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Sand to Mountains, RAK Exploration Drive - Report: The more the merrier Dear Desertnauts What a pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning. With so many of you!! Rarely I have seen such an enthusiastic response. Thanks to all of you for the trust, and active participation. This was veritably a case of "the more the merrier". This is not always true in off-roading, as bigger/longer convoys often lead to headaches. But last Saturday, thanks to Legend @Gaurav's availability to lead half of the group, to the nature of the terrain, as well as (and in no small part) to the consistent ability of all drivers, we managed 26 cars, with no major stucks, through a very long drive, in sometimes uncharted terrain. The drive started with a very timely meeting (not gathering 😅), in the tight spot where the dirt track leading into the desert leaves the tarmac road to the Ritz-Carlton Resort. We managed to separate the two groups, each on one side of the road, and to conduct a briefing in the chilly open air, before a rather early departure. As mentioned in the pre-drive briefing, this is an area where locals operate mostly camel, goat and sometimes vegetable farming, with a great number of tracks which lead over and around dunes. The open terrain is not easy to navigate off-track, due to the large amount of vegetation (you never know if there are trees or bushes on the other side of a dune, and when one finds out it may be too late to redirect), as well as a lot of pockets, double ridges, and other features created by the proximity of the dunes to each other. In fact, I had to exit the car twice, as I was uncertain about what laid ahead, to find the right path for the convoy, away from tight pockets full of soft sand, or bushes. Besides the intricacy of the paths we followed, the beauty of this area is given by its most prominent feature: the Longitudinal (or Seif) dunes. As explained in @Frederic's essay on dunes (available among this site's threads). these run alongside the direction of prevailing winds, and both sides (especially closest to the ridge, which tends to be less sharp, as smoothed by the wind) have quite soft sand. We enjoyed the beautiful landscapes' panoramas, from the top of some of the higher dunes, looking down onto the waves of these Longitudinal dunes, separated by sabkhas, the larger ones looking like dark lakes, with lone Acacia trees dotting them, like small green islands. Once we managed to reach the largest two sabkhas, surrounded by lower, still baby Saif dunes, we could not resist riding on top of their humpback, wider ridges. Hence the snaking around up the very ling length of these dunes, which most managed to ride all the way, while a occasionally exiting safely down the low slope onto the safe, hard plain (most of the early exits due to the sand getting softer, and looser, on top, or to some breaks in the ridge that invited more caution). Great job by all the Newbies, @frederic demolder, @Mike Kraher, @Baskaran P.R, @Alphin Aloor, @Arman, @Shehab Alawadhi, @Paul Zeitoun, in practicing a skill - ridge riding - which is more of a Fewbie level trick. Yet, the environment felt safe, so we pushed the drive a little bit toward the end, to add an extra layer to this great off-roading day. Once reached the exit point, on the outskirts of Al Ghail Industrial Area (after driving 53 Kms, in 3:15 hours), with Gaurav we decided to pull an ace from our sleeves, and attempt a "recce" drive in the last area of dunes before sand turns into rocks, and meets the Ajari Mountains. Hence, with the group's Fewbies, @Ahab Shamaa, @Niki Patel, @Federico De Chirico, @Federico Galbieri, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ. @Mahmoud Hamzawy and @DANIEL NOGUEIRA, we remain deflated, exited the industrial area on the main tarmac road, crossed it, and re-entered the sand in the direction of Al Ghail village proper. This is a small plateau of sand, with a variety of dunes, all very young and shifty (moved around and re-arranged by the wind), mostly of soft golden yellow sand, which first cascade onto a smaller, lower plateau, then eventually drop onto a gravel path, where the sand abruptly ends, and the black mountain rock begins to rise on the other side. This makes for a short, but exiting drive, with possibility of ridge riding, some criss-crossing, and, the final bonus, a straight climb, or sharp side sloping, on the wall of a very tall slip-face (where the plateau takes its first step down). Stunning views of the mountains accompany the ride, with a glorious mix of yellow, black and blue colors. After the bonus "recce", we reached our drive, which totaled 67 Kms, in 4:31 hours (3:12 moving), at an average speed of 15 Km/h (21 Km/h while moving). Thanks again to all the members who joined and have already written very good reviews of the drive: well done @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran, @Bala Krishnan, @Ben84, @varunmehndiratta, @AlexPol, @Hisham Masaad and @Harold Roberts. One final special thanks goes to the 2 support drivers in my convoy: well done to @paolo dassi as a sure-wheeled Center Forward, and @Luca Palanca Falsini as a vigilant Sweep. See you again on the sand, as soon as my FJ will be returned to me.

