead was a blessing, thanks buddy ! @Mostafa Taha you have grown a lot in a couple of weeks, well done ! @Martin. all the way from Al Ain, and that deserves a hat off. You drove well today, your Pajero 3.5 is little bit underpowered but you managed nevertheless. @Jorge Stepniak Felippe I must admit I had my reservations about the LR4 but this shows again it’s all about the driver. You surprised us all driving great with that behemoth ! @Rinelle Sanaani who brought personal deflators, but looked like you had a blast and you also drove great 👍! @Mels Wolf Like Jorge it’s all about the driver. You’re taking that Pajero beyond anyone’s expectations ! Great job ! @Michael sammy the roar of your beast is amazing and you navigate with ease through any terrain. Amazing. @Tbone congrats as a newlywed gentlemen. Maybe your Hummer was a bit jealous that you need to give attention to your wife now. I hope you can get it sorted. Keep us posted. With @Shamil @Ale Vallecchi @Xaf as my support I was spoiled with such proactive and great assistance. It’s thanks to you the convoy moved along so well and we could exactly do the route that I had in mind. Thanks guys !! We excited at Faya and i saw a lot of happy faces of people that probably could have never imagined driving at this level in such a short period of time. I thank you all and look forward to many more of these drives. IMG_5824.MP4
    2 points
  21. Different ways of crossing sand dunes Throughout the Carnity Offroad briefings you might have heard the terms "straight up and straight down", "side sloping", or "criss-crossing", and these are basically different techniques that we use in desert for crossing the sand dunes. Each come with its own risks and by learning and understanding the technicalities behind them i hope we can all learn faster and get more confidence in executing them. I hope below tutorial gives a more clear understanding on the subject and we can use it for future reference. 1) Straight Up - Straight Down Carnity Offroad Level: Newbie and Fewbies Description This technique is one of the very first we learn to apply when learning offroading. The trick is to approach the dune straight up with "JUST" enough momentum to make it through, but not too much to damage bumpers or cause a jump. One should always take into account the resistance that the sand offers based on different areas, and even more on different seasons. Most sand dunes have two sides - The windward side, which is the side where the prevailing wind blows on, and can be recognized by the wavy lines of the sand. This is the side where we ride on because the sand is more compacted and firm to drive on. - The slip-face side, this the softer backside (smooth side, no lines) of the dune which is generally not recommended to climb on, but this technique can later be learned as you advance through the off-road levels (slip-face attack). How to tackle It is advisable to start off at the bottom of the dune with applying a decent amount of power, and start letting go of the gas once you have climbed 75% of the dune. By that point the momentum should carry you further, and as soon as the car front wheel touches the crest, leave the gas completely or apply a bit of gentle braking when needed, to let you slide on other side of the dune safely. In fact the perfect technique is finding that right amount of momentum that you don't even need to apply brakes on the other side. Some gentle blips of throttle can help at the top to push you over the edge, as you learn and master this first step. If you run out of momentum going upwards to cross the dune, do not worry or panic, this is called a REFUSAL. Gently reverse and slowly come back in a straight line as you have climbed up. Announce on the radio that you have a refusal. Reverse up far enough so you can take a second attempt but this time with a bit more momentum. Risk Level: Low to medium. Approaching too slow will increase refusal and might cause stuck at the crest. Approaching with excessive speed might damage the bumpers or cause a vehicle to jump. Apply gentle throttle and slowly increase after learning. Take note that every dune is different and each approach will need to be made slightly different in terms of speed. Associated Risks: If you approach the dune too fast, more likely you will cause the bumper damage because your reaction time will be reduced substantially at very high speed. 2) Side-Sloping Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards Description This technique is very fun and addictive, but it needs to be executed with a clear mind and a good experience on the behavior of the car. That is the main reason why this technique is only used from Fewbie level onwards. It is very critical to understand how gravity works and as we always says: " DO NOT FIGHT GRAVITY ". this applies to this technique most of all. When you approach a dune that you want to side-slope on, you need to carry enough momentum to get you through. This does not necessarily mean FULL throttle, because that depends on the type of dune. As soon as your car is on an incline, it will have the natural tendency to try to come down. The more momentum you carry, the further you will get. It is extremely important that you do not fight this by going higher up the dune at that point, but to steer down in a smooth way. Braking at this point is also very dangerous. While doing side sloping try to choose smooth path as possible and avoid stepping on rock, bushes or bumps that can bounce you and disturb the whole balance and tip you off or result in dangerous fish-tailing or tire pop-out at high speed. EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE SLIDE-SLOPING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. Best practice: Always visually mark the entry and exit of the dune that you wish to do side sloping on. Stick to the initial plan as far as possible and exit safely. If you are new to this, then watch and observe how others have done before and try to replicate that as much as you can. The best thing to keep in mind is to think about "HALF MOONS" What i mean with that is that you should never make 90° turns during any kinds of these activities, but make smooth half moons during approaching dunes or crossing them. