Alexander Alcala

11 hours ago, PaoloMaraziti said:

there’s also some time the regret of the day (or month) after … the mod. ‘I didn’t really need this…’ or worse ‘I preferred as it was before….’

but sometimes makes technical sense, some other times it just satisfies a desire. In both cases I am very empathetic.

Life is too short, way too short …. 

 

Ps: sorry from my Jeep  lover friends and thinking of @Alexander Alcalainitial response , I can’t avoid not attaching this pic

Ps: I like Jeeps! 

Well my friend.  That is so true.  It is like a blank canvas, that you can customize in many ways to best suit your desire and personality.  That is what makes them PERFECT. hahahaha

I like this topic.  My question for you will be "what kind of off-roading are you planning to do?".  If you will limit to our weekends on the dessert in UAE, don't bother lifting your jeep.  It is not required for what we do here.  The Wrangler is already the most capable Offroad vehicle as it comes from the factory.  If you already have 1" lift, my advice is DON'T TOUCH IT and enjoy it as it is.  

Sand off-roading don't require that much of a clearance.  It is more about engine power, light vehicle and driver's wrists and feet.  It is true that bigger jeeps look better, but for sand is actually better not to be too big for many reasons: weight, gravity center, gas autonomy, power compromise, etc.

But if you want to do rocks and mud on the wadis, then that is another story.  If that is your thing let me know.  I am looking for a partner to do that, hahahaha.

@Ahab Shamaa good point about not relaxing over safety. I remember a difficult moment at the end when some of us were trapped in a bowl and it posed a risk when arranging for an orderly exit.

@GoutamBesides what others mentioned, Two things to consider are the tire pressure and the momentum:  The size of the foot is heavily impacted by the tire pressure.  The other thing is to maintain the momentum.  Sudden accelerations also impact the grip and can cause the car to lose the tail.  I have a technique to keep a steady acceleration by pressing my right foot against the right wall of the cockpit.  

I think that you handled very well and it never happened at risky moments, but it is something to pay attention (what I would call at work "an improvement opportunity").

There is not much to add to all that has been already said.  I join the chorus to thank @Lorenzo Candelpergher for a great ride.  It was fun and allowed me to do some testing to my jeep capabilities.  All I can say is that I had so much fun climbing all the dunes and watching the convoy zagging up and down.  I cant wait to repeat the experience.  My jeep behaved up to the task with no refusals even at some very complex angles.

I was surprised about how fluid the drive was, taking into consideration the large number of cars and the complexity of the terrain.  Great line selection by @Lorenzo Candelpergher and handling from the convoy members.  It was a great challenge and we were up to it.

Thank you all for a great ride and for making my work as CF very easy.

I see you soon on the Dunes.

I don't know about more recent models, but for my jeep I disconnect the battery to prevent battery depletion, and raise the jeep on 4 jacks to avoid tires deformation. I also cover the jeep to protect the painting.

OK.  I am glad that this topic has surfaced.  I have avoided it because I don't want to go against every advice that has been given here.  But for the Wrangler we have two versions:  The rubicon and the others.  I don't know which version do you have, but the Rubicon transfer reduces the gearing 4.0:1 and the other (named sport, Sahara, etc) reduces 2.7:1.  Also the gear ratio that comes from factory usually are 3.71 or 4.10.

In my experience in Chile, running the Atacama Raid for days (and talking with my many sand offroaders friends in the north of Chile.  They have Wranglers JK with 3.71 that they use on 4LO all the time when off-roading without any issues. (and we drove all day long for days).  That with 33" tires.  I don't know about the other brands of vehicles, but the Wrangler you can drive on LO for several hours (if it is a sport model) with no issues (I have done it many times).  They recommend that you don't drive faster than 40 MPH when on low, and I hardly go that fast on the dunes.

For the Rubicon it is a different story.  The fact that the transfer reduces 4.0:1 in LOW seriously limits the speed when in low.  

Again, I don't know about the other brands, but the wrangler I know can handle the 4 LO with no issues.  And if your gears are 3.21 even more.

P.S. You will have to be very careful with your temperature.  When you increase the revs for long periods, engine temp goes up.  When you go on 4 LO engine revs go up.  On the other hand, your gearbox can overheat when off-roading on HI, because the oil doesn't circulate fast enough (this is for the wranglers, again)

P.S.2 Ohh but your car is manual, so you don't have the gear box temperature issue.

