Gaurav

Only for you Fred (If this gets me more Belgian Choc)

With the sudden change in weather, there is a sudden change in coming Friday plan Let's have an Intermediate level, fast pace afternoon drive with endless action, side sloping and ridge riding across the sandbox. From Fossil Rock - Camel Rock - Al Faya - Pink Rock - Big Red - Bidayer 31 Kms of pure fun in 4-5 hours When: 12 April 2019 Meeting time: 1:00 PM, the convoy will move at sharp 1:15 PM Where: Adnoc Petrol Station Maleha Road GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/5eEfjiUgu8p Level: Strictly intermediate and above Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance. Plan: Drive and enjoy till about 7:00 PM 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: 8:00 PM Please RSVP on the below calendar.

I HIGHLY doubt, why don't you research or ask K&N boys as they are pretty fast in email replies.

1000 Carnity points for this reply

I'm really sorry to tell you that you don't deserve Prado, just kidding. Poor Prado soul must be weeping down in the parking lot right now after reading this. Toyota Prado is one of the best and capable 4x4 in the market that comes offroad ready in a stock state. Going more on 4x4 differentiations: 4x4 have LOW gearing and SUV don't 4x4 have locking differentials (front, central and rear) and SUV's don't 4x4 have better suspension travel and SUV's don't Some 4x4 even have adjustable firm suspension for offroad and SUV's don't 4x4 have front and back tow hook and SUV's generally don't 4x4 have better ground clearance and SUV's generally don't 4x4 most of the time have better tires unlike low profile tires that come in SUV's 4x4 most of the time built on chassis unlike most of SUV's are unibody 4x4 gearing has better torque for a climb and towing that no SUV's offers 4x4 usually carry fewer gizmos and computers for better reliability than SUV's

What do you think......?

As we always tell everyone that never to go alone in the desert, it's because you need another vehicle help to pull you out if you are stuck unless you are ready to move the dune with a shovel. I have done that once when someone left me alone in the night drive. Good point @Fuad, to always go with bare minimum 3 cars, as two cars can get stuck too while recovering each other with a stuck rope and you need a third car and a second tow rope to fix the situation. I have an interesting theory to share for NOT going alone in the desert: When you are driving in convoy for X amount of drives or years and never or rarely got a stuck and this time you think you are ready to venture alone and on your first drive and within 1 km you get stuck. It's called Murphy's law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". Naaaah. The reason why you got stuck because it wasn't your bad day but your subconscious mind telling you to not to do something all the time against your wish. This resulted in scary throttle, bad judgement, confused sand reading letting you stuck in a simplest of a dune or a crest, that you could have crossed in a blink if you were in a convoy with a peace of mind that you have few equipped cars behind you all the time. Conclusion: How to overcome this fear.....? Off course by not going alone in the desert, the simple and easiest one. OR learn how to fool your subconscious by saying that you have 15 cars behind you all the time.

I highly suggest to get quotes from 2 more places, I heard Yoko is/was running a promotion for 3+1 tire, worth checking with them. If I am in your place, I will opt for the original Japanese rubber if the price is not a barrier. Al Nahda Tyres and Rings Tr. LLC Al Nahda St Opp. Day to Day - Sharjah 050 980 8761 https://maps.app.goo.gl/oG137 Formula Tyres 06 531 8814 https://goo.gl/maps/F83jfrrtBKQ2

Isn't reoiling is needed every time you wash or rinse.....? Another thing I like to add which I missed earlier: K&N filter does deliver extra HP (god knows the number) but made my car perform better by an inch. This is for freshly oiled for first 2-3 full drives.

First of all @Fuad you should be specific in your question. For all time reading your question, I was thinking about engine oil filter and then Sri comment made me think on Air filter.....lolololol. For air filter, K&N drop in is the safest bet you can add for adding 5-10 hp but the headache of cleaning, re-oiling and gaining little makes me use once in a while when I'm doing something extreme. And immediately after those attempt, I switch back to OEM paper filter, easy to clean and use. @Frederic K&N need once in a month cleaning (MAX) if you are doing regular offroad drives, as after 4 drives your filter will become like a dry brick and make you lose more power than gaining. It might even break or crack your filter or crumple for sure. Please don't wait for 20K. I'm myself desperately looking for K&N type freeflow drop in filter replacement, if you try this AEM, please update here with your feedback. For cone filter, I also heard a lot of mix stories and about 80% time RTA inspector will fail and that's why I never went that route to have 1 more headache on every renewal.

You are always welcome to ask any questions and even challenge anyone's knowledge but with respect. You can start by reading these two advices first and then share your what you have learned.

