Ahab Shamaa

Hey Angela @Foxtrot Oscar, I made other plans for Saturday afternoon ☹️ I figured I had no chance of participating in this drive being number six on the waitlist. Then you throw a curve ball by adding a second drive 😀. I can just see you telling me, ‘o ye of little faith’ 😂 Next time hopefully! Thank you @Wrangeld and @Jeepie for volunteering to lead the second drive. You guys rock!

Hey @Hisham Masaad, what’s your email or your phone number so that I can send you the pics I have of your car?

Hey @Frederic, I hear you on the concern about damaging the car😀 The reason I am comfortable with the PC, is because I’ve used the equivalent of it (Power Commander) on my Harleys for over 10 years with no ill effects 😀 The only difference between the two, is that the latter is Harley branded and costs about AED 10,000 to have it installed 🤣 A couple of notes, the PC does not void the car factory warranty. The Pedal Commander works within your vehicle’s stock safety parameters and there is no risk of it harming your ECU because it does not connect directly into the ECU. Now as to the rest of the things that will get damaged, I’m not sure what will, and frankly, I’m not too concerned 😀 The improvement in my drive with the PC on vs it being off is worth it to me. YOLO brother, YOLO 😀

على راسي حبيبي هشام 😘

Hey @Hisham Masaad, yes indeed, you have a beautiful FJ as I recall, and I owe you some pictures from our scenic drive wih @Ale Vallecchi in RAK 😀 Since we’re not allowed to post names here, I would say do a search for FJC Molle panels. A few results should come up. I got mine shipped from the US and installed here. Good luck with this and let me know if you don’t have any luck finding what you need... We’ll figure out something else 😀

Hey @Zed, The Pedal Commander does add responsiveness to your gas pedal. You press the gas, and the car just goes. No lag... PC does not increase HP, however, I like it because it gives you 4 driving modes: Eco, City, Sport & Sport+. You can switch modes with a press of a button on the PC panel itself, or via the app on your connected phone; if you’re lazy like me 😀 You can also select how responsive you want the pedal to be. Tuning/chipping on the other hand, does seem to increase HP and torque (at least that’s what they claim when they post Dyno result pics). Chipping can also remove the engine cutoff limit and the top speed limiter, change the fuel to air ratio mixture, etc. One thing to keep in mind though, the map they download on your car cannot be changed or turned off on the fly. To go back to stock, it would require another visit to the garage to re-download the stock software. Oh, and I added front and rear metal bumper anticipating losing my plastic bumpers to jumps😀 The bumpers increased the weight of the car and changed its driving dynamics. Something I hadn’t thought of before making the switch... I still like the metal bumper and I’ve almost learned how to drive my car with changed weight (car is nose heavy now and wants to lean into all bowls I face 😂). It was terrible in Liwa as I kissed and visited every bowl we drove 😂. As to the bead locks, if you still want them, @Rahimdad and I can take a permanent marker and draw some bead locks on your existing rims. No one will ever know the difference 🤣

There’s a reason why you’re a doctor @Mohamed Seidam 😀 Helping people is in your blood, and you can’t help reading and understanding user manuals no matter how long and boring they are 🤣 Thanks for sharing this information buddy! I’m reconsidering my setup after reading this. Now I will either store the jack horizontally as the manufacturer suggested, or I will wrap it with a Spinneys bag to collect the oil that leaks out 😂

Hey @Zed, congrats on your new purchase 😀 I love anything Toyota 💪🏻 I can tell you from experience, the tires are the best and first change I ever did on my FJ. I went from BF Goodrich (which were still practically new), to the Yokohama Geolandar. The difference is night and day on the drive. The BFGs, being so heavy and with thick walls to resist punctures while rock crawling, just wouldn’t deflate and mold themselves to the sand as nicely as the Yokos do. Now, I abuse the crap out of the Yokos, and in turn, they just deliver pure performance 😀 I highly recommend them. I went with same size as my stock tires 275/16r. I could have gone to the 285s as my rims permit that, but I think bigger tires would have robbed me of a little horsepower; which is a commodity I’m not willing to sacrifice. You know people on forums recommend stuff based on their own experience. An excellent tire like the Goelandar, will perform great no matter what car it’s on. Frankly, I find it absurd that people suggest that a car responds better off-roading to a particular brand of tires. It’s not like the Geolandar is gonna wake up one day and tell itself, oh, I’m intalled on a LC? I’d better perform poorly because FJ or Pajero is where I wanna be 🤣 You can tell I’m biased and opinionated 😀 Second mod, would be the bash plates. Not only do they protect the guts of your truck, they’ll also make the vehicle ‘sand-dynamic’ and more prone to sliding on crests and downhill as the bottom of the car becomes a smooth flat surface. Regarding bash plates, I would say get at least 8mm thickness. The cheap ones are thin and don’t protect. They might look good, but they’re only for show... After these two changes, the sky is the limit. I personally opted for a heavy breather air filter, better exhaust, and a cold air intake snorkel. I also installed a Pedal Commander for better responsiveness (works so good btw). All those mods gave me a tiny bit of extra horsepower, and the car is more relaxed under duress and performs a bit better tackling the dunes. My most recent modification, after a long, long time off-roading (kidding, I’v only been off-roading since October last year 🤣) is the suspension. It was a bit expensive, but definitely worth it. The FJ is not as ‘bouncy’ as before, and I am much more comfortable driving on the worst cross tracks. The drive is much smoother 😀 In any event, that’s my experience so far. I’m sure you’ll find your own path down modification lane 😀 P.S. Rims/wheels like method bead locks look great, but I would save my money for other crucial mods 😀 Good tires will spare you from buying new rims. The Yokohamas do not pop out, even used, abused and deflated to 8 PSI💪🏻

