Rahimdad

Trip Report - After a fight within myself to join Sweihan champs or future prospects for champs I decided to go with the Newbies. Most of us were excited and were well ahead of time specially @Halit Mert Issever who was first on the scene. Like @Gaurav bhai mentioned being late is disrespectful to those who make it ahead of time and nobody should be late. Timings are given on every drive thread and without exception should be adhered to by all. After a delay we started with the absolute newbie brief and it was good to see people like @Xaf understand, embrace and able to convey the message to the new people joining in. We started moving right after the brief in heavy fog to the deflation point. We reached safely and started deflation. Luck being on our side the fog had lifted by the time we deflated so after a quick convoy numbering we were off. I love @Srikumar lead as it is very close to the way I handle such drives as well. He started with a few tracks to settle everybody in and later increased to difficulty level to keep everybody engaged. Plus in general the learning curve is much better once people get to a goid start. However we were not without stucks or refusals, and I love @Halit Mert Issever smile every time he was able to clear a refusal. We eventually reached our play area where all the experienced drivers took a shot at side slopping. Once the concept was clear and after a few attempts everybody enjoyed that little play time. This got us hungry and led us to a shaded area near the camel farm. As guessed by the kids the little black things might have looked like stones, but we're actually camel dung. We sat around having breakfast, a few stories, but loads of smiles and my day was already made. After pack up the fun was not over and we headed towards the top of Fossil Rocks. This space presented more challenges than usual. However as a team we were able to March on and find ways to defeat the terrain to reach the top. Upon close inspection of the top it was decided we would not go down straight but around the Fossil Rocks. But with me around no is not an option, so I found a way around with Abhay, Roshan, Xaf, Mert, Bony and Shamil all making it down straight. I had to go back up to support Sri, Adil and Atif bhai around the Fossil Rocks. We met at the base of Fossil Rocks to head out to the Adnoc pump to inflate. Everybody managed well and looking forward to many more such drives in the upcoming season. Keep rocking, until next time this is Rahimdad signing off.

I use cruise control on highway only when the traffic is flowing. I wouldn't worry about cruise control failure. If you see all the incidents with cruise control failure it happens only with Emarati Nationals and luckily they haven't given me nationality yet. So no chances of cruise control failing on me.

Lekker.

Just like I can't remember half the phone numbers of my family and friends since mobile phone has all of them stored. Similarly with adaptive cruise control we would loose our sense of braking. Let the kids learn it the hard way.

Legally if you're holding an automatic license you cannot drive or register a manual car in your name. Unofficially if the car is manual and you drive it without getting caught there are no implications. However no idea if you get caught. Part 2 is best left to the experts, so I leave the floor to @shadow79, @Barry and @treks to advise regarding the conversion.

All the best with your flight schedule @Xaf. Looking forward to catch up with you.

That's not only true for German or American cars anymore. That holds true for every new car out of the showroom. If you want reliable go for a Japanese, preferably Toyota. Sure you dish out a little extra upfront, but they are the best in reliability.

I do not have a bash plate. I have so far managed without one.

Any old vehicle comes with some amount of love and work to make it tic longer. Just make sure engine and gear are good. 2002 - 2005 came with the 3.5 litre version. First thing get all the oils and liquids drained, put in New ones. Check all the rubber bushings, hoses, pipes, etc and change whatever is necessary. It might cost you just under 2k but well worth to keep it running.

Different strokes for different folks. Very generic question as to which is best. Let us know which is the best when you get your hands on it.

I agree with @desertdude summer time is best time to buy. However second best time is October-November when newer models are introduced. Just need to know how to drive a bargain.

@Jamy B. welcome back. You still have a long way to go to qualify for the intermediate level. Since you've been away for long period you'll have to start all over again. I personally like the 3.8 litre as it offers the rear difflock also. It would be mighty useful if it is a SWB rather than LWB. In a way I agree with @Gaurav bhai to go with the Xterra, of course a used one and spend money on maintaining, repairing or mods to the car. You don't want to bring in a brand new 100k car to the desert. When you do decide to go for expedition do a little research and rent a fully insured vehicle from that place to help you keep your car safe.

You do realize this is a 2 1/2 year old post.

Trip report - started with a little delay after a long time. After the briefing we were off to the deflation point. Quick deflation and convoy numbering we were off. It was a good lead in an awesome area with a couple of refusals and stucks, just to keep us busy. Right on Pink Rocks we had gear issues with one of the vehicle so we decided to exit. From a pretty cloudy and cool day as soon as the clouds disappeared it started getting hot. We had a quick bite and discussion. At this point we inflated and headed back home. Once again great drive with great people.

Great write up, interesting.

Wagan and Qua desert also offer dark environment, the moon should be at its lowest brightness though.

We missed you too @amir.rophail. See you on Friday.

First of all congrats @jibransayed for the longest title yet for a thread. Regarding the suspensions you will feel the lag or bounce when you drive or when you are going over a speed bump. Best is to get OEM, have to check if they are firm. I got lucky with a suspension shop in Sharjah who had some lying around from a Japanese import. They were hardly used and once I changes I immediately felt the difference. If you're looking for long term off roading than some after market ones like king shocks or old man emu will do you good. They are stiffer and offer you better traction off road, however they will kill your back on the road.

Both @Halit Mert Issever and @Xaf have the right idea, speed plus fighting gravity. What about when this guy reversed out. BTW @Gaurav bhai at the end it seems they have a radio and they did the right thing by asking him to stop and give a thought about the events. Behind steering wheel in that frame of mind he could have only made more mistakes.

Speaks volumes about Carnity if an established site like YouTube follow the footsteps of Carnity.

I don't agree with used stuff as it might rattle also since it is a common problem.

Looks awesome. I too am eyeing a good condition Tahoe. Will try to look harder.