Arman

Here is my somewhat biased experience: i've done most of the spending on my car to solves current or potential problems, i think it makes sense....kinda like surgery on a human being right?.....my OEM shocks were 16 years old and despite them still being good enough for daily use they really werent doing much work offroad, especially over bumpy tracks where i would lose a lot of speed due to the wheels spending more time in the air than on the ground. There was also the issue of tyre rub on the fenders when crisscrossing.

Having added that 2inch lift now, the ride is definitely less comfortable on the road but it's not like it was comfortable to begin with 🤣. I kept things simple though, i  was afraid of the possibly of foaming in oil and hybrid shocks which would really make them stiff and the price of the exterior reservoir stuff and the need to cut bits off the car to fit them just didnt feel right (dont forget that more complication means more maintenance) so i went with tried and true Rancho air shocks, the offroad ride is much better and the on road ride is....well it didnt matter to being with it guess.

Things to keep in mind though as this sort of stuff can inflate your costs and down time quite a bit, Steering setups are made to operate within certain tolerances so going too tall or soft or hard might also mandate new steering otherwise you'll get some really funny behavior. There's also the issues of drive shafts, since they're a giant metal rod that spins they have a set length so making your car taller might require work on that end as well (looks into where you might need something like an SYE with whichever height you're thinking).

PS, if you do end up doing Driveshaft and Steering changes look for Zerks fitting parts, this makes it easier to maintain them so in the long run you'll have fewer issues (but this does mean some level of personal responsibility in maintaining the car and the Zerks as they will need to have grease pumped into them every 5-7 days for most people).

On 4/19/2021 at 4:59 PM, Watteau said:

@Shehab Alawadhiyou’ve got me started, The F150 I think, is the world's most popular truck, selling over 2,000 trucks per day, the suspension options are limitless. My issue is warranty, we don't have any real legal precedent here in the UAE on proving whether a component change was directly responsible for a failure on something on the truck, whereas in the USA, the onus is on the dealer and brand to prove that your modification caused the failure (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act). I think you have the same 3-5 year warranty I have on the Raptor, and I have been told that any changes to the suspension will effectively cancel any warranty for suspension, axles, drivetrain and engine. A 2 inch lift on the F150 or Raptor would be great, a bit more travel offered by the FOX kits would be great, but I don't know if it is worth it until our warranties expire. Also some suspension upgrades require rebuilds at certain intervals, thus adding to the cost. Just FYI, I looked into Fox 3.0 suspension, deever springs and hydraulic bump stops with upper control arms and it was looking close to 60,000 AED. I don't see myself partaking in any desert activity that would require that sort of setup with my daily driver. From my research our leaf springs will eventually flatten out and will need replacing, the shocks will need to be replaced as well, hopefully 5,000 km before the expiry of the warranty!!! You have already addressed your approach angle, which I am now looking at as well both front and rear, I don't think that can be seen as a warranty stopper. 

This is where getting out of warranty, rusty lego boxes on wheels comes in handy 🤣😂🤣

Thanks @Niki Patel and @Luca Palanca Falsini Was quite a nice drive and driving behind big car definitely reminds me of my first drives with @Shehab Alawadhi  

Im also quite impressed with @Watteau's pedal control! watching you from behind was spectacular!

8 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Congratulations @Arman for reaching the Intermediate Level with Carnity Offroad Club.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

 

INTERMEDIATE

Drives Attended (Indicative)	Minimum 10 drives are required after fewbie promotion and within last 6 months. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and 2 Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback)
What you'll learn	Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing
Skills required	Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable
Car Worthiness	Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires
Off-road gear required	Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS.
Drive teamwork	Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision
Drive Joining	Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Thanks @Gaurav!!  

1 hour ago, Shehab Alawadhi said:

Thank you @Wrangeld for this INTENTIONAL night drive I really enjoyed just going nose first into the abyss 😂

Thanks @Watteau for lighting the front of the convoy up. I think the international space station was watching us traverse the desert. 
 

Thank you @Alexander Alcala and @Jeepie for not leaving anyone behind. 

@Ahab Shamaa thx for winching me out 😂 always fun to be gently pulled and my passengers got to experience what a crest feels like (see it was totally intentional 😂) 

Thanks everyone else for being good fun! 
 

