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  1. With the tremendous increase in the number of COVID cases in the UAE, we all have to be responsible while off-roading. Failing to abide by any single precaution at any time during the drive, will result in an immediate ban from Carnity Off-road Club. ZERO TOLERANCE First offender - 1 Month Ban. Second offender - 3 Month Ban. Third offender - lifetime ban and report to authorities. COVID19 PRECAUTIONS 2.0 All Carnity off-road drives will be LIMITED to driving only: No Socializing and gathering allowed at any time. No break for taking photos, breakfast, smoking, etc. No exchanging of off-road or recovery gears. Wear a mask at all times, while outside your vehicle. For passengers restrictions, follow RTA or NCEMA guidelines. All passengers should be inside the car, at all times. Maintain a minimum of 2-meter social distance at all times. Sanitize your hands and recovery gear after use. PS1. If you and your passenger cannot sit inside your vehicle for 3-4 hours please DO NOT JOIN CARNITY DRIVES. PS2. A Member who has RSVP the drive is RESPONSIBLE and LIABLE for their passenger's compliance. PS3. The above precautions apply to everyone irrespective of their vaccination status or schedule. PS4. You can confidentially submit the photo of any offender by sending an email to [email protected]. How to comply Read the drive post before arriving at the meeting point, so that you know your convoy numbering and radio channel. Arrive at the meeting point and switch on your radio to the pre-set frequency of the drive. Stop your vehicle at least 10-20 meters away from each other. Deflate your tires, while wearing a mask, and then go back inside your car. All briefings will be done on the radio now, so pay full attention to a briefing for your own safety. After the briefing, fall in your convoy position just before the drive starts. While driving if you get stuck, announce on the radio and be inside your car at all times. Trip lead and/or support will guide you on the radio for self-recovery or tow-rope recovery. While there is a stuck or a refusal, everyone else supposed to be inside their car at all times. You can only take a bio-break during the drive, by requesting trip lead permission. Once the drive is over exit out to inflate by maintaining 10-20 meters distance from each other. While inflating, only the driver supposed to be out and with the face mask at all times. After the drive, you can talk on the radio for any feedback, suggestions or help you need.
    229 points
  2. As we have been respecting authorities guidance & Carnity COVID guidelines to resume desert drives with caution by keeping social distance and wearing mask at all times outside the vehicle Unfortunately few off-roaders have difficulty in understanding and abiding these guidelines. As published in the national newspaper of UAE, everyone need to understand that still there are no gatherings allowed and authorities are issuing fine for 10,000 AED for host and 5,000 AED for attendees. https://gulfnews.com/uae/health/people-caught-violating-covid-19-safety-instructions-prosecuted-1.1591381059748 If you spot anyone stepping out of the car not wearing a mask, please remind them on the radio immediately. As we all are in this together, so we all have to help each other to remind. Failing to abide below list of restriction will result in an immediate ban from Carnity Off-road Club: FIRST WARNING Minimum 1 month ban from joining any Carnity off-road Club drives. Written warning will be issued on your Carnity profile. SECOND WARNING Minimum 6 month ban from joining any Carnity off-road Club drives. Written warning will be issued on your Carnity profile. If you do not like these restrictions, please stay at home and do not join for any off-road drives. Every Carnity Off-road Club Member has to COMPLY WITH THESE COVID19 GUIDELINES FACE MASK IS MANDATORY, WHENEVER YOU STEP OUT - NO EXCUSES. LEARN TO CONFIGURE YOUR RADIO, before the drive. Nobody will teach you or exchange radios like before. Read the detailed instructions posted here - to configure. If you still cannot configure, ask on forum ahead of time. Click "TOTALLY AGREE" Emoji here before RSVP any drive or else trip lead will remove your name.
    192 points
  3. With the tremendous increase in the number of COVID cases in the UAE, we all have to be responsible while off-roading. Failing to abide by any single precaution at any time during the drive, will result in an immediate ban from Carnity Off-road Club. ZERO TOLERANCE First offender - 1 Month Ban. Second offender - 3 Month Ban. Third offender - lifetime ban and report to authorities. COVID19 PRECAUTIONS 2.0 All Carnity off-road drives will be LIMITED to driving only: No Socializing and gathering allowed at any time. No break for taking photos, breakfast, smoking, etc. No exchanging of off-road or recovery gears. Wear a mask at all times, while outside your vehicle. For passengers restrictions, follow RTA or NCEMA guidelines. All passengers should be inside the car, at all times. Maintain a minimum of 2-meter social distance at all times. Sanitize your hands and recovery gear after use. PS1. If you and your passenger cannot sit inside your vehicle for 3-4 hours please DO NOT JOIN CARNITY DRIVES. PS2. A Member who has RSVP the drive is RESPONSIBLE and LIABLE for their passenger's compliance. PS3. The above precautions apply to everyone irrespective of their vaccination status or schedule. PS4. You can confidentially submit the photo of any offender by sending an email to [email protected]. How to comply Read the drive post before arriving at the meeting point, so that you know your convoy numbering and radio channel. Arrive at the meeting point and switch on your radio to the pre-set frequency of the drive. Stop your vehicle at least 10-20 meters away from each other. Deflate your tires, while wearing a mask, and then go back inside your car. All briefings will be done on the radio now, so pay full attention to a briefing for your own safety. After the briefing, fall in your convoy position just before the drive starts. While driving if you get stuck, announce on the radio and be inside your car at all times. Trip lead and/or support will guide you on the radio for self-recovery or tow-rope recovery. While there is a stuck or a refusal, everyone else supposed to be inside their car at all times. You can only take a bio-break during the drive, by requesting trip lead permission. Once the drive is over exit out to inflate by maintaining 10-20 meters distance from each other. While inflating, only the driver supposed to be out and with the face mask at all times. After the drive, you can talk on the radio for any feedback, suggestions or help you need.
    148 points
  4. While offroading, we cross dunes by using different methods, based on how the dune is formed and what the drive level is. Once you have spent some time in the desert, you will slowly start to pay more attention to the dune formations and how we cross them. Once you reach Intermediate and Advance level, you'll need to start learning how to read these dunes in order to navigate and create your planned routes in the desert. As a rule of thumb, the prevailing wind in UAE is blowing from a North-Western direction to South-East direction from 10AM onwards. At night and in early morning it will be reversed and blow from the South-East to North-West. This is something you should remember and you will notice when you zoom into certain areas with your navigation app (Google Maps, Gaia, MotionX, Mytrails,...) you will notice that the wind from that side has caused the dunes to take on their shape. This is a general rule and will not always apply, as you will see that in certain areas where wind is coming from different directions, you will see for example "star" dunes appearing. There are different types of dunes which are separately described below. As you can see in below picture, a dune is formed when the prevailing wind blows on a mound of sand, where the grain will move into the wind direction and create a ridge. The sand which falls on the other side of the ridge, creates a slipface, and this sand is not compacted by the wind. This is the main reason why we generally drive on the prevailing wind side or the convex side of the dunes on the Newbie level. "A dune is a curiously dynamic creature," wrote Farouk El-Baz in National Geographic. “Once formed, a dune can grow. It can change shape and move with the wind. It can even breed new dunes. Some of these offspring may be carried on the back of the mother dune. Others are born and race downwind, outpacing their parents. [Source: Farouk El-Baz, National Geographic, February 1982] The shape of dunes is affected by things like the strength, direction and consistency of the winds; the consistency and amount of sand; the hardness of the terrain and the amount of vegetation. Below we will describe the most common dunes found in the UAE. Different Dunes Crescent or Barchan Dune This is the most common dune. It forms the shape of a crescent moon when the wind blows from one direction. We generally use the words concave and convex to describe both sides of the dune: * Concave is a shape that curves inwards. * Convex is a shape that curves outwards. Crescent-shaped mounds generally are wider than long. On the concave side you will have the slipface. These dunes form under winds that blow from one direction, and they also are known as barchans. Parabolic Dune A parabolic dune is similar in shape to a barchan, but it is just the opposite. The tips of this dune point into the wind, and its main body migrates with the wind, forming a depression between the tips. Because of this formation, parabolic dunes are also known as blowout dunes. These dunes often occur when vegetation stabilizes sediments and a U-shaped blowout forms between clumps of plants. Example of Parabolic dunes near Faya: https://goo.gl/maps/ob8xu3y8VJJvF6hk8 Longitudinal or "Seif" Dunes They are also often referred to to as "sand ridges" or "seifs". Their length can range from a few meters to many kilometers and their height from a couple meters high to a couple hundred meters high. Wind pushes the sand and forms ridges parallel to the prevailing wind direction with slip faces either side of the crest. Linear dunes are straight or slightly sinuous sand ridges typically much longer than they are wide. They may be more than 160 kilometers long. Linear dunes may occur as isolated ridges, but they generally form sets of parallel ridges separated by miles of sand, gravel, or rocky interdune corridors. Some linear dunes merge to form Y-shaped compound dunes. Many form in bidirectional wind regimes. The long axes of these dunes extend in the resultant direction of sand movement. Barchanoid Dunes These ridges are similar to Barchan dunes. They are connected in long crescentic waves as the sand supply is much greater than that which forms a Barchan Dune. Star Dunes These dunes are formed when there are several prevailing wind directions - there is a complex wind regime. Typically there are three or more slip faces, whilst the dunes do not migrate they grow in height. Star dunes are radially-symmetrical, spyramidal sand mounds with slipfaces on three or more arms that radiate from the high center of the mound. They are created when the winds blow equally from every direction, causing the sand dune to grow many extensions and resemble a star. They are rare and are fairly stable and remain in the same place. Some are landmarks with names. Example of a Star dune: https://goo.gl/maps/jRnYghQc8ACzVz6T7 With this knowledge, the next time you step into the desert, you can start looking at the different dune formations, and this will give you lots of knowledge that you'll be able to apply in the future when leading and navigating off-road drives.
    101 points
  5. Do you know your roles and responsibilities while off-roading? Offroad driving is one of the most famous adventure activities in the UAE. Everyone during the offroad drive is always nice and very welcoming to help each other. Due to the nature of this extreme and adventurous motorsport, sometimes things do get unpleasant and everyone involved needs to know their roles and responsibilities clearly. Desert worthiness vehicle: While off-roading every vehicle get pushed to its limit and for this reason, every off-roader needs to maintain, check and fix vehicle problem before every drive. Follow your owner's manual schedule maintenance for extreme driving (harsh environment) intervals and not standard road driving intervals. Preventative maintenance will save you much hassle and time in the long run. We are not mechanics - As much as Carnity trip lead and support offer the first level of vehicle assistance when things go wrong, but they are not mechanic and no one should rely on that emergency support to avoid any maintenance. We are not an Insurance provider - In case of an accident, please follow the UAE road accidents procedures and check with your car insurance company about off-road coverage and recovery plan (if any). We are not a desert recovery company - If your vehicle breaks down during the drive, Carnity trip lead and support will try as much as they can to help, but their vehicles aren't tow trucks to recover a dead vehicle or partially working vehicle out of the deep desert. There are professional desert recovery companies like AAA to assist you and take full responsibility for not causing any further damage while recovering a non-moving vehicle from the desert. We will never leave you alone - In case you ever need to leave your vehicle inside the desert to arrange insurance or recovery, then Carnity trip lead and support will drive you down to the nearest tarmac exit. Mechanical Damage / Failure: Every offroader is responsible for his/her own car failure/damage. Especially in the offroad use some minor long-pending issues might amplifies due to the off-road stress and it should not be blamed on anyone other than the owner of the car. If you have any remote doubt that something might fail in the upcoming off-road drive, then please get that fixed first and then join for next week's drive, rather than taking chances and/or increasing the existing damage. It's always a good practice to join a newbie drive first after some crucial repairs or maintenance to test your vehicle again and then join the Fewbie drive and then Intermediate (as per your off-road rank eligibility). Breakdown log reporting: Every trip lead is reporting the vehicle breakdown after the drive. Occasional breakdowns or accidents are totally acceptable, but repeat breakdown of the same vehicle will not be appreciated. Please look into repeat vehicle breakdown seriously before it becomes a concern for everyone. Two cars involved in an offroad accident: Please decide on the spot, whose fault it is, and report to the neighboring police station for appropriate green and red paper for repairs. Most insurance companies don't cover offroad damage so please make sure if you drive expensive 4x4 with comprehensive insurance, please check your offroad cover properly. Take a lot of pictures and videos of the accident site as Police always ask for this and also save the coordinates of the location as sometimes police like to revisit that area to verify the accident. Single car damage in offroad: In case your car flips or rollover or have any impact damage, take a lot of pictures and videos of the incident as Police always ask for this and also save the coordinates of the location. Tow point failure damage: Every offroader is responsible for their own car tow point strength, integrity, and load taking capacity. If your car tow point fails during "ANY" sort of recovery and damages the other offroader car, then you will be liable for all the damages including the car, driver, and passenger bodily injuries. To avoid such a situation always recover gently and gradually increase the intensity of the tug. If you still suspect that a lot harder tug is needed use the support strap, dampers, or sandbag to secure both ends of the tow rope. Damage while recovering: As much as every trip lead and support are trained to prevent the damage while recovering any vehicle, but the ultimate responsibility of any damage while recovering lies with the owner of the stuck car. Scenario 1: In some cases when your car nosedive in the sand pocket, the front bumper damage is already done, but it becomes visible when your car gets fully recovered out of the pocket. Scenario 2: While recovering a stuck car by a tug, if the stuck car doesn’t stop early enough after the recovery and hit the recovering car, then the stuck car owner is at fault and liable for all damages involved. Lubes / Spare Sharing: Many offroaders do carry a lot of spare fluids, oil, coolant, and other spare parts for emergency situations. If your car breaks down and someone offers you their spares or lubes, have the courtesy to pay or replace that in the next drive. Offroad Gear: Every offroader is 100% responsible for his/her own off-road gear, tools, and equipment and should know how to use them safely and how to take care of them in terms of regular maintenance (if any). If you lend your tow rope to someone, it's your responsibility to make sure that it doesn't have a knot. If you lend your metal shackle, brief that person to unscrew the last round so as not to get stuck. If you lend your jack, either stay around to see if it's placed on flat ground to not bend or brief them properly. If you lend your toolbox or tools, you need to make sure it's used as intended and they don't break. If you winch someone, you should know your winch capacity to do the recovery safely. If you lend your compressor, make sure it's not overheating or wait for it to cool down. Shovel, flag, radio, etc. is also your own responsibility & share it at your own risk. Off-road Promotions: As per Carnity Off-road Structure every off-roader has been assigned an off-road rank based on your driving skills, vehicle capability, and overall attitude towards off-roading. These promotions, ranks, and structures are in place to make sure that everyone is completely safe including you and your vehicle during all off-road drives. Due to safety reasons, there is zero-tolerance while promoting offroaders in Carnity off-road club. Once anyone applies for the off-road promotion, the request goes to all trip lead with who you have driven to access your off-road progress. Mostly all promotion requests are accepted immediately. For some, we request them to do a couple of more drives with the feedback in which you need to improve. Please accept and respect this club policy to help us maintain a safer off-road experience for everyone. Emergency details for all off-roaders: Please fill up all Emergency details here and also take a print out to keep the same in your glove box. It is mandatory for all off-roaders driving with Carnity Off-road Club.
    92 points
  6. 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 !
    71 points
  7. For safer off-roading, we request every off-roader to follow these mandatory safety requirements. Failing to abide by these mandatory safety requirements = NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE. Your safety is our top priority but ultimately it is YOUR responsibility. Seat Belt: is the most important safety feature in every car. It is illegal not to wear and is of paramount importance when off-roading. Seat belts constantly protect you from bumps and jumps during the drive. Everyone in your car should be wearing a seat belt at all times - without any exception, excuse or reasoning. Driver, passengers, guests, family, friends, kids everyone should wear a seat belt at all times. It's the driver's ultimate responsibility to make sure everyone is wearing a seat belt at all times. Failing to abide - even once - you will be banned forever from Carnity off-road club. All children should be sitting on age-specific child/kids/booster seats with the seat belt fastened. Nobody should lean outside the windows or sunroof from a moving vehicle for any reason. You can only accommodate maximum passengers, as much as the seat belts available in your vehicle. If you walk across to help to recover a car and then jump in another offroader car for reaching back to your car, please wear a seat belt even if your car is one dune away. If your car breaks down or is stuck and you join another offroader car, please wear a seatbelt at all times. Secure loose objects: Everything should be strapped and secured in your vehicle before you start the off-road drive. All off-road gear- Shovel, Jack, Board, Compressor, Fire extinguishers etc. should be either fully strapped with strong tie-down ratchet (no bungee cords and no spider net) or a boot partition should be installed with molle panels, dog guard, boot divider mesh or flexible straps. This is to prevent any off-road gear from freely moving in the cabin space and potentially causing a fatal injury during off-road bumps or any unforeseen accident. No camping gear, chairs, boxes or wood should be kept loose in your car boot. Clear Visibility and Focus: While off-roading, driver should have clear visibility and focus. Anything that blocks the clear visibility should be removed immediately from your car e.g. excessive front wind-shield tinting, loose sun-visor, etc. You should immediately stop driving off-road during sandstorms, foggy conditions, or any other natural conditions that hamper visibility to continue. Check and/or replace your wiper blades every month, as rubber degrades with time and if your wiper is not cleaning the windshield properly it may block your visibility. All distractions from passengers, music, phone calls, etc. should be avoided while off-roading.
