Alex Raptor

doesn't look to be too tough on the older photos, should be fine, but standard rules apply, don't go on your own and carry all the gear, that way if the merc doesn't like it you can get pulled out easily, I think it has those screw in recovery points, so make sure you have all the tools. you may be limiting yourself if you wanted to combine this trip with some other exploration of the area though, having said that cruising down there at what may still be a 160km/hr speed limit in a merc might make it worth it.

Glad to hear you are sorted.

Hi, I have whats apped you

If anyone has any video or photos of the air jack in action can you post it please,

What a day guys, we had a lot of fun, the teamwork ethic in this group is a dream, I think we had an early exit, for an engine issue, 5 digs and self recoveries, 4 tugs, a pop out, a wheel change and a cracked radiator, and we all left smiling so we must be doing something right, great route, a real mix of everything the desert can throw at you. Thanks everyone

well done Russ good to have you and another raptor at inter,

Hi, Just to caveat I'm not advising you to make any modifications to your winch line, my new winch line terminates in a soft shackle, its part of the line, if you are left just with the loop on the end of the winch line and your hook has come off, and your winch manufacturer specifies a hook or block, then I wouldn't deviate from that, A high tension winch line is not something to self rig. Replacement pins and hooks are available or look at factor55, they make a selection of winch terminations to fit standard winch rope end loops.

What an absolute pleasure Gentlemen, loved every minute of it, not one shovel or tug and climb after climb after climb, the route was perfect, lots of play time and some good challenges, and what a masterclass in slip face self recovery, that was epic. Thanks for a wonderful morning guys, used more fuel today than on any other drive, see you all soon.

Perfect, lets do it!!, just got the winch line replaced after a minor mishap, I got one of the bubba rope lines that terminates directly into a soft shackle, rather than a hook or block, any excuse to try it out, see you tomorrow evening.

Hi @Kailas just checking this is still going ahead tomorrow, thanks

see you in the morning guys, looking forward to it

All, I know it was said on the radio, but just to reiterate that was an awesome drive. Everyone drove brilliantly and where necessary executed great self recoveries. Your convoy discipline and radio comms were exemplary and it was a real pleasure. Thank you everyone.

I would say that’s 7 mins extra in the sleep pit, thanks Fred.

Monring, is google maps correct, do you have to go down and do a U turn or can you cut through Nazwa?

Hi Islam, waitlist please 2nd drive

looking forward to it, early start, my trucks favourite meal of the day is brake fast!!!

Wait list second drive please

"let go of your hate" for Cris-crosses , my observations would be that you are not getting two wheels over the top of the ridge soon enough, for me in my truck my objective is to get "anchors" over the other side as soon as I can, that way the risk of fishtailing or sliding down into a pocket is massively reduced, it also avoids that 90 degree spin effect when the wheel goes over and you are left in no mans land for a moment. The higher line on a cris-cross is usually the better one, but with today's sand blowing it was tricky to see the tops, refusals are no issue at all, it means you are being pushed you are learning to trust the force, don't worry about them, it will come, this is the way. That’s @Dodi Syahdar but great photos

Looking forward to this, I am. I like firsts, good or bad, they are always memorable. This is the way.

just had a chance to test this as I picked up the truck from the garage, for legal reasons I cannot say what the speed was but it was well over frightening Abu Dhabi and the driver!!!!

I think the point here is that it is all relative, there are a lot of factors that control traction, engine speed being one of them, deflation level, torque of the engine at different revolutions, throttle response, gearing ratios etc. For me personally I'm looking for the maximum traction for the least amount of accelerator input to be able to accomplish each obstacle we may find, that may lead to refusals if I go too soft or it may be that I could have achieved the same result with a lot less, there will be no "one size fits all" to this.

check out the Garmin ones we have them on work vehicles https://www.garmin.ae/product/garmin-dash-cam-tandem/ I can then see what they were doing in the car as well, as it is front and back

Hi, the 4 in 1 refers to the ability to deflate or inflate four tires at once, there are several brands available or it is possible to make one yourself with parts from amazon, a picture will explain it better, but 4 tire valves and a central hub to allow air into all 4 at the same time or out at the same time. the device connects directly to your compressor, this is where a powerful compressor is important as it will be working continuously for a longer time. You need to have a 100pc duty compressor such as the ARB mentioned a lot in this post for this work effectively. Duty refers to the amount of time the compressor can run without overheating and cutting off.

I don't think we can actually mention them by name on here, but my experience is to find out what you want yourself, all of them will install a twin ARB under the rear seat and say off you go, but then you have to have the passenger door open, add an extra valve that needs a tank (or so they say) etc. etc. there are always compromises, personally for the size of tires we have, and if you desire to do it faster then the only way forward is multiple compressors, as Ahab said the air tank is no good for improving inflation times, this is proven on several YouTube videos as well, the fastest inflation method is proven to be a CO2 power tank, but needs refilling and specialist valves and has to be operated vertically etc etc. every solution has caveats. Also if you run two compressors in series as in "double" power then your hoses and chucks need to handle the added pressure as well as your tire valve, running two compressors in parallel, provides redundancy and since each compressor is responsible for two tires rather than 4 at once there should be a time saving.I'm thinking to trial the apex valves Lorenzo mentioned and Ahab and Hisham have to see if that helps, raptor wheels are deep though so need to find a supplier who would test fit rather than burn 800 AED I think for the XL versions. I can't believe I have spent so much precious spare time researching air systems, FML. out of the box there is a system for raptors called updownair that mounts a plate under the bonnet, I haven't seen a real world timing of it though, and I'm not sure about having the shcrader valves in each wheel well. Our "mutual" friend has a set in his showroom. https://updownair.com/product-category/gen-2/raptor-4-tire-inflation-system/

Thanks everyone for today, it was just what I needed, amazing area and some great challenges, see you all soon. Great route @Lorenzo Candelpergher