Cha

Hi @Ale Vallecchi as much I wanted to join the drive and have some chat with you all, but after relooking at my schedule of the weekend, I had to withdraw my attendance yesterday afternoon. Hope soon in the future we will have another chance to catch up.

Charlie 

@JeromeFJ @Beide Workumine alarm, too, didn't work and cannot reach the meeting point on time. I am really sorry for not making it today 😟😟

@Simon D @Davie Chase I just found out that Gaurav Soni's FB doesn't have any support, i will be supporting his drive.

Apologies gents

1 hour ago, Simon D said:

Dear Desert wonderers   @Maytham Mahroos, @Shiju Raju , @Issam Atra , @Haneef Thayyil , @frederic demolder , @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke @Mark B

I hope you are all ready and excited for tomorrow's drive . Please be on time and well prepared 

Please note that the meeting point have been shifted around 1.5 Km along  the Dubai alin road  : https://goo.gl/maps/KGF6L8VwXMza3tJz7 

Meeting time is 07:00 AM Sharp

We will use Carnity Radio Channel 4.

The convoy order will be as the following :

Hi @Simon D hope it's not too late to join? 

26 minutes ago, Looper said:

@Zed, @Ashutosh Garg, @Tareq Al Turq, @Cha, @Bashar Beasha, @Jaro Tuzinsky, @Christian Andras, @Benjamin, @Arda Yagcioglu

Due to some unavoidable circumstances, unfortunately I must cancel the drive tomorrow morning. I will be removing you all and cancelling the drive post.

If interested @Frederic's FB+ still has few open slots, you may join.

I apologize for the sudden cancelation. Hopefully we will see you all again sometime soon.

Noted no worries, we will keep the chaos for the next time 

6 minutes ago, Looper said:

I was actually hoping we’d do 30+ kmph moving avg speed, alas. The problem with Gaia GPS is if you stop for say 2-3 min or even a bit more and then start driving, it doesn’t count it as stopped time dragging down the overall moving average speed, as the time is not considered for as stopped. It starts to count as stopped but if you move it removes it from stopped. 

then we definitely exceeded 30kmh, we had a couple of refusals and lost track.  but also because all these I could sync more with the Pajero!😈 look forward to more chaos this Saturaday!

8 hours ago, Imteeaz said:

@Looper thank you for leading such an amazing drive - enjoyed every second of it!

we had very good drivers and barely any refusals.

well done to everyone and looking forward to the next challenge

cheers

 

pleasure driving behind you - A beneficiary of your newly upgraded exhaust system during the drive😄

I knew we were moving fast but didn't think its anywhere at 28kmh average moving speed, while climbing the medium and big dunes, thank you @Looper and the rest of the convey.

+

cheapest fix, you dont need very high pressure to make this work, and it works very well for the oil sand mixture 

Shocking to read this, have known you since the 3rd NB drive till now, I wish you the best in all that you do @Hisham Masaad, @Abdelghanitake care

2 hours ago, MuddassirT said:

It was nice discussing with you @Mehmet Volga. Thanks for your time.

I found few shops that sell them, one shop offered a competitive price on AOR spacers 30mm costed AED950 while another shop had H&R with 30mm costing AED1800+vat..

H&R is almost double than the AOR, So I think I should go with AOR which is made in US. Can anyone please suggest me on it?

Also I would like to know if there will be any rubbing issue after a 2inch lift with dobinsons MRA and a 30mm spacers on stock wheels?

My stock size is 265/65/R17, and please advice if wheel spacers are a good option and should I go for 25mm or 30mm?

 

 

Hi Muddassir, I have identical set up, it is the suggested set up by the garage and I have not face rubbing so far,  265 65 17, 2inch MRA, 30mm spacers. But spacers are either of the brands, I suggest you have a look of the material and weight, perhaps those are making such huge price difference.

Congrats Rafey! 

Congrats Ahmad, you absolutely deserve it

i dont see there is any enforcement even if there are some regulations, the guys at petrol pump never checked on me, I could fill the cans up myself at Adnoc stations.

I strap the jerry can on the second row seat instead of the tail when I was driving the LWB pathfinder, the tail part of the car tend to swing a lot and may cause damage or leakage

39 minutes ago, Looper said:

A mighty BIG Thanks to @Cha who on his own got me a couple spare ones. 

still available for order😎

Another factor that would influence my choice between the two options is whether the trip leader is driving a SWB vehicle. When you're driving a LWB vehicle and following a SWB lead, it's crucial to have the central differential open (4H for Pajero/4H auto for Wrangler). This setup reduces the turning radius, making it easier to follow the track created by the SWB lead.

I faced significant challenges when I drove the LWB Pathfinder, which lacked a central differential. In this vehicle, the front and rear wheels were locked at a 50:50 power distribution at all times when 4WD was engaged. I had to make the wheels spin excessively to stay on the path created by the SWB lead. In technical terrain and more advanced drives, deviating from the lead's track can be quite risky.

After driving the SWB Pajero, I've come to realize that driving a SWB vehicle in the desert is a blessing! especially vehicles like the SWB Pajero and JL, which allow the central differential to remain open when 4WD is engaged.

Congrats to all 💪💪💪

21 hours ago, Looper said:

@Cha guiding convoy. From Faqa'a to Solar Park on Sat Sep 30, 2023

I knew this pic would be posted here 😹

Thank you @M.Seidam for the drive. Took us to the northern part of pink rock that is rarely visited, and the last bit of FF drive in the big red area after night fall, good time catching up with you and other friends that I havent seen in a long while!

