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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.

Offroad driving is one of the most famous adventures in the UAE. Everyone during the offroad drive is always very welcoming and helpful. Due to the nature of this extreme and adventurous motorsport, sometimes things get unpleasant and everyone involved needs to know their roles and responsibilities clearly. I aim to put it in writing a few things based on my own previous experience and invite other offroaders to add more scenarios or doubts if they have: 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, get or 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 roll over or have any impact damage, take the pictures before recovering. Most insurance companies don't cover offroad damage so please make sure if you drive expensive 4x4 with comprehensive insurance, get or check your offroad cover properly. Take a lot of pictures and videos of the incident 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 incident. 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. 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 or sandbag to secure both the ends of the tow rope. Damage while recovering: As much as every Marshal and senior members 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. Mechanic Assistance: Many times, we have mechanics on board with us on offroad drives. If your car breaks down, they can happily fix or diagnose things with whatever they can. You as a car owner have to ask for mechanic labor charges before the work starts so that you can compensate the mechanic working hours. If a mechanic decides to not to charge, then it's otherwise but you are not supposed to assume this as part of friendly or offroad club drive benefits. Offroad Gear: Every offroader is 100% responsible for his/her own off-road gears, tools and equipment's 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 the person using to unscrew the last round to no to get stuck. If you lend your jack, either stay around to see if its placed on flat ground to not to bend or brief. If you lend your tool box or tools, you need to make sure it's used as intended and dont break. If you winch someone, you should know your winch capacity to do the recovery or not. 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. Mechanical Damage / Failure: Every offraoder is responsible for his/her own car mechanical failure / damage. Especially in the offroad use some minor long pending mechanical damages magnifies due to the off road stress and it should not be blamed on anyone other than the owner of the car. If you have remote doubt that something might fail in upcoming off road drive, then please get that fixed first and then join for next week drive, rather than taking chances and/or increasing the existing damage.

TRIP REPORT @Srikumar, @Javier M and myself met on time directly at deflation point. Unfortunately @Gaurav had to cancel at the last minute because of a mechanical issue on his Pajero. @Frederic, @G.huz and @sertac, who wanted to join as well couldn’t make it. Along with @Rahimdad and @Asif Hussain, all of you guys missed us. One of the very nice aspects of summer night drives in those famous areas is the virgin sands. At many points of our drive we could hear the sand cracking on descents... Yesterday we had decided to explore the southern part of Sweihan, actually closer to Al-Ain. We have been able to keep a good pace in spite of a few refusals and stucks - the minimum due to this kind of tricky terrain. And thanks to Sri and Javier, this drive has been very fun from the beginning till the end. We finally stopped at about 3:30 AM only because we started to feel a bit tired and hungry, so we ate and took a good nap at 300m above the sea, with cool breeze, moonlight and shining stars. We also could see Jebel Hafeet lights climbing to the sky, far away above the horizon. At 5, I woke up Sri and Javier. Not without difficulty since they were both in a deep sleep. I had to use lound music, lights, start my engine... After a few side slopings just to be sure everyone was awake, we covered the short distance left to the track and we inflated while the sun was rising. I am very happy that we have discovered 2 or 3 amazing play areas. We must go there again with all those who missed this drive... or explore Sweihan-Naqrah-Al-Ain area further, which is full of hidden jewels, for sure !

The uniqeist and the biggest 😂 Number 4 is my favorite, step out and help. Any time I've been out with you guys, I love how you get out and help anyone and everyone, wether they are part of the Carnity drive or not. Life in the city can be BS sometimes. Nobody will help you unless they are getting paid, but in the desert everyone is family, and more than that, it instills a sense of humanity in you. Anyone can get stuck and get in shit. When a random person comes to help you, it reminds you that no matter how banjaxed the world is, there are still good people out there.