Thanks, @Frederic to help build this article more accurately with local resident feedback, really appreciate it. Please confirm if this is the love lake route through Tarmac you have mentioned? Yes, this requires little bit tweaking in Google maps to move the points around.

Best 5 things to do in Al Qudra Lake. Enjoy Love Lake Dubai easy access. Explore Al Qudra Desert with gazelle and camping under the stars including the BBQ. Al Qudra Lake is the best example of man-made lakes in the middle of Saih Al Salam desert, which is a part of the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve. You can enjoy the best sunset in the desert with a waterfront view and surrounded by wildlife in serene and beautiful lakes. Qudra lakes is a house of beautiful birds and wildlife from flamingo, ducks and swans to Oryx, gazelles and desert fox if you venture little deep in the Qudra sand dunes right behind but with a proper 4WD vehicle and not in sedan or SUV. Al Qudra Lake Al Qudra lakes have been designed in such a way that you can easily reach them in any type of car from a flat track (not tarmac). You can spend time next to these beautiful Al Qudra lakes, set up a picnic layout, put your chairs and enjoy Karak tea or a shisha with your friends and family. If you plan to do the BBQ then do it slightly away from the lake and do it in the BBQ pit and not on the ground. Idea is to keep it clean and after you finish your BBQ, throw all burnt coal, wood etc. in the garbage drums, conveniently placed almost everywhere. Love Lake Dubai Recently opened this beautiful Love Lake Dubai has two heart-shaped lakes towards the end of Al Qudra Lake. Although flat track entrance is made until love lake, however, it is very easy to get lost in the sand while reaching there. So if you are driving an SUV or sedan be extra careful to stick to the flat track and not the sand patch. These lakes are so huge that first time we spotted them through Google Earth while planning a desert route from Lisali to Al Qudra Lakes and then we named that drive as Drive in search of love when these lakes were under construction. If you plan to visit Love Lake Dubai from the desert, then be very careful as this lake is surrounded by small technical dunes from three side and only easy doable access is from the front side, from where the flat track is made now. Al Qudra Cycle Track For bikers, Al qudra lake is a perfect place to enjoy cycling in a safe, serene and dedicated cycle track that offers various length from 10 Kms to 70 Kms. It's an amazing place for cycling, as the track passes through a serene desert that sometimes offers you a glimpse of wildlife along with beautiful scenery to enjoy while pedalling. You can rent the bike from TREK store or carry your own bike and gears, make sure to carry plenty of water as there are no shops or cafeteria around the cycle track. Al Qudra Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/wV6XSXGtj9Q2 24°50'59.7"N 55°20'42.3"E - 24.849912, 55.345078 Last Exit Al Qudra: https://goo.gl/maps/k7Yp7LRV9wz 24°50'57.9"N 55°20'41.6"E - 24.849409, 55.344886 Trek Bicycle Store Al Qudra: https://goo.gl/maps/xyNRPejk4y32 24°50'59.0"N 55°20'44.4"E - 24.849732, 55.345676 Al Qudra Cycling Path: https://goo.gl/maps/f9ywUmVbT5L2 24°50'59.6"N 55°20'46.4"E - 24.849888, 55.346210 Mosque for Friday Prayer: https://goo.gl/maps/NsAGr7yNVFv 24°50'59.3"N 55°20'38.9"E - 24.849818, 55.344127 Al Qudra lake Flamingo, Duck and Swan lake: https://goo.gl/maps/FRMKvFNUXKQ2 24°50'42.2"N 55°21'04.5"E - 24.845062, 55.351235 Al Qudra Flamingo Lake: https://goo.gl/maps/cPgsGD3aavA2 24°49'58.8"N 55°22'22.3"E - 24.832985, 55.372849 Al Qudra Flamingo Lake 2: https://goo.gl/maps/U71Bbe1v3T62 24°50'05.1"N 55°22'31.2"E - 24.834742, 55.375335 Love Lake Dubai: https://goo.gl/maps/RUoRHL739Vp 24°50'12.7"N 55°24'27.0"E - 24.836865, 55.407511 Al Qudra Desert is a perfect place for having a chilled out desert drive away from bustling city routine. Qudra dunes offer a great mix of small to medium dunes just behind the Qudra lakes, but you need a proper 4x4 and not just an SUV and also you need to deflate to 12-15 PSI to enjoy these dunes safely. This area is perfect for beginners offroad driver to fewbie level as close to the solar park side it gets little technical. Qudra dunes always offer a good glimpse of gazelles and oryx, that even in the night drives we have spotted a few. However, remember not to chase the Gazelles as they are very fast and very smart to take you towards the technical dunes to slow you down or even make you stuck on the crest. We have done several drives in this area from newbie to fewbie, you can use the attached track for safe offroading. Al Qudra Desert: https://goo.gl/maps/iTKxYm4XWBy 24°49'33.1"N 55°21'54.7"E - 24.825854, 55.365200 Newbie+ Drive - Lisalli to Qudra - 73 Images Lisalli to Qudra Lake - 25 Images Lisali to Qudra lake - 31 Images Al Qudra Desert Lisali to Qudra 24 March 2017.gpx Lisali to Qudra 24 March 2017.kmz Lisalli Qudra.gpx Lisalli Qudra.kmz Qudra back dunes.gpx Qudra back dunes.kmz There are few restaurants at Last Exit Al Qudra Parking area near the entrance. Best time to visit: October to May, when the weather is not too hot for outdoor. Al Qudra Lake Entry Fee: There are no charges to visit or using public areas Al Qudra Lake Visiting Time: It is open 24/7, 365 days, but to enjoy nature and wildlife daytime is better. Al Qudra Camping: You can camp anywhere safely slightly away from lakes, or even go inside the desert if you have a 4WD. Essentials: Outdoor clothing and closed footwear, Online GPS is a must for driving (offline is even better), carry plenty of water and food if you plan to stay outdoors for long hours. Keep it clean: Don't litter anywhere, because trash cans, plastic and glass kill wildlife. Emergency: If bitten by a snake or a Scorpio take a picture or remember the colour and size and rush to the nearest hospital for a specific antidote for that species. Keep yourself calm, so your blood pressure and heartbeat stay low to help you minimize the effect. Feedback: Please leave your feedback below if you have been to Qudra Lakes or Desert and like to add something more.