Great drive led by @Looper, you drive quite differently when you are leading, pretty much a different person in the same yellow looper jeep, and an impressive 25km/r of 80km route, consists of different terrains, But I must say it is never easy to catch up with a SWB car with 2850mm WB Pathfinder😶. Good work! 

@Theo09 this is definitely not a standard FB drive but you coped with it very well. I was concerned that you may tackle some part of the drive too rough, being a first time FB with faster pace, But you handled it exceptionally well, never fought gravity yet had no refusal except a popout that was partially due to the low profile tire.

You should take a look at the jacks and jacking points of your vehicle, 18inch rims have higher possibility of pop out but the possibility can be lowered with skills. 

@Fabien Monleau Thanks a lot for managing the centre and rescuing me with your magical winch, it worked just like a charm!

@Juan R Pleasure meeting you for the first time and thank you for the perfect sweep.

Had 2 occassions that the airbag jack was used, it works just fine, except it is as heavy as a spare!💣

The AC sounds like AC fan failure(not the clutch fan), you have running air flow driving highway but not much in desert, and AC condenser doesnt work properly as no running air to cool it down. 

Acceleration issue can be the heated up fuel. I face the same in later part of higher level drives where I accelerate a lot. Once a senior offroader advised me that it can be the heated up and less condensed fuel affecting the engine performance. When more fuel gets pumped to the front due to frequent acceleration but partial unused fuel gets sent back to fuel tank and this unused parts become warm in the movement, and gradually heats up the rest of fuel in the tank. I noticed a lot of fuel vapor came out when I refuel on the way home from those drives, which evidences that the fuel was hot.  this should not be an issue for dual tank cars, for example most of Toyotas🙃

The answer is simple: Pathfinder r51! The 7 seater Xterra.

Rarely you will find a Pathfinder offroad abused, and it's cheaper than Xterra most of the time 😃

8 hours ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Hey Charlie @Cha all indications were for you to change the ride not the network provider 😀😀 

Something is going on 😁 Hope soon can be revealed

28 minutes ago, Gok Krish said:

Not without my fear for heights!

Congrats @Gok Krish !

24 minutes ago, Patrick said:

Hi everyone, I was wondering what the best mobile network is for off-roading, especially for the hilly areas in RAK, Fujairah, etc.

"Common wisdom" says Etisalat is the best network in the UAE, but is that still true in 2023? Is du far behind?

I know there are coverage maps available online, however I'm more interested in your personal experience. For example, have you been offroading with other people in the same car and consistently found that one network beats another? 

I'm looking at a mobile plan from Virgin (=du network) and was wondering if it's "safe" to sign up for it or whether I should stick to Etisalat. Is the du network still behind Etisalat?

Thanks!

 

I recently switched from Virgin to Etisalat for this reason.

i will never forget that @Mario Cornejoreceived MOI's calling in the middle of a bowl in al Quaa where my pathfinder shut down!

Virgin is more cost effective, but the price for it is the poor and slow customer service.

1 hour ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Wow that really sounds interesting. Just trying to think when will this be handy. 

@Frederic @Gaurav any advice on topic - trying to evaluate when can this feature really be handy. 

Ofcourse during recovering no need to switch to 4L. Directly can try at 4H with rear diff locks. 

 On sideys same spin of all wheels may mean challenge turning down the vehicle and same perhaps during criss crossing?

On steep climbs might be good - but then steering down, won’t it create a challenge? 

 

it's indeed interesting topic to discuss, I looked up on the internet for a while, multiple media sources confirmed that for the first time Jeep made locking rear diff available for 4H at higher speed on OF+ mode for sandrunner only,

But oddly enough that Jeep hasnt advertised on any of its materials online(I read entire brochure and spec sheet) this as USP at all, only mentioned OF+ in 4H is meant for high speed offroad scenarios in difficult angles, Maybe something in the owner manual?

More interesting to know: in the worst case that you break the rear diff by doing high speed runs with rear locker on, will the manufacturer honor the claim 😁

24 minutes ago, Benjamin said:

Good evening @Carnity I’ve been doing some research around the topic of lift kits and the extra capability with the added bonus of some extra room when ridge-riding or crossing 

for some background I drive a jeep wrangler 2018 JL 3.6 liter with a long wheel base for this same reason I often hit the belly when driving over crests (which usually Isn’t an issue due to the stock skid plates + the added investment of a front metal skid plate which was much needed) 

still I think that it would be good to have that little extra room for higher dunes or when I progress to fewbie+ and intermediate it also adds a lot more off-road capability function for what I want to do.

However I’m really writing this to ask more experienced off-roaders if this is something I should look more into as I inspire to build my way up to the top of carnity. 
 

for reference I’ve been looking at off-road zone and dwindled it down to a BDS 2 inch lift kit that comes with fox shocks giving some ride height and more suspension travel + more comfortable ride for 7000 aed. I’m not really looking for ridiculously high or super expensive but from the research I’ve been doing it seems like the best deal for quality. 
 

but please as I’m new here and quite young I would be happy with any feedback or advice. Thanks everyone! 
 

@Gary F

if you need lift, you can try suspension spacers which cost you few hundred bucks max, simply brings your car level higher. but your clearance will remain the same because the solid axle's differential is at the same level of the wheel hub, and it wont help you with driving. 

if you need better suspension for higher level drive, you have to do your homework, learn about different types of suspension product, hear what other owners have to say, and decide what you want. I bet every single offroad orientated aftermarket supplier has products for wrangler. lucky to have many options and unlucky that you have to choose one from many.   you can read below thread, many interesting inputs from different wrangler owners

I had spacers before only for clearance purpose(Mine are live axle front and rear, spacers do lift differentials), and replaced them with better suspension kit later on. the better damping and extra stability from the shock and coil help me lots in higher level