@Gok Krish I need that footage, jajajajajaja

My Comments.

Beautilful place.  Great dunes.  Thank you @Foxtrot Oscar for the route selection.  We started ok while in the low dunes, but it was immediately apparent that the tall dunes will be a challenge for some of us.  This level requires 100% of concentration and "commitment" when approaching the dune.  If one hesitate when climbing a tall dune on soft sand, the inevitable consequence will be a refusal or getting stuck.

I would suggest that those that strugled the most, take the time to do some Fewbie+ drives to gain some more practice on less challenging terrains.

Another thing I noticed was about Radio Communication.  When one has a refusal the convoy needs to know to prepare.  On tall dunes with big bowls and crowded areas, is very easy to lose the track in front of you when you get a refusal.  If you don't announce it the convoy will get split forcing some additional maneuvers to rescue those stranded.  During the night that is even more relevant.

On the other hand, it was fun to do some of the rescues.  Only the shoveling at 49 degrees was not so much fun. And while Angela went for the rescue of the separated tail of the convoy, I had an amazing view of the crescent moon.  It was absolutely stunning.  I enjoy very much to drive at night in the dessert.  And the moon was a nice touch.

Thank you all for your camaraderie.  I hope to see you soon on the dunes.

P.S. I forgot tho thank @Shehab Alawadhi for his support on the big Ram pop-out.  I normally don't have to deal with those.

The question is How serious are you about offroading. If you are very serious like me 🤣 then go for the ARB. If you are not sure yet, then try the others. In general it never hurts to have a second compressor if you later decide that you are really serious. 

The bumper would be my preferred spot for a 20 inches bar. 

I use a wallet that blocks the RFID of the card.  One of the scams is that they approach you and scan your card while in your wallet without you knowing it.,  It will happen with the scanner in the jacket pocket.  You can be walking in the mall and the scammer will just walk by you and voila!!!!!

I don't think that is a possibility.  It is designed to handle high temperatures.  Its is more likely to rupture due to sharp metal contact if not used properly.  I have the ARB X-Jack and never had an issue with it.

It took me a while to find the time to write this report.

I will start thanking @Foxtrot Oscarfor assigning me the CF position.  I am used to being the sweep and this was a different experience.

I enjoyed very much the route and the driving.  The heat and the bright sun made it hard to read the dunes but the convoy handled it beautifully. I am really proud of all you guys that no-one got stuck and were able to self recover from every refusal (and also very happy that you didn't make me sweat under the scorching sun at almost 50 degrees).

I was resuming my jeeping after over a month off the tracks and my jeep behaved exceptionally well, even on that little jump after the steep little step.  I am happy to be back.

@armaanreally surprised me with his driving this time.  Really enjoyed watching you mastering the slopes and the ridges.

@Xavier Treasurer At the beginning I think you had some difficulties but were very quick to regain control and accommodate to the complexities of the super soft sand.  Kudos for you on a solid performance.

@Islam Soliman It was great to see you handle the pop outs and teaching the team how to quickly re inflate.  

I had some family commitmments that impeded me to continue for the final night part but I had a glimpse of the terrain in the final part of the first segment.

It's a pity that we can't have the regular group conversations because of covid, but I hope that we will soon resume that social part of our adventures.

I hope to see you again soon on the dunes.

50 minutes ago, varunmehndiratta said:

Sahara JL all stock with 255/70R18

You can get away with 1st and 2nd gear with that configuration.  Its just a matter of teaching your car.  Also if the uphill is very steep you can switch to 3rd-LOW because the Sahara gearing is not as short as the Rubi's.

9 minutes ago, varunmehndiratta said:

As i mentioned i am using tiptronic and have been experimenting with few tricks - would really appreciate if you can share your thoughts and advice on same. Generally thanks to my pretty new wrangler one of them sails me through in most cases, however have been trying to see in most challanging situation what's a better way. 

A. My base approach has been approach start with 1st gear and go all the way through. Generally approach something like Iftar bowl at around 3-3.5 and gradually it goes to around 5-5.5k. Bumps are a challenge but then Iftar bowl is something have done multiple times so know how to plan. 

B Someone suggested that going further steep when rpm goes high, find a suitable area to use BLIP (a smoother part where achieved momentum can push through) to bring rpm down and create some cushion for that tough spot. Tried it few times, worked sometime and didn't at times - more of judging the terrain. 