70-80 psi, I guess

Yes, @syedyaseer Wadi Shawka Dam and Wadi Shawka are two totally different places to visit with different levels of vehicle and skills required. Wadi Shawka Dam is the first route I propose above, search in google maps and off you go with regular sedan or SUV. Picturesque enough to keep you engage and after reaching that point you can walk down with all your stuff and settle down. Wadi Shawka backside access until the viewpoint is through a flat track and at least SUV is advisable as sedan might damage their bumper. However, after the viewpoint on the right side, there is a track to explore real wadi shawka for which you definitely need a proper 4x4 with LOW gearing, deflate tires to 25 PSI and vehicle should have minimum 10 inches of ground clearance.

Excellent input @LewisCocks90 this small piece of information can save so many owners tons of money, time and hassle. Keep it up.

Drive in Wadi Shawka, Dam, Track, Camping, Hiking, Cycling, Weather, Location, Photos, Videos, Reviews and Feedback from the travellers who have visited before. Wadi Al Shawka offers many adventures in one place from offroad trails to outdoor sports like cycling, hiking, canyoning etc. Wadi Shawka in Ras Al Khaimah is covered by Hajjar Mountains from all side and the valley is filled with rocky terrain, farmland, water pools, wildlife and plenty of parking and camping spots. Wadi Shawka is a perfect place for having a family picnics, bbq and get-together in nature. Wadi Shawka is about 1 hour away from Dubai and Sharjah and approx 2 hours 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi. Drive to Wadi Shawka Dam: You can drive any car there as it has a flat track path with a mix of tarmac road till Shawka Dam. https://goo.gl/maps/srTTLCiZtn72 25°06'20.1"N 56°02'33.2"E - 25.105587, 56.042553 For offroad adventure, Wadi Shawka offers two levels of route: Drive in Wadi Shawka - Easy (only for 4x4 and SUV): Instead of going straight towards the Shawka Dam, you can take right towards the Canyoning parking and follow the gravel track for fun and adventurous drive to reach right behind the Shawka Dam. You can enjoy the beautiful views of the mountain and water together with plenty of shaded area for fun and picnic, bbq and games. Starting point: https://goo.gl/maps/Mvx6PtcNecM2 25°05'50.7"N 56°01'57.2"E - 25.097427, 56.032552 Midway: https://goo.gl/maps/zfeDSojdmdz 25°05'42.4"N 56°02'34.6"E - 25.095115, 56.042931 Viewpoint: https://goo.gl/maps/d91KFhsBn3m 25°06'15.4"N 56°02'47.1"E - 25.104281, 56.046412 Drive in Wadi Shawka - Intermediate (only for 4x4): Perfectly bouldered and challenging track after Shawka Dam towards Wadi Esfai side, sometimes this route is inaccessible due to big rocks and deep water wading, so good ground clearance 4x4 with offroad tires are highly recommended. Proper 4x4 with good ground clearance is must from this point onward Wadi Shawka Starting point: https://goo.gl/maps/3jAgDXtLxsB2 25°06'11.4"N 56°02'57.2"E - 25.103179, 56.049213 Waypoint 1: https://goo.gl/maps/EgVjapcFY4S2 25°06'18.4"N 56°03'42.2"E - 25.105111, 56.061711 Waypoint 2: https://goo.gl/maps/pkx7h5aPrVL2 25°06'11.5"N 56°04'34.8"E - 25.103180, 56.076341 Waypoint 3: https://goo.gl/maps/smFU7vDsV5Q2 25°05'54.9"N 56°06'04.0"E - 