Leaderboard

Congratulations @DP1011 for reaching the Expert Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you grow 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. EXPERT This level will be the most essential in your off-road development as you will start leading and managing drives independently with the support of other senior advisors. And also you will help in developing new advisors to pass on the knowledge, experience, and skills for managing adventurous yet safer off-road drives. The expert level will offer you continuous improvement in your overall development by alternating between the lead and supporting the drive every week. This way, you will still learn and advance your knowledge by supporting other trip leads in different terrain to understand the complexity and challenges involved and practicing independent lead and convoy management. Carnity Benefits Full access to Carnity without any paid subscription. Join any drive in the “Manage” tab. Carnity Contribution Committed to driving with Carnity off-road club only. Lead a minimum of 6 weekend drives per quarter (3 months). Forum contribution to earn Carnity points. What you'll learn Navigating with or without GPS on the fly. Trip planning, safety exits, and recce skills. Response to vehicle breakdown and accidents. Skills required A resilient, calculative, and rational thinker. Self-reliance, positive attitude, and forward-thinking. Kind, selfless, and considerate of others’ concerns. Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with a 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, toolbox, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie, Fewbie Plus, Intermediate, or Extreme drives. Inspect the vehicle for safety before the off-road drive. Support all other level drives, proactively. Drive Joining All Levels. Forum participation Active participation in the forum. Share drive experience + feedback. Share drive pictures in the gallery. Post trip report after the drive.

Carnity is a platform that values the voices of all car owners and off-roaders for open discussion. Ultimately, whether one finds satisfaction in their vehicle, modified or not, is entirely a personal choice. Reflecting on your Masterclass on February 28, 2023, where the focus was on exploring the world of off-roading without succumbing to the expenses of yachting, it's evident that each sport and lifestyle has its unique approach. Some prefer a more light-hearted experience, while others venture to the extreme. In the realm of off-roading, it's important to note that the Carnity off-road club isn't tailored for those seeking an extreme adventure. Numerous splinter clubs exist, each showcasing their prowess every week, engaging in the perpetual debate of who can outperform the other. Frederic, boasting over 8 years of off-roading experience with four different vehicles, doesn't own a Jeep, possibly sharing a sentiment similar to mine. I, too, find Jeeps to be a bit unreliable compared to their Japanese counterparts. This perspective is rooted in the experiences during the 2007-2014 production line, where Wranglers faced numerous issues, particularly in the desert of Dubai. Now, the JL model is diligently working to rebuild that tarnished reputation, making significant strides, though perhaps with a humorous nod to the crank seal challenges. In essence, you've effectively shared your perspectives through your successful mods and presented your argument in this discussion with a reasonable rationale, which is commendable. Let's kindly conclude the conversation there to uphold the positive and constructive nature of this debate.

Under the seasoned guidance of @JeromeFJ, today’s morning desert offroad drive at Nahel unfolded as a thrilling escapade. Assisted by the capable support of @Gertjan and @Hugo, the convoy navigated through Nahel’s almost alien planet-like topography. The terrain, with its otherworldly features, provided a backdrop for a truly unique off-road experience. As the convoy traversed the mesmerizing landscape, @Alphin Aloor and @Emanuel encountered a tire popout towards the end, a testament to the challenging conditions. Despite this, the drive was punctuated with awe-inspiring moments, heightened by the fantastic and cool early morning weather that enveloped the desert, making the entire journey refreshing. @JeromeFJ unwavering effort and leadership throughout the drive did not go unnoticed, and we all appreciate your dedication and support bro. @Rk ram @Deepak Eswar @george charbel@Pascal You guys were rock solid and was nice to meet you all. Overall, the drive was not only an exploration of the Nahel’s rugged beauty but also a showcase of great driving skills exhibited by all participants. The morning drive became a memorable fusion of nature’s wonders and the thrill of off-roading. More pics in the gallery.

A short YouTube video of our expedition in the desert yesterday.

I was able to capture @DP1011's maiden fewbie drive as lead at Lisaili, hope you will enjoy it. Do leave your comments on the YouTube website.

Thank you @Gaurav @Gary F and ben for the experience today and help. Always good to learn in different terrains and challenges. looking forward for the next one.