    61 points
  8. In the UAE, we have a myriad of terrains to choose from when it comes to desert driving. For many new members who might be asking themselves what the differences actually are, I wanted to compile the most known areas we drive in, and give some information about the area and what you can expect when you join a drive with us in that area. We will be focusing on the sand driving. Northern Emirates (UAQ and RAK) Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah have some very nice areas that we often explore, with plenty of vegetation, wildlife, and the mountains are never far away. On these drives, the emphasis is more on exploration than on the typical dune bashing. Scenic Score: 95% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 95% Fossil Rock - Faya - Sharjah From the moment you drive on the Sharjah - Kalba road, you'll see the majestic Fossil Rock mountain on the right hand side. It has got its name due to the ancient fossils that you can find on the rocks, and the surrounding red dunes are a delight to drive. Usually starting from Batayeh-Faya road, the dunes gradually go from small and bushy until you reach the nice open areas with "The Long Lady" as one of the most popular dunes to showcase and practice your sidesloping skills. The cherry on top is the climb on Fossil Rock itself which provides an amazing scenic view on the area and Mleiha town below. A must for every beginner level driver ! To even up the challenge you can take on the nice bowls behind Fossil Rock, or head out to Faya which is also called "The Saddle". Scenic Score: 90% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 90% Pink Rock - Big Red - Sharjah Nearby Fossil Rock, you will find Pink Rock, which got its name from the pinkish hue the rocks have. This very popular off-road area is known for the smooth gentle dunes at the start that gradually move to challenging bowls nearby the base of Pink Rock. Climbing Pink Rock is the ideal challenge for beginners and provides a fantastic view as well. From Pink Rock you can head out to Big Red which will up the challenge and entice every level of off-roader. The Big Red area is an off-roader hotspot during the season. Scenic Score: 80% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 75% Bidayer / Area 53 / Schuwaib - Sharjah This area is not for the faint of heart, and the big dunes will demand you to keep momentum at all times, while the massive hills such as Iftar Bowl and Super Bowl are ultimate play areas one can find in Sharjah. This area tends to be extremely busy during the offroad season. Scenic Score: 60% Excitement Score: 80% Versatility Score: 65% Margham / Lahbab - Dubai A little less known area, but very versatile with nice technical areas, playable bowls, and overall a terrain where any level offroader can practice and hone their skills without encountering too many cross tracks. Scenic Score: 70% Excitement Score: 70% Versatility Score: 75% Murquab - Lisaili - Faqa - Dubai This area is located on the Dubai-Al Ain road and offers so much. From technical terrain, to the arboretum in Faqa, long range dunes in both Faqa and some areas of Lisaili, and the most amazing creamy dunes below the Maktoum Solar Park which we have now called "Little Sweihan". This area never disappoints and there is a reason we have it on our weekly drives schedules ! Scenic Score: 85% Excitement Score: 80% Versatility Score: 95% Al Qudra - Dubai Al Qudra has become one of the most well known Offroad areas in Dubai, mainly due to the close vicinity to the city, but also because of its versatility, nearby facilities (Last Exit, Love Lakes), and the wildlife than can be spotted while off-roading (gazelles, oryx). This area stretches out to Murquab in the East via Al Hathmah area, on to Faqa going South below the Solar Park, and up to the Bab al Shams resort in the West. Scenic Score: 85% Excitement Score: 75% Versatility Score: 95% Sweihan - Abu Dhabi / Al Ain The Sweihan area in Abu Dhabi has to be experienced, and the proximity to Dubai brings lots of Dubai residents to Sweihan to explore the massive long range dunes and versatile area that has something in store for every off-roader. Sweihan never disappoints and the Nagrah area which alternates between monstrous dunes and deserted sabkhas will leave you hungry for more every single time. Scenic Score: 80% Excitement Score: 90% Versatility Score: 95% Al Khatim - Abu Dhabi A very popular and versatile offroader destination for Abu Dhabi residents with exhilarating dunes and technical areas that will challenge any offroader. Scenic Score: 80% Excitement Score: 90% Versatility Score: 80% Wagan / Umm Al Oash / Bu Tais - Abu Dhabi / Al Ain In search for monstruous dunes where momentum and pace are critical and where your vehicle will be pushed to its limit ? You have come to the right place as this area is spoiled with massive dunes, alternated by long flat sabkhas where you can get your bearings back before heading in again, and again ! Scenic Score: 95% Excitement Score: 100% Versatility Score: 80% Liwa Madinat Zayed - Abu Dhabi The Madinat Zayed area is famous for its Yellow Water Truck, which was left behind many years back, but no-one really knows how it got there. This area is consisting of massive dunes, and you can easily scale the level up or down in this area based on the convoy you bring there. From this place onwards and further down south into Liwa Crescent you will feel like you are on a different planet. Scenic Score: 90% Excitement Score: 100% Versatility Score: 90% Liwa Crescent - Abu Dhabi Seeing LIWA for the first time will leave you astonished, baffled, and beyond comprehension. From Himeem in the East, to Khanoor in the West, this whole area is filled with some of the biggest dunes on this planet, massive slipfaces that will make you shiver when descending, and extremely technical dunes that will require your utmost focus. This area is unforgettable and every off-roader should have this on his bucket list ! Scenic Score: 100% Excitement Score: 100% Versatility Score: 100%
    59 points
  9. Get ready for exciting winter off-road drives with outdoor fun. We have used the Summer to create, plan prepare an exciting, new and challenging program of drives for everyone to enjoy through the Winter season. Make sure to look out for the callouts (below) in the drive calendar and posts to let you know the drive is different, when deciding to sign up. Take a good read and decide if these are made ‘just for you’. We can promise, each of these drives delivers something special, out of the ordinary, and designed to meet your demands. Lookalike - make, shape, colour or region specific vehicles Nature-lover – discover, fauna, flora, wadis and wildlife Passion play – join like-minded hobbyists R&R – family and fun times Skill Development (SDD) – crests, criss-cross, technical, climbs, recoveries Team Sport – drive hard, play harder Pet Drives – Fun for all the family Fitness – drive & thrive (run, ride, hike, stretch)
    56 points
  10. Off-roading continues all year-round with Carnity. Our passion for off-roading does not stop when it gets hot, simply because we are as passionate as you are. What heats up the summer drives are the unique challenges and how we meet them to continue driving during hotter months - here's our summer schedule. Get ready to take your off-road skills to the next level with the Carnity ‘Summer Off-road Adventures’. As the mercury rises, we will be shifting our off-road drives to the cooler periods of the day in the Early morning, Twilight, and Night. Sunrise Drive Apr - 6 AM - 10 AM May - Aug - 5 AM - 9 AM Twilight Drive Morning - 4 AM - 8 AM Evening - 6 PM - 10 PM Night Drive Ramadan - 9/10 PM - 1/2 AM May - Aug - 8/9 PM - 12/1 AM The Fun Stuff After dusk, during the hot summer months, the desert offers welcome relief from the hot humid conditions in the city, with lower temperatures and a light breeze. It’s more peaceful and tranquil and a great opportunity to see wildlife that is less active and often hidden during the day. Driving at night adds a whole new element to your off-roading experience. Your car sounds and feels different, you have a whole new vista before your eyes. And of course, it's time to test your off-road lights and keep tinkering with adjustments to fine-tune. Day-time off-road drive adrenaline will be greatly amplified at night for more excitement and thrill when you climb up seeing the stars or coming down seeing nothing but just a few meters ahead of your car. These challenges will keep your heart racing to add an extra activity on your fitbit tracker. The challenge Driving in the dark involves a different skill set. You need to stay close to the car in front so as not to lose them, and far enough away to stay at a safe distance. You need your senses to be keen to pick up every visual and audible feedback to guide you through the dark. The sounds of the car in front, the glimmer from their headlights or yours, the sand crunching under your tires will all help you together. Testing your driving skills at night pushes you to new driving limits of sight, sound, and decision making as you’ll be taking split-second leap of faith decisions – literally driving into the dark. Requirements Lots of attention, focus, patience, and precision to master night driving skills. Off-road lights are highly recommended, but not mandatory. High beam headlights are mandatory. Attention to variable drive timings.
    54 points
  11. Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Off-roader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. Within Carnity Offroad Club we are using a number of frequencies on the two-way radio. This is necessary as we have sometimes multiple convoys driving and broadcasting on the same frequency. With this functionality each convoy can select a channel that they want to use without interfering with others. The 10 radio frequencies are listed below: Below you will find the programming instructions for the most commonly used radios in Carnity Offroad Club. Please get yourself familiarized with your radio, as it's an essential tool for any Offroader, and this device is responsible for establishing clear and life-saving communication while venturing Offroad. If you are planning on buying a radio, make sure it is the UHF version and not the VHF version. We recommend the Motorola/Crony MT777, Crony CN888, or Baofeng UV-5R because of excellent price / quality ratio, Dragon Mart has many models, just make sure it has the ability to set the frequencies manually. Please do not buy a screenless model like the Baofeng 888S as it cannot be programmed without cable and software. Before getting into the real technicalities, some basic info on radios settings that you will come across: *STEP FREQUENCY: on the FM band, frequencies are spaced from each-other at a certain bandwidth. The Step frequency is basically the incremental change in your radio when you turn the rotary knob on top of your radio. When you program the radio to a certain frequency, you will need to make sure the appropriate step frequency has been set correctly. (see on the above frequency list). * PTT: Short for PUSH-TO-TALK: This is the button on the side of your radio that you push when you want to broadcast a message. * MON: Most radios have a Monitor button. When pushed you are basically monitoring the channel. If no-one is broadcasting you will just hear noise. But this is useful to set your desired volume. * SQL or Squelch: To make sure that your radio does not pickup every little signal, the squelch acts as a gatekeeper to only allow a broadcast on your radio when it is strong enough or nearby enough. If you encounter a lot of noise that's being picked up by the radio, try changing the SQL setting a little bit. A higher setting makes the radio less sensitive to noise. * RX and TX frequencies: RX stands for Receiving frequency, which TX stands for transmitting frequency. in Carnity we transmit and receive on the same channels. * DCS / CT codes: These are basically encryption settings that allow a user to make sure only radios with exact same CT codes can listen in on the chatter. As these settings are confusing and complex, they should not be used (CT should not be showing on your display). Programming the Motorola/Crony MT777: Note: This radio has 2 operating modes called "Frequency" and "Channel". To switch between these modes, keep the ENTER button pressed while switching on the radio. Pressing the VFO/MR button while you're in Frequency mode will bring you to the combined mode, which is basically a screen that shows both the channel and the frequency. You can use either one of these modes during operation. To Program the Channels: 1. Make sure your radio is switched off. 2. Press the Moni (black button on top of the orange one on your left side), and MENU key together while switching on the radio. 3. Wait for the set to display SELF (which means manual setup). 4. Press Enter and it will show the Channel number. 5. You can choose which channel to program by selecting it from the rotary selector knob on the top of your device. 6. Once you have the desired channel, press ENTER. 7. Type your first frequency you want to program. 8. Press ENTER on every setting below to go through the advanced settings and verify if they are programmed as following: (If above settings are not correct they can be changed with the rotary knob on the top keep pressing enter until your set displays the next channel to be set). 03=OFF (if a number is showing here, push the *Lock button until OFF appears). 04= Enter the same frequency as the one you want to program. 05= OFF (if a number is showing here, push the *Lock button until OFF appears). 06= OFF 07= ADD 08= HIGH(H) 09= NARROW 10=-------- 9. Repeat from Step 5 to program the rest of your channels. Very useful Youtube video below: method for adding a single frequency later on, without going through the whole SELF programming mode again: 1. Make sure the radio is in Frequency Mode. Type in the frequency you want to program. E.g 446.00625 2. Press MENU and then press the VFO/MR button. The channel number will start to blink. 3. Use the rotary selector knob to select on which channel you want to save this frequency. 4. Press VFO/MR button again to confirm and exit. Keypad can be locked by pushing the * LOCK button for a few seconds. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Programming the Crony CN888: Note: This radio has 3 operating modes called "Frequency", "VFO", and "Channel". You can toggle between these modes by pressing the orange Function button on the top left corner, followed by pressing 1 (Mode). Programming the radio as described below can only be done in VFO mode. 1. Switch on the radio. 2. Press the Function Key (orange button on top left corner). 3. Press 4 (STEP) until it shows 6.25. Press EXIT to confirm. 4. Now type the first frequency you want to program. Eg. 446.00625 5. Now press the # button. The Channel number in the corner of the display will start to blink. 6. Select with the A (up) or B(down) buttons to choose wich channel you want to save the frequency. 7. Press the C button. the radio will confirm by saying "SAVED AS RX FREQUENCY" 8. Press the # button again. The Channel number in the corner of the display will start to blink. 9. Press the D button. the radio will confirm by saying "SAVED AS TX FREQUENCY" Keypad can be locked by pushing the Function button, followed by the *F.L button. Programming the Baofeng UV5-R: When buying a radio like the Baofeng UV5R, many certain frequencies and channels are already programmed into the radio, but these are different from the ones we use in Carnity. As you will be programming 5 new channels onto Channel number 1 till 5, it is important to first delete these existing frequencies stored in those channels. You can do that as following: Step 1: Delete the existing channels from channel 1 till 5: 1- Switch on the radio 2- Press the MENU button followed by the buttons 2 and 8. (Menu 28). 3- Press MENU, and then use the UP/DOWN arrows to select which channel you want to clear. 4- Select CH1 and press MENU again, you will hear "delete channel, followed by confirmed". 5- Now go back to step 3 and do the same for the following channels (CH2-CH3-CH4-CH5). 6- Now all 5 channels are clear and ready to be programmed. Step 2: Set the step-frequency: - Switch on the radio - Press the MENU button and with the up and down buttons select STEP frequency. - Change this to 6.25 and press MENU to confirm. - Press EXIT to go back to the main menu. Step 3 Program the new frequencies in the radio: 1- Press the VFO button. You will hear the confirmation “frequency mode”. 2- Make sure the arrow is on the top line. If not, press the blue A/B button. 3- Type in the frequency you want to save. I.e 446.00625 4- Press MENU, followed by button 2 and 7 (menu 27). You will see MEM-CH. 5- Press MENU and now use the up and down buttons to select the channel you want to save it on. 6- Press MENU again to confirm. Your first frequency is now stored under channel 01. (receiving memory). 7- Press MENU TWICE again to confirm. Your first frequency is now stored under channel 01. (transmitting memory). 8- Press EXIT and repeat from step 3 onwards to program your remaining channels. Note: To program the Carnity backup frequency channel 5, you will need to set the step frequency to 12.5. When done, follow the same steps to program and save it under channel 05. You can either program these channels one by one into your radio, which is the easiest for you later on, or you can just enter the frequency without saving it. Some extra notes: Option 5 in your menu should be on Narrowband. Option 10 and 12 in your menu should be set to OFF (we are not using CT codes). BaoFeng_UV-5R_Manual_(1).pdf
    49 points
  12. The review is written considering the fact that a 20 year old car is being driven in the year 2018 with its current main purpose being for offroading Pros - Old School Driving - Bullet proof Inline 4.0 Engine - Light Weight Unibody Construction - Extremely Capable Offroader - Easy to Modify Cons - Basic Features - Famous for Death Wobble - Reliability is a concern - Tends to overheat unless modification is done A car that was initially launched in 1984 as a compact utility vehicle, the Cherokee XJ has grown to be one of the originators and the precursor to the current day SUVs. Its design has been noted as one of the greatest of all time. Popular Mechanics listed the XJ as one of "the 25 greatest boxy cars of all time". It is built on a unibody construction which offers it a light weight body Vehicle Specs - 6 cylinder inline 4.0 engine - Power 190 hp @ 4300 rpm - Torque 305 N.m @ 3000 rpm - Gross Weight of approx 1400 kg - Transmissions are 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic. In the UAE market, the XJ is available in GCC, American (most common) and Japanese specs. One should be careful while buying the American Spec or rather the American import cars as many of them have been in some sort of accident with some of them having serious damage. Traditionally Cherokee XJs do run hot due to their limited size of the radiator, and hence the GCC Spec is the most preferred version. Cherokee XJs come with solid front and rear axles. Though an outdated technology in comparison to Independent Suspension, it follows the principal of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Hence a very rugged design which is useful when one takes this car offroad. Further, modifications in terms of lift kit and installation of bigger tyres is relatively easier compared to an Independent Suspension vehicle. However, saying that, the vehicle in stock condition runs a finely balanced suspension, and any alteration such as a lift can trigger the famous death wobble especially with worn out busing and joints. In current times, most buyers of this vehicle are mainly offroad enthusiasts, who appreciate the the high power to weight ratio (135 hp per ton). However, in offroad the manual version does overshine the automatic version purely because in the automatic version the lowest possible gear that can be selected is a 1-2, and the vehicle does tend to upshift after reaching a speed of 40 km/h which kills the entire torque which is the most critical aspect of steep uphill climbs. While this issue can be overcome by selecting 4 low in the transfer case it does put a lot of strain on the engine as its revving at 5000+ rpms. I strongly recommend to go for a GCC spec manual transmission as that gives one the liberty to choose the right gear for the moment which is especially useful in long steep hill climbs as shown in the below videos: Location : Sweihan Location : Faya (from the right side) Reliability is a definite concern with the Cherokee XJ, and hence I advise those who are interested in this vehicle to get the vehicle properly inspected before doing a purchase. Further, it is advisable to get all the wearable parts replaced with original MOPAR parts instead of cheap after market parts before venturing into the desert. I have been driving this vehicle for the past year both as a daily driver as well as my weekend drives and have thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The vehicle I drive is almost stock except for the following modifications: 1. Replaced the existing radiator with a 4 core aluminium radiator 2. Added extra fans infront of the radiator to improve the cooling under offroad driving conditions 3. 3" inch lift by installing harder suspensions Major expenses in terms of maintenance has been replacement of clutch and flywheel, along with replacements of the track bar and some bushings. Conclusion : Would I recommend this vehicle to others? Would definitely recommend a manual transmission Cherokee XJ if you are able to get a good clean vehicle (which can be quite rare and difficult to find) as its a lot of fun to drive this vehicle. It would also help to have a good mechanic as your friend to help you with the fixes from time to time. I bought the vehicle for AED 11,000 (slightly above the market price), plus I spent an additional AED 5000 to get it to current condition, but I have not yet regretted my decision. P.S. If you like this review, don't forget to hit the 'Like' Button
    47 points
  13. Last updated: 7 June 2022 In line with the UAE new resolution to change the work timing from Monday to Friday, please follow the below changes to carnity off-road drives and announcements effective from 1 Jan 2022. All Carnity drives will be announced now every Monday (instead of Sunday). WhatsApp Announcement at 11 AM - Every Monday. All Weekend Drives will go live at 7 PM - Every Monday. Weekend Drives will be scheduled for Friday (New Change), Saturday and Sunday. Single Drive restriction starts from Monday 7:00 PM till Wednesday 11:59 PM. From Thursday 00:00 hrs onwards - RSVP on multiple drives will be open. Week Day Drives will be posted from Monday to Thursday. Weekday drives will be counted as an experience for your promotion. Weekday drives will not be counted as "one drive per weekend" restriction.