Our treat is always the community to smile as one and support one another. Our reward comes with each members promotion knowing that they have learnt well from us. The time to pay back comes when you reach a certain level and you in turn make these personal sacrifices and rise up to such occasions.

Really!!!! I remember when u joined u were saying that u wana be newbie forever.... Wowwwww, congratulations @Veedooshee, well done, keep it up....

Congratulations @Veedooshee 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 drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback) 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 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

Congratulations @Luca Palanca Falsini for reaching the Advance 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. ADVANCE Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved Join any drive in “Manage” tab even when drive is full Carnity Contribution Committed to drive with Carnity off-road club only Lead/Support: 3 drives or more per month at least Forum contribution to earn Carnity points Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 drives are required for Advance promotion along with mandatory attendance to leaders lead drives. (Promotion will be based on Marshal / Crew feedback.) What you'll learn Advance GPS and navigational skills Route planning, back tracking, safe exits Technical and extreme recoveries Learn to lead on medium to tall dunes How to avoid or lead through technical dunes Fast pace extreme desert driving (optional) Skills required Meticulous planning and preparation Ready for new challenges or unexpected situations Leadership skills to always put the team before yourself 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, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, tool box, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie or Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision Learn to scale drive level as per convoy response Support in training offroaders at all levels Drive Joining All Levels Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

@Nivin, I am avoiding this discussion for a while now😜

Great news that we can drive together on this level. Let @Anish S sit on passenger seat for a while then Congrats @Veedooshee enjoy your new challenge!

Our resident SUPERHEROES @Wrangeld and @Lorenzo Candelpergher altered there new year plan to support the second convoy. Many Thanks Richard and Lorenzo for extending your help. All waitlist has been accepted now. Francois Germishuys Heisem Yasas Dharmadasa Goutam DANIEL NOGUEIRA Craig Finlayson Islam Soliman Kailas Arda Yagcioglu Mohamed Seidam Rizwan Waheed Luca Palanca Falsini MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ Sajit Modiyil Ahab Shamaa Abu Muhammad Nabil Bishara Yousef Alimadadi Shaaz Sha Probir Mukherjee imranaasghar81 P.S. @Mukundan Nair you are not on above list as this will be your second drive. If we have any drop outs, I will definitely add you first.

For any vehicle doing every week offroading is considered as an extreme or adverse condition and all service schedule should cut by half or slightly more than that. I use 10k km fully synthetic oil and change that at 6k km. For those still at mineral oil, please switch to fully synthetic oil for better all round lubrication under high revs during offroading.

Looks like some folks here wish to see US vs Jap Iftar bowl action........! @Ahab Shamaa VS @DANIEL NOGUEIRA FJC (141 hp/ton) VS Dodge Ram (143 hp/ton) pretty close numbers. It will be good fun to watch them climbing Iftar bowl from left, right and center (in same order). I will sit with Miki and share his pop corn.

Climbing Faya from front with so many cross track is not easy and not many stock can do that incl. Xterra, Wranglers and FJC. And those who make it up again some day they make it and others they cant, due to sheer difficulty, angle and height Such long hill climb, do need serious power mod or change or car or change of attitude as @Srikumar trying to point in last line. One less dune is better than 10-20K AED mods + RTA violations + every week mechanic visits + lack of reliability + low resale vale. Once you are completely done with your Pajero, buy another desert toy having good power to weight ratio which is above 120 hp/ton and you will be enjoying lot more.

@imranaasghar81 Refer to this post by @Gaurav. The post explains Carnity’s Offroad Grading Structure very transparently. Hope this helps. **You will have to Apply for promotion in order to be promoted.

