Rahimdad

@shinith if it is nitrogen filled and at 40 PSI, I wouldn't bother to clean the tires out and it means he has not taken it out off-roading recently after filling it with nitrogen. But no guarantee that it was never used off-road. The tire size is also not indicating that he was an avid off-roader. PS - Although I have never owned a set, but my brother used to have the Pirelli Scorpions on his Jeep and I am a big fan of these tires.

@desertdude I know you have a different taste, but more for you is your lack of patience and appreciation of things. Maybe its the overtime you did when this was all part of your job, for us it is a get away from everything including our work. i don't know how bitter you felt driving with me, but I have always enjoyed your company whenever you have joined and looking forward to one such trip which will tickle your fancy. Insha Allah soon.

Wow, it looks awesome @Richard Mellish. Somehow I have this soft spot for the Ram, I drool every time I see it, and this one just looks like it mean business. Can't wait to see this monster in action, maybe even try to tame it.

@Richard Mellish that is a mighty generous offer. i have test driven the Ram and I love the interior which is what matters to me, have used the 5.7 Hemi engine which I am in love with, and the looks are mean enough to tickle my fancy. However, on a test drive they do not allow you to take it off-road and that is one thing I would like to really have a feel of. Insha Allah I will take you on your offer. If I am not mistaken you have the Disco 2 on your DP, I had a 1998 Disco 1 for about 5 years and I love that machine too. Is it true that the Disco 2 lost it's central diff-lock which was a luxury for me in the Disco 1?

Hi @Jeh, good to hear such an educational topic. I used to own a Motorola Moto G some 4 years back and when setting up, it had a Drive Assist which came installed and it would read out the message to you when you were on the move. Ask you if you want to reply, ask you for the text and type it out as you speak and confirm and send the same without having to take your eyes of the road or hand on the steering wheel. Technology is always there to help make things better, it's up to us to use such technology to our advantage.

I agree with both @Barry and @Gaurav. I feel one should go with his experience and and nothing can beat that. As per Barry all ATF D3 are manufactured in a certain way to be certified, while Gaurav bhai rather pay the extra buck and be sure that he buys OEM as @desertdude says oil is cheaper than replacing an engine, so better to pay the extra and have satisfaction of mind. I normally change my oil from Adnoc at every 5K kilometers, I went yesterday and the guy checked the oil and said it is still good, normally you can drive an additional 3K kilometers but he suggested I go back to him after 1K. I was advised this before and I got the oil changed anyways, it came out sparkling clean. This time I went for his advise and will take it back in a couple of weeks time. On my Discovery I had a leak on my steering wheel oil and it was turning out so tiresome to get a small bottle from Adnoc every 2 -3 weeks, I got a huge Gallon for AED 25/- which would last me 3- 4 months. I am not sure if it lacked quality in any way as my Discovery never gave me any problems with the steering assembly wear and tear and operated smoothly. Just my 2 cents.

Hi @Alfie to your very own forum which has like minded petrol heads trying to beat the stealerships (dealerships) and crooks around. It is always a pleasure to come across someone who like to get down and dirty and understand his piece of machine rather than someone willing to throw a pile of money to fix something that was never an issue. From the variety of cars you own it must be a real challenge. Hope to see you around and enjoy asking questions and contributing with your experience on your very own forum.

Congrats @shinith and good advise @Gaurav bhai.

I will specially miss the Lancer.

Current : Nissan Pathfinder 2001, V6 (VG33E) Future : My history shows I have downgraded from a 5.7 Hemi V8 to a 3.9 V8 and now on a V6 3.3, so next should be a 4 Cylinder 2.7 Fortuner or Prado. Hehehehehe. Seriously : I would love to go for a Truck next time, either the Ram 1500 twin cab or the Ford F150 FX4.

Alf Mabrook @Ren13, your ride looks amazing.

So it was supposed to be an exploration drive and it was just that in every sense. Although I had planned a slightly different area, but I received a coordinate from @skumar83 just a few hours before the drive and I handed it over to our trusted @Gaurav Bhai to study the area. Since it was all last minute we did not have enough time to recognize the terrain. We all met on time and headed to the coordinate given to us by Sree. As we entered and deflated and after the drivers' briefing we were off in to the unknown after midnight. The terrain seemed more of a forest than a desert and we were greeted by plenty of trees, shrubs and stubs with a lot of farm houses around, one even had a swimming pool. At the start Gaurav Bhai and I had decided that we were going to go on the other side of the road if the terrain was not suitable, it was time to do just that. So we returned to where we had started and headed to the other side which was fenced, so we drove down the road as far as we could and returned to find only 1 break in fence which had some trucks and heavy equipment. This could only mean 1 thing, the terrain was under some kind of construction and it would be unsafe, just to eradicate any doubts Gaurav Bhai had a quick run and came back with a thumbs down. So a short conference took place and it was decided we we would head to a desert which was approximately 20 Kilometers away on Saleem Bhai's experience. This was definitely a desert but as Saleem Bhai had pointed out, there were a lot of pockets and plenty of soft sand around to keep us busy. Asif Bhai had bought a viking rope on the night and it seemed to be working overtime for this drive. We finally settled in some flat terrain to rest, discuss the details and our side of the experiences along with some tea and bites. By this time the Sun had come up and was making things hot and uncomfortable, so we decided to head back after quickly inflating. To sum up this drive all I would like to say is that it was an exploration drive and it was not very pleasant terrain, but our team is the best I have ever experienced and the company of those around kept it interesting and bearable. Thank you to Gaurav Bhai for taking over the lead as I had my vehicle full + 1 as my family decided to come and for the food. Thank you to Asif Bhai for the tea, snacks, extra radio which he has given me for anybody who falls short and inflating a couple of my tires when my compressor coughed up in the heat. Thank you to Sree bhai who with his newly acquired Jeep Cherokee was always ready to help. Thank you to Saleem for once again being there with his Rav4 and for his helpful nature to give me for fuses to replace if the AC tripped the fuse as it would have been very unpleasant with the family without AC.