25.098587, 56.101118 Wadi Shawka Finish point: https://goo.gl/maps/Qi4T8ANNPiS2 25°05'47.9"N 56°07'20.2"E - 25.096628, 56.122282 Farmland: https://goo.gl/maps/cY8wwrTQsqk 25°06'00.4"N 56°05'04.2"E - 25.100111, 56.084500 Shawka Bicycles: https://goo.gl/maps/KkV1HkShpuS2 25°05'01.4"N 56°01'17.5"E - 25.083726, 56.021531 Shawka Cycling Starting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/Vy1UcLwtHTo 25°04'49.1"N 56°01'34.3"E - 25.080298, 56.026204 Shawka Hiking: https://goo.gl/maps/SxbJmM4Fd4z 25°06'47.1"N 56°02'01.6"E - 25.113092, 56.033769 Shawka Pools Access (easy): https://goo.gl/maps/aRigoiBv6Xw 25°06'13.8"N 56°01'37.4"E - 25.103821, 56.027067 Heritage Village: https://goo.gl/maps/hH9y2aS1Uzk 25°06'11.7"N 56°02'28.9"E - 25.103249, 56.041350 Wadi Showka Canyoning Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/6rJjHRafsfF2 25°05'51.9"N 56°01'47.1"E - 25.097745, 56.029747 Wadi Shawka Dam Aeriel View Reviews: Tripadvisor - 4 out 5 based on 25 reviews Google: 4.3 out of 5 based on 83 reviews There are very few grocery shops and restaurant around for quick bites and snacks, so it's always better to pack your food in advance, as choices here are quite limited. Cafeteria: https://goo.gl/maps/ADZ2FUZn4Lt 25°05'54.3"N 56°01'34.0"E - 25.098421, 56.026111 Grocery: https://goo.gl/maps/TfribDJmkmn 25°05'53.6"N 56°01'41.5"E - 25.098221, 56.028185 Mosque for Friday Prayers: https://goo.gl/maps/oofPYFeLDsz 25°05'50.5"N 56°01'44.3"E - 25.097347, 56.028958 Small Mosque: https://goo.gl/maps/hiLPCvV5Dvw 25°05'49.5"N 56°01'37.9"E - 25.097090, 56.027191 Best time to visit: October to May, when the weather is not too hot for outdoor. Careful during the rainy season. Wadi Shawka Weather: Wadi Shawka temperature is slightly lower than the city temperature by 2-5 degrees. Maybe a lot lower if you can find a good shade under the trees. Wadi Shawka Entrance Fees: There are no charges to visit or using public areas Timing: It is open 24/7, 365 days, but to enjoy nature daytime is better. Wadi Shawka Camping: You can camp anywhere safely, but be careful of wildlife especially after dark. Essentials: Outdoor clothing and closed footwear, Online GPS is a must for driving (offline is even better), carry plenty of water and food if you plan to stay outdoors for long hours. Keep it clean: Don't litter anywhere, because trash cans, plastic and glass kill wildlife. Emergency: If bitten by a snake or a Scorpio take a picture or remember the colour and size and rush to the nearest hospital for a specific antidote for that species. Keep yourself calm, so your blood pressure and heartbeat stay low to help you minimize the effect. Feedback: Please leave your feedback below if you have been to Wadi Shawka and like to add something more. Wadi Shawka Track: In KMZ and GPX format below Only Carnity Members Can download this complete Wadi Shawka Route Track Wadi Shawka.kmz Wadi Shawka.gpx

Knowing Emmanuel well and driven with him for over 2 years, I think there are two possibilities for this stuck: He carefully moved slightly up to avoid the churned up patch and still slid down, so either his momentum wasn't enough to steer left and up too fast OR His rear tire pressure was more as the car slid down from the back into the churned up patch.