    45 points
  14. A big Shout-Out to all our offroad club members from across the globe 🌍 Congratulations on reaching a new milestone of having over 50+ Nationalities Offroaders in Carnity Offroad Club. One of the very few off-road clubs in UAE that welcomes and appreciates multicultural members. At Carnity Offroad Club, we drive united as a truly multicultural family, bringing with us our thoughts, experiences and share interesting knowledge with our ever-expanding Carnity family. We pride ourselves at speaking different languages, having different views on our car knowledge and Off roading, but drive in Unity as it is the - way of life in true Dubai, UAE style. So come and join our Carnity Offroad Club and add your own special flavour to enhance UAE’s ever-popular Offroad experience. Below is the list of the various nationalities. In some nationalities even though there might be more within our group, we have mentioned only max 3 people. If we have missed out any nationality, please let us know and we shall update this list. 56 and counting - as of Jan 2023 Afghanistan: Ali Abbas Ali, Abu Muhammad Argentina - Martin, Miguel Ibarbia Armenia - Yerem Davtyan Australia - Jessica Lambert Bangladesh - Jalil Belgium - Frederic, Vanessa8580 Brazil - Jorge Stepniak Felippe, Daniel Noguira, Daniel Rodas Canada - Adam Marston, Brett Eicher, Mike M. China - Zixuan Hang (Charlie) Denmark - Soren, Frederik Bisbjerg Egypt - Melenany, Mark Sorial, Nabil Bishara El Salvador - Mario Cornejo Ethopia - Beide Worku Finland - Matti Brockman, Tero Vallas France - Emmanuel, Frederic Demolder, JeromeFJ Germany - Ace1988 Greece - Stav Hungary - Tamas Hoffmann, Archibald Jurdi India - Srikumar, Asif Hussain, Gaurav, Ranjan, Indonesia - Zed, IMAMP Iraq - Aus Alzubaidi Iran - Yousef Alimadadi Ireland - Barry Italy - Magellan, Ale Valecchi, Lorenzo Candelpergher, Enrico Biscaro Jordan - BIG T, G.Huz Kuwait - Azam V2.0 Lebanon - Edouard Malaysia - E.C Tan, Anthony Tan, Topgear Mauritius - AnishS, Veedooshee, Imteeaz Mexico - Javier M Moldova - Alexanderrr Morocco - Jamy B Netherlands - Panda82, Xaf, Jeepie, Mels Wolf, New Zealand - Warren Flay Pakistan - Rahimdad, Bilal Ahmad, Atif Palestine - Mohamed Seidam The Philippines - Jun Zamora, Rinelle Sanaani, Kaile Barrameda Poland - Szymon Stankiewicz, Piotr Kolodziej Romania - Arman Russia - Mikhail Lukichev Scotland - Foxtrot Oscar Serbia - Marko Todorovic, Predrag Acimovic Slovakia - Jaro Tuzinsky Singapore - Jerry Han Spain - Vsmano, Nacho, Jose Martin, Sri Lanka - Rizwanm2, Athula and Yasas South Africa - Kalahari, Gertjan, Paul Zietsman Sweden - Per A, M.K, Christian Andras Switzerland - dberclaz Syria - Noor, Basil Turkey - Sertac, Halit Mert Issever, Denizzalbayrak, Mehmet Volga Ukraine - YevgeniyDYM United Kingdom - Richard Melish, LewisCocks90, Wrangled, Tom B. United States of America - Jeffrey Osito Pilgreen United Arab Emirates - Shehab Alawadhi Venezuela - Alexander Alcala
    43 points
  15. Just like any other sport or hobby, off road driving too has it's own etiquette's. Often times these are not spoken out loud or mentioned in public to not to embarrass anyone. If you like to continue off road driving, you should know these basic offroad driving etiquette's and follow them. Pay 100% undivided attention to the instructions: Whether it's in briefing or on radio communication while recovering, give your 100% attention and if you cannot due to some incoming call or passenger distraction, ask them to repeat. Most of the instructions are given so that you can drive safely. If you still live in the mobile world or loud music or radio volume turned down, you will miss out on critical safety instruction that can end up breaking your 4x4 or bones, seriously. Follow the instruction PRECISELY: From as simple as deflate to 12-14 PSI, drive in HI gear, engage to LO as soon as you get stuck. These instructions have been given to YOU for YOUR safety and enhancing your offroad driving experience. If you deflate to 22 PSI instead of 12, you will have endless refusals, stucks and A/T Transmission & Engine will soon overheat. If you don't engage on LO as soon as you get stuck, you will lose the most critical surface area in which LO gear could have saved the day, rather than toiling in HI gear for first few minutes and making the stuck even more worst for your car. Acknowledge the message: Always acknowledge the radio messages as the reliability of radio communication is highly questionable. Step out and help: When you are stuck and someone is helping you, it's a BASIC MANNER to step out of your car and help the Marshal or senior member who is helping you. You can help them clearing the sand, fixing the rope or inspect the stuck or plan of recovery. Sitting inside a stuck vehicle and waiting is the worst and most offending thing to do. If someone is helping you to check tire pressure, then step out and observe, how to delate to precise PSI. Disclaimer: In some 1% tricky angles or situation, if you have a doubt or difficulty to come out, ask the Marshal or senior member: If its safe for you to step out? Please don't assume and sit inside. Observe and learn: Every stuck and recovery has a lot to teach. Observe and learn from your stucks and discuss with Marshals how to not to get stuck again in a similar way. If you don't observe and learn you will end up doing the same mistakes over and over again. Learn Vs Serve: All the knowledge and experience are there to help you learn offroading and not just to serve you. So that as soon as you learn, you start practising it and become more capable offroader and be able to help others in the future.
    43 points
  16. Im driving this car since 3 years now and I have saved quite a lot of money for long time to upograde my civic to 2 door accord - my dream car. Although it might not sound very fancy to the luxurious segment car owner but i belive for the common mass this is a top end car we can afford and having a coup is an added luxury. Price: 130,000 AED (when new in 2014) Bought for: 105,000 AED (In 2015) Pros - Awesome styling from wheels to the body - Great on road presence among its league - Very reliable and capable car overall - Responsive handling and comfortable ride - Top notch safety ratings and awesome cabin - 4.7 rating out of 279 reviews Cons - Back seat not good for 6 feet size adult - Honda parts are little expensive than others - Starter failure - known problem - Comes with pathetic tires, so change is needed - Lane watch should be on both sides - 3.5 is thirsty in city but on highway with ECON mode is very nice and reasonale Specifications Engine & Power Engine Capacity (liters) 3.5 Cylinders V6 Drive Type Front Wheel Fuel Tank Capacity (liters) 65 Fuel Economy (L/100 Km) 8.8 Fuel Type Petrol Horsepower (bhp) 276 hp Torque (Nm) 339 Transmission Automatic Top Speed (Km/h) 212 Seating Capacity 5 Seater Acceleration 0-100 Km/h 7.3 Sec Measurements Length (meters) 4.890 Width (meters) 1.850 Height (meters) 1.465 Wheelbase (meters) 2.775 Trunk Capacity (liters) 447 Although Honda Accord is a top choice for families, but many opting for serious upgrade from current entry level sedan chooses the Accord. It's 2 door coupe is among the most sportier option available from Honda with a very capable and responsive engine. I have never felt short of power when I really need to push this car for limits from zero stand still. For the great styling and road presence i can confidently say that it is the best looking japanese car in town. I hear that earlier than 2012 model gear was an issue, but this model so far has no issues on the cvt gearing and runs and drive perfect. I have completed almost 60,000 kms on this car and have not regretted this buy even for one day or one hour, it is the best thing I have done so far as im in love with this car, reliability, looks, performance, handling, boot space, fuel economy. ECO mode is good for highway to get good fuel mileage, if you use that in city car is less responsive and in case you hit throttle hard then car will jitter a bit to switch of econ and comes back to original 3.5 liter response. The electronic adjustments could be more user friendly. I'm not an electronics person and don't care otherwise, but the system can be quirky. Mechanically, no complaints so far, haven't been in for anything more than routine maintenance and a recall regarding the battery sensor. I will highly advise changing out the factory tires as soon as you can because you'll be replacing them by 30,000 kms anyway. Car is perfectly roomy for 5 adults...plenty of leg room in the rear seating. Trunk is roomy, but entry could be wider. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this vehicle to friends and family, and Hondas in general. Can't go wrong! Two of the best video reviews I searched to add more value for next buyer.
    43 points
  17. Congratulations to all the Superstars of Team Carnity Based on continuous support, dedication, teamwork and creativity. For Leading Maximum Drives During the month of Sep 2021 @Ale Vallecchi @Lorenzo Candelpergher and @Wrangeld For Supporting Maximum Drives During the month of Sep 2021 * @Hisham Masaad @Alex Raptor @Jeepie and @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ *Limited to AN, Newbie, and Fewbie drives only For Leading Best Creative Drive During the month of Sep 2021 @Islam Soliman Above and Beyond - Drive Support During the month of Sep 2021 @Brette @Chaitanya D and @Anish S Recovery and assistance of Renault Koleos that went into limp mode and was overheating. Recovery and assistance of Jeep Commander that had numerous issues. Helping the Prado owner remove the front bumper after the impact.
