Gaurav

What Richard trying to explain is: You don't necessarily need off-road lights if you aren't leading but then if you have off-road lights you will see better, learn better and drive better even in the convoy situation.

Especially in night drive if your distance increases beyond 20 meters from the car in front for those few seconds you will end up leading by yourself and in those few seconds, if you have a better light you will feel more confident.

If you drive with stock lights, Hi-Beam is your best friend and you will be always chasing the car in front to not to loose him, and that creates a bit of sub-conscious pressure, that can be relieved if you have an off-road lights.

I have driven (followed) and lead offroad for 10+ years with stock lights as LED bars were god damn expensive to 5-6K and we were fine. I bought my first LED bar in 2017 and realize what a world of difference it makes when you can see properly in night drives.

Hi @Nabeel Ahmed Welcome to Carnity.

When you already know the Nissan Altima CVT gearing "Failing issue" and still even think about buying is like standing in front of a firing squad and hoping all guns will fail by a miracle.

Fixing cost of 7K or 17K doesnt matter as once gear is rebuild you will be again hanging on that thin rope and sitting with a lemon that no one will buy from you at quarter of the price. Deniz has driven 62k so far and such problem starts from 70K - 80K onwards.

These CVT gear failure is a very big known issue. Check here: 

Like @Frederic mention you will be extremely lucky if previous owner has changed the CVT fluid.

Here's my advice:

• If you are hell bent over Altima, buy with a "WRITTEN WARRANTY" that Automall will fix the CVT gearing if it fails and sell the car before warranty expires - be it 1 or 2 or 5 years.
• My actual advise is - "Do not buy Altima", when you are already know the CVT gear issue exist.
• To compare in correct league, you should compare Altima with Camry and even if you have to downgrade 2 or 3 years to fit in your budget, that should be your No: 1 Choice - Style, performance and Toyota reliability proven in Dubai taxi since two decades. You can safely put 200K in next 5 years on Camry if you maintain it reasonably well.

Alternatively, if you like Corolla and happy to live with it's minimalist design and feature for next 5 years, then that should be your next best logical choice - ANYDAY.

Wish you good luck for whatever you decide and hope it brings peace of mind for years to come.

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to respect and follow these guidelines strictly in order to not jeopardize someone's health and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely.

MUST READ: Not following these rules and precautions = Not allowed to drive.

No Gathering | No Briefing | No BBQ | No Eating Together | No Touching | No Hugging

We are only allowed to drive through the desert, as we are driving on the road now. So we will only do the desert driving just by sitting inside our cars at all the times and leave the drive without socializing or coming close to each other.

Just like before we like to continue our desert drives through out the year, but this time we need your immense support to understand the strict control and to help everyone follow them all the time.

How to maintain "STRICT" Social Distancing

• Meeting point will be set slightly (100m - 200m)  inside the desert track.
• You individually deflate your tires on the tarmac before reaching the meeting point.
  • While deflating tires, stop cars 10 meters away from any other car.
• Drive signup on calendar will be closed on Thursday morning by 9 AM.
• Convoy numbering and briefing will be posted here on this drive post before 6 PM on Thursday.
• All participants need to read & acknowledge the briefing by clicking "Totally Agree" reaction.
• Switch on your radio when you reach the meeting point on the set frequency advised by the trip lead in the critical briefing here.
• Once everyone reaches to the meeting point, everyone stay inside the car at all the times.
  • Trip lead will do the roll call, convoy numbering recap, critical briefing over the radio.
  • Any suggestions or issues will be discussed over the radio too.
  • You can also speak to other members through the radio only.
  • So please make sure that your radio battery is fully charged.
• Once all set, trip lead will start the drive as before.

 

Refusal and Recoveries with Social Distancing

• Every drive will have 1 lead Marshal and 1 or 2 supporting senior members/crew.
• Whenever there is a stuck or refusal, only a Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is allowed to handle the situation.
• Everyone else including the stuck car driver, stay inside the car - AT ALL TIMES.
• Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is only allowed to step out to access the situation and do the recoveries:
  • They will wear mask and gloves at all times when they are outside their car.
  • They will try to help self recover through the radio guidance.
  • If not they will use required recovery gear and do the needful (shovel, tug or winch, as required).
  • If at any time Marshal require help, then only you are allowed to step out by wearing face mask and gloves at all times.