Well said @Rafey Hashmi it was impressive to see the Jimmy hammer through - well driven. Well driven by all! As @Ale Vallecchi mentioned those technical dunes are very tricky and you all handled them well! Thanks Ale for a great afternoon out.

Thanks for leading the drive today @DP1011. 🙏🙏 Was a great place to have my first Dubai drive for the year to ease back into the dunes. My kids were excited spotting gazelles and camel today, too many camels to count! 🐪🐪🐪 Great drive by everyone. We started heading south / South West past the camel farms and through some technical dunes in Lisali where we first spotted the group of 3 gazelles. As we headed more to the east we encountered some vegetation, turned south and had a couple of minor refusals in some sandy patches. Into murquab large group of gazelle was spotted and we enjoyed some nice clean dunes to ride on on the way to the exit. Total of almost 40km of varied terrain in extremely pleasant weather. Can't wait to do it again! 👏👏 I had a special few moments at the inflation point trying to work out what was wrong with my air compressor... Fuses fine, breakers fine... It was a case of serious operator error where I had not switched it on! 😅😅😅 @essam ibrahim I'm sorry I broke the handle on your shovel! I use one of these ones and it has worked well over the last year with a good grip on it AOR Aluminum Shovel - Black 64 to 82 cm https://amzn.eu/d/aJZqOQj See you all next time! I'll try to drop some photos in the gallery tomorrow.

Throughly enjoyed the drive. First time with you @Ale Vallecchi certainly won't be the last Learning from the drive: 1. Jimny's can climb (almost) anything; just need momentum, first gear and their own route. ⚡️ 2. Solar park tower is confirmed to be the Eye of Sauron. 👁️ 3. Today's drive rewrote the meaning of 'technical drive' in my books 👏🏼 4. Whether its digging out an entire dune or fixing a tricky pop out - @Ale Vallecchi knows how to keep his cool 😎 See you all on the next one! #JimnyPower

Very well paced drive, enjoyed every bit of it! @DP1011 count me in as a regular now Learnings from the drive: 1. Suspension upgrade made the drive 11x more comfortable. 2. Jimny's can also get crested, who knew 🤷🏼‍♂️ 3. @Gaurav is set to go deeper to unbox the soft sand mystery 💪🏼 See you all soon!

I’m happy to be an elementary school teacher and marshal based on your comments. You can comment all you like here on the forum but I would expect some common decency and respect for others instead of referring to stock Jeep drivers as elementary school.. A stock Jeep JL with 280hp can climb. Unless your reference benchmark is to go and climb Y60 hill or Moreeb from the front side, and in that case you’ll be going home with pink cheeks as when the locals arrive with their modified monsters, you’ll be realizing there is always someone bigger and better than you. Leave your ego behind and enjoy what you can do.

Great post @Zed been thinking about this a lot recently and with 50 drives I think it’s time for some experimentation. Driving the Jeep Gladiator Sandrunner (Mojave in USA) its already packing a few hundred kilos of extra weight vs a Wrangler between the bed, reinforced frame and larger axles. I often find on larger climbs in 4hi I’m running out of RPM in first and torque in second, with 31 inch tires. The Mojave has a 2.71:1 transfer case allowing up to 70kmh speeds (50mph) might be time to find tall dune for some experiments.

Dear Jerome, Thank you for the interesting drive, and appreciate your efforts to make it a memorable experience. The weather and the view from the dunes were amazing. Thank you, everyone, for the teamwork and for overcoming challenges. I look forward for the next drive!

It's a different school of thought. What you consider graduation, both we and the car manufacturer hesitate to endorse, mainly due to concerns about reliability and safety. Our core philosophy revolves around off-roading and nothing else...! Off-roading is much more beyond than just a straight hill climb. We emphasize the importance of navigating the same dune with a blend of skills, experience, and a flexible approach, as opposed to a direct assault that could potentially cause unnecessary damage, bruised egos, or confidence (most important). Based on my experience in tinkering with cars to climb higher, I realized buying a more potent car is much wiser, reliable, safer, and cheaper in the long run. 392, Raptor R, Bronco Raptor, TRX will be a better choices for long hill climbs with well-researched engineering backed by warranty, safety and peace of mind. Modifications have no end and no right or wrong. Every car owner thinks his/her mods are the best and most important. Garages are offering a rate card of mods based on hp you desire from 300 to 3000 hp with LS engines, as Fredy mentioned before. Dig deeper and you will find out the life of those extreme mods are good for 1-2 season max and require constant repairs due to lack of reliability. Hence we believe in climbing one less dune, but enjoy the trouble-free car and make sure to go back home in the same car after every drive.