For any type of off road driving in the UAE you need to reduce your 4x4 tire pressure. For mountains and wadi it's easy to reduce between 20-25 PSI irrespective of the tire brand, shape, type and load. For sand the tire pressure deflation is little bit tricky and if you follow below steps, you can decode this better. Before that you also need to understand that why deflation for off road driving is so important: Deflated tires are hard to sink in or dig in the sand due to lesser resistance. Deflated tires increase the sand flotation to reduce the load on Engine, 4x4 and Transmission. By deflating tire pressure you increase the footprint, that help you stabilize & offer better directional control. Image shows the two tires track: One with 35 PSI (left) and other with 12 PSI (right). Finding a perfect tire pressure for off road driving for your specific tire and 4x4 is based on bit of learning and experiments. Of course the lower the tire pressure better it is for dune bashing, climbing and self recoveries but too low is also dangerous for popping the tire out of its wheel. You can follow the below chart, if you are totally new to off road driving as an indication (ONLY). If you have a pop out on normal driving, then increase 1 PSI next time to find the best tire pressure for your 4x4. If your 4x4 is Long Wheel Base (LWB) with full load then increase 1-2 PSI more than below indications. Type/Brand of Tire Regular Driving Intermediate Driving Self-Recovering All HT Tread (Highway Tread) Dunlop Grandtrek Bridgestone Dueler Yoko Geolander HT Michelin Latitude Pirelli Scorpion Goodyear HT 14 PSI 12 PSI (Avoid sharp steering) 8-10 PSI (Inflate after recovery) All MT Tread (Mud Terrain Tread) Mickey Thompson MT BF Goodrich MT Cooper STT - MT Nitto Trail Grappler MT Toyo Open Country MT Dick Cepek Extreme 12 PSI 10 PSI (Avoid sharp steering) 6-8 PSI (Inflate after recovery) All AT Tread (All Terrain Tread) Yoko Geolander AT Michelin Pilot A/S3 Hankook Dynapro 10-12 PSI 8-10 PSI (Avoid sharp steering) 4-6 PSI (Inflate after recovery) Disclaimer: If you can't find your tire brand in the list then rely on HT / MT / AT section to be 90% safe. For knowing how to deflate the tires, please speak to any of the Marshal or senior member to show you how its done properly. There are more than a couple of ways and tools off-roaders use to deflate depending on their choices. All tools, ways and method are correct as far as you achieve the correct tire pressure. If you are new to offroading, I highly suggest to double check the tire pressure twice once you are done. Borrow the fellow offroader tire pressure gauge and check again, as many times your new gauge might go wonky and give false readings. Once you are 100% sure that your gauge is correct always, then you are fine to rely on your own readings. PLEASE DON'T DEFLATE WITH KEY AND STOPWATCH AND ASSUME IT'S 14 PSI. Secondly, always check / adjust tire pressure again after 30 minutes of sand driving as it might increase due to the heat and stress. If you are facing constant refusal at the beginning of any drive, I bet your 14 PSI has shot up to 18 PSI and you need to reduce the tire pressure more to bring it down to 14 PSI. This happens on almost every newbie drive, so it's fine and proven gazillions of time.

As the summer heat is in full form, our night drive is the only escape to enjoy the good breeze and pleasant weather in the desert (fingers crossed). This time we are heading to our much-loved sandbox of Pink Rock in Tawi Nazwa area. If time permit and convoy response are favorable, we might continue to Bidayer, if not then we will end at 2nd Dec cafeteria for easy exit. This area offers a great mix of playable dunes and medium dunes to test your night driving skills. Depending on convoy strength and liking will plan the route to fit everyone's taste. Offroad lights are recommended for a night drive, but if you don't have you can still safely drive with your HIGH BEAM. When: 20 June 2019, Thursday Meeting time: 10 PM, the convoy will move at sharp 10:15 PM Where: Tawi Nazwa Shops GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/4U9z5Q9HdesX3UU59 Level: Newbie, Fewbie & Above (NO ABSOLUTE NEWBIE PLEASE.) Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance. Plan: Drive, train and enjoy till about 3 am and then break for snacks What to bring along: Snacks whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 4:00 AM Please RSVP on the below calendar:

I'm lucky to have family here and experience all theirs joys and sorrows all with a smile.

@Javier M is your GoPro broken ? 😜

@shadow79 there is a reason for each one carrying their own equipment and having one set of equipment will not be sufficient. Imagine in a convoy of over 20 cars if one person carrying this box has to approach the effected car every time. Also if one rope is used for a hard pull with 3 to 4 attempts it cannot be used again for recovery on the same trip. If the equipment gives up, breaks or bends we do not have anybody to rely on. Whatever the suggestions given are not here to burden anyone, if you're an off roader or aspire to be one, than all equipment is necessary for everyone who wants to be regular.

And always appreciate the marshals and crew efforts . They work and think tirelessly on how to make it worth our while in the same time keeping safety and well-being of everyone involved in the convoy. I know a blank thank you just won't cut it but still thank you for keeping up with our f ups... especially mines they are usually unique...😎

Good effort. I remembered my car touched during first drive. Fortunately, I had comprehensive off-road package and other party was very understanding. These are possibilities and I accept it and pay full attention on not to repeat same mistake and careful while judging the sand.

Awesome post, @Gaurav. For further informations about deflating tools, @Frederic opened an interesting discussion a few months ago :

There used to be a guy who posted on here offering a service like that, I forget his name, maybe that’s him? Last garage I worked in I used to hire out lifts. Wasn’t a mega success but there were a few regulars who used to come and do their own thing. Maybe I should start it again. I’ve got 11 lifts and 2 motorcycle lifts so if anyone fancies doing their own work with a mechanic on standby, hit me up.

