Varun Mehndiratta

We still have 5 WL, anyone who drops out now will owe a nice treat to waitlisted drivers. All drivers in convoy above, please in case you have change of plans, announce it on forum marking the ppl below, so that they can assess if they can still join in. WL in order @Jessica Lambert @Julian Patterson @Zed @Beide Worku @Ahmad Nerat

Dear Sand Sailors Here are the final details for the drive. In case of any issues, feel free to contact me on this forum or on 050 4430 882. Meeting Time : 615am. Meeting Point : https://maps.app.goo.gl/pNyskmokem8hL2ef8?g_st=iw you will find a gate next to the meeting point. It’s an automated gate and should open when car gets close to it - it’s a Royal Heritage Gate which just looks out for some respect, so just be polite with it and it will open up. 😀 Expected End Time : 11am Radio Channel : 4 Convoy Order - We have a long convoy with good mix of experience, so we will follow the platoon concept in this drive. Those who have been on my drives, I am sure have experienced this before - for others will share the details during the briefing. 1.. Varun - Rubicon with a mystery color 2. @Ishak in Black and White Pajero will be SL. 3. @lucas amat in his Grey Jeep Cherokee 4. @Anoop Nair will be our 1st platoon leader bringing safety element with his yellow Jeep. 5. @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke It’s black and white Pajero. 6. @MohamedSherif in Wrangler 7. @Looper in yellow wrangler will be CF and our 2nd platoon leader. 8. @Murtaza Bhuria In his Pajero. 9. @Gary F in white wrangler sand runner. 10. @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler will be our 3rd platoon leader, brining in some shades of grey with his Rubicon. 11. @Krishna R in his Xterra finally breaking the Pajero/Wrangler sequence. and it’s not black nor white 😀 12. @Bravoecho in his beautiful Safari 13. @Pieter Potgieter in his Wrangler 14. @Mahmoud Taha in his awesome Xterra 15. @Gok Krish in his shiny new 392 will be Sweeping the convoy and will be our 4th platoon leader. See you all tomo morning.

Btw looks like another drive full of black and whites (grey Jeeps don’t really help much) - @Looper and @Anoop K. Nair thanks for RSVPing and bringing in some shiny bright colors to this convoy 😀

Ahoy Sailors Hope just like me you are having a crazy week 😀 and looking forward to let go some steam in Sweihan - somehow Sweihan tastes even better after a hectic week at work 😀 I believe we more or less have the final convoy, in case someone still has some doubt, please evaluate and update the RSVP asap. I am almost done preparing my plan. Plan is that there is no plan - we'll enter the dunes and just have fun, jumping from one play area to another, one bowl to another and will try to reach the exit at around 11am. So make sure you have your running gear set as with dunes so awesome, i feel the need, the Need For Speed..🙂 yeah ignore it, soemhow Sweihan gets me all charged up. ...😂😂 Some Pre-requisites for the drive. 1. Ensure your vehicle is in perfect shape. 2. Ensure you have all the off road gear as required at this level, nicely strapped/secured in your vehicle. 3. It’s a demanding terrain and would need your full focus. So please ensure you are well rested - as per top notch astrologers this Friday night is most auspicious timefor any kind of party/celebrations and Saturday post 10 should be completely avoided 😀 4. In general it’s not a drive which passengers will cherish. So unless convinced about your and your vehicle climbing ability - avoid passengers - will also keep your mind and vehicle light. 5. Be on time and plan for possible early morning fog (though it’s much better in general now). @Juan R @Gok Krish @Krishna R @Gary F @lucas amat @Murtaza Bhuria @Mark B @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke @Ishak @Anoop Nair @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler @Looper @Bravoecho @MohamedSherif WL - @Beide Worku @Jona @Ashutosh Garg @Bashar Beasha @Pieter Potgieter @Ahmad Nerat @Mahmoud Taha @Jessica Lambert @Julian Patterson

Dear Sand Sailors Since we have a good number of experienced drivers in the drive. I have extended the convoy to 12 drivers. @lucas amat and @Murtaza Bhuria you have been added to the drive. Please confirm your availability. Still we have 9 drivers on WL of which 6 drivers with this as their first drive for the weekend. So in case of change in your plans, please update RSVP asap. Thanks for your understanding.