@Arman I have so many puns I’d like to add but I think they’d lose their meaning on a post so I’m going to save it for when I see you next so I can physically see you face palm 😉

Attached is yesterday’s track. I may have forgotten to stop the recording when I hit qudra road 😂

Moreover you took this screenshot while driving! Dangerous boy you!

@Wrangeld i have great news! I awake safely in my bed this morning, thanks to @Thomas Varghese for his help with the tow truck as well as negotiations

Thanks @Jeepie for your generous sacrifice, i'll be sure to pay it both forwards and back.

And @Watteau for your excellent choice in jacks.

@Alexander Alcala thanks for helping save time filling the tyre constantly

lots of people to thank here damn!

As for the drive, it was a great experience to drive at night, got to see some interesting track and even got to pick up quite a bit of speed here and there, plus many lessons learned. 

Attached you will find the weapon that attacked my poor baby, got me descriptively shouting "my tyre's been stabbed!!" to everyone's confusion.

Special thanks to @Shehab Alawadhi's terrible puns, btw that counter carries to the end of the year.....you have one bad tyre pun left so use it wisely.

Lul @Shehab Alawadhi im back to being right behind you, i shall have to compare this to our first drive together.😂

19 hours ago, Wrangeld said:

If you noted the parentheses ... You and shehab challenging for sweep. Or maybe 2nd lead. 

Wait...w're competing for those now? I want 2nd lead duties then! Small car power!

I AM BACK!! Sway bar links came in early so assuming i find time to install them by Friday morning i shall see you all that evening!

I have offroad lights but still wrestling with some High Beam (low beams working fine though) electrical issues on the car that im waiting for some parts for, will i be alright to come anyway @Wrangeld?  I'm thinking that i can point the spot lights on the car just past the low beam line which is quite high anyway since the car is tall.

see you there!

13 hours ago, Shehab Alawadhi said:

Could I be waitlisted for my 2nd drive of the weekend plz. 
 

So here’s the thing. @Arman and I would like to join this drive as our second drive of the weekend. The reason for that is so we can switch and drive each other car's just to see how it feels to drive another car in the desert. We don’t want to take any of the newbies chances of a drive so could we be the last priority for the drive please, or if you need people to help with the drive we would be happy to assist   

Yeap yeap second drive wait list but at the bottom of the list please  

On 2/20/2021 at 2:05 PM, topgear said:

I do not like turbo lag. I prefer linear power delivery, hence voted for NA

This interesting....since TJ's make 70% of their power below the 3k rpm mark, I think the Turbo might bridge the gap to 5.4k rpm....and you'd be saving money on the part of the torque curve where the extra power isnt really needed (since super chargers are more expensive).

On 2/19/2021 at 8:06 PM, Frederic said:

I had a Lancia Delta (not integrale ;)) in Belgium. Fantastic car.

Pretty sure the love one has for turbo hot hatches is a universal feeling. it might even be illegal to dislike a hot hatch.

1 hour ago, Wrangeld said:

Dear Unexplored Explorers

Here is the convoy list for the tomorrow PM drive. This is the list as published at 14.35 so may change based on last minute pull out from the drive. 

There is a big event taking place in Qudra tomorrow that will impact on traffic and access I advise approaching the start point from Sharjah side (E66) instead of E63 to avoid delays. 

 

Afternoon Fewbie Unexplored Qudra 19 Feb 2021
Attendees	Level	Car	Radio	Pos #
Wrangeld	Marshal	Mitsubishi Pajero SWB	Y	1
Tbone @Tbone	Expert	Nissan Xterra	Y	2
Thomas Varghese @Thomas Varghese	Fewbie	NIssan Xterra	Y	3
RajeshKumar Rathod @rajeshkumar rathod	Fewbie	Nissan Xterra	Y	4
Matthew Ticehurst @Matt.T	Fewbie	Jeep Wrangler JK	Y	5
Veedooshee S @Veedooshee	Intermediate	Mitsubishi Pajero LWB	Y	6
Karim Allam @Karim Allam	Fewbie	Toyota FJ Cruiser	Y	7
Arman @Arman	Intermediate	Jeep Wrangler SWB TJ	Y	8
David Ortells @David Ortells	Fewbie	Toyota FJ Cruiser	Y	9
Jack Thomas @Jack Thomas	Intermediate	Ford F150	Y	10
Shehab al Awadhi @Shehab Alawadhi	Intermediate	Ford F150	Y	11
Islam Soliman @Islam Soliman	Intermediate	GMC Yukon	Y	12

Looking forward to seeing everyone for what will be a fun and exciting expedition in the Qudra regions that are not ususally investigated. 