@Gaurav very well said. I would like to add to it. by thinking that the desert is a huge airport and all the senior members and marshals are the air traffic controller they can see you from where we can't see them with their eagle eyes and the radio commands are to make sure the aircrafts its pilots and passengers safety (cars drivers and passengers). We should assume the duty of a pilot by strictly adhering to the commands of our air traffic controller (senior members) to avoid accidents and hazards and similar to pilot you gain driving hours and experience instead of flying hours 🤩

Recorded, when phone app shows 42, but inside the desert, it's always more

I know I will have same enjoying ride at mid night too. 😀 I have tried to make correct path. Pl check.

@Gauravappreciate your hard work for drafting the above pointers. We'll done sir 👏

Beautiful gesture

Hello can you send me the chassis number might not be safe to share on a public domain...

OMG i really saw a beach !

With many people living in apartments or just lacking the space to do their own maintenance or fixes, I came across below site: https://www.ufixit.ae/we-have-what-you-need/ They have a workshop located in DIP fully equipped with all tools to fix your own car. Price is per hour. Please share your feedback, views, pros and cons.

@Gaurav well written and covered a lot of very important points I feel it would also be good to mention who is primarly responsibile in the event that a tow rope, jack or any tools breaks /bends while helping other members.

For tires I am a great fan of Yokohama Geolandars now for both on and off road use, but if it's mostly for highway use I would recommend Nitto Duragrapplers and Kumho Solus KL21 both user reviews available on Carnity. For battery once I have gone for Amaron I never changed to any other brand, costs slightly higher but last over 4 years for me every time.

Although these points are usually taken fro granted, it is ncie that we have it all charted out in a format like this so that we can always refer in the future also incase we forget. Thanks @Gaurav

@Emmanuel thank you for and excellent trip report in my absence. Well narrated.

Now you understand why we avoid day drives starting from May-June...

VID-20190614-WA0005.mp4

Very nicely eloberatd. 👏

Hi, Just wish to share my drive experience with Wadi lovers. I hope you'll share other good wadi options too. It was good off road driving with almost one way road for mountain climbing. Good option for trekking and night camping preferably with two-three families. https://goo.gl/maps/Pwb2SgFLtSsuvGSLA Thanks. Have a nice weekend!!

Done. And yeah and I don't like hammocks mostly because they can't take my weight and end with my arse on the floor.

The Philippines has to be one of the most screwed countries in the world. The Spanish screwed them, the Japanese screwed them, the Americans screwed them, now the Chinese are screwing them. Independence is a good thing but you have to claim it and own it. I’m planning to retire there too when I’m old and useless (older and more useless). Way out in the bukid where I don’t have to deal with people. Nice quiet life where I can swing on my hammock, listen to the radio, play some guitar and enjoy my plants. I started a small business in Davao last year and it has just started passing the break even point last week. For a long time it felt like I was just sending money via western union for fun but now I can see I’m making a future for myself.

Well done Chirag for sharing this hidden gem, I have never heard about Wadi Sena before. Few questions: Is road to Mountain is tarmac or unpaved? What is the level of driving in this wadi - can newbie drive in this area with little caution? Was there any water present, if you been there recently?

I have lots of friends from Bacolod !! It’s truly the city of smiles !

You're probably talking about the drill on board the Mars rover which cost 2.5 billion.

Yes, defense and space is the only place millions can be spent with no questions asked, sorta anyways. I might be not be right but I think driverless cars and drones all initiated from defense research . Most of the advances in flight we have made started in defense.

@Emmanuel, you know how much i love Sweihan, i might join in last minute, i need to finish something and time is gonna be critical, specially that it's almost 1.5 hrs drive to deflation point, is it possible to send me your number or whatsapp number? so i can send you if am gonna make it or not? or if you can whatsapp me, you probably have access to my number. i tried to send you a msg here but couldn't, something related to my account... i get this msg "The page you are trying to access is not available for your accoung" i don't know if i have to do something, or is it blocked for normal users. anyway, let me know plz

I think I have decent experience to discuss this topic as I did few deal of buying the cars like hobby bisi in Emirates auction and I feel it’s a bit cheaper and what I understand from that is there are cars from the banks, court, police and from garages (who repair the accident vehicles) and so on... yes comparatively cheaper with market prices from used car markets and websites like dubizle, but the thing is we have to be smart enough to chose the right car to bid and win. It’s like a guess and proper inspection at the auction (as Emirates auction allows to check the car in start condition) you can select the cars and go to the auction center and surrender the Emirates ID and collect up to 5 keys and those can be checked and we can make our mind for the right choice and come home and start bidding only on the end time just before 5 mins, and if we have to fix the price for the car with all other charges and if worth to bid can continue else just forget and look for other cars, in terms of documents when u choose the vehicle check the terms and condition before as there are documents clearance upon payment and some will be have issues like court and other formalities which usually take more time

Agreed 110%😀