Hi @Misha Puskar what’s the rim size you have? Sahara in JL is with 18 inch, am not sure about JK. This is a limiting element for JL as All Terrain options are limited with 18 inch above a particular size. JK in general I understand is okay to go upto 31 inch tyre without any challenge or need for lift etc. Most ppl here prefer Geolandar but heard some issues in new model with side wall. I have BF Goodrich AT2 and love them though a bit agressive looking(not wide but aggressive thread) and not smoothest on road. There are some threads where ppl mentioned about good experience with Michelin as well. If you choose the right size upto 285/17, generally won’t be an easy issue in JK. @Anoop K. Nair @Pacific have JK and can advice. Just wow … how practical don’t know. I really like @Gerrit Bus setup. Check it. It’s a limo jlu 😀

Chimney is waiting for you on the other side - go for it. 👍😀 And please pack your lunch, dinner and next day Bfast as well - most important lesson I learned post last leaders lead - @Gaurav is a passionate trainer who never comes with his watch on these sessions 😀😀 have fun.

Is it really what you use for? Pretty cool idea, we have quite a few truck - haven’t seen anyone use it to have tent on the truck. How’s been the experience? - first thought that comes to my mind whenever think of spending night in car is what to do with things already packed in it? Any ideas based on your experience

Congrats @Sam K looking forward to see you on an Int drive sometime soon 👍👍

Congrats @Jona happy driving at new level.

Wow we have some super fast fingers... Thanks all for superb response to the drive, we can easily make another FB + convoy out of this RSVP list and still have some more on WL. Ofcourse, Sweihan is always special. Really good to see some usual suspects 😉, some old friends who i havent driven with in some time 🤘 and some new FB faces for the drive - may the force be with you 🤪🖖. We are in for some great fun with all the awesome riders and machines - needless to say the best of the best terrain UAE has to offer. PS: This weekend - have some special surprise for this drive - detail will follow. And its not @DP1011 , Deepak wrangleramazing bfast delicacies and @Looper's tried and tested tips to avoid repeated loops 😘.Though i surely wont mind either of these too. Thanks both for joining in to support the drive. In due course, we have a long WL and surely wont be able to accommodate all. So. please make sure that if your plans change, please update the RSPV at the earliest. @Beide Worku and @Ashutosh Garg noted that you are already added to @JeromeFJ drive this weekend in Sweihan too. Please confirm your interest. Ofcourse, always happy to have you on the drive. @Juan R @Gok Krish @Bravoecho @Krishna R @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke @Mark B @Gary F @Ishak @Andrei S @Anoop Nair WL (not in any order) - @lucas amat @Bashar Beasha @Murtaza Bhuria @MohamedSherif @Pieter Potgieter @Mahmoud Taha @Ahmad Nerat @Jessica Lambert @Jona @Beide Worku @Ashutosh Garg Have a happy week ahead and looking forward to see you all this sunday.

Hahaha yeah Jeep has fixed the issue of mud terrain Tyres - now all new Rubicons are with BFG AT2, Sports and Sahara in any case were never with Mud Terrain .. 😀👍

Hahahah Jeep drive is safe drive. Off road it’s super smooth even at 120 😀😀 Jokes apart and not giving wrong ideas to @Marketa Dobesova Jeep is not known to be fast and usually old models used to cry for sympathy above 120-130. Not really the case with JLU. It’s surely not a sedan or an aerodynamic or a super confi suv - still pretty comfortable on road and never felt out of place within the highest of UAE speed limits (believe max I tried is at 160km, surely turned into fuel guzzler though). Best way to enjoy it is to take off the roof, doors and feel the wind while sailing through the roads. This is real Jeep thing not being on racing tracks.

Hi @Marketa Dobesova welcome to the club. Good to see another Jeep enthusiast. You can never go wrong with a jeep. Buying a jeep and choice is based on multiple factors - budget, purpose (pure off road or both on and off), plan to buy and use stock or intend to modify etc. I am more of a purist and enjoy my Jeep in its stock version. @Gaurav has already cover the first key point - JLs are undoubtedly the best Jeeps - especially if plan is to drive it both On and Off road. JL was launched mid 2018 (so even if checking 2018 model, make sure to check if it’s JL or JK). Engine wise JL and JK have same pe tastes engine - however in cabin and On road experience of JL is far superior. But then post Covid prices have gone really high. On the other hand sincr launch of JL, price of Jk has gone down a lot. , so sure depends on your budget as well. Reg trims - sport, Sahara or Rubicon - elements are again same - budget and purpose. All have same engine and variation is more on special off road/on road features and in cabin experience. Sport is basic - looks basic, in cabin feels basic. Mostly ppl buy sports with intend to spend the price gap on upgrades. Over last three years - I have had Sahara and now have a Rubicon both JLUs (4Dr are JLU and 2dr are called JL). You will not go wrong with either. Both have been great Off-road and Onroad capabilities - Sahara perhaps a bit (tiny bit) better onroad and Rubicon a tiny bit better off road. I didn’t need to do any upgrade (aesthetically or machine wise on any and have been a super happy Jeeper). New Vs Old - tough to find stock jeep in used market was one reason i preferred new. Plus depreciation in Jeep is low, at least with JLu, so couldn’t manage to find very good deals and eventually bought new - for what I would have saved wasn’t enough to balance off with peace of mind with a new one. All of these are personal factors and vary from person to person. This whole forum is full of Jeepers with all models from early 90s to the latest ones - stock to fully loaded. So you will not run short of ideas and cases - best is to evaluate your key criteria - visit Jeep store, evaluate budget and your experience and let us know your specific queries. Always happy to help.