Have a great day. 

See you soo in the sand. 

It's a shame the Baja event this year doesnt allow spectators :(.....would've loved to go see.

Also Shehab and I are still Fewbies but my ego does take pleasure in the idea that you see us differently

Interesting responses all around since i've yet to get even a little bit close to using my machine to it's fullest potential i cant justify changing it much and all in all i'm likely to stay away all together.

2 hours ago, Rahimdad said:

Thanks @Shehab Alawadhi you know me, no matter how serious the topic is I try to bring out some humor in it. I think instead of searching for a job I should now consider myself as a stand up comedian.

The best way to get more out of any vehicle is reducing the weight of the car, @Arman if you are not using the rear seats, remove them, it might be only 10 Kgs but that in itself increases your power to weight ratio. If you have side steps, those are heavy, remove them and so on and so forth, the lighter the car the more nimble it is.

I've removed about 100kg from the car already, the hard top and rear seats are out

On 2/17/2021 at 1:10 PM, Rahimdad said:

Wow this question comes to bite me back. Although my question was a bit different but handled quite well by the technical gurus available to us. @Barry was my main help to understand and decide against either one.

Firstly to understand the difference between a Turbo and a Supercharger. Turbo needs outside air and kicks in at higher revs. Supercharger produces its own air from within and is not reliant on outside air. So Superchargers are more helpful in all rev bands. That wants me to go for a supercharger.

Now the reason why we should not get one. You will end up spending 3 times more than your Jeeps value to get any help from it. Why? No matter how much air the Turbo or Supercharger tries to put in, the values of how much air the engine should get is decided by the MAF Sensor. So we can get the MAF sensor changed, right? Yes, but the ECU is than programmed to supply a certain amount of air, fuel and sparks from the spark plugs to create a certain amount of power. So what all do you need to change to make any difference? Good question.

So you need to change the ECU to a programmable one and pay about AED 40k just for tuning. But you also need a fuel pump that will supply more fuel. Don't forget to change your manifold and exhaust system for all the carbon to be released from the engine. Oh by the way you will need to get forged parts for your engine because your engine will not be able to survive with all the extra stress. Spark plugs and wire sets will have to be upgraded.

So finally after spending AED 120k you're able to enjoy your Jeep and still your skill levels will never be high enough as what the Jeep is offering you. Plus guess what, the RTA just scrapped your car as it is no longer street legal. So now buy a truck to pull your trailer with the Jeep as you cannot drive it on road anymore. Hope you are on 7th heaven enjoying your Jeep for that 10% extra power you wanted to make.

As for me after 12 years of driving in the sand I'm still crazy enough to come out week after week to learn new stuff about myself and my car. It always surprises me. About 3 weeks back I was lucky to find a good line on Faya and made it 75% to the top from the front face which was the highest ever. Last week I made it 90% on top of Faya from the front face and I'm learning never to say never. I have always tried to find my cheat routes to the top, but recently got that passion back to push myself and my car to the max and it gives me great satisfaction.

Looking forward to catching you on top of the tallest dune on Mars as UAE Mars rover inspects how you did it with a moded Jeep. Enjoy.

I'm just looking for some insight into this as i was at Badayer a while ago with a group of TJ and there's a bunch of big dunes around and i saw the difference that Turbos and Supers made to their ability to climb without having to get a lot of momentum.

The matter of price hadnt come to mind yet so that's cool to know and now that i think of it, the guys that did have them tended to be in and out of garages on a weekly basis thus negating the reputation of the 4L i6 as a reliable engine....

Besides, being able to say that i drive a stock car and barely use the throttle because im just conserving momentum up and down the dunes feels really satisfactory

On 2/17/2021 at 4:18 PM, Mohamed Seidam said:

Dear Arman 

the best thing about Carnity is that you get a sincere unbiased opinion and options , and speaking of options I would choose always option one in Gaurav bhai list above .

it has been always about this final 10 to 15 % of vehicle related boost issue . I think with your awesome TJ and practice patience and refinement of your skills it can be reduced to 5% remaining ( keep it as car breather no beyond ) . 
 

most if not all marshals drive stock vehicles ( no major mods ) and they can do all maneuvers they want .