Thanks @Chaitanya D! I knew the doctor in you would appreciate a bit of tidiness 😀 @Rizwanm2, the box is something I built out of plywood, and secured it in an outer shell that I had bought from Amazon. I secure the whole thing to the FJ’s floor via ratchet straps, who in turn are attached to the trunk’s floor (the FJC has 4 attachment points in the floor of the trunk). That thing doesn’t budge despite the jumps and bumps were subject our cars to 😀 As to the Pro Eagle Jack, it’s mounted to my rear door. I have temporarily removed it, to reinforce the mounting points where the molle panel attaches to my rear door. The steel on the Toyota is much weaker than the steel used on the molle panel. So in order to ensure the attachment points on the FJ do not bend/warp, the garage is fabricating reinforcement brackets that will bolt on to the FJ’s door under the plastic cover panel. I’ll show it to you next time we meet 😎

Good info, thanks @Thomas Varghese! Luckily you got it fixed before it developed into something much worse. I still think car manufacturers should have a warning light/sound alerting you that you’re driving in 4Hi once you reach 100km/h or whatever that threshold is, but what do I know. The important thing is that you’re safe 😀 See you Friday!

Wow! That sucks! If staying in 4Hi on the road ruins your car, why doesn’t the car warn you? I’ve forgotten to go back to 2WD so many times after the drive. It’s normal for people to forget...

Woohoo! Thanks a lot @Ale Vallecchi! I’m so looking forward to the drive, and to seeing you all on Friday morning 😀

Hey @Foxtrot Oscar, @Niki Patel, @Chaitanya D, @sertac, @Emmanuel, @Mohamed Seidam, @topgear, @Srikumar, @Jefy, @GauravSoni, &@Gaurav. I’ve almost tried it all 😂 I hate, absolutely hate rattling and things moving around while off-roading. I’ve tried to tie down bags, nets, external bags on my spare tire, bags on my roof rack(not practical), and nothing has quite worked like the molle panels. They are great and can hold just about anything; provided you use good quality, to purpose tie-downs. Having said that, if you do decide to get some molle panels, go for good quality ones that will support the weight of equipment; including a 2 ton hydraulic jack 😀. Some panels in the market, are cheaply made and will bend and crackle when driving or under load. Some companies produce specific panels for your particular car, and I found those to be the best, since fit is perfect and they have installation instructions and support. In any event, even with a bit of a higher spend, it’s a once in a lifetime investment and worth every penny 😀 One last thing; there are literally hundreds of bags and holders that are designed for the molle panels, which is a great thing. This system is still being used by militaries around the world to this day. Here are some pics from the back of my FJC; everything is nice and tidy 😀

Hello Angela, Please add me to the WL, second drive 😀

Please add me to waiting list @Ale Vallecchi. First drive 😀

This has to be one of the best drives I’ve done with Carnity 😀 My first intermediate drive was nothing short of sensational!@Emmanuel, a big thank you for everything. I loved the area you took us to, and I loved the pace of the drive. Everyone drove exceptionally well, which lead us to more driving and less recovering 😜 My poor FJ was back to normal in the morning. No lights on, no nothing. I guess she was punishing me yesterday for not taking better care of her 🤣 Al Futtaim came and took her to see if there is anything that got damaged. Hopefully not, but we’ll see... Thank you all for your support and camaraderie; you guys rock! @Islam Soliman thanks for the escort home and for checking up on me brother 😀 I’m excited to do this again, with no mechanical issue of course, very soon!

Since @Rahimdad has exclusivity on Superman, I will call you the Hulk 😀 You are one of the people who have a lot of heart, and sometimes when I watch you maneuver, I have to close my eyes and pray 🤣 You’re a speed demon! Congratulations on your promotion, and I’m glad that you and @Athula Dharmadada got promoted at the same time 😀 See you tomorrow for a long drive (finally) 💪🏻

Woohoo! Congratulations @Athula Dharmadada! Well deserved 😀 I was going to say that @Yasas Dharmadasa will be destroyed if he is left behind on the intermediate promotion, but I can see he also got the promotion 😀 Looking forward to tackling the new level together 💪🏻 See you tomorrow my frined!

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi! See y’all tomorrow 😀👍🏻

Hello Doc @Chaitanya D, Please remove my name from the WL. I’m only driving on Friday. Thanks, and see you next time 😀

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and @Rahimdad; it’s great to be back (even though I’m still in the air, so technically not back yet) 😀 I’m looking forward to nature after being surrounded by the cold and grim hospital scenery for a week 🤣 @Thomas Varghese, my first fewbie drive ever, was with @Ale Vallecchi in Muquab. I had done close to 10 newbie drives before that. Let me tell you, after that first fewbie drive, I went back and signed up for newbie drives for two weeks, until I felt comfortable and confident I can tackle the next level, and more importantly, not be a burden on the more experienced drivers, bu getting stuck on every maneuver. Last week I got bumped to Intermediate, and what do I do with the promotion? I sign up for this fewbie drive 😀 It’s definitely not about the rank, but the enjoyment. Differently put, it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey 😀 See you on Friday!

Hey Doc @Chaitanya D, I signed up for Ale's Friday drive first, and then came here and signed up for the WL as a second drive. This will be my first intermediate drive ever if it makes it any better

This sounds awesome @Ale Vallecchi! I can't wait And with @Foxtrot Oscar helping, only God knows how this drive is gonna unfold 🤣

Hello @Chaitanya D, please add me to the waiting list of the drive. This would be my second drive for the weekend. Thanks!

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA Toreto!; it's not the same without you! Looking forward to seeing you soon!