Foxtrot Oscar

I've driven two identical Xterras , same year, same model , similar mileage but with the second one I've noticed a distinct lack of throttle especially at the lower end . The black X wouldn't pull you out if bed whereas the white one could pull the QE2 down SZR . This has very obvious consequences for off-roading. The past three drives have seen me struggle to get this beast of a car up a dune that the previous X would have revelled in. I'm happy it's testing my driving skills to the extreme but ... It's been to the mechanic and he noticed that it was hitting quite a high RPM before switching up gear, this isn't a huge problem as I could drop it into 1sr or 2nd , but it's just not as responsive as I think it should be Ive been doing my research and I came across several topics about the throttle body , some suggest the butterfly valve could be sticky/dirty and to be honest when I read the effects of a dirty valve then it seems to tie in with the issues with the new X. i also read that cleaning the throttle body could be problematic as a 'relearn' process may be necessary . Any advice before I start telling my mechanic how to do his job and act like someone who thinks they're dying because they googled their ailments on Web MD 😂

@Hardik Mody The Montero seems like a lifetime ago. I'm not sure @Gaurav will approve of my solution . I recall using the triptronic gears more often than not in order to provide that much needed 'kick'. The Montero is a big heavy car with a small engine. So toggling between 2nd and 3rd definitely helps when faced with more challenging terrain. Obviously keep it in Drive for the majority of time but when decent sized dunes are on the horizon then it's worth taking control of your gears, but only if you’re comfortable with that. In the UK we learn to drive manual cars, I'd never owned an automatic until I arrived here so for me it's second nature.

An excellent evening, which was a nice refresher and also taught some great new information too. It was so nice to be sitting around (socially distanced of course) and listening to the Professor @Gaurav impart his incredible knowledge. It reminded me of the old days when we would all gather and eat together to share our drive experiences, that was pre covid. Inhsallah it will return soon. Special thanks to @Chaitanya D for getting crested in the prefect spot for us all to gather. Big boooos to @Desert Dweller who did crest earlier in the drive but then demonstrated the 'art' of self recovery and getting unstuck on a crest. Well done that girl, but we wanted you stuck. More events like this in the future would be great. Where is the Guru @Rahimdad ? We miss you out there!

The Carnity club is all about 'Stock cars' and learning with each other. Intermediate level not only tests your car's ability but also the driver's skills. Some prefer to have a pissing contest to see how high they can climb, others prefer the challenge of technical dunes, criss crossing and ridge riding. The drives generally accommodate all As for refusals, they are part and parcel of off-roading, it happens to everyone, no matter their expertise and what we do as a club is wait and support, The driver will learn from it and at intermediate level (where no one is an expert) you should be more than capable of re routing to avoid the churn,

Another excellent drive @Emmanuel Great pace and sufficiently challenging. It also showed the importance of checking your rear view mirror for the car behind you as we became detached from the convoy. Note to self, remember to switch back to 4 Hi from 4 Lo, I thought there was something wrong with the traction until I noticed my rookie error. 😲 Thankfully I didn't roast my engine .🙃

I love this drive. Gorgeous scenery with some technical dunes to challenge everyone . Everyone did so well .

They’ve discontinued it , the new A/T Model supersedes it. even if you get a dealer selling the ATS be careful, as it will be an old tyre and worse still it may not be authentic

Unfortunately due to car issues I won’t be able to join tomorrow’s drive 😢

well deserved @Kalahari

Congrats @Tbone

Can’t seem to join drive

Many thanks to @Jeepie for once again leading us through the desert and choosing a fantastic route with many challenges and lots of fun play areas. With every drive I learn more and more As darkness fell the challenge increased exponentially. The dunes that lay ahead were technically difficult , thankfully we had the Dune Whisperer @Emmanuel to lead us through this very challenging part of the drive. It was difficult trying to keep distance in order to reroute if necessary whilst maintaining a close enough distance to keep eyes on the lead, I relished the challenge.However, I didn't relish the 'pop out'. Things you think will never happen to you and then....the thing is it was so innocuous , I was driving fine and then came the wobble on the steering wheel. Again a huge thanks to @Jeepie , @Wrangeld @Emmanuel and @Vanessa8580 for their assistance in resolving the issue. I think all on the drive coped remarkably well with the night section and its a credit to those who are brave enough to lead and sweep , the ones who double back to check on us all and constantly provide advice as well as much needed reassurance Thank you

This is excellent news @Ale Vallecchi. I always thought you were at expert level anyway! Love driving with you , you're so calm, even when we're creating chaos in your path haha Looking forward to many more drives with you

It feels as if I'm about to get 'payback' for all the times I joked about you guys digging people out 🤣

Well done @Colin Jordan 🎉