Cheers 🌷

 

Absolutely, and that's what i was hoping for...i couldnt see the drawbacks apart from the fact that decent Turbos and Supers cosr upward of 7k which now means i could just get a V8 for 20k and sell the i6 if i was really bothered...but i love my machine too much to want to change it too much.

This is mostly from the perspective of someone who drives an older car like me as i dont have experience in newer cars but would be cool to hear all the opinions.

Having an older '05TJ like all SUVs of the era they were kind of over-engineered to be reliable, so power wasn't at the top of the priority list, not that im complaining, my car seems capable of 90% of the things I ask it to do, but this is about the 10% that im curious to explore when my skills have caught up to the car's ability, things like attacking huge dunes and going up long slip faces.

To that point, i dont think i've seen many Superchargers on cars climbing Mroeeb competitively, is that because we value the higher RPM power boost or because Superchargers are just too inefficient, or am I both blind and def and they do in fact have Supers?

41 minutes ago, Foxtrot Oscar said:

Good afternoon fellow adventurers, unfortunately I wont be able to join you on this afternoon's adventure due to some mechanical issues with my car,  however I will be leaving you in the very capable hands of @Chaitanya D and @Lorenzo Candelpergher

You will be using radio channel 1 (one)

The proposed convoy is as follows:
 

Driver	Car	Level	Position
@Chaitanya D	Black X	Marshal	Lead
@Veedooshee	White Pajero	IM	2nd lead
@Ammar Naji	Expedition	Fewbie	3rd
@Rob Harper	F150	Fewbie	4th
@Arman	Wrangler	Fewbie	5th
@Ashok chaturvedi	Yellow FJ	IM	CF
@Shehab Alawadhi	F150	Fewbie	7th
@Hisham Masaad	Black FJ	Fewbie	8th
@Junaid120120	Beige FJ	Fewbie	9th
@Thomas Varghese	White X	Fewbie	10th
@MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ	Wrangler	IM	11th
@Lorenzo Candelpergher	Y62	Expert	12th

Good luck with the car stuff!!! Looking forward to it @Chaitanya D and @Lorenzo Candelpergher 

As a man driving a box on a wheels who's most technologically advanced feature is an iron box that makes explosions, in my limited experience driving in sand and getting myself unstuck i think that there's isnt much a crawl control system can do that you cant do yourself with a shovel, biceps and some energy bars, just a matter of how hard you're willing to work for it or whether you're capable at all as i understand that some people just might not be able to do it the hard way.

And if you've reached a point where a shovel wont do anymore i cant imagine crawl control will change anything that sticking into 1st gear in 4L cant do.

The tech is cool though, i imagine in situations where getting out of the car is inadvisable this would come in very handy, say heavy wind or a gun fight.

And previous points about maintaining basic skills that you can always rely on even if everything lets you down seem sound, plan for the worst, hope the best in essence.

5 hours ago, Jeepie said:

After driving a lot further along the track due to having a lot of Carnity convoys starting from the same area, most of you managed to be there on time, and those who where a little late managed to get ready real quick. After a short briefing we lined up the convoy and were on our way.

With a couple of new fewbies it is always a bit of a gamble to see what level of drive to start with, but as we were all doing fine, we could push a little more. I did try to find some challenges in the technical area's as well as finding place to do a little of criss crossing and ridge riding.

I hope the lesson, while we were waiting during the fix of the pop out and the practicing while Rizwan adjusted his tyre pressure, meant the waiting was also enjoyable.

@Arman as a second lead you did a good job, just remember to keep a bit more distance, so you won't get in trouble when I do😜

@Kailas and @Francois Germishuys you did a fantastic job with recoveries and directions to keep everyone safe.

@Shehab Alawadhi glad I managed to get you stuck, @Danish Mohammad @Bernd Stucke @Rizwan Waheed @Mahmoud Asar @Mobeen Anwar @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader @Szymon Stankiewicz a couple of refusals, self recoveries and a few stucks between us, I think you all did a great job and showed good teamwork, it was a pleasure to drive with you.