    41 points
  18. For many offroaders, navigation looks like a scary thing, and finding your way in the desert used to be a daunting task with old obsolete maps, navigation with sun or stars, and many other old tricks of crossing the deserts. Until 5-6 years ago, companies like TomTom and Garmin were ruling the navigation software and hardware, until our phones became smarter and smarter, and nowadays there are tons of free or paid navigation software programs available which are tailored for hiking, offroading, cycling, or other outdoor activities where you would like to record your tracks. In this post i will give some basic essential advice on how to get started with navigating by using GaiaGPS, which is an amazing app that allows you to: 1) Create routes at home via your desktop/tablet through the GaiaGPS website. 2) Use different types of maps like topographic maps, sattelite maps, to find your perfect route you'd like to explore. 3) Save and manage all your tracks, waypoints, areas. 4) Automatically sync all this data with the GaiaGPS Mobile App that is being used to record your track or follow the route you have created beforehand. 1) Registering for GaiaGPS account https://www.gaiagps.com/membership/ You can choose for a FREE account, which works fine for basic topographic and sattelite maps, but will not allow to use them offline. The PREMIUM membership is recommended for around 3.3 USD per month. Once you have become a member, you can head over to Gaiagps.com, login with your account name, and have a look at the basic functionalities. I've posted a short video below that gives a small demo on how to use the GaiaGPS website functionalities. As you can see in the screen, there are many tracks i've recorded with my phone that remain saved in the website. You can remove these, or hide them. The red zones i have marked are called "areas" where you can identify tricky areas that you would like to avoid. They will appear on your phone app as well so you can easily avoid them. Waypoints Waypoint, or pins, could be points of interest, landmarks, entry and exit points, or any place where you want to mark the location and save for later reference. They will appear as a "pin" on your map. You can assign a color to them as you like. This might be useful as you can categorize them. Next to the classic PIN icon, you can choose different other ones, like fences, skulls, forest, or anything that will help you in identifying the waypoint. Sattelite Images Having crisp detail in the sattelite images you are looking, is essential so you can create a route which focuses on the nice bigger dunes instead of the small technical or bushy areas. Gaia comes standard with the Mapbox "Sattelite with Labels" Imagery which is not bad, but the best one i have found so far is the ESRI Sattelite Imagery Map. Below you will find some information on how to add custom maps. The map called "WORLD IMAGERY" in the Premium version is the same as the ESRI Sattelite Imagery Map. Which phone ? Gaia GPS will work on any smartphone that has a decent GPS antenna built-in. In my case i purchased a separate dedicated Android phone which is mounted in my car that i solely use for navigation. This allows me to keep using my own phone as backup device. That dedicated phone has the offline maps downloaded on it, so i do not need cellphone coverage (no sim card). App functionality On an Iphone, this is how the app looks like. The buttons like "RECORD" and "PICTURE" are customizable, and by keeping your finger on it you can select something else you would like to see on the home page. The Magnifying Glass allows you to enter coordinates. You can copy them from within Google Maps. this button toggles between full screen or normal screen. The crosshair button is very important. Click on it once and it will appear green and bring you to your live location and follow you while keeping NORTH up. Click on it again and another logo appears, looking like two reversed triangles. This is the mode that keeps your live location but constantly rotates the map based on your direction. You can experiment with both modes to see what suits you best. I like to stick to the first mode because it allows me to see in which compass direction i am heading. The + Button contains all your other useful functionalities, like adding a waypoint, creating a route, download an offline map, or create an area. Once you hit the record button, the app will start recording your track. Once you finish, click again on it and select "Finish Track" It will then be saved. (and also appear on your GaiaGPS website once you have synced). On the bottom, you can see your trip details, open the list of saved tracks, or go to your settings. Note: In the settings you can put your units/distances in miles or kilometers (whatever you prefer). You can also enable or disable the autosync function, but better to keep it on. So as soon as you have Wifi/Internet on your phone it will automatically sync your tracks between the app and your GaiaGPS account (website). These things will take a bit of practice, and i can recommend you to use your Gaia mobile app for a while on your daily commute, and experiment a bit with the settings until you have tailored it to your own needs. Exporting Maps Most navigation software use .gpx or .kml files which you can import in Google Earth / Maps or any other navigation program. On the GaiaGPS website, and also on the app you can choose to "export" your track. It will create a .GPX file that you can share with fellow offroaders or import in the Relive app Adding Custom Maps for the GaiaGps app users, the Google Maps like Satellite, Terrain, or Hybrid, are not standard built in, but can easily be added by using the GaiaGps website. This is the procedure to add for example Google Terrain. 1) While logged into Gaiagps.com, add a custom map source via TMS here: https://www.gaiagps.com/mapsource/add/ 2) Fill in this TMS URL to get Google Terrain: https://mt0.google.com/vt/lyrs=p&hl=en&x={x}&y={y}&z={z}&s=Ga 3) Give it the name "Google Terrain" 4) Set the Min and Max Zoom level on 4 and 19. 5) Click on "Add this Map Source" The next time you will login it will appear in your mobile app. Some other map links. To add them, follow the same steps as above: Google Maps: https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=r&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Satellite:https://www.google.cn/maps/vt?lyrs=s@189&gl=cn&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Satellite Hybrid:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=y&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Terrain:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=t&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Roads:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=h&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} ESRI Sattelite Imagery:https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}
    39 points
  19. Offroading in the UAE desert requires you to deflate your tires. If you are lucky to be exiting nearby a petrol station, you can make use of their compressor to inflate your tires before going back on the tarmac, but that is not always an option. For that reason, having your own compressor will be a necessity and this should be a piece of your off-road kit that you know won't leave you stranded. Depending on the size of your tires, or the type of compressor you are using, inflating can be a task that will take you anywhere between 2-4 minutes and sometimes up to 25minutes. With the hot blazing sun shining down on us most of the time, we want to get this job done as quickly as possible. In below article we will be going through some of the technical issues related to using a compressor, and what to look out for when purchasing one. Hot, Hotter, Hottest The main problem with all compressors is that they run hot. The friction that occurs when air molecules are squeezed together generates heat. This heat can be felt at the piston head, but also on the hose itself. That is also the reason why most compressors have cooling fins and a piece of metal pipe at the outlet to allow the heat to dissipate and to avoid the hose from getting too hot. You should always be careful in handling a compressor after inflation, as it might burn your hands. It is normal for parts of the air compressor to get hot sometimes, especially if you are running the compressor for an extended period or if it is particularly hot outside. The best thing is to keep the compressor in the shade, run it for a limited amount of time, and not to exceed the duty cycle that is mentioned in the technical details. What to look after when buying a compressor ? 1) Warranty. A premium brand should provide 4-5 years warranty which will make the higher price worthwhile. This is hard to find nowadays. 2) Output in liters per minute (lpm). The more the better of course. Everything from 50lpm upwards should be fine. Some will show a rating in cfm (cubic feet per minute). 2.3 cfm = 65lpm. Unfortunately these values are not always very accurate, as manufacturers can put whatever they want on the box, and on top of that, some manufacturers will give a flow rate at 0psi (free air delivery), while others will give the flowrate at 40psi (which is quite demanding for the compressor). 3) Duty Cycle: Air compressors heat up when running so most have a limited consistent output before they need to stop and cool off. This run time in-between cycles is called a duty cycle. Manufacturers typically represent run time with a number, such as “20”, which means you can run the compressor for 20 minutes every hour. sometimes they show a percentage. 20 minutes would indicate a 33% duty cycle. Keep this in mind when you are using the compressor every week. Avoid exceeding the duty cycle time as in a short period of time it would overheat / destroy the compressor. 4) Quality of the coiled hose, pressure gauge, and clip-on chuck. 5) Automatic pressure shut-off function. This makes the compressor stop automatically when you are not engaging the trigger. 6) inline fuse and thermal overload protection. Will come standard with premium models. Below a typical specs example of a Bushranger Black Max: Duty cycle is 30 minutes @40psi at 24°C ambient temperature. Obviously the ambient temperature will be much higher for us here in the UAE, so you will need to take that into account. Keep the compressor in the shade while using (or even on the inside of the car if possible) and keep your engine running. These compressors are rated to work most efficiently at 13.8 Volts, so your alternator should be running. Below i will be going through most of the brands we have encountered in the club, and how we can rate them: Premium Brands (****) Brands like ARB, Bushranger, TJM, Dobinsons, and Mean Mother, are the most famous premium brands that will be providing a quality unit that should last years. ARB and Bushranger/Viair have the advantage that you will find spare parts for them, so if you are interested and savvy, you can rebuild your compressor later on. Price range of these compressor is from 750 AED upwards up to 2500+AED. The main reason why they cost more is due to the quality of materials used, higher duty cycle of their compressor, and of course marketing as well. ARB ARB has the single cylinder unit for about 1000AED, while its big brother will be around 2,700AED. They have by far the best quality of hoses and gauges. MeanMother The Mean Mother Adventurer is the only brand/model we know of in the UAE that offers 5year warranty, hence this model has become very popular in our off-roading community. You will find the Adventurer III model for around 750AED (150lpm), but now there is also the Adventurer IV which is having slightly better performance (180lpm) and costs about 999AED. We have heard about a few models failing but were replaced within warranty. Bushranger / Viair Bushranger/Viair has a range of different models with output ratings from 52lpm up to 72lpm. (Black Max for 800AED and Max Air III for 1120AED). The Max Air III has an automatic pressure shut-off. Their compressors are extremely reliable, but i have never been impressed with their yellow plastic coiled hoses and clip-on, except for the black hoses they use on the old SuperMax and the newer Max Air III model. Their smallest model (RV Air for 599AED) is the minimum in terms of output flow (52lpm) and will take quite some time to inflate your tires, but should work fine. Dobinsons Dobinsons have the Zenith model (170 lpm) that is being sold for 999AED. Quality looks top notch with good set of accessories and backed by a premium quality brand. Midrange Brands (***) Golden Camel The "Golden Camel" brand with its red compressors, sold in single cylinder and double cylinder models are fantastic performers for the price (200 AED for the single big cylinder 160lpm, and 280AED for the double cylinder compressor (300 lpm). Yes the hoses break, the electrics fail sometimes, and it won't be the most reliable compressor, but for that price it's worth a try if you want it. You will find the hoses also separarely in DM, and if you are a bit handy with a soldering gun you might make an attempt to replace the switches or solder a wire back on. They now even have a mighty big 4-cylinder unit, but we have not been able to get feedback of these units for a longer period of time in use. The problem nowadays is that you have even "fake" Golden Camel compressors, who look 100% identical, but their quality is even more of a question mark. I recently bought one and it started overheating and shutting off after only two tyres. The vibration coming from the compressor makes me wonder about the tolerances used in the manufacturing process. On the other hand i also have a single cylinder Golden Camel that has been going strong for 3 years now and never failed. Vitaly Vitaly is a brand that basically re-labels these Chinese compressors and sells them at a higher price in hardware stores like ACE and Speedex. Again they are a bit of a gamble and the only advantage you will have is you will get at least 1year warranty through these stores. T-Max These compressors are looking very similar to the DM Single big cylinder compressors and the Mean Mother Adventurer. There is a smaller 72lpm unit and a big 150lpm unit. Prices are similar to Vitaly, and T-Max seems to be a reputable Australian brand, so perhaps the build quality will be a slight notch above the DM compressors. Volcano I recently stumbled upon this brand via a shop in Ajman. They are manufactured in Taiwan and the K100 twin cylinder model costs about 350AED, is very small, and serves great as backup compressor (flow rate of 60lpm). Their biggest compressor model is the B850 which is being sold for about 650AED. Have seen them on sale in DM as well. They come in a sturdy box, with decent hose (like the Bushranger top model) and have a pressure gauge with automatic cut-off. Flow rate is 98lpm. Brands/ Models to avoid: -The smaller "Golden Camel" Compressor. Absolutely worthless. Also sold under the "X-Cessories" brand name. -Mini compressors to connect to the cigarette lighter: Will last only a few drives. Not made to inflate weekly from 15 to 35psi, unless you want to wait for 25mins or longer. Will overheat easily because of this. These are made for sedans and bicycles. The Black and Decker and Michelin models seem to work better, but it will take you upwards of 25 minutes to inflate your tires. If you happen to have one of those, i strongly recommend to only inflate to about 25psi you can then drive to the nearest petrol station and use their compressor. If you are in the market of buying a new compressor, i hope this article can shed some light and useful information that will guide you in the right direction. As you can clearly see, inflating tyres on a 4x4 in the summer heat requires a big powerful compressor that can quickly inflate your tyres before overheating or shutting down.
    37 points
  20. This used to be my favourite story to tell in pre-Covid times. I'm sure many of you are interested but many are too shy to ask and some can't find the words or think it's inappropriate to question on that. It's not so bad a question and it's all about friends making new friends and passing on the skills we acquired in over a decade of off roading each. Thanks to Dr @Chaitanya D for asking and @Desert Dweller reminiscing those good old pre-Covid days. @Gaurav bhai is my senior and has been in the desert for maybe 14 years if I'm not mistaken. I just completed 12 years in the wilderness. For @Gaurav bhai he caught up with life and some difficult decisions trying to nurture Carnity since 2010. While I continued to learn where he left off. At one point he supported me in my initiatives and events and started coming back to off-road regularly. He hadn't lost what he had learned since we learned things the hard way. @Carnity started up thanks to his Mitsubishi Pajero which he never gave up on. In 2010 if you googled up your car issues we would just see websites from either USA or South Africa or Australia. Another thing was the Pajero never made it to USA and was known as Shogun or Montero in other places. The biggest concern was these other model specs would be built slightly differently not allowing us to understand or work on our own cars. @Carnity became the first website to share information on GCC spec cars, proudly it is the only one to date in the Middle East. Back in late 2016 when I got really interested and started sharing information about my cars and checking regularly for updates and advise for my Nissan Pathfinder R50, I saw some interest in members for off-roading. I asked @Gaurav bhai if we could start an off-road club to which he was not sure. But after several discussions and couple of months of heated arguments we came to an agreement. @Gaurav bhai proposed I post 3 drives at different locations and he would support me. If we had interested members coming out to drive we would form our club or I would never mention it again. Agreement made. Our first official drive was on 27 Jan 2017. @Srikumar was on that fist drive and never look back. This and all 3 drives went full and soon we had enthusiasts and that's how the @Carnity off-road came to existence. Initially it was all about creating awareness about the different aspects of off-roading and passing on the skills and the art to fellow off-roaders. But the only constant thing in life is change. Thanks to @Gaurav bhai who thought we needed to put the structure into words. Although it might seem that I am a man of many words, but putting the technical details to words is what @Gaurav bhai did best. Revising the structure and improving with every drive became our passion. The newly joined off-roaders seeing things from a different angle became our strength. I'm very pleased to be coming close to 500 members in the club and how each one of you have contributed and made the @Carnity off-road club a success story. Each member brings their own flavour with their experience, culture and point of view as we have over 40 nationalities coming out every week to help us grow this common passion for this ever growing sport of off-roading. We have been through many hardships and difficult decisions. But together we are proud to make the decisions best for everyone's well being. One such challenge was Covid19 which we are still all trying to deal with on a daily basis in all aspects of our lives. We at @Carnity made a decision to be the first club to introduce drives with the Covid19 restrictions in place. Our community who understands and stands by our decisions are our strength to continue doing so in the toughest of times. Love our community and love each and everyone of the members striving to wake up at 3 am for drives posted at 5 am. For taking pics and videos and sharing it on @Carnity and their social media channels and making @Carnity popular among family and friends. My sincere thanks to all of you who read it through. It's your efforts that makes us stand out among a sea of clubs.
    37 points
  21. Please click on "Totally Agree" Emoticon on down right white heart icon - 3rd option from right is "Totally Agree" when you hoover over (on desktop) or click (mobile) on white heart icon.
    35 points
  22. During offroading, the aim of an offroad safety flag is to improve visibility in the dunes, so that other members, or even another convoy can spot you from far away. This is an essential safety item that every offroader should have. We like to define a "proper" offroad flag below: Minimum height: 7-10ft (2-3m) above your car height (roof). Should be mounted vertically, preferably on roof or on side window. Should be sturdy and fixed properly to be visible through out the drive. Allowed Flag Types: Any solid color flag Any country flag Sports team flag Social cause flag YOUR FLAG SHOULD NOT RIDICULE OR MISUSE OUR OFF-ROAD CLUB Not Allowed Flag Types Torn cloth, towel, safety jacket, plastic bags are strictly not allowed. Political or religious affiliations flag. Any other off-road club flag. Any brand promotion flag. Offensive text or logo.
    34 points
  23. Welcome to the Off-Road Hall of Fame, a place where we celebrate the fearless, daring, and ingenious legends of the off-road world. This is the home of the trendsetters who have pushed the limits of off-road driving, supporting, and inspiring all types of adventurers. Off-road driving is not just a hobby, it's a way of life. It requires a rare combination of skill, bravery, and respect for the great outdoors. From conquering the tallest dune to racing through the sands, and wadis to traversing long distances, off-roading comes in various forms that demand unique skills, patience and above all - great teamwork. Only a few have gone above and beyond, leaving their mark on the off-road universe, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. These heroes have not just driven off-road but have really defined the true meaning of off-road community while taking the sport to new heights. Whether you are an experienced off-roader or just starting, we invite you to join us as we explore the stories and legacies of the off-road greats who have earned their rightful place in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. This is a place where we take pride in their achievements and honor their spirit of adventure. So, fasten your seatbelts, hold tight, and let's embark on a journey of exhilaration, inspiration, and honor in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. Period: Jan - March 2023 Drives in the spotlight Our Master of Innovation, @Ale Vallecchi again surprised us with a perfect themed drive! Starting with a relaxing Newbie level drive, and ending with a professional Yoga session in Al Qudra, guided by Paola ! https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1x87v6muqc25j&utm_content=i0iff Keep innovating Ale! Members in the spotlight @Ishak @Bjoern @Tharun Kumar V and @Santoso Marjuki The support shown by these individuals during the broken-down car recovery in Liwa crossing has been nothing short of incredible. Their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to helping their fellow off-roaders are truly inspiring. Their selflessness and willingness to go above and beyond did not go unnoticed. In fact, they even sacrificed their own plans for the day to ensure that their fellow off-roaders were taken care of. This level of camaraderie and support is what makes this off-roading community so special. We are all grateful for their presence and the invaluable support they have provided. Well done Ishak, Bjoern, Tharun and Santoso! @Benjamin It is truly remarkable to see how Benjamin has flourished as a passionate offroader with our club. Despite being one of the youngest members of our family, he has demonstrated a level of maturity and teamwork that is truly impressive. Benjamin's teamwork skills are beyond his years, and he consistently demonstrates a willingness to help and support his fellow offroaders in any way he can. We are fortunate to have Benjamin as a member of our offroading family. Keep it up, Benjamin! Lead Champions Congratulations @Ale Vallecchi for having organized 11 drives this quarter! 3 Newbie Drives 4 Fewbie Drives 4 Fewbie Plus Drives Congratulations @JeromeFJ for having organized 9 drives this quarter! 5 Fewbie Drives 2 Fewbie Plus Drives 2 Intermediate Drives Support Champions Congratulations @Davie Chasefor having supported 11 drives in this quarter! Congratulations @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler for having supported 8 drives this quarter! Your dedication is an admirable quality that is truly valued and appreciated. Your unwavering passion for off-roading has not gone unnoticed, and it is an inspiration to those around you today. We thank you and look forward to seeing the many great things you will achieve in the future.