 

Drive completion and inflation

• There will not be any gathering or sitting down together for food-break like before.
• Once drive is finished, after reaching the tarmac, everyone is requested to move away 10-20 meters before starting their inflation.
• For drivers having no compressor, can head to the near by fuel station.
• If drive is ending at a place where there is no fuel station near by, then trip lead will inform in advance so that drivers having their own compressor can join only.
• Strictly no sharing of compressors, radio, shovel or any recovery gear, at any times.
   

Mandatory things you require to attend the drive

• Face mask - at least TWO face mask is needed in case one get damage or fly away.
• Disposable rubber gloves - at least two sets are needed.
• Wear face mask and gloves at all the times, when you are out of your car.
• Carry plenty of hand sanitizer and object sanitizer (spray).
  • Use your sanitizers generously, whenever you step out to help or recover.
  • Sanitize your hands before getting back into your car.
  • Sanitize your recovery gears, if you have used them.
• Fully charged and programmed radio - without any excuse - No radio = No drive.
• Shovel - Must for every car, to do little self recovery
• Safety flag - Must for every car, like before
• Compressor - If joining the drives that is ending far from the fuel station.
   

Mandatory precaution that you need to take at all times

• Do not step out of your car UNLESS/OTHERWISE advised by Marshal / Senior Member / Crew.
• No shaking hands, hugs or touching each other.
• No sharing of food, drinks or recovery tools.
• If you are not feeling well, please stay at home and take a lot of rest.
• If you have travel in last 14 days, then please do not attend this drive.
• If you feel unwell during the drive, please let trip lead know so he can plan an early exit.
• Not more than 3 pax in a car and if all 3 aren't living together, then they should wear the mask inside the car too.
   

Two Way Radio Guidelines

• Every Offroader 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.

 

MUST WATCH: OUR NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING:

Drive Details

Level:  Newbie, Absolute Newbie and Above (All Levels)

When:  July 03 2020, Friday.

Meeting time: 5:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Tawi Nazwa Farm - https://goo.gl/maps/LjPWf8DebrAuNSWg9

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 09:00 PM

End Point: 2nd Dec Cafeteria - https://goo.gl/maps/MxnMF2fHeGnKZ4vf7

P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive.

 

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• Limited to 15 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM.
  • 1 Lead Marshal + 2 Senior Members + 12 Members.
  • If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list. 
• Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.

 

PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

 

Super smooth

5 hours ago, Leo Francis said:

Thanks @Gaurav

This came as a surprise. Really enjoyed the drive yesterday with you and @J J . Really a smooth drive and loads of fun with the convoy. Thanks once again.

You will have lot more fun at fewbies level and truly cherish your perfectly lifted FJC with off-road tires.

5 hours ago, Foxtrot Oscar said:

To be honest I'm in need of a good upper body workout and some cardio haha 

I will remember that, for sure.

Well done @Asif Hussain it's so good to see you back in the game after so long break.

Congratulations @Foxtrot Oscar for reaching the Intermediate Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

As per your recent drives, you have shown tremendous progress and well deserve this new offroad rank. 

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Keep up your great contribution on the forum and get socially involved in the newbie and fewbie drives to impart your knowledge.

Once you have all the gear required, you are most welcome to join the Intermediate Level Drives with Carnity Off-road Club.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Intermediate:

Number of drives	10 (26 regular drives)
Level of drives	Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune & sand reading
Off-road gear	Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor, tool kit, tow rope
Drive teamwork	Help in recoveries under Marshal / Crew supervision
Drive posting/joining	Join newbie, fewbie & intermediate level of drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery + drive and route suggestions

Forum participation and helping with community spirit is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the Emergency contact details.