@Simon Dthank you Simoon, multumesccc! @Rafey Hashmiheey Rafeeey, thanks see you soon!!

I have done no re-gearing so far and I can comfortably drive on all levels. Maybe even push harder. Though I would be interested to know the difference between elementary school and secondary school when it comes to the desert 😂. as for 4H and 4L I still primarily drive in 4H unless I need more torque which I can change on the go. Keep in mind this is with a regular jeep wrangler sport trim however I agree with @Frederic I’m happy being part of elementary school if it means everyone is having fun & being safe

The more Auto you use, Auto will learn off-road shifting as well more intuitively. In general, I use 90% Auto, but I know my Pajero gearbox is different than many newer ones. For most cars, Including wranglers: For a long hill climb, start with second and once you start the climb, shift to first before your revs drop below 3 to 3.5K RPM. In this approach, you gain with the momentum of second gear and climb 20-40% of the climb in second gear and then use first gear power - all the way up, as high as it goes. In Liwa, Qua, Wagan humungous dunes, you can start with third gear and follow by second and first.

Well deserved @DP1011 !!

@DP1011 congratulations 🥳 well done for reaching expert, a great achievement, looking forward to being on one of your drives in future.

Thinking we may need a variety of Jeep configs and a single driver to test and settle the debate once and for all. regarding RPM in offroad+ modes on newer jeeps at least in D they really Like to stay on the higher side of 4000 before changing. Hence I often override in tiptronic, because off-road + mode for at least make the throttle much more responsive.

Congrats on reaching 50 drives @Gary F and your willingness to experiment to find your own driving style 👍🏻 . Please document it like this https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2SVhe5JgRU/?igsh=azVsa3B2c3VnZmN6 (middle of video he revealed it's 4Lo 3rd gear). Science says an experiment that can be repeated by others using the same tools means your paper is accepted by peer reviews and you've proven your point 😅 Pro Tip: start from 4Lo 3rd gear. ZF Transmission Triptronic is awesome that it will automatically cycle 1st & 2nd for you and hold in 3rd. Most Torque Curve diagrams say 3000-3500rpm is engine's peak torque, so when climbing, you want to find the best gear that's in that range and not go above 5000rpm (contrary to most beliefs, at 5000rpm you're actually losing torque). Once you're in flatter areas, upshift to 4Lo 4th or above to keep rpm in the 2000-2500 rpm range to save petrol, and cool both engine & transmission. Downshift again before climbing. And when you're stuck, you're already in 4Lo so you can just shift to 1st or 2nd and do the blip-blip 🙂 *Also call me if you're going to choose Sweihan, Faya or Khatim for testing grounds, be happy to join if not busy ✌🏻

Yeah definitely mate, couple of runs and you will know if it’s better or worse, I’ll try it in my sport too see what happens as an experiment 😁😁

@Ale Vallecchi and all the members of the convoy thank you for an amazingly exciting thrilling and safe drive. Cheers until next time🫡

To talk about Jeep, you must have Jeep at first. To talk about proper Jeep you must have Jeep and first and make from it proper Jeep at second. Only people who passed all this steps can prove difference. Any stock car can climb something, even Toyota Corolla.

That is definitely worth exploring! That’s what she’s made for 😎😎

Everyone drove super well on yesterdays (never even got a chance to take our shovels out from the back of the convoy) drive with a great mix of terrain. lovely to meet all new members , see you on future drives. I have added some photos to the gallery.

Thanks @Looper one of the best experience offroad, fast and furiuse , technical, full of adrenaline, I see everyone enjoying, amazing, amazing, 👏

Hello @Ale Vallecchi I have got added to the convoy, will be joining for the drive tomorrow morning.