    33 points
  24. While we have been enjoying night drives in this hot summer, it is important we are well aware as to what needs to be done in case of a creeper bite in the dark. Desert is their home and we are the "invaders" , and hence instinctively they can bite us in self defense. Scorpions and snakes are more active at night and hence it is required you know what needs to be done when this can occur SNAKES: a quick pictorial review of snakes which can be found in UAE. Snakes can be venomous (Poisonous) and non venomous(Non poisonous) Non venomous 1. Blind Snake Non venomous 2. Thread Snake Non venomous 3. Sand Boa Non venomous 4. Wadi Racer Non venomous 5. False Cobra Non venomous 6. Sand racer - Hissing snake Non venomous Venomous Snakes - Poisonous - the Triangular faced Vipers are dangerous which are the only poisonous snakes found in UAE 1. Saw Scaled Viper - Poisonous 2. Sand Viper - Poisonous 3. False Horned Viper -Poisonous Vipers are the only venomous snakes in the UAE, and are found mostly in desert and rocky mountain areas. Snake bites are extremely rare, and most occur when a snake is picked up/ felt it is in danger. The Venom from UAE Vipers is Haemotoxic (destroys blood cells) Sometimes puncture wounds can be seen at site of the bite. Bite is generally not very painful but within one hour copious bleeding is likely from the bite wound and any other wounds cuts or scratches the victim may have. Symptoms include a severe headache, nausea and vomiting. It’s helpful to restrict the blood and lymphatic flow, but it’s important not to cause bruising which can lead to bleeding under the skin. If Venom is spat in to a person’s eyes use any liquid available, preferably a neutral one such as water or milk – but anything at all will do, to flush out the eye. Do's and Don'ts of Treating Snake Bite Symptoms usually manifest soon after a snake bite, so observing the victim is extremely important. If no symptoms have occurred within half an hour of the bite then indications would be that it was not a venomous snake, it failed to inject any venom or the snake was very old and had little or no venom left. Do Try to identify the snake; color, size, shape of head, attacking method are useful. Take a picture with mobile if feasible but don't chase the snake. Loosen the Victim’s clothing and move them in to comfort. Keep the victim calm and still; movement will increase blood flow and transport the venom to the heart much faster. Immobilize the limb but do NOT restrict blood flow unless you are certain the bite was from a snake that delivers neurotoxic venom. Clean and dress the wound being careful not to apply pressure and cause bruising. Inform the trip lead/support IMMEDIATELY so that he/she can manage a exit quickly to the tarmac. Do Not While there can be differences of opinion as to what we should do for snake bites the consensus of opinion as to what not to do is reasonably consistent: Allow the victim to exercise or stress themselves. Cut the bite or attempt to suck the venom out. Give the victim anything to eat or drink especially alcohol. Use potassium permanganate crystals or solution near or on the bite wound. Use soapy water round the bite wound. Leave pressure bandages on too long. Leave the victim alone. Apply ice to the wound. Soak the affected limb in any solutions. How to avoid this extremely rare occurrence in the desert on Night drives 1. Compulsorily wear thicker full pants and ankle boots. Least being a full covered shoes. Coming in shorts and flip flops/slippers means you are voluntarily increasing the risk 2. Refrain from walking in bushy areas . 3. In a unusual scenario of shovelling near bushes make sure you have a clearly lit area to make sure there aren't any . 4. Please use a bright torch and look where you step while taking biobreaks! Do not take biobreaks near bushes. Safer you stay inside your vehicle at all times , unless needed. SCORPIONS: Scorpion stings are painful but rarely life-threatening. There are about 25 species of scorpion in the UAE, two of which are known to release venom that can lead to nausea, shock and irregular heartbeat. 1. Fat Tailed Scorpion - large and Black 2. Deathstalker - Smaller (about 5 cm) and Yellow in color - More Dangerous Signs and symptoms at the site of a scorpion sting may include: Pain, which can be intense Numbness and tingling Slight swelling Warmth What to Do in case of a bite Identify if possible , or take a picture Announce immediately for quicker exit How to avoid this occurrence in the desert on Night drives 1. Compulsorily wear thicker full pants and ankle boots. Least being a full covered shoes. Coming in shorts and flip flops/slippers means you are voluntarily increasing the risk 2. Refrain from walking in bushy areas . 3. In a unusual scenario of shovelling near bushes make sure you have a clearly lit area to make sure there aren't any . 4. Please use a bright torch and look where you step while taking biobreaks! Do not take biobreaks near bushes . Safer you stay inside your vehicle at all times , unless needed.
    33 points
  25. Most Pajero owners might have heard about the 4WD Super Select II system, which is the control system on their Pajero 4x4. There are a lot of misconceptions on what mode to use in the desert, and the use of differential locks. Below i will describe the functionality of the 4WD Super Select II system and how to use if for offroading in the UAE. Also we will talk about the use of differential locks (center and rear) functionality. Your Pajero equipped with the 4WD Super Select system has 4 modes. Switching between 2H and 4H can be done while driving (max 100km/h). If you need to switch to 4Hlc or 4Llc you will need to stop the vehicle, put it in Neutral, then select the desired gear. 2H This mode is for dry highway roads only, and will slightly reduce road noise and fuel consumption. 4H This mode is the one we generally use for offroading in the dunes on most levels. The Viscous Coupling System distributes the power to the front and back based on the condition of the terrain (33% front / 67% rear). 4Hlc: Instead of the viscous coupling used in 4H, this mode locks the front and rear wheels together at a 50/50 ratio. (Center Diff lock) This mode can be used for more advanced offroading or soft areas when required. This mode is not for on-road driving !! 4Llc: This mode is used for self-recovery, steep hill climb, and descending from very steep slopes only. The maximum speed you should use 4Llc is 30km/h. Driving beyond 30km/h in Low gear will damage the gearbox sooner or later and should be avoided at all times. The well known Omani hack puts the car in limp mode, and can only be used in Low gear, hence is not recommended to be used if you go beyond this maximum speed. Rear Differential Lock Some Pajero models come with the R/D Lock or Rear Differential Lock. This option can be activated during your self recovery. How does it work ? In normal situations, your rear differential is "open". This means the rear left and rear right wheels can turn at different speeds, and this is necessary because of the speed difference when turning your wheels on the road. When the rear differential is open, and you are stuck in the sand with one rear wheel free, and one rear wheel stuck, ALL the power will go to the wheel that is free, hence recovery is quite difficult. Engaging your R/D lock will lock both wheels on the rear axle (like it becomes one solid axle). So even when your one wheel is free, it will still send power to the wheel that is stuck. The Rear Differential Lock is very useful, but not a MUST HAVE. It will come standard on the 3.8 Models. Drive Mode or Tiptronic Mode As you learn offroading, we generally advise you to keep the car in "D". The reason is that we want you to focus on the terrain and let the car think for you which gear it should take. Once you start entering higher level drives, you might find that the gearbox is a bit slow in reacting, or that it is upshifting or downshifting at the wrong time. This is not always the fault of your transmission, but could also be yourself who is quite nervous with the throttle pedal, making it hard for the car to decide what you want. As a result during offroading the transmission will be constantly shifting and during hot days this will lead to overheating. Tiptronic mode gives you as a driver full control over which gear you want to select. Initially this takes a bit of practice, but soon you will see that you'll be able to keep the car better controlled by choosing the right gear and keeping it in that gear as much as you can. For example during offroading you can keep it in 2nd gear, and shift back to 1st gear whenever you need to tackle a dune. As you can see, the Pajero has a lot of functionalities that might be confusing at the start, but once you start using them it will become clear that the Super Select II 4WD system is one of the best systems for 4WD on the market since a long time.
    33 points
  26. With the summer coming closer, we will go a little deeper into the dangers of being exposed to the extreme heat UAE brings to us. During off-roading, some activities such as recovery work, replacing tyres, and dealing with pop-outs, are physically demanding, and many of us who are in office jobs are not trained to cope with this amount of heat. Luckily with the help of some basic things, we can minimize the risk of below mentioned issues. The following risks are identified: Heat exhaustion: Warning signs: A person may suddenly look pale. Heart rate will increase and the victim may complain of feeling dizzy and nauseous. A feeling of weakness is also common. What to do: Seek shade immediately and lie down, especially if you’re feeling lightheaded. Apply a cold compress to the forehead and remove extra layers. Heat Stroke: Warning signs: Heat stroke is a type of hypothermia where the body temperature is greatly elevated. If not treated immediately it can be fatal. Symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack, along with nausea, headaches, hallucinations, difficulty in breathing, and agitation, What to do: apply cool water to the skin and place ice packs under the arms to reduce the temperature quickly. Preventive Measures: • Sip some water all day long, rather than just when you are thirsty. If you are thirsty it means you are already dehydrated. • Wear light clothing that can "breathe", but also wear sunblock and keep your head protected with a cap or hat. • Some fruit and vegetables can re-hydrate the body even more than water. Carry some in your cooler. • Water is important, but too much water can be dangerous as it can cause electrolyte depletion. Limit yourselves to 2-3 liters per day. • When recovering a vehicle in full sun, limit your exposure time and take some rest every couple of minutes. Because you are focused on the task at hand, you might completely forget the heat and become dizzy and exhausted. • If at some point you feel unwell, inform your club members immediately. When driving, inform immediately over the radio so the convoy can be stopped. • Keep an eye out for your fellow club members. It is relatively easy to recognize above symptoms in somebody else. Let them take appropriate rest. Please do share your tips, hints, experiences !
    32 points
  27. toyota corolla tercel 1999 i really have no idea from where to start a review but here we go i got this car ar 250k kms for 2.5k aed and ran it for another 450 or 500k it had a smoking engine which i replaced and she was back up and spurring like a kitten with carb powered 2efe 1.3 cc engine that not gonna roar but will get you wherever you want thanks to its 5 spd manual gear it had more then enough to run around everywhere i need to be and was my trusty partner for use in the workshop for hauling parts it had the best fuel economy as its a 1.3cc which used to give a run of around 600 plus per tank the car itself in look wise is really basic not a cheap box but if you can toss some $$$ then this car can make heads turn and the interior is also very basic with a stereo system and the seats are not that comfy for very long drives the windows were manual and there was only 1 airbag for the driver others would just hope for the best i guess there was no abs not much electrically loaded as you can guess but still its a really wonderful car to have as the maintenance cost is very low and the fuel economy is great and the air conditioning is built of very tough components the summer afternoons could not make it bow down the parts are readilly avalable in orignal and even aftermarket is nicely catering to this kitten the small parts like door handle interior handle or the window handle to bonnets doors even the used market has everything this car requires to run like the fornt headlight pair is 200 aed which would be the cost of only 1 headlight in many newer cars this car has reached such a stage that you can buy it of the market for 2k to 4k depending on the condition and for using it for 2 to 3 years it still part with almost the same amount from you only if you take good care of it...these cars are very hard to comeby if in really good condition as the owners are still in love with tercel and are reluctant to part with a gem that toyota produced the last were produced in 1999 as then toyota echo took over P.S : the 2 pictures is of my tercel and the rest is sourced from the internet
    32 points
  28. So you have decided to become an Offroad Enthusiast by either joining an Offroad-Club, or becoming a Solo Adventurer to explore the UAE deserts ? Then surely the time has come to start investing in the proper offroad gear. Good quality offroad gear will be your biggest help to be self-reliant and to enjoy this sport thoroughly. After all you don't want to be stranded in the middle of the desert with unsafe or unreliable equipment. We have compiled a list of essential tools you should have as per our club levels, and included some recommended gear which we have used in the club with good results. OFF-ROAD FLAG (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) A proper off-road flag is safely mounted with a bracket, or suction cup, and does not fall off on the first windy day. You can either buy a very decent flag like the AOR ones, or go to the nearest dune-buggy shop, or Dragon Mart. A fishing rod with flag also does the job. TYRE DEFLATOR AND PRESSURE GAUGE (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) Deflating your tyres will be a weekly practice, and the accuracy of your tyre-pressure gauge will make the difference between struggling in the sand or floating on it. You can buy them in ACE, Speedex, or Dragon Mart and it is advisable to buy two different models to double-check the accuracy. Most cheaper models work well on normal tyre pressures (35 psi) but start to give inaccurate readings below 15psi. Deflating your tyres can be done with a stem removal tool or a quick deflator. Whatever works for you. How to deflate your tyres is well documented here: FULL-SIZE SHOVEL (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) Next to your Carnity buddies, a proper shovel will be your best friend in the desert.You should get a full-size laborer shovel, and not a small foldable camping spoon/shovel. Buy a shovel with a handle, and a v-shaped tip, you will find them in general hardware shops. Example below is perfect, and will allow you to displace a lot of sand. TWO WAY RADIO (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) While driving with an offroad-club, a two-way radio is essential to communicate with the rest of the convoy and to receive instructions or guidance. In Carnity Off-Road Club, we use two-way UHF radios that are programmable to our frequency list that we have created. Make sure your radio is always fully charged for every drive, and if possible invest in having a second (spare) one. We can recommend the Crony/Motorola MT777 or the Baofeng UV5-R model as both are good radios with excellent price/quality ratio. You will find them in Dragon Mart. Do not buy a walkie talkie without a display, as these will be mostly pre-programmed and the frequencies cannot be changed unless you purchase programming software and cables. NOTE: THE BAOFENG 888 RADIOS THAT WE HAND OUT AS SPARE RADIOS WILL NOT WORK OUT OF THE BOX WHEN YOU BUY THEM AS THEY HAVE DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES. YOU CAN PROGRAM THEM BUT YOU WILL NEED PROGRAMMING CABLE, A LAPTOP, AND SOFTWARE CALLED CHIRP. IF YOU ARE NOT INTO THESE TECHNICAL THINGS, PLEASE STICK WITH BUYING THE CRONY/MOTOROLA MT777 or BAOFENG UV5R AS THESE CAN BE EASILY PROGRAMMED YOURSELF WITHOUT CABLES OR SOFTWARE. Instructions on how to program the Motorola/Crony and Baofeng you will find in below post: FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND MEDICAL KIT (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) Both items every vehicle should have, offroad or onroad. You will find DRY POWDER extinguishers at the petrol station or hardware shops, and a medical first aid kit at general hardware stores or pharmacies. Make sure they are immediately accessible in case urgently needed. 12V AIR COMPRESSOR (NEWBIE AND ABOVE) After every offroad drive you will need to re-inflate your tyres. If you are lucky to be nearby a petrol station you can slowly drive your way up there, but in many cases you will be miles away from one. You will find air compressors from 150 up to 2500AED as per your budget and liking, but if you are using it on a weekly basis you will find that sticking with a well-known brand like TJM, Bushranger, ARB really makes the difference. You can be lucky with the Camel branded compressors in Dragon Mart too, but do not expected any warranty on them. ACE, Speedex has the branded ones, and also a few cheaper options. GPS DEVICE (INTERMEDIATE AND ABOVE) From a dedicated GPS device such as the Garmin 276cx, or a smartphone with your favorite navigation app, it will be important from Intermediate level onwards that you start practicing navigation, putting waypoints, entry and exit points, and seeing the difference on your map between for example long range dunes and small technical dunes. Apps like MotionX for IOS, MyTrails, and GaiaGPS are very popular and allow you to properly prepare for your route / track beforehand. RECOVERY ROPE WITH 2 SOFT SHACKLES (INTERMEDIATE AND ABOVE) Recovering stuck vehicles in the desert is a skill, and from Intermediate level onwards you will be able to practice this. There are different types of ropes in the market, and finding the right one might be very confusing. - A Polyester Tow Rope is meant to tow a vehicle on the road, NEVER for off-road recovery. These are the basic tow ropes you will find at the petrol station. - A Webbing Sling is a Polyester rope that you can buy in hardware stores and is meant for industrial lifting, but can also be used as tow rope in specific cases (to re-direct a stuck vehicle with gentle tugs). This material does not stretch. - A Snatch rope (flat) or Kinetic Recovery Rope (round) is a rope made of Nylon that allows to stretch for about 20%, and is extremely useful for offroad recovery as the stretching creates a kinetic energy and the recoil effect helps in recovering vehicles stuck in the sand. When choosing a kinetic recovery rope, you should select a rope that has a breaking strength of 2-3 times the weight of the vehicle you will recover. For example; if you recover a Nissan Xterra which weighs 2 ton, the breaking strength of the rope should be at least 6 tons. Most recovery ropes have 10-15 Tons breaking strength. The reason for this is that the forces involved when a vehicle is completely stuck in the sand are far higher. Our club uses both the Viking Kinetic rope as well as the AOR Kinetic recovery rope with excellent results. The Viking rope costs about 350AED with a bag and 2 soft shackles included, while the AOR kinetic rope costs about 390AED without soft shackles. (AOR soft shackle cost 155 AED per piece). A shackle is a device that allows you to connect your rope to your tow point. These used to be mostly rated metal D-shackles, but nowadays the soft shackles, that were well known in the sailing world have become in offroading too. A soft shackle will be safer to use as the less metal involved the better during recoveries. More information on using these Kinetic recovery ropes and shackles can be found in below post: FLOOR JACK WITH WOODEN BOARD (ADVANCE AND ABOVE) A hydraulic floor jack in combination with a strong wooden board will allow you to safely lift a vehicle in the desert to replace a tyre or fix a pop-out. We do not advise using scissor jacks or bottle jacks, as these are only acceptable for on-road and will topple over in the sand or possibly even on a wooden board. A good hydraulic floor jack should be at least 2T capacity and a swivel neck (rotating handle) will allow you to put it further underneath the vehicle and still be able to lift it. JZX or YATO has good hydraulic jacks. Do not buy the cheapest one available as the consequences or risks when the floor jack collapses could be very serious. A strong wooden board should be at least 1 1/2 inches thick and made of natural wood and not MDF or plywood. A good example is scaffolding planks. It should be large enough to fit your hydraulic jack on it. TOOLKIT AND FLUIDS (ADVANCE AND ABOVE) A toolkit will come in handy for a multitude of reasons, in case a vehicle breaks down, to fix a loose exhaust, flag, or bumper, but can make you a hero if you are able to fix your vehicle instead of leaving it behind in the desert. Following items are recommended: A small basic multimeter, set of spanners up to size 24, some adjustable spanners, a hacksaw, hammer, set of screwdrivers, some electrical tape, duct tape, cable-ties, some spare car fuses, spare valves and stems, tie down straps, socket wrench set and some pliers. Also a tyre repair kit will be coming in handy, together with some thick gloves, and battery boost cables. Following fluids are recommended: - Engine oil: 1-2 liter - Coolant: 1-2 liter - ATF Transmission oil: 1 liter - A can of WD40 or penetrating oil - Spray-can with water to cool down an overheating engine.