Congratulations @Magellan for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

Based on your last newbie drive you have demonstrated skills required deserving this new offroad rank.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Once you have all the required off-road gear, you are most welcome to join the Fewbie Level Drives with Carnity Off-road Club.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Number of drives	10 (16 Newbie + Fewbie drives)
Level of drives	Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune reading
Off-road gear	Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor.
Drive teamwork	Observe recovery from a safe distance and offer help when needed
Drive posting/joining	Join newbie and fewbie level of drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery

Forum participation and helping with community spirit is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the Emergency contact details.

Congratulations @Mehmet Volga for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club.

Based on your last newbie drive you have demonstrated skills required deserving this new offroad rank.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Once you have all the required off-road gear, you are most welcome to join the Fewbie Level Drives with Carnity Off-road Club.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Number of drives	10 (16 Newbie + Fewbie drives)
Level of drives	Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune reading
Off-road gear	Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor.
Drive teamwork	Observe recovery from a safe distance and offer help when needed
Drive posting/joining	Join newbie and fewbie level of drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery

Forum participation and helping with community spirit is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the Emergency contact details.

Congratulations @Yousef Alimadadi for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

Based on your last newbie drive you have demonstrated skills required deserving this new offroad rank.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Once you have all the required off-road gear, you are most welcome to join the Fewbie Level Drives with Carnity Off-road Club.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Number of drives	10 (16 Newbie + Fewbie drives)
Level of drives	Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune reading
Off-road gear	Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor.
Drive teamwork	Observe recovery from a safe distance and offer help when needed
Drive posting/joining	Join newbie and fewbie level of drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery

Forum participation and helping with community spirit is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the Emergency contact details.

Congratulations @Rajeevan Vickneswaran for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

Based on your last newbie drive you have demonstrated skills required deserving this new offroad rank.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Once you have all the required off-road gear, you are most welcome to join the Fewbie Level Drives with Carnity Off-road Club.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Number of drives	10 (16 Newbie + Fewbie drives)
Level of drives	Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune reading
Off-road gear	Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor.
Drive teamwork	Observe recovery from a safe distance and offer help when needed
Drive posting/joining	Join newbie and fewbie level of drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery

Forum participation and helping with community spirit is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the Emergency contact details.

Congratulations @Janarthan for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

Based on your last newbie drive you have demonstrated skills required deserving this new offroad rank.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Once you have all the required off-road gear, you are most welcome to join the Fewbie Level Drives with Carnity Off-road Club.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Number of drives	10 (16 Newbie + Fewbie drives)
Level of drives	Willingness to learn + Enthusiasm + Basic dune reading
Off-road gear	Flag, deflator, tire gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio, compressor.
Drive teamwork	Observe recovery from a safe distance and offer help when needed
Drive posting/joining	Join newbie and fewbie level of drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on forum. Share drive experience + feedback on forum and pictures in gallery

Forum participation and helping with community spirit is recommended for faster upgrades at all levels.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the Emergency contact details.

Well done @Veedooshee for your first off-road drive without getting stuck or breaking the car or the bumper. True achievement.

Thanks @J J for wonderful second lead and keeping a close eye on absolute newbies.

Nice to meet you @Leo Francis and Im sure soon you will get accustom to carnity way of doing things and start appreciating them. We are probably the only club in UAE not operating from whatsapp or social media due to the need of storing and serving tons of off-road content, video, tips, policies etc. for training and keeping safe 7 levels of offroaders. Spend sometime when you are free, I'm sure you will enjoy learning many new stuff here.

Thanks @Carlos Fernandez for a responsible sweep at a very early stage as @Shamil has to leave and hope his car get better soon.

Thanks @paolo dassi and @Veedooshee for good trip report covering almost everything.

22 hours ago, Denizzalbayrak said:

I believe question @sertac asked still remains. Will be there any Covid-19 Night Drive in near future? Because some of us may need to create a budget for led bars. 😄 

OH YES DEFINITELY. Very soon.

9 hours ago, syed salman raza said:

Actually originally it is 65 amp ,its petrol engine v8

Yes its always a good practice to bump up battery AMP to have comfortable usage with other electrical add-ons and also its better for longer battery life.