Broooo!!! Congratulations!!! See you soon 👏👏 @Dan S

Bravo..felicitare @Dan S meriți 💪💪💪🎉🎉🎉.

Thanks for joining this morning @Naveen Raj@Alexanderrr@Jona@Mark B@Ashutosh Garg@Tareq Al Turq@AlexM@munkybizness@Sunil Mathew ! The aim of combining the technical areas with the more open bigger dunes seemed to have worked. I was having the time of my life in the first part just hopping from little bowl to little bowl. This is the area where we faced our pop-out, which was fixed quickly and allowed us to enjoy the magnificent weather this morning. The second part, as we could call Sweihan North (close to Nahel) was glorious as well. We were able to pick up some speed and i hope the level was up to your expectations. My aim was to create a smooth flowing drive in that second part and you all drive fantastic, so i could just enjoy and look ahead Great support by @Sunil Mathew who was sweeping us today, superb second lead @Naveen Raj, and @munkybizness who kept the neighborhood awake as well I might focus on the technical areas of Sweihan in a future separate installment. Stay tuned !

Thank you all for joining the drive this morning. This area is never disappointing, even with a few convoys around, there is largely enough space to enjoy. And this is what we did ! From one bowl to the other, crossing ridges, climbing high dunes step by step, building up momentum to reach the high points, and going gown steep slopes with rolling sand. And these beautiful views over the dunes and sabkhas with the morning light... The sand was a bit wet at the beginning, soft and heavy in some places, but we maintained a fluid flow, each of you keeping the pace with barely a few refusals. Still a few points to remain vigilant for some of you, steer down and come straight in the slope when your car is loosing momentum and start fishtailing, avoid sharp turns, especially in steep descends, keep your car straight in the descents (giving a bit of gas will put it back in line). Last but not least, in a steep descent keep your wheels straight until you reach the bottom. We had 2 pop-outs at the same location, where the directions of the wheels and the car were not aligned, resulting in excessive effort on the sidewall of the tyre. Thank you all for the team effort during these recoveries. @Emanuel thank you for the SL, excellent drive, @Lala G, very well done also, and thank you for your support in fixing the pops, watch your fishtailing in some occasions, @Deepak Eswar, you can have excellent focus and control in some occasions (last bowl), try to have the same during the complete drive (a bit of fishtailing and refusals could be avoided), @Rk ram, no issue today, stay in control of your speed, especially in the descends, @Gertjan, very reliable drive, always in control, thank you for the pics, @Alphin Aloor keep driving, you will become more in sync with your car, and get the best out of it, @Pascal, @george charbel, very well done, always in control, @Hugo, thank you for watching the back, always a pleasure to see that Last Edition FJ in the sands ! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you soon !

Fantastic Fact-based explanation @Zed and this explains why from a club perspective we don't recommend driving in 4Lo it during the learning experience: 1. Every 4x4 is different, and it's hard to tell which 4x4 can survive constant driving in 4Lo and which not. So we keep it safe and advise people to read the manual of the vehicle. 2. During your initial learning experience (first 20-30 drives) it's much more important to learn the art of offroading in 4H and focus on enhancing the skills of reading the sand and lines to choose, and proper deflation. Once you reach a certain level where you are comfortable to start researching if 4LO is an option in your vehicle and you want to take the calculated risks/rewards, then it is solely your choice and not something that's enforced by a club.