    31 points
  29. With the current worldwide situation and pandemic declared by WHO with regards to the Corona (COVID-19) virus, as Carnity Offroad Club we want to take the necessary precautions in order to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. Therefore, from today onwards, we will implement the following basic steps until further notice: Please refrain from joining any offroad drive if you have any symptoms of upper respiratory infection, cough, or fever. Avoid shaking hands and touching faces without washing or using sanitizer. Please refrain from sharing food, snacks, or opened water bottles. No crowding up in groups next to each other at ANY TIME: Not while deflating. Not while stuck/recoveries. Not while inflating or during any breaks. All recoveries will be solely handled by Intermediate and above members, who is managing those drives. We hope we can count on your co-operation and will follow up on the situation closely. To maintain safe distance of 1-2 meters from each other while attending the brief, please follow the below pattern.
    31 points
  30. Criss Crossing Don't try this without experience it requires lot of practice. VID_20191214193330.mp4
    31 points
  31. 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.
    31 points
  32. Dear friends, We are deeply grateful and humbled to celebrate Carnity's 13th birthday today. From our modest beginnings in 2010, when we set out to serve car enthusiasts, to our transition in 2017 to cater to off-road enthusiasts, Carnity has been on an incredible journey. Throughout these years, we have been incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to touch the hearts of many. We've strived to provide solutions, bring joy, and offer a therapeutic escape for those seeking adventure on weekends. None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our amazing members, the dedication of our exceptional team at Carnity, and the encouragement from our external supporters. Your belief in us and your continued trust has been the driving force behind our growth and success. As we celebrate this milestone, we extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you. We look forward to continuing this beautiful journey together, knowing that it is your support that makes it all possible. With heartfelt thanks, The Carnity Team
    30 points
  33. Fantastic morning with the most fantastic team members who came to push the envelope on their cars, focus, and skills. @Gaurav you have knocked it out of the park. From the meticulous planning, setup, merchandise, and covering all possible loopholes, you checked all the boxes. @Srikumar, @Asif Hussain as always present and up to any challenge xx A special thanks to @Hisham Masaad and his son for the help behind the screens, really appreciated all your efforts and help ! Also to @Lawrence_Chehimi who was willing to shift from his support role on the DCT, to supporting the Absolute Newbie drive the same morning, so @Vanessa8580 could focus on leading again after her hiatus and needed recovery. All of you are winners, i only saw smiling faces, camaraderie, and teamwork. All made it back safely out of this treacherous terrain and i salute all of you ! To ALL the trip leads, i can only imagine the pressure and adrenaline going through your minds, trying to find the sweetest/shortest/fastest track all while having hands on the wheel in this unforgiving terrain. Inbetween the morning breakfast and other tasks i was able to quickly launch the mini drone and capture some basic shots. Next time i should prepare more on the proper angles and footage. Will need to get some practice coming winter. See you all soon in the sand !
    30 points
  34. After over 13 years in Dubai, it was only in early 2020 that I eventually discovered off-roading. Having been a hopeless workaholic for most of my adult life, until then I had never had a hobby nor any free time to practice one. I even used to say my work was my hobby.. If I think of it now I can hardly believe it. In February 2020 I had just bought a new Nissan Patrol, the Platinum City model, definitely not meant for off-roading and definitely meant to be a quiet Business / Family car. Then, a newly met acquaintance, who then became a dear and close friend, @Luca Palanca Falsini, persuaded me to join him on a family drive organized by one of the famous off-road garages in Dubai. I joined the drive with wife, children and even mother-in-law (no I wasn't planning to drop her in the middle of the desert.. 😂😂). I didn't know what to expect, I had made no preparations and nobody had given me any briefing.. I just drove into the desert and returned home with crashed front and back bumpers. Luca was afraid I'd never talk to him again, but quite on the opposite, I walked out of the car smiling from ear to ear and thanked him for the opportunity. That was the start of what was meant to become the very first and only real hobby that I consistently practiced in my life. More than I hobby, I'd say it became a passion. After driving a few times with other clubs, my engineering mindset urged me to seek for a more structured approach and, in my search, I discovered @Carnity. I was intrigued by almost everything about it and decided to give it a try. My first drive with @Carnity was on 20.03.2020, at Pink Rock, with @Rahimdad leading and @Wrangeld in support. I loved that drive, which I still remember as incredibly inspiring and exciting as we first approached and then climbed the Rock. With Covid-19 pushing stress levels through the roof, off-roading became not only a passion, but also a powerful stress reliever, allowing a weekly mind reset that kept me functioning across one of the most difficult times of my entrepreneurial career. Drive after drive, stuck after stuck and pop-out after pop-out (many, many pop-outs 😂😂) I learned how to handle my Y62. From Newbie to Fewbie to Intermediate, it was a great learning process, in a great environment, where I felt welcomed, supported, challenged to go a bit beyond my comfort zone, but always safe in doing so. I received precious feedback before, during and after every drive, I was congratulated on my achievements and cheered up on my mistakes, I was always overwhelmed with help whenever needed and felt compelled to help back, in a contagious, addictive team spirit, whenever others were in trouble. For months I've had my alarm set at 6:59 pm on Sundays to make sure I'd be able to respond to the RSVP of my favorite drive, feeling as excited as a child, for the first time in my life taking some time for myself and with a new goal to achieve: I wanted to master my off-roading driving skills. Moving to the Advisors team was a great amplifier of the whole experience, making me aware of the great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes to make @Carnity function as a Swiss clock and growing even more my appreciation for this great club and the wonderful people who come together in it. I kept on polishing my driving skills, but also learned about recoveries, and progressively shifted my focus from my own driving to that of all the others around me, as the whole purpose was, at that point, enabling others to live the same wonderful experience as I was experimenting. A whole new world of opportunities came with the Leaders Lead course brilliantly delivered by @Gaurav to @Luca Palanca Falsini, @Janarthan and myself and with the subsequent possibility to lead convoys. To my surprise, I discovered that the pleasure of leading and, in so doing, making people enjoying themselves while following my lines, by far exceeds the pleasure of driving for the sake of driving... The possibility to choose where to go, when to go, which level to drive, the fine line between pushing the convoy to do a bit more without doing anything unsafe, the challenge to set the level so that everyone has fun but the weakest driver can make it through, the pleasure of planning a route to unveil a scenic sunrise driving east in the morning or west in a burning sunset in the afternoon, the satisfaction to see your convoy conquering a mighty dune, a giant bowl, or tricky technical terrain, the sense of adventure exploring new territories... are pure magic. I felt blessed and honored in every drive I led and enthralled by the feedback from those who followed my tail. In less than one year I made it to Expert level in my Y62 until, in February this year, a distraction reminded me the hard way how still inexperienced I was in reality.. I paid my toll, grounded for six endless weeks with an outlook to have my Y62 back only after 6 months 😭😭). As a real desert addict, I couldn't bear the waiting, so I finally came back on a new Jeep Wrangler, with my glorious Patrol returning to more important family duties just a few weeks ago. I know I disappointed many, including @Islam Soliman, opting to leave on the tarmac my white whale for an easier off-road ride... but those 12 months on a Y62 made all the difference of the world and I'm glad Marshals and Crew never discouraged me despite my heavyweight Nissan. Thanks to the Crew, @Gaurav, @Srikumar, @Frederic, who believed in me and gave me the chance to grow at my own pace and in my own way, coming to terms, from time to time, with my impatience to do always more, to count, to measure and to ALWAYS speak my mind (😂😂).. Thanks to the Marshals and Experts, @Ale Vallecchi, @Brette, @Chaitanya D, @Vanessa8580, @Jeepie, @sertac, @Anish S, @Luca Palanca Falsini and especially @Wrangeld, my off-roading mentor, who all took me on their convoys and later entrusted me in supporting roles setting the example of what a convoy leader should be. I regret I never had the chance to join @Emmanuel in a drive, but who knows what the future may reserve for us... Thanks to the Advisors, @Hisham Masaad, @M.Seidam, @marks, @Yousef Alimadadi, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, @Alexander Alcala, @Nivin, @Rizwanm2, @Shaaz Sha and the Support Team, @Alex Raptor, @Dodi Syahdar, @GauravSoni, @Veedooshee who joined my drives in support making my leads always easy and relaxed. Thanks to all those who joined my drives, too many to name one by one, except for @Danish Mohammad, who, this last summer, gifted me with the best present a lead could ever receive, i.e. the chance to watch an off-roader blossom in confidence and skills drive after drive, following my lines. And thanks to all those others who patiently tolerated my endless early pop-outs and stucks, to those who drove in the churned up sand left behind by my Y62, who shoveled under my belly, who tugged me out.. What a fantastic experience all this has been and what a fantastic experience it is going to be! I'm proud and honored to have, even more so now as a Marshal, the chance to give back what I have received from this wonderful team sport and within this amazing club. I guess I'll never give back as much as I really received, but I'll do my best, of that you can be sure.. as much as you can be sure about my fast pace in the next drive!!
    30 points
  35. Welcome to the Off-Road Hall of Fame, a place where we celebrate the fearless, daring, and ingenious legends of the off-road world. This is the home of the trendsetters who have pushed the limits of off-road driving, supporting, and inspiring all types of adventurers. Off-road driving is not just a hobby, it's a way of life. It requires a rare combination of skill, bravery, and respect for the great outdoors. From conquering the tallest dune to racing through the sands, and wadis to traversing long distances, off-roading comes in various forms that demand unique skills, patience and above all - great teamwork. Only a few have gone above and beyond, leaving their mark on the off-road universe, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. These heroes have not just driven off-road but have really defined the true meaning of off-road community while taking the sport to new heights. Whether you are an experienced off-roader or just starting, we invite you to join us as we explore the stories and legacies of the off-road greats who have earned their rightful place in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. This is a place where we take pride in their achievements and honor their spirit of adventure. So, fasten your seatbelts, hold tight, and let's embark on a journey of exhilaration, inspiration, and honor in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. Period: Jul - Sept 2023 Drive in the spotlight "Catch Me If You Can" series of drives on Fewbie Plus and IM Level Congrats @M.Seidamfor being our winner in the "Drive in the spotlight" category! You have managed, together with your convoy, to completely take in "Big Red" from all possible directions and design a thrilling drive experience! Member in the spotlight While most of us are staying inside during this scorching summer, some people decide to crawl underneath the car and work on them. This hands-on approach has won @Stumpy Paj our "Car Guru Of The Quarter" award !! From dropping sub-frames, to replacing radiators, and spare wheel cover delete work, with the help of @Bravoechohe has turned his Pajero into a real Offroad Beast ! Well done Nathan ! Stucks of the Quarter Usually quite mindful of the terrain and its surroundings, @Fredericmanaged to park his Patrol in front of a big bush, and on top of that was seen smiling and waving, while @Naveen Rajwas actually solving the problem for him . Another noteworthy stuck was @Gauravon the Razeen exploration. Thanks to the great teamwork of @Zed@Rajiv Sam@DP1011and @Stumpy Paj they were able to clear the sand enough to get the car out of this scary angle. Lead Champion Congratulations to @Looperfor leading a whopping 11 drives this quarter! Your passion for off-roading is immense! Support Champion Congratulations @DP1011 for having supported 15 drives this quarter! Climbing multiple dunes on foot even made you part of the HATT, or "High-Altitude-Trek-Team"! Hats off to you ! Message to all our champions: Your dedication is an admirable quality that is truly valued and appreciated. Your unwavering passion for off-roading has not gone unnoticed, and it is an inspiration to those around you today. We thank you and look forward to seeing the many great things you will achieve in the future.
    29 points
  36. Dear Desertnauts, as if I didn't have enough business trips (which have lately taken a little away from my off-roading), I have just finished preparing for another trip, this time for pleasure, which will bring me away from Dubai for the next 10 days. It's going to be a bit of a trip down memory lane, like the long overland adventures I used to enjoy, once or twice a year, while taking groups of travelers, mostly to North Africa's Sahara. This one is going to be an exploration drive to Saudi Arabia, from Dubai to Tabuk, via many hopefully amazing sites, and back. I have just finished to load up the FJ, which I have decided not to equip with a roof rack, or any other loading and storage gimmick, in the spirit of keeping the car as stock as possible and manage its cargo accordingly. The boot is organized with two layers of 2 boxes each, with a row of stripped-down recovery tools crammed at the back of the booth, secured against the backseats (shovel, kinetic rope and soft shackles, hard wood board, hydraulic jack, a mixed toolbox, and the compressor). The boxes contain the dry food pantry, cooking equipment, mixed items (mostly kitchen tools, and an ice chiller. Between the two rows of boxes there has remained enough space to put the tent and 2 foldable chairs. The suitcases (soft bags, stuffed inside a loose and large outer cover accommodating also an inflatable air mattress, toilet paper, a spray bottle, and a pillow) will be placed on the back seat, separated by a small ice box containing some munchies for the trip. The space between the front and back seats is packed with a picnic table, and a supply of water. I have planned not to take any extra gasoline, since it'll be possible to find gas stations quite regularly along the planned route. The availability of gas stations will also allow to manage the water supply, which will be limited to 8 lt. per person every 2 days (4 lt. each day, sufficient for drinking and cooking). Washing will be done by spraying any unused fresh water, but mostly with wet towels. Of course, in case of purely off-road long trips, an adequate supply of water (no less than 3lt/person/day) and gasoline (for an extra autonomy of at least 5/600 km) would have forced me to mount a roof rack to carry these critical goods. While looking to minimize the upgrades to the car, I have also chosen not to bring an electrically charged chiller and no extra battery pack. Charging of phone, PC, lamps, or air pumps will be done with a converter (700 W capacity) charged through the car's lighter (with the option to accommodate 4 USB's and a regular socket). To complete the preparations, travelers to Saudi need to get a Tourist Certificate from RTA (provided upon presentation of a Carnet de Passage from Emirates Motorsport Organization), a visa (1-year validity, multi entry), and a car insurance, obtainable at customs. So, now that all is ready, I'll update you on the trip one day at the time, with a few notes on the areas visited, a picture of the day, and the track completed each day. Looking forward to showing you what I find, with the goal, eventually, to organize an overland sometimes next winter. Let the adventure begin!