Congrats @Veedooshee

@Veedooshee congratulations! Very well done!

Congrats @Veedooshee !! Well deserved !

This is what I do ( maybe overdoing to some while peaceful to my mind ) 1. weekly After each drive ,using my air compressor , i open the bonnet and air jet the surface then comes the air filter and its box. I take the car and lift it up and inspect what ever can be seen ( mainly lower arms , bushings and tow points especially after tugging and being tugged that day ) after that complete jet wash. ( probably my X is the only one which doesn’t squeak ! )🤪 offcourse routine check to the fluids by self just day before the event 2. At 8k I change the engine oil I use personally the 5W40 fully synthetic and feels like driving on cotton ( smooth rumble as if not heard ) and along all other checks 3. I check half way specified time for rotein service and for me breaks and suspension is number 1 priority

@Ahab Shamaa, looking forward to the challenge! My kinetic rope has been almost completely resting after the heavy-duty use in Liwa, so it is time for a good stretch.. and the Speedex arsenal in my trunk is ready for deployment out of the armored tool box. Last but not least, my son Miki, who has recently shifted his interest from wishing/watching pop-outs repairs to being radio capitain in sweep, said for once he'll happily go back to the old passions and bring pop-corn to fully enjoy the pop-out 😂😂 So, as @Srikumar suggests.. "Bring it on"!. PS: drone footage is unfortunately saved on the hard drive of a laptop under repair since endless time. Hope to get it out sometime in January

Like you correctly said 4HLc should not be used on paved roads as it has the central diff locked. But it's perfectly fine to drive it while on the sand. However having said that despite putting 4HLc you will not be able to climb Faya straight up. You could probably do IFB from the left side depending on the condition of the track, momentum, and model year of your Pajero. 2008-2011 years have the upshifting problem. But in one of my earlier drives we had a 3.5 Pajero 2015 model reach the top of IFB as he had the right approach and momentum. Long hill climb will be a limitation of a Pajero but if you see, we do hill climbs less than 10% in our drives. So this is a small limitation in the bigger picture.

Congratulations @Veedooshee well deserved,suitably coached by @Anish S... lookforward to drives with the super duo , and receiving radio guidance , rescues..

I am sure @Lorenzo Candelpergher would be saying 'Bring it on'

Hahahaha! True, I didn’t think of that. I’m not much of a strategist I guess 🤣

I love your ‘Positive’ spirit for the drive 🤣 Now @Lorenzo Candelpergher might consider placing you in Gaurav’s convoy 😂

¡@Veedooshee! Félicitations on your promotion; well deserved! 👏🏻 You’re definitely a great, calculating and cool headed driver 😀 Keep it up and you’ll soon be leading your own convoy with Carnity 😀 See you and @Anish S on the sand very soon!

Wow! The Carnity marshals are too good to us! Thank you guys for opening up a second drive and accommodating the people on the waitlist 🙏🏻 @Gaurav, @Wrangeld and @Lorenzo Candelpergher, thank you very much! Also, thanks to my fellow Carnity drivers for signing up in big numbers to warrant a second drive 👏🏻 Now that we’re done with the niceties, let’s get down to business.@Lorenzo Candelpergher, I’m warning you from now, I’m going to get stuck on every dune of this drive, and call on you to rescue me (lots of work), unless of course you release the drone video you shot of us a few weeks back 🤣 I’m telling you, I might even have a pop-out, and we’d have to use you extensive mobile Speedex shop 😂 @Rahimdad Superman, I hope to see you soon brother for some extra laughs 😀 🙏🏻

@Veedooshee Congratulations

Well Done @Veedooshee Many Congratulations! @Anish S time for a new car 😅

@Veedooshee, I am delighted you have been promoted. In m view there was zero doubt that you are ready and capable and an incredible asset to this club. This is fantastic news that we can all celebrate.

Many congrats @Veedooshee

Congratulations @Veedooshee. Really love your smile, the way you positively take feedback and don't miss out on any opportunity that comes your way.

Congratulations @Luca Palanca Falsini!