To cut the story short: Senior Marshal Fadi drives in 4Lo, and his convoy won the Desert Champions Trophy (I believe all in his convoy does the same; driving in 4Lo). That's 6 hours of non-stop driving in 4Lo and so yes you can get away with it. His opinion on 4Lo here >> https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm6VAp4q6lR/?igsh=ZnozYXVhbTNhZHNv So I've re-geared 4x already and I've seen what's inside my transfer case + front & rear diffs. I would never drive 4Lo high speed in my Gear-Driven Transfer Case Land Cruiser, but I've driven a few times in 4Lo with my 5-speed Jeep with Chain-Driven Transfer Case... because Gear-Driven Transfer Case is only suitable for low-speed driving. This is why there is No Generic Rule to 4LO: it primarily depends on the car and secondarily depends on the driver if he wishes to experiment with his car 1) First front & rear to 4.88 gearing to cater for heavier tires on the Land Cruiser 2) Second opened my Transfer Case and re-geared the 4Lo gears to make 1:3 reduction in 4Lo only. 3) Third when installing ARB air lockers (carriers) I opened the front & rear differentials and notice the ring pattern signify that my differentials were not properly installed the first time. So I re-geared front & diff again, this time making sure proper break-in process is followed and triple-checking the backlash & preload of rings & pinions. 4) Finally I opened my Transfer Case again cos I was afraid same thing might happen to the Transfer Case as with the diffs. Then for fun & experiment I re-geared the 4Hi gearing in transfer case by simply changing 2 gears. This basically makes my 4Hi "spin more". The 4.88 in front & rear diffs + the 10% underdrive in 4H gears Transfer Case = 5.3 final drive ratio so I don't need 4Lo for normal sand driving (even if my Transfer Case was Chain-Driven). The whole Transfer Case system is just a GEAR REDUCTION mechanical device. And so a 1:4 Transfer Case Ratio for Rubicon just means the max speed in 4Lo is 1/4th of the max speed in 4Hi. It's like driving slower than 1st Gear, but because there is no -1, -2, -3, -4 Shifter, the wizards invented Transfer Case to go Lower than Normal 1st Gear. Obviously there is no use of these lower gears in the asphalt / normal highway, but depending on car (should you wish to experiment), it may has some advantage in loose-traction areas like sand and slower-but-precision drives like rock-crawling. So will 4Lo break your car? Judging by the simplicity of Gear Reduction concept, it probably won't. BUT older cars like my Land Cruiser have Gear-Driven Transfer Case whcih are not suitable for high-speed motion, so I agree with @Carnity Marshals here that you shouldn't drive in 4Lo with these kind of cars. Newer cars with more transmission shifts and Chain-Driven Transfer Case have more flexibility... with the Chain TransferCase you can drive faster than with Noisy Gear-Driven TransferCase. Most people who broke their transfer case in 4Lo most probably broke their Chain in the transfer case too, but for the adventurous who like to experiment with their cars, go ahead and drive in 4Lo... the theory has been laid out, and now it's time for practice 😁

was enjoying this debate while eating popcorn, and I thought when the Crews started giving their advice, this thread would have been finalized, but nooooo 😂 @Josh S the easy answer is if you're driving with Carnity Marshals, 99% you'll drive in 4H. Using @Looper's video here >> https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz1suDgNlgq/ you can see the speed stats and he's driving around 50 km / h. Your 2021 Rubicon has the 4:1 Transfer Case Ratio ... Then the max speed is a quarter (1/4) of the max speed in 4H, assuming 160 km/h max in 4H, your 4L max speed is 40 km/h. Any more than that and you're redlining, overheating both your engine and possibly reducing transmission life. Now those other JL Sports have 2.7:1 Transfer Case Ratio, so in 4Lo their max speed is 1/2.7 which is 60 km/h. If they're following Looper in that video, they can drive in 4L and get away with it (although I'd postulate they can't drive too long without breaks). Yes you can run 55 mph (100 km/h) in 4Lo like video below >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEboJi5FhpE Look how "Torquey" the car is when in 4Low. The Marshals who drive in 4Lo usually have these characteristics: 1. They firmly believe the Owner's Manual only applies to Asphalt Traction. When they're driving in very loose traction like super soft sand, 4Low has more tolerances thus you can go higher than the manual says. 2. They have BeadLock Wheels, which are heavier and need more torque to turn than normal lighter stock wheels. 3. They have Heavier Tires, combined with BeadLock most probably 285s (33") or taller. Again, more torque needed to spin the tires. 4. They have 6-speed or 8-speed transmissions, so they can get away with 4Low + 8th Gear which is close to 4High + 1st Gear but more torque. 5. No Carnity Marshals have #1-3 above, so back to original quick rule: when driving with Carnity, use 4High

Sorry, I have to return midway on my way to the meeting point due to health issues. I am sorry for the last minute dropout. I would have joined if it was any other issue, but will be a challenge to go Desert drive with stomach issues. Hopefully someone can be replaced last minute. Once again apologies. menon