    29 points
  37. Sweihan Drives drive report : eventful Dear Friends For yesterday’s drive i feel great gratitude and gratefulness for each one of you for standing still till the last moment in an incident I believe was one of the most difficult one in Carnity club , at least for me . toward the end of the drive around 9:30 we took one last bowl before exiting as it was just next to the track leading to exit. by the time I finished my turn and reached Hisham at the tail almost every one has done his turn . every one reached except @Mohamad Anwer who crossed to the other side and when didn’t acknowledge on the radio I immediately steered down ( from the second round tailing Hisham ) to climb ascending the ridge and by the time I reached the crest to cross to the other side I sow the LC70 on its right side flipped. ( later on mohamed Anwar said I heard on the radio roll over , switch off the engine .. but couldn’t reach the radio off course as he was trapped in the cabin but he did switch the engine even before hearing that on the radio , and this is another sign he was aware of what just had happened ). I run to the car to have a quick inspection to the surroundings ( clear ) and I had an eye contact with M.Anwar and he shown movement and that was initial reassuring sign. Within seconds every one buzzed for help and we got Anwar from the rear boot after I exchanged with him few sentences to calm him down. He gathered his courage and managed to get him out and was attended properly to calm him down. At this point and after Looking at the gross damage of the vehicle and presence of a small cut wound in the head as well the stress impact on all of us . I took a quick chat with my wingman and the true man of the day @Hisham Masaad and we decided to split in two teams not doubting a second for their competence or judgment. Being Mohamed in @Karthik Raptor in semi horizontal inclined conformable position we run on the track to exit where in same time the informed police and ambulance were in their way and by the time we reached maybe a minute or two the ambulance arrived. The paramedics did their job so quick and I exchanged info and pict with the police who truly showed true professional attitude and great help. In this time @Hisham Masaad , @Abdelghani @Waqas Parvez and @ASAD. On the other side managed to bring the flipped car on its foot and even they drag it as mush as they could toward the track. the ambulance left carrying @Mohamad Anwer to the hospital and policeman helped to call the recovery and to open the gate for a segment that made the track continuous. I thanked every one for their great help and concerns and I advised them not to worry as Mohamed now is in safe hands . It started to get hot and I wanted every one to reach safe home. I and @Karthik Raptor returned back to Hisham while @Imran Kashif, @Zed and @Zixuan Huang - Charlie willingly decided to stay waiting for the recovery guy along with the policeman . I already thanked @Amr Aydinand @Daniel Yangfor their help and concerns and wished them safe trip back home. I got a call from the policeman and later kashif that the recovery truck arrived but was hesitant to go further. @Hisham Masaadand @ASAD. managed to convince him while I managed with help of @Karthik Raptor and @Waqas Parvez to drag the car further down hill ( small one ) but then there was no way than to winch it or leave it . Hisham called that we are coming as the guy agreed and with little push from @Zed might LC eventually we could manage to winch the remaining distance by Hisham’s winch and the recovery winch thereafter . It looked like we were determined that we should leave nothing behind us 😅. The recovery truck with the car on top fastened made the wheels to sink further even in the little sand . I came in front of zedy car and hooked my rope to his however we still needed the “yallah push “ power of the grand master @Hisham Masaad and here we go Well it was a vey eventful day from the start when we had to exit @Sunil Mathew after he got a hard hit to front right suspension . Hope to be sorted out followed by @Karthik Raptor tricky crest at the edge of the death bowl ( sorted brilliantly by @Waqas Parvez and team instructions ) and lastly the unfortunate roll over of @Mohamad Anwer . However fortunately and with God Grace and all team with us has shown the real courage and real man stand still in such hard time , mohamad anwar got out alive from this and we could manage to recover the dead car despite all challenges. Special thanks to @Hisham Masaadfor personally checking at Mohamad at tawam hospital and informing me that he is alright 🙏 Apology if I made it long . Seidam
    29 points
  38. Everything you need to know about Off roading in UAE from Desert, Mountain, Wadi and Camping As simple literal meaning off-roading means any terrain off the road, but it gets way too confusing as per so many people different understanding with not enough clarity. After spending 12 years in UAE off-road scene, I feel this write up will help many offroaders clear their doubts and explain a lot of intrigue details to other aspiring offroaders. Off roading is a way of life For a vast majority of UAE population venturing offroad over the weekend is a way of life, that you sneak away from your busy lifestyle and enjoy the adrenaline rush to forget all your worries and recharge yourself. Why and how do you forget your worries? While off road driving your brain has to process hundreds of instructions per seconds that you will eventually forget all you were thinking in the first 5 minutes. And this process continues for the whole offroad drives and keeping you super alert at all times to have the best experience every time. Offroading is an act of driving a standard, stock or modified vehicle on any surface other than the tarmac road. It can be on loose gravel track, beach sand, desert, dunes, mountains or in wadi's (riverbeds). There are several different ways of off-roading in UAE based on your adventure appetite from leisure drives with stock (unmodified) vehicles to slightly modified vehicles to competition level with highly modified vehicles. Off road drive Sand Driving This is the most basic and first step towards an offroading. This requires your standard road 4x4 vehicle with proper 4x4 and LO gearing or even AWD vehicle is acceptable to a certain extent, but not an SUV. All you need to do is deflate your tires to 14-15 PSI to gain more traction and increase the footprint of your tire to spread the vehicle pressure on a greater surface area. At first, learn some basics of offroading in the sand in UAE. Plan your entry and exit points carefully either by following offroad books available in UAE or by existing trails from wikiloc. This level of a drive can be done on the beach, desert or any place close to the habitat territories. In the desert, it's usually restricted to either flat tracks (sabka's) or easily passable tracks on the broad dunes. Dune Bashing This is the most common level of offroading in the UAE, where the group of offroaders get together and venture in desert dunes and explore the uncharted and uninhabited territories. This requires a proper 4x4 with minimum 8-10 inches of ground clearance and deflation of 10-15 PSI depending on the tire and vehicle load. This level of drive organizes in the desert having plenty of dunes to make your own path on virgin sand dunes. This challenge requires special skills of reading the sand and riding the 4x4 with precise control to continue moving without getting stuck. Self-recovery in the sand is the most important skill that every offroader should learn after the first few drives. If you are stuck in the sand, then listen to the instructions very carefully without getting panic. Get out of the car to analyze the situation and also to help the person who is helping you either by shoveling or by fixing the tow rope to your car in the proper recovery point (tow hook). Once you are out of the stuck, do remember to get out of the car for removing the rope and thanking the person. In dune bashing chances of getting stuck are very high and that's why most of the offroaders venture in groups to help each other with proper offroad recovery gears. You can join the like-minded offroad club freely available over Websites, Facebook, Meetups and Whatsapp groups. All you need to do is join a couple of few to find where do you fit the best, as every offroad club and groups are different and unique in their own ways. Some people do prefer private drives over the club and vice versa, check out the reasons here. Mountain Driving This is the second most common level of offroading in the UAE, where offroaders get together to explore beautiful mountains, wadis, and gorgeous camping spots. This requires a proper 4x4 with minimum 8-10 inches of ground clearance and deflation of 22-25 PSI depending on the tire and vehicle load. This level of drive organizes in scenic mountains either accessible by gravel track or by tarmac road to a partial extent. Traversing through rocky mountains or riverbed, do require a special skill that is easier to learn with capable offroaders. Similar to dune bashing, you can join any offroad club for quickly gaining the right experience with safety. These are the Top 3 off-road mistakes in Desert & Mountain that you can learn and avoid. Off road cars Depending on the level of off-road adventure you seek, you need a capable off road vehicle to make you a good offroader. Not all 4x4 and SUV are made equally capable and some are better, stronger and more reliable than others. To begin your offroading journey you can take your regular road vehicle if it's equipped with 4x4 gearing and LO gear option and also have 8-10 inches of ground clearance. Once you get a hang of this new offroading hobby it's always better to invest on a separate dedicated offroad vehicle because of several reasons: You can enjoy the best of both worlds: a comfortable vehicle for road and stronger vehicle for regular off road use An offroad vehicle will be limited to weekend bashing to prolong it's offroad usable life, as every offroad car require more frequent maintenance than the road car. If your offroad vehicle is under repair, you can still safely use your road car for daily commute. You can freely modify your offroad car by trimming bumpers, lifting the suspension, additional lights etc. You will be more comfortable in pushing the rev limiter in 20-40K dhs offroad vehicle than in 200K road car. Here is the list of best offroad 4x4 cars under 10K and 20K dhs in UAE, if you really get serious for offroading. After every offroad drive, you need to check your vehicle before hitting the road again with these post offroad drive car care checklist to make sure if your vehicle is safe for the road again or not. For more serious and regular dune basher, you should learn from other offroaders mistake to know what went wrong just before the accident. These discussions and feedback from seasoned offroaders will help you avoid the disaster and save your life and vehicle. Last but not least wherever you venture, please do not throw your trash or anything as it's a house of beautiful wildlife who get killed by eating plastic, tins, glasses and even metal threw as garbage. If you spot anyone doing it, please explain this to them as many people think that desert is an abandoned area and they can throw anything there. Due to this inconsiderate approach authorities are fencing lot of conservation area and also issuing hefty fines for offroaders littering in the desert or mountains. Feel free to ask me any question for more details or suggest me to add more valuable points for offroading in the UAE.
    29 points
  39. A heartfelt congratulations to Team Icon Auto for their outstanding achievement in WINNING the Desert Champions Trophy 2023! Abu Fatih @Moh Qar @s.qaruoty @mohammedqaruoty Fadi Bala'awi @fadijoin @4wheelife Said Al Akraby @Icon Auto @phatboyadventures Thomas Eibu @eibuthomas @thom4run Stuwart Fernandes @stuwart fernandes @phantom_offroad21 Your hard work, dedication, and exceptional teamwork have truly paid off, and you have emerged as the well-deserved champions of this prestigious challenge. The resilience and skill demonstrated by each member of your team throughout the competition were nothing short of remarkable. In the face of fierce off-road competition in Razeen Desert, Team Icon Auto showcased not only their off-road prowess but also their strategic brilliance, sportsmanship, and unwavering determination. Team Icon Auto, you have etched your name in the annals of off-road history, and your journey to this championship will undoubtedly be remembered as a shining example of excellence in off-roading. Once again, congratulations on this remarkable victory in the Desert Champions Trophy 2023! Thank you, Said Al Akraby, for putting together the team of REAL ICONS.
    28 points
  40. When joining Carnity Off-road Club, there will come a time that you’ll need to start looking for deflators, pressure gauges, compressors, flag, etc... Dragon Mart is a wonderful shopping paradise but finding the item you need is indeed sometimes a daunting task. So I listed below some shops and their locations that might be of help: Off-road Flag Section: EA Address: EA01 Shop: S&D Autoparts Deflator tool and pressure gauge Section: EB Address: EBD05 Shop: Taizhou Yian Trade Two Way Radio Lots of options, but the BA section has the most shops. Look out for the big CRONY labeled shop. They have the Motorola MT777 = 120 - 150 AED. Crony MT777 = 80 - 120 AED Also the Baofeng UV-5R is still popular and easy to find. Costs about 75 AED. Floor Jack & Tools JZX shop in section EA, no. EAA25 2 Ton floor jack with swivel neck = 120 - 150 AED (Recommended) Tool kit = 50-100 AED Compressor Mainly available in BA section. Have a walk and haggle a bit. The Camel logo brand is pretty good. Available in single or twin cylinder model. Single cylinder = 100 -150 AED Twin Cylinder = 150 -200 AED (Recommended) Please take note that we are not affiliated with these shops nor do we give any guarantees about their items. We solely provide the location where you can find these most common items to save your time.
    28 points
  41. I had a center diff lock issue few weeks back: after self-recovery the center diff lock remained locked and would not unlock, causing heavy steering when driving home. My mechanic was trying to solve the center diff problem by isolation: whether it was mechanical (possible fix: change center diff lock actuator), or was it electrical (possible fix: clean dirty connections). While he was doing that, I was reading the materials from my Land Cruiser Repair Manuals and some other sources. Thought I'd share my "differential enlightenment" here, and try to explain it as non-technical as possible 🙂 FYI, I've arranged it so that everyone knows the context and working background of a diff before using this knowledge to our offroad driving, so read from 1-2-3-4, but if you wanna go straight to how we use diff locks, go ahead to point #4 below: 1. The Minimum 3 Diffs required for most cars Forget if you have 3 buttons with labels: RR/Rear Lock, Center Lock, FF/Front Lock. Forget the IFS vs Solid Axle debate for front drive. Turn your 4WD car upside-down (or easier to look at the underbody diagram in your manual 😁 ), it better have 3 differentials: Rear Diff (Red Sphere), Center Diff hidden in what's known as Transfer Case that also holds the 4LO low-gearing (Purple Sphere) and Front Diff (Blue Sphere). What's that, you don't like this 3D illustration? Let's show a real example with an old Toyota Fake Jeep #whoops I meant FJ 😂 You can see I circled the 3 "pumpkins" casing showing the 3 differentials location 👇 2. Why do we need those spheres/pumpkins/diffs ? The picture below shows 2 tyres on an axle with NO DIFF. Do you think it will turn nicely without slipping? Do we want this kind of horse carriage in our modern 4WD systems? 😅 So there you go, we need Diffs to make smooth turnings without stressing the driveline. In the illustration below, when we turn the Red Curve is longer (travel more distance) than the Blue Curve (travel less distance), so how can they turn at different rates when the engine gives the same power of 1,000 rpm? The answer: the magical mechanical device called a differential 😊 General Motors made this video long long time back, even though it's in Black & White, it explains how the concept of Differential came about (also explained how the Spider Gears work!). The video is optional, only for the technically-inclined and curious ones... 3. Why do we need that Center Diff? So from point #2 above, we know Diffs are used for turning the car, so front & rear diffs make sense, but what does a center diff do? Tilt the car? Refer to sketch drawing below: The car is turning left. Each wheel follows a different curve path: the inside wheels don't need to turn so fast, so in this diagram the front inside wheel needs 50 rpm and the rear inside wheel needs 48 rpm. BUT in order to turn, the front wheels need to turn faster than the rear wheels: thus the outer front wheel needs 54 rpm and the inner outer front wheel needs 50 rpm. Both front wheels are rotating faster than the rear wheels. If you add all the power required, Total Front Drive Power Needed = 54 + 50 = 104 rpm and Total Front Rear Power Needed = 52 + 48 = 100 rpm. WITHOUT CENTER DIFF, the transmission outputs 100 rpm to both Front and Rear drive shafts. So what? Well, that 104 rpm needed to turn wheels is greater than then 100 rpm, so extra stress is created... if continous stress is accumulated, this may lead to the image below, kablooi! So the Center Diff is similar to point #2 above, but instead of allowing inside wheel & outside wheel turn at different rates, the Center Diff allows the front axle and the rear axle to get different power output. Refer to diagram below now: So by having that Sphere/Pumpkin/Diff in the middle, the front drive shaft gets more power to accelerate faster than the rear drive shaft which move slower. Don't believe this paper drawings and theories? Well let's watch how the World Rally Championship uses Center Diffs to make turnings smoother and then lock the Center Diff to distribute power in a straight-line driving: 4. Press that Center Diff Lock! Finally we can use all that theories to use. Refer to below illustration: Red Axle is the rear and Blue Axle is the front. The Front-Right wheel is slipping while the rest of 3 tyres got some traction. Why won't the car move? Here's a little secret: Diffs are great for helping to turn, but the side-effect of a diff is that the output power from transmission will go to the wheel with the least traction. In the diagram above, that means the Front-Left Blue tyre will not turn at all! BUT we still have the 2 Rear Red tyres with traction, don't we? Yes, but from Point #3 we know an open Center Diff allows front & back axles to turn at different rates, so in this case more power is given to the Front Blue Axle because of that spinning wheel that has the least traction... thus the rear tyres spin r.e.a.l.l.y s.l.o.w.l.y , making the driver frustrated and leaving him sweating 😂 Now we hear those famous words from the radio: "Engage 4LO and (Center) Diff Lock" We'll talk about 4LO some other time, but the effect of pressing the Center Diff Lock is now this illustration: No it's not the same image... ok yes, but watch the rotational arrows at the back. You see that Front-Right Blue slipping wheel? That one is stealing all the drive power. BUT because of Center Diff Lock, we now forced the Front & Rear axles to turn at the same rate. So if the Front-Right Blue is stealing 100 rpm slipping, then now the Rear Tyres are also spinning 100 rpm, with probably 50:50, so Rear-Right is 50 rpm and Rear-Left is 50 rpm. Because the Rear Tyres have traction (those brown balls), then the rear tyres move the car forward... or down-right depending on the angle you wanna recover. 5. Press that Rear Diff Lock! So you think Center Diff Lock is enough and no need for a rope tug? Well check the illustration below: Now we have 2 wheels spinning: one in the front (Front-Right Blue) and one in the back (Rear-Left Red). You press Center Diff: nothing is moving. Why? Well the Center Diff allows front & back axles to turn the same, that bit is right... BUT because power is lost to the least wheel with traction, the transmission output will just spin both wheels (Front-Right Blue & Rear-Left Red). Calculatively: Front-Right: 50 rpm spinning Front-Left: Zero rpm not spinning (refer to disadvantage of diff in Point #4) Rear-Right: Zero rpm not spinning (refer to disadvantage of diff in Point #4) Rear-Left: 50 rpm spinning (same speed as Front-Right due to Center Diff locked) Here's what's gonna happen if your 4WD is lucky enought to have a Rear Diff Lock button: It's the same image again? Yessirree but look at the rotational arrows, especially at the rear red axle. So now Rear Differential is locked, splitting 50:50 drive power to the Rear-Right Red tyre and the Rear-Left Red tyre. Now instead of Zero RPM, that Rear-Left tyre will get 25rpm and might just nudge the car forward a bit... slowly but steadily, you might self-recover! Calculatively: Front-Right: 50 rpm spinning Front-Left: Zero rpm not spinning (refer to disadvantage of diff in Point #4) Rear-Right: 25 rpm (due to Rear Diff Lock) Rear-Left: 25 rpm spinning (due to Rear Diff Lock + Center Diff Lock) Yes you have to do Double-Locking: press Center Diff Lock first, then Rear Diff Lock. 6. Press that Front Diff Lock! That situation in Point #5? Well you have a higher chance of self-recovery if your beloved 4WD also has a Front Diff Lock. Refer to illustration below: Calculatively: Front-Right: 25 rpm spinning Front-Left: 25 rpm (due to Front Diff Lock) Rear-Right: 25 rpm (due to Rear Diff Lock) Rear-Left: 25 rpm spinning (due to Rear Diff Lock + Center Diff Lock) You can now do Triple Locking: get out of the car, assess the situation, then press the magic 3 buttons: Center Diff Lock On, Rear Diff Lock On, and Front Diff Lock On. 7. Cars with Triple Locking from Factory If you made it to this point, then you may want to now look for second-hand 4WDs that have triple-locking from the factory 😊 Here are 3 that I know of (please add if you know more): 7.1. Land Cruiser 80 Series: just look at the diff lock indicators on that dashboard. No custom aftermarket buttons to show if your car is triple-locked 😁 7.2 Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. Do you know why I said the order is Center Diff Lock then Rear Diff Lock then last is Front Diff Lock? It's because Mercedes Benz labelled it in that order too! 7.3 Land Cruiser 300: well, this one you have to wait, and there's no second-hand market yet, so this is the most expensive triple-locked currently 😅 Sources: The nice 3D Illustrations are from the Land Cruiser Cool Project.
