Rahimdad

X trail smallest brother, X terra midium brother, pathfinder big brother. All look same, just side differs.

As we say in Hindi... Vat lag gal. Meaning were screwed

After the thrills of the Wagan sands last Friday it's time to have a relaxed newbie to feeble drive in our much-loved sandbox - Maliha - Fossil rock. Looking forward to an easy relaxing drive for everyone with plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, hill climb, and ridge riding. Newbies and Fewbies will have great chance to see and learn the real fun that off-roading offers in a very safe and organized environment. Level May be changed upon convoy level. When: 19 January 2018 Meeting time: 0630 am, convoy will move about 7 am Where: Adnoc Petrol Station Maleha Road GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/mzb26kxzte72 Level of drive: Newbie - Fewbie - All are welcome 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 11 am What to bring along: Loads of snacks, plenty of water - whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11 am Please RSVP on below calendar

For the first time in forever I do not have the words or even where to start. Whether it was the excitement of getting up early on a weekend, or the preparation, or the jorney to get there, or the warm hugs before the drive to invigorate us, the deflation, the immaculate planning and execution of the plans, or being awe struck at every turn, this drive had it all. Leaving the boring stuff out we just loved every moment from the time we stepped into the soft stuff. The best part was one of the farmers walked up to us at deflation point to ask us if we were OK and if he could help in any way. Wow, perfect start. Even though we were just deflating and planning but the huge heart for him to walk over and offer his help started my trip on the perfect note. For the first few kilometers Gaurav bhai was being cautious and driving us from one end to the next to cross over to the other side safely, but after the first half an hour he decided we would have to go against the slip face a few times if we wanted to be on schedule. As we covered the slip faces the depth and the beauty of the desert left us wanting more. About mid day we stopped to evaluate our plan for Friday prayers, we came out, offered our prayers and had a lot of good options for lunch, so we saved some for dinner. After prayers we could not wait to go back in and a slightly different route and some persuasion to open the fence have us quick access to where we left off. Of we had fun in the morning we were in for a huge surprise For the second half. As we drive deeper we came across some huge virgin dunes which quickly became our playground. The best thing was as soon as we left one we would drive into the next huge clean play area. It was like having Big Red, Faya, Iftar Bowl, Fossil Rock and Pink Rocks all one behind the other. Which ever way we chose we were only blessed by the best. As the sun was coming down we raced to the sand pyramids only to find a fence, but the day was so good to us that Asif bhai was standing right on the track with the break in the fence. We quickly drive to it and took some pics to our hearts content. With very little light left we headed back out, had the leftover lunch as our dinner and eventually inflated and drive back to our homes. I have tried my level best to give a feel of the drive and I'm sure Gaurav bhai will post his trademark videos, but nothing beats the feeling of being there and experiencing it first hand. Thank you to Asif bhai and Sri for starting the Wagan craze, to Gaurav bhai for the excellent lead, to Sri for being a huge helping hand with the sweep duties, to Saleem for pushing us to our boundries, to Mujtaba for his participation. It was indeed an awesome day out with some out of this world people. Until next time signing off. BTW for 36 hours I felt I was climbing a dune even when I was trying to sleep.

Thanks for correcting me Barry. When I visited the Toyota showroom here in the end of 1985 I had spotted a Toyota Celica and this Supra, could have been the launch of the 86 model. Before that I used to think Celica Supra was 1 model, after visiting the showroom all these years I thought Celica and Supra were always 2 separate models with Celica being the 4 cylinder sports car and Supra was the 6 cylinder monster with twin turbo that could give head to the Skyline.

I Will join in the morning.

Yes pre 2014 have an upshot when reaching 6000 rpm even if you're in 1st gear it will shift to 2nd causing power loss and loss of momentum which is crucial in the desert, they reprogrammed the PCMs in 2014.

For the first time in UAE I saw a Ford F150 cargo bed covered with a hard top. I have seen so many in the far east, but my first spot of this in UAE.

Today morning while driving to work I spotted a 1985 Toyota Supra and a very acceptable condition.

Thanks Sketch for a comprehensive write up and allowing us to share with you our choice as per our experience. As my friend once told me, buy expensive and cry once or buy cheap and have to cry time and time again. We are in the middle of off-road season and people always tend to sell at a higher price during the season. My experience says even if you go for older but once you have a 4.0 6 cylinder Prado you will never regret it and it hardly looses its resale value. Pathfinder classic box shape 4.0 V6 and Pajero 3.8 are good choices but need a few mods to improve the ride height and approach and departure angles. With Pathfinder you should look for 2010 and beyond, and with Pajero 2014 and above. Hope this helps.