Welcome, @Glanz Lube to Carnity and it's a very good opening topic you picked. You should always stick to correct grade engine oil as mentioned in your car owners manual and also choose a well-trusted brand whose quality certifications meet and exceed minimum requirements. I don't rem ever I handed my car keys to change oil without checking which brand and grade of oil those guys are using. I think more than 50% of garages in UAE uses an unheard brand of engine oil to markup good profit and the moment you ask can you get me Mobil 1 or Castrol, service price shoots up by double. In today's competitive world price battle is pushing the quality down and if one garage can service 4 cylinder car in 200 dhs, then neighbour wants to beat down to 100 dhs by cutting the corner on the engine oil. In this price battle, the ultimate sufferer is the customer who thinks he walks away with a 100 dhs lesser deal, but eventually end up cooking his engine for the sake of 100 dhs without even knowing the difference between a good and bad quality engine oil. Sadly some of the car dealers are even using such inferior brand of engine oil and when you ask which brand it is then they conceal with the car brand+oil name, sir it's original "car brand" oil - I heard it twice with two different car brands and ran away.

Try one of the newbie drives with us and then judge yourself again. I was like this for the first 6 months and used to hate the desert due to constant stucks and pop out, slowly when I learn the basics, things become much easier and I started enjoying desert more than wadi's. Exactly what Sri said, I was about to say the same. Plus RTA tire passing is not on firm 5-year span, anything above 3 years above the manufacturing date will be decided by the inspection guy based on remaining tread life, cracks, missing chunks etc.

Noise and fuel saving in Geolander's are minimal and not too extreme, unlike other aggressive tread pattern tires. @syedyaseer I have never used Kumho.

ATS are better for offroad, HT stands for highway tread means it will be quite on road but not advisable for regular offroad use due to straight tread pattern and softer (probably 4 ply) side wall than the 6 or 8 ply for offroad tires.

Good to hear from you @asifali053 after 18 days. If you are only here to find a good place to get your car fixed, head to Carnity business listing. There are over 150 business listed in Car Servicing in Dubai However, Carnity actual specialization is much more than referring and pointing people to different car businesses but helping them to diagnose the car problem at first, to avoid expensive repair OR fake mechanics. If you are willing to explore this option, explain a bit more on what symptoms have you been getting and what so far you have done in the last 18 days.

I like to keep it short but seeing different responses, it will get a little bigger. US sites are good to get the specs data like weight and road noise, but over 50% of those tires don't exist in UAE at least the same pattern and design. So they are only useful once you zero down to 2-3 exact pattern, brand, and types and then research to compare. These days I have been seeing ESMA sticker on every tire in UAE to tell the road noise and other specs, that you can use to compare wisely as those standardizations is done in UAE for tires available here. All online tire selling website is at least 100 per tire expensive than the dealers in sharjah tire market. Once you decide what you want, call a few tires shop in Sharjah and get the latest production tire from the cheapest of the shop. You will save at least 400-500 dhs. I'm buying tires from those shops for 15 years and always walk away with the best deal. Future tyre "WAS" good place to go in Ras Al Khor, but as per my and few of my friend's recent experience, they have been overcharging by 200% so I no longer recommend them but no doubt they are professionals. Coming to the tire choices now: Michelin's are my all time favorite, I have used them twice Michelin LTX and Michelin Pilot, both were amazing. LTX used to be A/T tread and very good for sand offroad being soft and lighter and very quiet on road. Michelin rubber is really superior grade but not very advisable if you venturing too much in wadi's as after a little you might cut that soft rubber with stones very easily. @Emmanuel using Michelin Primacy (If I rem correctly) and he can advise more on that specific brand and type. Yokohama Geolander A/T is my current favorite choice as Yoko's have finally figured out the best of three combinations: Road + Sand + Rocks with minimal of road noise, rem I said minimal and not no noise. Any A/T tire will be loud as hell on road due to the tread pattern to be aggressive for offroad and hence result in more road noise. So this trade-off is inevitable if you like one tire to fit both your needs. I'm using G012 version since last 6 years, as my second set running since last two years and they wear evenly too to get you some good miles on them, unlike many other A/T tires which start losing chunks and pieces after the first year of usage. BF Goodrich, has the amazing offroad capabilities but quite heavy and will limit your offroad capability if you are running on the stock engine without any power mods. Secondly, they are quite noisy on the road since I used them last but again someone I met recently said they are not noisy any longer. Either that guy had loud music system or BFG have really changed on road noise, I don't know tbh. Bridgestone dueler and Dunlop Grandtrek is good road tread and not good for regular offroad especially in wadis and rock you might damage them with regular wadi's run. In sand, if you deflate them under 15 PSI, you might pop out them very easily. I have used them both on my Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol and labeled as king of pop out on every drive.