Heisem

@Emmanuel sure no problem i did not see the requirement when i signed up on my phone, hope you guys enjoy a fast paced drive. 

@Goutam also wanted to add that there are different ways to clear a dune, I have a friend driving a lifted Armada and given its size he takes his own angles which involve longer turns to avoid sharp crests when following for example a Wrangler which has a shorter wheel base in comparison. But the 5.6L V8 helps for sure.

In my opinion the new Xterra is under-powered and ill be surprised if it makes it to the top of Iftar Bowl . 😅

Hi @Emmanuel wont be able to join this afternoon drive. Wishing you guys amazing dunes

@Niki Patel the amp is where you will see the difference along with the sub. Right now your new speakers dont have juice to power. them. Get minimum 4 channel amp 😉.

Hi @sertac please add me to the waitlist for this drive. 

@Niki Patel under seat sub is also a good option which will greatly improve the sound quality in your car especially if you want to save trunk space. However a sub in the trunk always sounds more powerful. 

Custom subs can be created to fit the space on the side of the trunk where the JBL sub would be (sold on older VXR FJ's in the past) but this requires some effort to make or find someone to make it for you. 

I did not mind the space the Pioneer occupied so i opted for an easy trunk sub option. 

Look at some pictures or videos of FJ sound setups, there are plenty out there to get ideas from 😄. And no need to rush it take your time and do your research. 

Hi Niki, 

Regarding the FJ sound system, as an audiophile myself I found it to be terrible in the 2013 FJ Cruiser that I have. 

First thing I did was to replace the stock head unit with a Pioneer head unit with touchscreen display. I immediately felt a noticeable difference in bass because it has a small amp in itself. About 50W. Compared to the 15W headunit from before (Im sure the one you have is much better than the old school radio knob one). 

The next thing I did was to replace the front dash speakers with Kenwood 4''. Slightly better sound than before, I recommend you get the Harman Kardon ones with build in tweeter as they sound better than Kenwood.

As for the door speakers I replaced the stock units with 150Watt RMS (650W Max) Pioneer speakers. Now if you want to save yourself a lot of work, don't do it because when you change the door speakers in the FJ you need to carryout sound proofing which I did not do at first. It sounded like a rattling mess with bass. I ordered sound dampening Killmat from US, removed the door panels and installed it on the metal door frame as well as the plastic door panel on the inside. About 6 hours of work. 

As for the AMP i have a 1500Watt Pioneer under the passenger seat which is plugged to the car battery directly through the engine firewall. All the cabling was done by a professional and they are well hidden, not noticeable. 

For the Subwoofer I have the slim line Pioneer 400Watt RMS in the trunk. Its a small sealed Subwoofer that takes up very little space and is very powerful. 

That was my recommendation for audiophile and been dune bashing with this setup but if you just want more bass than you can get a subwoofer with a built in amp. That is the easiest option.

Some dune surfing from today. 😁 Captured for as long as the battery lasted.

@Ale Vallecchi it was a great drive with some interesting criss-crossing and some really soft patches of sand to test our skills. Especially at the beginning in the tight technical area. 

See you guys in Liwa!

@Tero Vallas alternatively you can install a kill switch for your Prado at xxxxxx xxxxxxxx, i paid 250AED. Kills the ABS, traction control and airbags. I did that for the FJ i dont think the electronics are that much different. 

Ah forgot i was not supposed to mention garage names on this forum.. Any good offroad garage will do it. Ras Al Khor area is where i go.

Thanks @Emmanuel yes you can confirm. Now ill look for some Jerrycans 😂

Thank you @Chaitanya D for showing us some long range ridge riding. It just proves the point that we should never fight gravity and stay on top of the ridge , in the center of it as much as possible and if the back of the car starts fish tailing and being pulled by gravity its better to exit than to risk a flip.  

Also it was my first intermediate drive and i learnt the importance of a bash plate at this level having hit it pretty hard at one point during ridge riding 😅

Also thanks @Pancho and @Foxtrot Oscar for drive support.

@Mehmet Volga im never bored driving behind you 😄

@Emmanuel the FJ version I drive has a 70L Gas tank instead of 150L. Is it sufficient for this sort of drive considering it will take half a day. Also if possible please add to waitlist thanks 

Congratulations @Tero Vallas well deserved! 

Today was a long and interesting drive. Experienced my first pop out that was quickly handled with the help of the team, thanks guys!

Just a quick edit of our trip and a tire pop out at the end 😄 The front tire was at around 11Psi and the sharp turn at high speed can make these things happen. Better to go for a smoother approach next time. See you guys on dunes again! 

I just noticed this now, thanks @Tero Vallas for pointing it out. 

Thank you @Gaurav @Rahimdad@Chaitanya D, I'm very excited for this new challenge. @Rahimdad I've yet to have a drive with you hopefully this will happen soon! 

@Mohamed Seidam alarm just in case? 😆 there is no drive without an alarm , correction plural (alarms) 🤣

@Piotr Kolodziej yes I will drive morning cannot do evening on Friday. @Vanessa8580  can you confirm Piotr is in the wait-list for this drive? Thanks

Are the 2 groups randomly split or we have to pick who to drive with? 

Some highlights from today's drive. 

So many people from previous Fewbie plus drive 😄

@redonettii in that case go for the 4L V6 Prado, it is a very capable car. You don't need the crawl mode or multi terrain modes. People on this forum including myself never use this stuff anyways. In the desert most important is that you have traction control and abs switched off and the right tire pressure. I drive on 11-12psi on stock rims with Yokohama Geolandar tires, but my friend who also owns the same model FJ had a tire popout with his Dunlop at 13psi on same rims, so id say good tires are also important. 

The Y61 is a beast in the desert, but its inline 6 cylinder 4.8L engine consumes alot of petrol, more than the Y62 V8. It will get you anywhere though. 

The Y62 is a heavy car, but its very comfortable to drive. Although it is advertised as good in the desert Id say its not as good as the Land Cruiser or the Prado offroad. But in good hands it is a capable car nonetheless. 

I'd go for the Land Cruiser, I think its a good balance of off-road and luxury and its good for long drives. You got the low gearing and difflock. 

However if you're going for the Y62 then get the 400 hp, its really powerful. (Make sure you get the one with difflock though) 

@Emmanuel , @Chaitanya D can you explain how did you manage to put the tire back on the rim when a pop out happens? Because i was under the impression that its very difficult without proper tools like in a tire workshop. 

@Frederic yea I was planning to buy american cars here and sell them in Poland because they are much more expensive there but the EU charges applied there are very high. (Germany has got to sell their cars somehow afterall 💰 ) 

It will probably be a money pit as you said but have to feed my addiction to cars somehow 😂 and don't wanna pay to much because these cars depreciate like crazy. 

@Rizwanm2 thanks, ill check it out 👍