After such a brilliant video from Gaurav bhai, my words might not strike a cord, but here goes. It was a nice cool afternoon and after offering my Friday prayers I headed straight to Tawi Nizwa shops. As soon as the head count was completed we head to the deflation point. Thank you Gaurav bhai for trusting me with the lead. So we had the driver's briefing which seemed effective with healthy 2 way discussions. It was a pleasure to see Emmanuel and Ishaq as our new comers and Richard for his second time but this time in his Disco 1. It brought back a lot of good old memories as I had one for 5 years. We started easy and everybody managed well, so we picked up the level gradually till we reached the play area on Pink Rocks. Everybody experienced had a good time testing their rides, while the newbies picked on some nice tips and tricks. We than headed to the other side teaching the sunset point within no time. Upon the question being asked whether they wanted to stop for snake or later, unanimously agreed to leave snacks right to the end, so was the enthusiasm of the group. So we descended from the sunset point only to hit some high dunes on the way to Big Red. It was not that easy a terrain but I tried keeping it as simple as I could. I was surprised that everybody managed so well with the help of Sree and Gaurav in the sweep. I must admit, without the confidence of having a capable sweep team I could not have lead the way I did. As we reached the Big Red I safely negotiated the convoy from the back of Big Red to the front where all the action was taking place. While Gaurav bhai was racing to the top of Big Red to get some awesome clicks, we settled in and laid the snacks and drinks on the table. After all the sights and sounds of a truly live place and filled with some awesome snacks, we headed to the inflation spot and headed back out. It was special moment as we voted for the best newbie and Ishaq ended up winning after a close fight. It was a well organized drive and my first time to have Saleem as my second lead and Sartac keeping the convoy together in the middle. Well done everyone and till next time I bid you farewell.

Where are the newbies?

Perfect opportunity as we are having an absolute newbie training this week. Just join the off-road club and join the absolute newbie drive this Friday afternoon. Link posted below.

I'm in with full support.

Denali is in a class of its own. I'm sure the engine and gearbox are great, but not to sure about maintenance cost. Alternate could be a Range Rover, BMW X5, Porsche cayenne.

Taking about Lexus IS350 or Nissan Z 350?

Depends what you are going to use the additional lights for. We normally use the LED light bar for our desert night drives. You can go to the Naif Road area opposite Hyatt Recency and ask them to show you a few samples and which ones you would like to be installed. You can get the LED for as less as AED 250 or more, the halogen lamps are I think about AED 80 each. RTA will not trouble you on read, but yearly passing can be an issue, so I suggest you get the covers for them and remove the covers when you want to use them. I believe you cannot use the additional lights on the road, there could be a fine for that. Regarding the fouling I don't know much, but it's common unlike before and you can get it done cheaply and any good workshop will do a decent job. Just ask them to show you any car they have foiled and don't go for their words. Inspect what they have done and decide if you want to do it through them.

I know the trailhead is designed for off-roading, not so sure of the longitude, but join in for a newbie drive and we will try to guide you in the right direction.

Come for one of the newbie trips and I will introduce you to your vehicle, button by button.

In low gear the traction control is automatically turned off, when in 4 high you have to manually keep the traction control button pressed until 2 yellow lights appear on your cluster. You will have crazy power in high. When the vehicle has traction control on, in the sands the wheels are slipping so the engine cuts the power. With traction control off you are good to go. Looking forward to seeing you soon and introducing you to some safety tips as well as your vehicle in a new light.

Weekend after weekend we are spending with each other for the love of driving in conditions we do not face during our daily drives. This weekend will be somewhat different. With New Year quick approaching and trying to keep with the traditions we should be looking for a spot to wish each other as the clock strikes 12. Unfortunately as per the current laws we cannot have a bon fire or BBQ, but we can still share pre prepared food and beverages. The idea is to start at ease in the morning so that everyone is well rested and the current situation with the fog can be eliminated. When: 29 December 2017, Friday Meeting time: 9 AM, convoy will move when dog is clear. Where: Trek bike shop Al Qudra Lakes. GPS Coordinate: https://goo.gl/maps/oUdEg2hDM2n Level of drive: all levels as we will not be doing much to find the spot. Depending on how quickly we can find a spot and who all are interested for a quick drive we can arrange as per convoy strength. Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 10 inches of ground clearance, anybody not having a 4x4 can join in and park their vehicle at the meeting point. What to bring along: Snacks, whatever you like with little extra to share, water, liquids, smiles, stories, enthusiasm and willingness to learn and share. Approximate Finish Time: flexible to find spot for New Year and for a quick drive for all who are in. Please Note, at meeting point there is no petrol station, make sure you fill your tanks on your way at nearest petrol station. Please RSVP the below calendar:

I'm in with full support.

Most of these products do not deliver what they promise as they know most people would not go on the dyno to check their claims. Only spark plugs by themselves cannot effect the vehicle I'm a big way as well. You need a few more mods to produce half decent results. Just my 2 cents.