Drive Plan Weather is fast changing and ofcourse Ramadan is just around the corner. A fun fast paced drive through the awesome dunes of Sweihan, before the commencement of Holy Month of Ramadan. For many of us might get tough to travel all the way with Ramadan fasting as well later once weather gets hot, so let’s make the most of it. Over last month already executed two FB drives covering very diff elements of off roading. - Drive through Murquab to Solar Park was about long beautiful side slopes and going up and down some smaller sized dunes. What an awesome convoy we had - we crossed Murquab, Lisali, lakes to end up at Solar Park. - Last one in Qudra to Ghantoot was about maintaining a pace while maneuvering through varying terrain - long range, tech, while exploring ourselves on some nice ridges. It was an aspiration drive for me being planned over last 6 months or so - thanks to convoy we covered more than 60Km while travelling through all facets Qudra region has to offer. - Having already reached Ghantoot, the next is an obvious choice to cross the borders and enjoy Sweihan. The focus on this one is going to be on expanding our climbing skills and what’s better than Sweihan steep and high dunes to explore this element of off roading. General Overview We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie & Above When: 12th Mar'23, Sundary. Meeting time: 6:15AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions). Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pNyskmokem8hL2ef8?g_st=iw Type of Car: Any 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, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 10:30AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE UNLESS YOU HAVE A COMPRESSOR. ANYONE ARRIVING AT THE DRIVE WITHOUT A COMPRESSOR, FLAG, PROPER SHOVEL AND DEFLATION KIT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. ALL TOW POINTS WILL BE CHECKED BEFORE DEPARTURE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars only. 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 below calendar

By the time of sand it’s already late … 😀

@Gary F came across a perfect example of how to and how not to approach a ridge. Check the approach angle of first car vis a vis second one (that failed and it’s good it failed as only way for him was counter steering which would have been super dangerous) https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpLBT2vvVDg/?igshid=MjkzY2Y1YTY=

Title of the drive should be - Who dares wins!! as for a session on blip blip all will come out Victorious 👍 Great initiative @GauravSoni and have fun all.

Congrats @Tharun Kumar V 👍👍

Wow that’s a bit of additional wt. I can assure you after a few more drive (especially at higher level) you will find the FB drives not really needing much power from car. It’s a continous learning curve. I recall after my first FB Drive, I even took vehicle to garage to get it checked on throttle response - a few week or so later, it was clear - was me not the vehicle 😀 Try a drive in Sweihan or Shuwaib if you get a chance - trying a few high climbs, will change quite a bit in your handling of vehicle.

Cool I plan to try it sometime soon … perhaps we make it to sweihan sometime in coming weeks and explore it. Yes the fact it stayed longer in Gear 1 is the main thing about off road plus I have heard from other drivers, which is something really good for steep climbs 👍 Also check your fuel consumption as those who have been using it shared fuel consumption goes up crazy. Last drive I consumed a bit less than a quarter of tank during drive, just as a reference. Again gladiator and rubicon are diff plus the driving style make a diff, but still to compare.

Wow!!! driving at 6psi … dude you are surely giving me a shocker after another one. Check the warranty details on your beadlocks, m sure at this level damage wouldn’t have been recoverable in warranty.

Hmm.. the screen was showing 4W engaged? The dia with transmission connection? Either ways if you managed to do that drive in 2W, hats off bro - and I am really feeling lucky that nothing went wrong - as we did quite a few stretched sideys and crossings that day. Good that it’s fixed now 👍👍

Wow - during Murquab drive, were you in 4 or 2W? As during recovery you were surely on 4W. Yes, Jeep can do a lot in general, however it’s not safe to push it through desert in 2W. Hope it’s fixed now.