    27 points
  42. Scorpion Sting Despite this subject is well explained in many of the posts in our carnity forum, I wanted to create an awareness based on my personal experience. On Saturday night, we, 4 families along with kids were camping and star gazing in Al Quoa Milky Way spot. On this night, my spouse became an innocent victim to a scorpion sting when we were sitting on the sands. Before the incident happened, unfortunately she removed her shoes to clean up the sand and sat for some time with bare foot - which caused all this. Thanks to guidance from carnity, we had clicked a foto of that tiny thing, in order to show to doctor for proper diagnosis. Within the span of five minutes her entire left leg turned numb with deep burning sensation and she couldn’t walk or place her leg on the floor (sting happened on her left leg foot, below the thumb finger). I immediately called the ambulance using 999 service, who rushed to the spot in less than 45 minutes and checked all her vitals including BP, pulse rate, blood oxygen etc. and confirmed that everything is normal. We went to the nearest seha hospital in the ambulance which is in Al Wagan area and the doctors treated her with pain killers and anti allergy injections. The pain (severe to moderate) lasted for 24 to 36 hours, post which she was able to walk comfortably. Pain still continues to exist (slight level) in the respective area, which should go off completely in next 24 hours. Key Takeaways: Do not panic and keep your hopes high and blood pressure at normal levels. If there is no giddiness after 15 or 30 mins, there is no problem at all. In case of giddiness, then this requires some quick treatment along with antidodes. Numbness and pain are quite normal in this case. As per Seha, none of the species in UAE desert are venomous and thus there is no antidode required. (They haven’t given any antidode to my spouse). The hospital staffs said they see more than 5 cases in a day with such instances. Dont rush to hospital yourself, as this needs some specialises practical experience to treat such incidents. City Hospitals may lack that speciality. 999 ambulance is the right option. We visited NMC Urgent Care, the next day morning, due to severe pain - they reviewed the treatments provided by Seha and informed that there is no further treatment can be provided there. Time is the only heal for this pain with few pain killer medications. Be ready to withstand the pain for 48 hours. Lastly, never remove shoes. Special thanks to @Gaurav and @M.Seidam for your care and advice over the phone. Tons and Tons of Thanks to @Asif Hussain, who drove all the way during such late hours, to help my friends in removing the car from sand while I am attending my spouse in the hospital. Asif Bhai, you always hold a special place in our heart for your kindness and support. Our respects for you is on highest levels. Here is the photo of that black sheep.
    27 points
  43. WOW!! What an event!! Congratulations to the entire club for coming together to pull off such an event with such precision. Major credit has to be given to @Gaurav for conceptualizing, planning and executing every single detail. Salute to you buddy, I have learnt a lot just by being there this morning. Also thank you to Sohini Bhabhi for arranging all the food and refreshments. Big Shout out to @Frederic @Asif Hussain @Hisham Masaad and his son (Abdul Ghani) to start the preparation at the unearthly hour of 4 AM. Fantastic support and contributions by @Tbone @Anish S @Rizwanm2 for helping in every possible way. An equal mention to @Vanessa8580 @Lawrence_Chehimi @Brette for coming to help after just concluding their Absolute Newbie drive. At Carnity, we have always built a team spirit and helping attitude to one another. Today along with that we got to see a fantastic competitive spirit between the teams, starting from the Leads all through the team members. Standing at the finish line, with all the team rushing in to try and clock the fastest speed, one could feel the adrenaline pumping. I personally loved the strong competitive spirit displayed with the right sportsmanship, as that is what this Desert Champion Trophy was all about. Congratulations to all the drive participants, you were all winners today. But ofcourse we can have only One CHAMPION for this year, the Team of Arabian Red Fox comprised of @Ruan van den Heever @M.Seidam @Bernard Kalaani @Mario Cornejobrilliantly led by the Tech King Richard @Wrangeld to complete the course in 1 hour 32 mins. ALL HAIL THE CHAMPIONS !!
    27 points
  44. Welcome to the Off-Road Hall of Fame, a place where we celebrate the fearless, daring, and ingenious legends of the off-road world. This is the home of the trendsetters who have pushed the limits of off-road driving, supporting, and inspiring all types of adventurers. Off-road driving is not just a hobby, it's a way of life. It requires a rare combination of skill, bravery, and respect for the great outdoors. From conquering the tallest dune to racing through the sands, and wadis to traversing long distances, off-roading comes in various forms that demand unique skills, patience and above all - great teamwork. Only a few have gone above and beyond, leaving their mark on the off-road universe, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. These heroes have not just driven off-road but have really defined the true meaning of off-road community while taking the sport to new heights. Whether you are an experienced off-roader or just starting, we invite you to join us as we explore the stories and legacies of the off-road greats who have earned their rightful place in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. This is a place where we take pride in their achievements and honor their spirit of adventure. So, fasten your seatbelts, hold tight, and let's embark on a journey of exhilaration, inspiration, and honor in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. Period: April - June 2023 Drives in the spotlight Leading and successfully executing a high-level offroad drive is always a challenge. Finding that delicate balance of pushing our best off-roaders to the limit while still keeping things safe is very difficult and mentally tiring. When @Asif Hussainposted this drive, the expectations were high, knowing that the terrain had fantastic bowls and that the thrill seekers would be present. Asif laid out a buffet of monster bowls and kept the blistering pace throughout the drive, and the feedback after the drive was uniform: "It was unforgettable"... Keep up these fantastic drives @Asif Hussain !! Member in the spotlight Most of you have driven in Abu Dhabi, and if you did, chances were extremely high to come across @Zed who is always around and carries the biggest smile and positive attitude. You'll spot him either in his fully restored black LC100 or his Grand Cherokee 5.7 roaring monster. Always ready to help out and extremely knowledgeable about offroad vehicles, coding, and food (so we've heard )... Keep infecting us with that positive attitude @Zed !! Lead Champion Big congratulations to @M.Seidam for being our lead champion this quarter with a massive 10 drives ! Your dedication shines bright and your passion for off-roading is unmatched ! Support Champions Big congratulations to @Looper and @DP1011 for being our support champions this quarter with a whopping 17 and 16 supports this quarter ! Special Mention A special mention goes out to our marshal @GauravSoni who has kickstarted our sustainability campaign by showing the right example straight away! Let's all do our part in keeping the deserts clean ! Message to all our champions: Your dedication is an admirable quality that is truly valued and appreciated. Your unwavering passion for off-roading has not gone unnoticed, and it is an inspiration to those around you today. We thank you and look forward to seeing the many great things you will achieve in the future.
    26 points
  45. Thank you very much everyone for the whole-hearted participation to make this first-ever - Desert Champions Trophy so successful, entertaining, and thrilling for all of us. It was an AWESOME feeling to see everyone completing the entire course of an event without any breakdown, damage, or injury. And this is exactly what is going to motivate us to plan such events in the future. Secondly, we were also impressed with all team's patience and faith in us to respect the true Desert Champion, without any disputes, arguments or sad faces. This truly tells us that all team members and lead have taken this as a fair sporting event and understood that winning or losing is beyond any "Champion" title. Special thanks to all crew, marshals, experts, advisors and support team to help conceive this whole event with utmost dedication, creativity, and meticulous planning. And help us manage and deliver this event flawlessly.
    26 points
  46. Below a starter list for everyone who wants to explore the joy of camping: * A tent: when buying one, always buy one size bigger as what you need, as a tent that is labeled as 3 person tent will be very very tight and cramped for three adults. Look for a tent with adequate ventilation that can be kept open with a mosquito net during the warmer periods, and closed off during the cold nights. If you only plan to stay one night, then the Decathlon (Quechua) and Coleman Pop-up tents are great. Quick to set up, not too expensive, and will last forever. The Coleman Instant tents with the outer poles (see pic) are very popular and have really good ventilation. https://thedesertdiva.com/2016/01/24/review-coleman-instant-tents/ The poles are telescopic and have a bit of a tendency to get stuck once sand gets into them. Just a thing to look after. You will need to pay specific attention to the tent spikes. Most tents just give you those 8inch tiny metal spikes that only work in soil, not in sand or rocks. It took me some trial and error to found out that i needed: These ones for 80% of the locations i went. They can be hammered in hard sandy areas and work also in some medium softer areas. These ones for very soft areas: They are called beach umbrella anchors, meant to fix your umbrella in the sand. They make very good tent stakes if you want to camp in the dunes. If you want to travel light with a family, you could also get 2 small pop-up tents instead of choosing 1 big family tent. * BBQ: Not an essential item, but makes the camping more fun of course. A small table-top BBQ will do. * Electronics: Headlights, torches, powerbanks, two way radios, table lights, etc... etc... etc... Most people have enough laying around the house. * Gas Stove: One of my favorite things to have handy: A small gas stove where you can boil an egg on, or make yourself a coffee in the early hours. Most work on the small gas cartridge cylinders that you can order via Amazon. (Decathlon did not have them last time, as they need a license to sell gas). * Sleeping bags: The desert can get very very cold in the winters, so some sleeping bags will be needed during those periods. * Air mattress: Many types are available, from the classic air mattresses that require a foot pump or air bed compressor, to the very thin sleeping pads which hardly require any inflation. Depends on your own comfort and experience. I like the classic air beds but I'm a bit fed up with the small punctures and leaks that appears out of nowhere. The sleeping pads look like a better option, but they cost a bit more. You could also buy a bit of HVAC insulation foam, fold it double, and voila, you have a foam mat that you can sleep on ! Utensils: I am not fond of the disposable plates and cups, so we have plastic ones that we can wash and re-use. Folding Chairs and Tables: My first pair of gas-station chairs did not last very long, and later I got better ones at the Park and Shop DIP for 100AED (Director Studio Chair model) You can go all the way to the OZTRAIL 350AED models if your butt requires royal softness. @Rahimdad his reclining chair is probably the pinnacle of camping chairs Recovery gear: As with every person that ventures off-road, you should have a compressor, pressure gauge, deflator, and recovery rope with soft shackles with you, and also a wooden board, floor jack or bottle jack in case you need to replace a tyre. Don’t forget that a recovery rope is NOT a gas station tow rope. Medical Kit: Truly essential, as a small or big accident is never far away. Water: Absolutely ESSENTIAL. Always carry water with you, camping and offroading drains your energy and you will need to top-up your internal fluids regularly. Cooler: You have the 12V powered coolers, but i am not impressed with them. Just go for a slightly bigger one, and pass by the petrol station to chuck it full of ice. Cheap and works great. Clothing: Venturing offroad is fun wearing shorts and slippers, but better go for light breathing hiking pants, and closed shoes, for your own safety. Wear a cap and protect yourself from the harsh elements. Trash bags: make sense.. Duffle bags: Not essential, but i bought a few and i highly recommend them to put your stuff in. They are strong yet light. Compass and Maps: Most people now go for a Smartphone with an Offroad GPS maps. Mobile coverage is weak in some areas so it makes sense to download the area where you camp on your phone. GaiaGPS, MotionX, Google Maps, and many others will work great. Toilet paper / Wet wipes: Extremely useful. No further details to add.... Firewood: Available from petrol stations. Axe: Always handy to cut your firewood if you are not in a protected area. Your Positive Attitude: Most important of all. Camping for multiple days is exhausting, and you will definitely need to recover after your trip. But i love it and it gets us closer to nature. The times that we have shared stories at the bonfire and watched the sky full of stars makes everything allright. WHERE TO BUY ALL THIS STUFF ????? This is like most hobbies something that eats a bit of your budget, so i would recommend buying the essentials and having a look a Dubizzle as there are many expats leaving and selling camping gear for bottom prices. Every now and then you can add something to your collection. Carrefour and Lulu have good basic stuff to start off with, they also sell Coleman which is a well known bang for the buck brand. Decathlon is a shop that specializes in Outdoor activities, so you will feel like being in Wonderland with all the stuff you will find there. Prices are a bit higher than Carrefour, but the quality is better. When you happen to travel to Europe, go to a Decathlon over there as i've seen much lower prices in EU compared with UAE. They have really good tents, clothing, and accessories, and if you take care of them they will last forever. The more high end shops like AdventureHQ and others have fantastic gear. The more frequent you camp, the more you will start to see differences in gear and equipment. Then it's up to you how far your budgets stretches and where your priorities are. One of my friends used a 50dhs tent that worked fine initially, but lacked any ventilation, and the assembly sticks broke after only one camping trip. It went to the garbage that same day.
    26 points
  47. Thank You Khaleej Times, For sharing Carnity's vision with millions of car owners and enthusiasts. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/car-owners-bank-on-portals-to-make-informed-decisions-says-carnity
    26 points
  48. Well i'd like to compare it with going to the gym because you want to get in a better shape: Option 1: You go alone to the nearest gym, mess around a bit with the equipment, get sprains and injuries, and maybe you will become a bit more fit once you get to know how the equipment works, but you are left to your own devices and not always sure about if you are doing the right thing OR if it is even safe to do with the health or equipment you have. Option 2: You join a gym and go for 10-15 lessons. Your personal teacher will assess your current condition and will guide you safely to minimize injuries or accidents. Thanks to his experience and knowledge you will progress much faster than others and will be grateful for having somebody to learn something from. Joining an Offroad club like Carnity is free, and you get professional advice from people who can safely guide you through and avoid mistakes which in the desert can end up being costly or even fatal. But don't take it from me, take it from the dozens of people that joined Offroad clubs and learned essential stuff like how to deflate properly, recover yourself, and what you and your car can do. If you or your friends get stuck, do you know what to do or which equipment to use to safely recover yourself ? I go for regular camping trips myself with a group of friends, but we don't venture deep and definitely don't do the stuff we are doing in an Offroad club. We drive around a bit, set up camp, and have some drinks. We avoid the real dunes and difficult tracks because most of my friends have very little Offroad experience and we don't want to get in trouble having our car full with kids, dogs, etc... Joining Carnity Offroad and doing the Newbie drives gave me more confidence and far less stress when going camping with my friends, as i know that my car is always equipped with recovery gear and i know how to use it. And most of all i can help my friends by sharing that information. PS replace "teacher" by our Offroad Specialists like @Gaurav, @Srikumar @Asif Hussain, @Emmanuel, @Rahimdad and more team members who will take your under their wings and teach you all the skills and fun our UAE deserts have to offer....
    26 points
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