Waw @Veedooshee you certainly deserve it. Congratulations . You are one of the passionate strong women in the Carnity tribe and will soon be leading superbly no doubt ! Well done 👍🚙

Congratulations @Luca Palanca Falsini, well done, we are eventually there toghether.. I look forward to attending the next Leaders Lead cycle with you. It is going to be fun!

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and @Gaurav for this amazing experience! And a special thanks @Ale Vallecchi for leading the way to a really nice exploration drive first, and then to this short but outstanding drive int the dunes towards Ajari Mountains! A great opportunity to start as a fewbie! Looking forward to the next drive with you guys!

Wait list now 13 drivers ... soon will need third convoy 😀🤪

With more off roading you will become almost a mechanic or half mechanic I would say 🤣. You will learn to do your oil checks, air filter cleaning , checking your diffs for oil leaks, inspecting and understanding your car in more detail. Halve your service interval times if you are doing weekly off roading or more as Gaurav mentioned, will save you from a lot of surprises on sand. Generally FJC are great cars which give very less trouble if maintained properly. Good luck buddy

That’s a great tip and great info @Gaurav. I will do that going forward... Question: for those of us who use the dealer every 10k for service, would we then shorten the dealer service visits to every 6k? Or do we change oil/fluids every 6k and then still go to the dealers every 10k for regular service (filter cleaning, brake check, AC filter, etc)? ¡Now I’m confusing myself! I don’t have the mental propensity to process such complex matters 🤣

I knew it, you @Ahab Shamaa want to fell the power of American V8 muscle car 😜😜😜 you are most welcome... 👍😁

Oh yeah baby. Now, this is becoming interesting. 😂 But as a word of advice, never push yourself to the max. Have a good time, but when you realise it's getting serious , that's the time you stop as mistakes happen.

The mode selector for Pajero is very well documented by @Frederic which also explain the technicalities. Personally, it does not bother me anymore of not being able to climb Faya (though i still try 😉) and not do things that other cars are doing. I completely understand you @Mehmet Volga, but I feel the Pajero is a very capable car but it has its limits due to the weight, engine and gearing. I do-not think, the Pajero will climb better on 4HLc because i did try it few times. Actually, 4H is better to gain momentum to climb. By default, I always offroad on 4H and I use HLc only when i see a very soft or churned up area where the chance of stuck is high. I personally think that since the 4H distributes more power to the rear wheels than the front wheels, the car's rear wheels tend to dig in easily on soft patches and the front wheel does not have enough power to pull the car out. However on HLc, since the power is distributed equally to both rear and front wheels, the traction is well balanced and the car floats better in super soft sand with lesser chance of sinking.

Congratulations @Luca Palanca Falsini...

Oh definitely..👍.. thank you..

Thank you @Nivin... Richard, thank you so much.. I really enjoy being here and will be my utmost pleasure to keep learning this new lifestyle and also support and help as much as I can... Thank you @sertac...

oh yes sir...thank you @Rahimdad for all your valuable feedback..really appreciate it always...

@Luca Palanca Falsini Congratulations

Thanks A Ton. @Gaurav @Wrangeld @Lorenzo Candelpergher, We owe you guys a treat 😉😂.

Thank you ti everyone!! Was a quite long path! Thank you again and see you in the sand soon! 😁

Hats off for Richard and Lorenzo @Wrangeld @Lorenzo Candelpergher Thank you so much for volunteering to lead and manage respectively the second convoy . thank you @Gaurav as well no words for me than a humble I wish you all happy new year and we won’t let you down .. we will all drive on the @Carnity’s way as we always do 🙏🏻

Congrats @Luca Palanca Falsini !

Current Waitlist: 1) Chris Meir 2) Explored Dubai 3) Arman 4) Michael Glavanis 5) Alexpol 6) Probir Mukherjee 7) Imranaasghar81

Whoa! @Gaurav, That’s a complete second convoy 😀 Now, we just need one of the Carnity leaders to volunteer and lead the second convoy 🙏🏻 @DANIEL NOGUEIRA, worst case scenario, Muhammad and I will ride with you as passengers in the Ram🤣