It looks very complicated and I am too lazy to drive such a dawg, moreover, I am not that big on mountain crawling as I do not have the patience for it.

The reason he did not flip was because he stopped at one spot when the car was lifting from one end, then the people came up on the side of the car that was lifting to prevent a roll over. If he had continued to push he could have easily flipped. coming down side ways and too much power is always a waste of effort and can result in unwanted circumstances.

Good point Asif bhai. @shadow79 please bring some ready to eat food. You are most welcome to join me in my air conditioned Nissan.

I disagree. You need to step up and take all opportunities to learn, whether it's your mistake or someone else mistake.

@waqaszohair this is indeed a great thread. I agree with both @Gaurav Bhai and @shadow79, I would just like to add that he is not a skilled driver let alone driving off-road. He stalled the car several times and had to start it again and again. Secondly, when he turned to the right coming down with people mounting the vehicle to make sure it would not tip was foolish, if anyone fall down would come under the wheel of the car. Best way would have been to start from a flat surface at a constant speed rather the trying to force the pace once half way up. Plus this driver uses to much brute force which I have seen plenty of times even in the desert drives here. i keep mentioning, all you need is momentum, the right speed at the right time, wheel spin does not get you anywhere, just makes all the sand flying around look good. As for your suggestion @waqaszohair, you are now in charge of posting a scenario for us every week and we will share our points of view. hope this satisfies your urge to learn from others mistakes.

@desertdude don't worry, we have enough lights to turn night to day. Hahahaha

Thanks for signing up @skumar83, you are one of my key personal, you are in. Thanks @Gaurav bhai for your appreciation, just to go with the spirit of exploring and re-exploring lost terrain, I thought this would be appreciated by most people who enjoy the spirit of adventure. @Asif Hussain you are in too, can't have such an area to explore without your trusty help. Looks like places are going soon.

As most of you must have noticed I had been away for a while. Guess what I am back. I had the honor of joining and driving with the best last Thursday night on a somewhat challenging terrain which was well managed by all, and now I am itching for some more. So this time keeping in the zone of re-discovering some challenging terrain, I am launching this drive as an exploration of an area I have not explored properly, just been in and out of this area. Sometimes when heading towards Jabal Jais through the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road E311 I have noticed some lip smacking dunes and I was briefly in and it has left me wanting to explore this area further. As it is evident that I am not fully aware of this terrain although all are invited to sign up for the drive, but only the first 10 cars which have the kind of experience to handle such a drive as per my experience will be selected for the drive, no more than 10 cars will be selected. leaving Gaurav Bhai and myself out of the equation there are 8 spots available out of which I would prefer at least 1 more experienced driver to control the convoy in this new terrain. If interested please sign up for this opportunity to explore and keep your eyes glued to the forum to check if you are the selected one. Thursday night drive: Date: 03 August, 2017 Meeting point : Tasjeel Village Sharjah on Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road E311 (https://goo.gl/maps/Pc92zQvf5hS2) Meeting time : 23:00 PM Plan: Lets drive from the petrol station through E311 till we find an suitable entry spot, deflate and explore the area which seems to be full of exciting dunes and challenges.. Basic recovery equipment such as 2 way radio, flag and air compressor are very important and carry lots of water and some snacks to share on the trip. Absolute compulsory to bring your stories, sense of humor and willingness to learn and follow instructions during the drive.

Thanks @Gaurav Bhai. Brilliant initiative and I am in with full support. Glorious moment being celebrated in an absolutely apt manner. I want the Carnity Flag though.:)

@sultanbr you can read my review on the Nitto Dura Grapplers, very comfortable and soft ride on-road, Yokohama Geolander AT-S are pretty good on-road and off-road. I would go for anything but the Dunlop Grandtreks.

I was really looking forward to this trip, but with the in-laws in town and having a 3 month visa, I cannot leave them and go, and I cannot bring them along. Let me check with my family and I will revert back within a week. I also have some good rates for hotels, let me check and I will advise if I can get better rates for hotels in Salalah. I like @aatish suggestion though.

@amid I have realized one thing, that the less common rides are more expensive to repair and the more common ones are the ones which can be easily and cheaply repaired. If you are looking for an old vehicle I am also a huge fan of Toyota Prado, but not the VXR which is cramped with new technology which fails and is expensive to repair, but a V6 4.0 is must. The X-Terra Off-road version is a very good option. Never liked the FJ Cruiser, not good for family with half doors, restricted parking spaces like the mall make it next to impossible for the rear passengers to get in and out of the FJ. Pajero 3.8 V6 is a good option in 2014 model for both on and off-road, although a little plate to protect the rear bumper and trimming of the front bumper is compulsory for off-road use.