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch of OEM stock height then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less, and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. 3) Criss-Crossing Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards Description Criss-crossing is the art of riding the ridge of the dune and crossing over to the other side. Also here it is vital to understand that the approach towards the ridge, as well as the crossing over needs to be done in a smooth, half moon way. So basically you approach the dune along the length, you can stay on the ridge for as long as you want, but don't lose momentum at this point, or you will be crested lengthwise in the exact middle. Now the trick is to choose the right point at which you cross towards the other side. This feels scary at the beginning, but soon you will get the hang of it, and cross ridges without panicking at all. Make the criss-cross movement again in a half-moon method as seen below. Below picture shows the right and wrong way to criss-cross a dune. On the left side you will see that the approach is smooth and as soon as you cross over to the other side you gently steer down. Braking at this point is again very dangerous. In the right-side scenario, the angle of approach is very sharp, and during higher speeds this can result in a roll-over. EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE CRISS-CROSSING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more then 4 inch of OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. 4) Hill Climbing While this technique is not immediately necessary to cross dunes, climbing a mighty big dune will bring some fun and adrenaline in the equation. At first, you might feel intimidated and not sure if your car can handle this. With the right techniques at hand you can at least make a safe attempt and see how far you can get. This technique can be practiced from Newbie level onwards on small hills, and later you will learn to approach taller dunes from Fewbie level and up. Again it is extremely important to make a smooth "half-moon" circle at the top. If you run out of momentum and come to a standstill, DO NOT attempt to make a turn, but put your car in 4LO, and slowly reverse down the dune while keeping your wheels straight. The low gearing will help you in keeping that slow pace. As you begin to learn this, it's always advisable to make a smaller U-Turn to learn how your car reacts and how your mind reacts when you take the first turn on top of dune. This needs to be done with confidence and without any doubt or fear, so that you don't brake on top and do the complete U-Turn without braking and in a very smooth manner. Practicing on small U-Turn will build your confidence and after 5-10 small U-Turn attempt you can try higher and higher by understanding your vehicle dynamics and limitations. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch above OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. Safety of all offroad enthusiasts is the most important thing. This is an extreme hobby that brings confidence, thrills, and people together as a family. We can only do whatever we can to make all safety instructions clear and concise but in end it's up to the offroader behavior to understand all risk and associated risk involve and enjoy safely. Open for any questions or comments !
    1 point
  22. Thanks @Srikumar for marshalling the sweihan drive and @Brette It was indeed a pleasure to drive there and get whatever learnt till now better. Wonderful day spent well considering the current situation all around. Much needed break Organizers @Rahimdad, @Frederic, @Gaurav and @Srikumar please arrange one more sweihan drive next week and I am already RSVPing in advance :-))
    1 point
  23. Center difflock is for full time 4wds which lock the front and rear diffs together. So if the front diff is spinning the rear is too. Crawl Control is just useless fancy pants bullshit just like hill descent control Maintains a certain low speed 5-10kms over terrain.
    1 point
  24. I am attaching the Relay to pull and My Air Box, keep in mind with these filters is it important to make sure you buy a DRY Filter (Not Oiled) and after every drive you take it off and air gun it to remove sand.
    1 point
  25. Hope everything works out well for you. Take care.
    1 point
  26. Criss Crossing Don't try this without experience it requires lot of practice. VID_20191214193330.mp4
    1 point
  27. Well done @Frederic for taking so much time to share this great off-road knowledge. Very well explained and documented with perfect diagrams and videos. Only thing I like to add for all new offroaders, learn and follow above instructions to the max but never fight the gravity. If you had a bad feeling for any side sloping, criss crossing attempt, exit safely and make another attempt rather than fighting the gravity. Small deviation of track can also cause lot of difficulty and push the car to the soft patch, in that case simply accept the defeat and exit down without fighting with mother nature. Even experienced offroader do have refusal and repeat without any hesitation, that's the real fun and challenge of offroading.
    1 point
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