C. The one I have not been successful with has been starting with gear 2 and downshifting. 

Suggestions and advice on these please. @Srikumar @Foxtrot Oscar

Cheers 

 

OK.  I will start by asking about the size of your tires and assume that you haven't re-geared your ride.  Also if it is a Rubicon or not (there are some differences in the wrangler transfer if it is a Rubi or not).

Please don't forget to bring enough drinking water and snacks.  

1 hour ago, Thomas Varghese said:

They must have thought a raiding party has come to pick their stocks and must have got the shock of their life seeing all the big trucks zooming past them out of the darkness and vanishing into the night. For sure the company who organized this camp will have a tough time explaining what really happened and the secluded spot they offered was discovered by a convoy from @Carnity and it was not secluded after all. Imagine the plight of the campers who wished to have a quiet night suddenly startled by the grunts of the big trucks with big flashy lights on top illuminating them. I hope all the campers are ok after the onslaught. 

Thank you @Wrangeld for initiating this fun drive at night. I enjoyed every bit of it. Will surely join another night drive when it comes up. 

Almost like an alien close encounter or a military operation, hahahahaha.

This is a controversial topic.  There are many good brands, but also depends on the esthetics that you are looking for your car.    Me for example, having a wrangler, I prefer the round lights over the lights bars.  I am a fan of Hella and KC lights. Also depends on your budget.  And if you want a permanent fix or something removable.

I am looking forward to drive over the night in the desert and use again my off-road lights.  I haven't tested them since I moved to Dubai.  I took my car to the garage to replace oils and filters.  Also repair the air compressor (turned out to be a burned fuse).  So I expect my car to be ready for the adventure.

Driving at night really is a very different experience, but I am confident that the high level of the participants will make it a pleasure.  So will se you on the sand this Friday evening.  

Hi.  I bought mine in Chile, new from the dealer and brought it here with me after running the numbers and deciding it was the best deal for me.  i don’t know about your particular case, but as they say, i would make sure it is not a lemon checking the history of the car.  And also ensuring it is not stolen or a salvage case.
 

So far i have had no problems with the temperature here after almost one year. I am not sure if jeep has a particular specification for GCC as other brands do. 

6 minutes ago, Mohamed Seidam said:

In addition to Agreeing with @Gaurav and @Rahimdad also No Full insurance as well as No Off road cover for non-GCC species here. 
unless specifically you know this item and welling for self experimenting with external support who can provide you the part you need , I am afraid to say it’s ain’t worth the effort .

I have full off road cover in my insurance.......

18 minutes ago, Rahimdad said:

Just to add to what @Gaurav bhai mentioned outside workshops will pretend to know what they are doing and Just Empty Every Pocket (Jeep) of yours before handing it back to you with unresolved issues. While they claim the parts changed needed to be replaced but your Jeep just needs more work.

I have my trusted garage that has served me well and I took it once to the official jeep dealer and they gave me support without any issues. Only mentioned that my VIN was not in their DB. I explained, and voila......

I know that tires are not cheap, but life is more expensive. The tires are the link between the car and the road, and I don't spare on safety issues.  If I were you I would dispose of that tire and get a new one.

Dear Frederic.  You were my first drive leader when I was an absolute newbie some months ago.  

I still remember that ending the ride, I received a call from a friend that was having a mechanical issue in Al Qudra near solar park (in the middle of the dunes).  I had to leave the convoy to assist my friend.  Being new to the area you helped me find a way to my friends location using google maps and offered to join us later (after ensuring the convoy had exited safely), if there was any assistance requirement.

Luckily I managed to help my friend solve his mechanical issue and exited the desert with no additional events.

What impressed me was your willingness to support us even when we had just met that day.  It matched with my view of the "Off-roader spirit:  We go in together and we come out together".

In summary I though to my self: "if these people do this kind of things and behave this way, I want to be part of it".

Congratulations for a very well deserved promotion.  I am looking forward to participate in some of your future rides.

Don't be fooled by the wide angle video.  It can create the illusion of higher speed and sharp angles.  You can actually see the "speedometer" showing speeds over 80 KM/H when they are clearly going slower than that.

I suggest, that if you want to do extreme things, get the proper equipment for it.  A boogie, helmet, 4 points seatbelts, rolling cage (real rolling cage).  Street cars are not meant for driving like that in the desert.

Thank you for the promotion.  I am looking forward to learning new things with this amazing group of friends and support the growth of the organizations and new members.

See you off the road