Frederic

Tesla doesnt have much competition as of now. The big car brands are working hard behind the screens to come up with something to compete with the Tesla but i have not seen much yet.

Thanks @Michael Gazi no issue at at all. Please send a message on the Absolute Newbie drive topic with a small introduction: 1) Which 4x4 are you driving ? 2) Any prior offroading experience ? 3) Does your vehicle have front and back towpoints in good condition ? You will find the Absolute Newbie Drive topic below:

Hi @Michael Gazi if you are joining the club for the first time, you should book into an Absolute Newbie drive which we have tomorrow in Al Qudra: There are still some spots available, so you can click on "Going" to RSVP on the drive.

I was able to buy a Phantom Pro 3 secondhand two years back which was only used twice. I've done some flights and got it registered but because it's so bulky i've been afraid to take it with me on the desert drives.

DRIVE RSVP IS NOW CLOSED Please find your convoy numbering listed above. You can start deflating when you arrive to 14psi when you have normal road tyres, and 12psi if you have offroad tyres. Make sure you have a programmed radio, flag, deflator/pressure gauge, and a shovel. We will be using Channel 2: 446.03125 Mhz. See you guys tomorrow at 06:00AM ! PS there will be another Carnity convoy further down the road (Fewbie) Please do not join them, but look at the exact pinpoint which is in my post.

Hi @Kaile Barrameda i have added you to the drive. Please confirm if you can make it. Hi @Nithin Vaidir as you have already RSVP'd for an afternoon drive, i added Kaile first (no drive for the weekend yet).

Looks like the signup went pretty fast ! A few topics that I wanted to highlight to all of you: 1) You need to make sure that your car is 100% in technical fit condition: recovering a broken vehicle in Liwa is an absolute enormous task which will take hours and in some cases we might have to just leave it behind. Please be aware of the long journey and the extreme stress your vehicle will undergo in this terrain. Get your vehicle FULLY inspected before joining this adventure. Make sure fluids, battery, spare wheel, and brakes are in optimal condition. If your vehicle already shows signs of slight overheating from regular Fewbie drives please do not join this drive. 2) We will be driving in dunes which are more than 200m high and this also involves coming down steep slopes. If you are currently Fewbie and struggle with fear of heights in Pink Rock or Fossil Rock, I would advise to think this through. Safety is our main focus but nevertheless we need people to stay calm and listen calmly to instructions as there is only little margin for human errors. 3) More than anything, you need to be realistic in what your vehicle can do and choose the number of passengers wisely. If we see an underpowered vehicle with 4 adult persons inside and stuffed with camping gear, we will not allow you to join. This terrain will require a lot from your vehicle, and traveling light with minimum passengers will make sure your underpowered vehicle can survive this.

Hi @Arda Yagcioglu I’m so glad to hear that as I felt bad already for having to disappoint you ! Perfect terrain to unleash the Xterra !

Hi @Gavin Hill the Absolute Newbie drive will be posted coming weekend. You can RSVP as soon as it appears. The Hummer H2 is a very capable offroader, but you need to verify if you have tow points in the front and the back.

Hi @Arda Yagcioglu as mentioned in the drive details we won’t be able to accept AWD vehicles, the main reason for this is the serious strain that any 4x4 vehicle will undergo in this extreme terrain. Hope you understand.

We have these ones every Friday, except the first weekend of December where we have planned a trip to Liwa.

Hi @Gavin Hill Welcome to Carnity! We have an Absolute Newbie Club drive coming Friday that you can sign up for if you like. That is the perfect introduction to get you to learn everything about off-roading. Alternatively we have personal 1:1 courses as well which we can offer. Let us know what you would prefer and we can take it from there.

Hi Syed this is a Fewbie drive. Hi @Tero Vallas i see you are in the Intermediate drive already ?

Congrats @Luca Palanca Falsini !!

Congrats buddy !

Congrats @Mus_hus78 !

Congrats @Malachy McGrogan!!

Driving a manual comes with a steeper learning curve. As a beginner you will be very tempted to use the clutch to rev up a bit when you are taking off in a soft patch. While playing with the clutch is acceptable on-road up to a certain extent, offroad it kills the clutch very soon. We all had to learn that lesson the hard way. But once you have passed the initial stage, and become in "sync" with your vehicle and the exact right time to switch gears, the driving experience is more engaging and it gives you a better sense of control. If i get behind the wheel of an automatic car now, i quickly get annoyed by the fact the car is upshifting and downshifting by itself, resulting in me kicking it into tiptronic and taking over control. That also depends on the type of car of course and how "smart" the car reacts in D (which is something the ECU is adapting and learning from your drive style every week).

Welcome to Carnity Offroad Club @Aus Alzubaidi ! I live across the street in Mira, and yes it's ideal to make a quick trip to the desert from that place. Soon the desert will become your backyard and the Wrangler will be the perfect companion to take you anywhere. Looking forward meeting you on one of the coming drives !

Brands/ Models to avoid: - X-cessories. These are just Chinese rebranded compressors that are being sold with a pretty big mark up. - Mini compressors to connect to cigarette lighter: Will last only a few drives. Not made to inflate from 15 to 35psi, unless you want to wait for 45mins or longer. Will overheat easily because of this. Acceptable / Good: Camel Brand compressors from Dragon Mart: Mixed reviews. Some last a few months, some easily last two years and longer. They are not expensive, fast, but very loud. But they get the job done. Same goes for Vitaly brand which is 99% the same but are being sold at a higher price. Premium Models: ( 1 to 5 year warranty) - TJM , Viair ( or Bushranger), MeanMother, Smittybilt, ARB What to look after when buying a compressor ? 1) Warranty. A premium brand should provide 4-5 years warranty which will make the higher price worthwhile. 2) Output in liters per minute (lpm). The more the better of course. Everything from 40lpm upwards should be fine. Some will show a rating in cfm (cubic feet per minute). 2.3 cfm = 65lpm. 3) Duty Cycle: Air compressors heat up when running so most have a limited consistent output before they need to stop and cool off. This run time in-between cycles is called a duty cycle. Manufacturers typically represent run time with a number, such as “20”, which means you can run the compressor for 20 minutes every hour. sometimes they show a percentage. 20 minutes would indicate a 33% duty cycle. Keep this in mind when you are using the compressor every week. Avoid exceeding the duty cycle time as in a short period of time it would overheat / destroy the compressor. 4) Quality of the coiled hose, pressure gauge. 5) inline fuse and thermal overload protection. Will come standard with premium models. Below a specs example of Bushranger Black Max: Duty cycle is 30 minutes @40psi at 24°C ambient temperature. Obviously the ambient temperature will be much higher for us here in the UAE, so you will need to take that into account. Keep the compressor in the shade while using (or even on the inside of the car if possible) and keep your engine running. These compressors are rated to work most efficiently at 13.8 Volts, so your alternator should be running.

Driving in HLc will change the power ratio from 70/30 (front/back) to 50/50. Whenever you start moving you should do it gently. 4H or 4HLc will not make any difference at that point. More important would be to find your ideal tyre pressure as that would avoid your car from sinking in. If you have normal road Tyres don’t go lower than 12-13 psi. With off-road tyres you’ll be able to deflate further down to 10psi which will improve flotation. Also avoid stopping abruptly, as that makes the tyres sink in. Try coasting to a stop and dont stop the car on an incline, but at a decline or flat level. There are people who swear by driving in 4HLc and notice improvement. Myself I’m a big fan of the viscous coupling that works extremely well in sending the right amount of power to the right wheels at the right time (4H).

We need to change the title on this one from "What went wrong ?" to "What went right" !