See you all soon

Yeah....learned that the hard way yesterday getting stuck on those criss crosses, only one way to improve though

Thanks to everyone who came to help dig me out of the sand and thanks @Jeepie for the diverse terrain you let us experience. 

49 minutes ago, Francois Germishuys said:

Thanks for a good drive @Jeepie i got 1 blister on my left hand from all the shoveling, I really need those Dhs50’s collected for my excellent digging efforts 😎

Thanks for adding me to the drive last minute, all the new fewbies did n good job, as always with more drives their experience will improve.

See you all next time. 

Oh nooo a boo boo, i'll have to bring a set of gardening gloves for the next person that comes to help me dig my car out.

4 hours ago, Wrangeld said:

• Mahmoud Asar @Mahmoud Asar
• Mohamed Abo ElKomsan @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan
• Thomas Varghese @Thomas Varghese
• Shehab Alawadhi @Shehab Alawadhi
• Mohamed Seidam @Mohamed Seidam
• Szymon Stankiewicz @Szymon Stankiewicz
• Arman @Arman
• Alphin Aloor @Alphin Aloor
• Aus Alzubaidi @Aus Alzubaidi
• Harold Roberts @Harold Roberts

What a fantastic convoy we have already for this drive. Qudra has so much to offer for all levels of drives. There are long range dunes where we can slide slope to our heart's content, swooping valleys and pockets where the soft sand is so deceptive that a 1 meter mistake will drag you in and there are sections of technical dunes that challenge the best of us. There are even high pyramid dunes which are normally reserved and of course, some lovely low and safe dunes where we can practice both ridge riding a criss crossing whicha re skills every driver needs to move up to the more adrenalin fuelled advanced drives. It's got the lot. 

My plan for the drive on Friday is simple. From our start point a few km from Last Exit naviagte through sand that is often untouched by convoys because it's more difficult to get through, find our way to some long rang dunes in the direction of Bab al Shams, scre the gazelle and Oryx as we move out further West and then double back East (once the sun is high enough) towards Solar Park and in the direction of Lisali covering both technical and swooping dunes through and off the Sabkas. 

How far we can take the challenge will be totally down to how this amazing convoy handles the challenges. 

Anyone who knows my drives knows I am not afraid to take the convoy through technical sections, sometimes avoided by other drives, because I think that the technical dunes are where we really learn the skills of control of car, acelleration, steering and sand. We will be climbing and crossing dunes the whole time as well and hopefully see some parts of teh Qudra complex that are less visited - why? Because Qurda is so well travelled that finding the pristine clear sand tracks is not easy. 

If we cover a lot of kilometers that's OK - but not the aim of this drive. The aim of this drive is to throw as many different challenges to you as possible and get everyone safely and happily out with a big grin on their face. 

More to follow during the week. 

See you soon in the sand. 

with so much anticipation and, i think i'll kidnap @Shehab Alawadhi on Thursday and just camp till the next morning at the spot 🤣

Excited to show you what i've learned about the TJ since our last drive  @Wrangeld

1 minute ago, Vanessa8580 said:

@VipinShetty signed in for the full day drive with Ale ....

Aha i see, my bad 😅

I think we had Vipin on the wait list for this or is it too late to update now? O.O @Vanessa8580

Aww yisss!! Congrats man! time to get nice pictures from atop the highest of dunes!

Lets gooo!!!  

@Asif Hussain Friday was really fun, especially with the big bowls to pay around! I even got to hear my car red line for the first time as we were going around that first dune!

The drive was paced very nicely too with soft but quick driving on the way to interesting destinations with some ad hock drifting in a sabka.

I really enjoyed your chilled tone too. "Do we have time for some donuts while you eat"...... "sure" you say. Thanks for the pleasant drive  

@GauravSoni hop you get your car sorted soon and i see you some time again.

@mikaeel shaik im still surprised at how well your machine made up the dunes, assume the driver had to be exceptional as well as the car.

2 hours ago, Shehab Alawadhi said:

Congratulations @Arman I love the fact you called me to tell me you got promoted, doesn't everyone love being woken up to the voice of their excited cousin?

@Rahimdad I'm always kind to my cousin (not really but you get the idea 🤣) but yes i will never let him go!! Inshallah we all can drive together soon and yes I will bring my uncle.

you love my voice!!!