20 hours ago, syed salman raza said:

thanks planing to try Amaron 80 amp/hr battery for my hummer h2

So you probably saving or getting ready H2 for the higher level drives  

@Wrangeld and @Jeepie there is no race, rally or contest here in Carnity drives or its lead, EVER. 

It's an adventure sport that we are in and we should always keep on learning and optimizing ourselves. As you both share the one drive time in same vehicle that's why learning curve seems a bit delayed, but that's perfectly normal and nothing you both should be really worried or concerned about. You both are doing great and please continue doing the same. I personally love your both cool and calm approach at the worst of the situation - which is a very BIG ASSET.

Thanks @Emmanuel for the wonderful feedback, support and watchful observation to let them lead the real convoy.

I remember last month I did the same area with fewbies and also unable to complete till Iftar bowl due to various intense stuck and one of the car overheating to the max and curfew time changed all of sudden. These are absolutely normal behavior of the desert driving and especially in summer, when sand is less forgiving and cars running warm with little less power output. The only thing I will learn from my last failed attempt, if I do it again now, is to skim the route to half - with less play time and more drive time considering the convoy slow movement and adding bit more buffer for intense stuck.

It's called planning on the go - where you start with very tight control to cover as many as km's you can and then slowly adding the play time (if time permits) after the first 50% route is covered. When it comes to sand, we all are kids and we all love the playtime doing endless sideys and hill climbs but when on a route with a mission to reach a difficult endpoint, trip lead need to take some tough decision too (at times) to delay the playtime, stick to flat track (sometimes), avoid sharp dunes crossing, avoid going through pockets, go easy in heat (to have no refusals/stuck) etc.

I personally don't push my car above 3K rpm, when Im pressed on time, so that cars behind me don't fight or struggle to go through. As lead car crossing at 3K will increase to 4-5K rpm for the last car due to cross tracks and soft sand in summer. So more you factor these ideas, more you will have a better control on convoy movements.

Keep learning, you both are doing great.

Heartiest CONGRATULATIONS to @Ale Vallecchi for completing his very first independent lead very successfully.

Thanks @Srikumar for all the great feedback, support and watchful observation to let Ale face the real convoy situation.

There was no doubt on Ale capability as a new leader, as he has lead with many of us before. But when new leader leads an actual drive convoy and everyone enjoys, appreciate and crave for more (like here) that demonstrate the real success of that leader drive. Well done Ale.

Ale impeccable planning of route by plotting 22 points, track, exits, playable dunes on map, scouting area mid-week, and properly tuning up the drive as per convoy strength are the main reason for such a great successful drive. 

We feel extremely proud when new leaders understand the real gravity of this adventure sport, invest time in planning and careful execution with perfectly balance mind and heart for maximizing fun and minimizing risk/danger involved.

Once again, congratulations Ale and keep it up.

 

Energizer, Duracell and Varta car batteries offer 18 months warranty, but Amaron only 12 months.

However Amaron last as same but with 25% less markup price against those 3 brands.

Thanks @Veedooshee for all the confirmations. Well done.

@Leo Francis please go through the newbie briefing video, I know you have 3 years experience but still being a first time with Carnity off-road club everyone goes through that briefing. Please make sure that you have set your radio with all 5 frequencies.

Radio Frequency: Channel 1 - 446.006'25 - For tomorrow drive

Convoy List

1. Gaurav                   Silver Pajero
2. J J                          Red Wrangler
3. Veedooshee           White Pajero
4. Leo Francis            Silver FJC
5. paolo dassi             Black Pajero
6. Carlos Fernandez   Black Wrangler
7. Shamil                     Black Xterra

See you guys all tomorrow

On 6/21/2020 at 9:44 PM, Srikumar said:

 

Though a Light bar is advantageous, as long as you are following the car in front of you, your headlights are good enough for a night drive. Light bars are more useful for leads who need to define the route through the desert.

Also you can use High Beam in offroad and additonal fog lights, they help A LOT.