munkybizness

Every time I'm out on a drive with @Ale Vallecchi, the poet in me suddenly finds new wings. Perhaps, it's the way in which he wrings the orchestra to deliver this symphony across the sands. And on this particular afternoon, I spotted him on the highway, headlights ablaze and threading the lanes to the meeting point. We arrived, a few paces behind each other to find @Ashok chaturvedi and his yellow FJ already lighting up the meeting point. And soon behind followed @Ranjan Das ready for business. We purposed that if we ran into any trouble, we had a legal compadre dressed for the part to help tide us over. Sadly, that occasion never came about. What I got instead was the occasion to see how effortless he slugs his machine across the softest of sands. The desert is a disloyal mistress. With passing winds, she forgets the dalliances of drivers past, and welcomes new ones across her canvas. Seeing virtually virgin and untouched sands in the southern part of Sharjah was a sight to behold, and this welcome epiphany followed us all the way until we got to Badayer where groups of desert tours had plundered her love. Thank you, Ale, Ranjan and Ashok, for giving me such a memorable last jaunt before I head for the real mountains of the Himalayas. I carry with me the magic and camaraderie of last afternoon and the visions of stopping atop Iftar Bowl. I look forward to seeing all of you, refreshed in a month, to continue what we began. @Ashok chaturvedi: [munkybizness] was my mIRC (Internet Relay Chat) handle from the late 90s. An introverted and shy kid, it allowed me to create a unique identity online that was opposite to the one in the real world, complete with incorrect spelling and definitely up to no good. The name has since become my pen name.

@Mario Cornejo This is gold! Thank you for sharing this valuable collation of information on tire widths and sizes. When my current tires (275/65R17) are worn out, I intend to go up to 285/70R17 for both the additional lift as well as the wider track.

Hope it’s nothing too serious @ASAD.!

@ASAD. I couldn't agree more with your approach. We all learn from the upgrades we make. And I can safely say that you've got a fine looking - and most importantly, performing - Prado in the process. The warranty process is a confusing one and I think it definitely confuses me to no end. On every trip to Nissan, I get a different explanation of what my "parts warranty" covers and excludes. So this only exasperates me further. I do fully agree that the confidence and safety, an upgraded suspension will give to any car is worth it, as long as you know what it is doing, and how you can dial it in. I see many offroaders heading offroad with Remote Reservoirs who've never dialed in their settings to know what works best. But those who do, are maximising the impact of this worthy upgrade. @Mario Cornejo - your SWB was the example I always looked at when I started out in Carnity. Because, you're also an avid camper and offroader who doesn't restrict himself to drives to spend real time out in the outdoors. This makes any upgrade you make so in tune with your needs beyond just pure performance. For example, thanks to you and @Gaurav, I prioritized the Front Differential Reinforcement ahead of other upgrades because it now gives me the peace of mind until I go in for a shocks+springs upgrade. And yes, can't wait to meet soon to discuss. I'll be away traveling over the next month so will definitely catch you some time in late August

Our forums are rife with people discussing modifications that they are either doing or intending to do. There are clearly two camps: the modders and the purists. And there are those sitting on the fence. Neither camp is incorrect. And I don't think we should be trying to resolve the tension between the two. That's what makes the conversations here so darn interesting So when @Rob S called me out for pushing the "stock car" camp in drives, it forced me to rethink if I really have a true purist's machine. Having just completed a year at Carnity and owning my car, I've driven roughly 3,400 km off-road (thanks Gaia) in that time. And this coupled with Rob's shoutout, I felt like it made a good moment to reflect on what I've added to the car in that time, and answer the question - "is my car still stock?" To help bring some gradation to this, I'm going to employ the SAMR Model. The model is designed to study technology integration in the classroom, but the core strategic construct can be applied to vehicle upgrades too. After all, everything we do is integrating technology in various ways. Broadly speaking, technology integration is broken into two pillars - Enhancement looks to find direct substitutes or add-ons that don't fundamentally alter the core technology being used. For example, adding offroad lighting in any place that was not a light before, is augmenting a new use out of a previously unused area. Similarly, if you swapped out a Philips H4 Halogen bulb with an Osram one, or an LED one, you haven't physically altered the bulb housing or the reflector/projector setup. Transformation changes the design and/or definition of the part being used. For example, if you use an All/Terrain (A/T) tyre instead of a Highway/Terrain (H/T), you have fundamentally altered the part beyond it's core design. Therefore, an A/T tire is a modification. For our purpose, I will be using "Augmentation" to refer to Enhancement, and "Modification" to refer to Transformation. Here are all of the changes I've made over the past year of owning my Nissan Patrol (Y61) Long Wheelbase "Super Safari". *The priority coding is intended for you, and not for me. I can tell you for certain that the speaker upgrade was the single greatest thing I did. With this lexicon, it is clear that I've made four (4) modifications to car in the past year: A/T Tires, Fog Lights, Entertainment Head Unit, and Speaker System The truth is that the only true purist who can say they are driving their car as is would be somebody who has only installed a bash plate and is still running the H/T tires the car shipped with. Beyond that, almost every car has been modified from its original state in some way. And therefore, I'm not really driving a stock car anymore. But what long-term purists are constantly trying to help the modders avoid sinking their money into upgrades that are masquerading as significant incremental performance, but are instead purely aesthetic. And aesthetics are deeply personal. What looks good to you may not appeal to me, and vice versa. And secondly, pragmatic purists are trying to help modders stop and reflect about what is a true performance gain. Gaining 30bhp on a 250bhp car is a 12% performance gain. Your real, at-the-wheel bhp figures will be even lower. For example, if your car weighs 2,950kg and produces 271bhp; a 10bhp incremental lift will deliver a 3.7% gain in Power-to-Weight Ratio (PWR). But if you carry an additional human being weighing 50kg, this gain will go down by 2% to 1.7%. A half-empty fuel tank of 60L is already ~22 kgs lighter. So performance gains are notoriously difficult to get right unless you make the associated weight savings as well. And manufacture rated horsepower numbers are never the real at-wheel delivered power. And lastly, seasoned off-roaders (who actually care) are trying to ensure that anybody investing in a modification is "investing" in an upgrade that they know will fix a continued and replicated gap. Not being able to climb one or two times is not enough reason to tune your engine and get suspension upgrades. But, understanding the concepts of rebound and compression, and isolating how they affect your driving control when you try to negotiate steep or uneven climbs is. A seasoned offroader is just trying to impress upon you to invest the time and experience it takes to isolate where the real gain will emerge from. So, with these caveats and voices in my head, what might then, be further upgrades that I'm looking at in the future, you may ask: Aftermarket Shocks + Longer Springs (High) This will be my single biggest modification to the car, and I'm doing a ton of research to get it as close to right as possible. And I still may not do it for another year. The only real time I have felt the need for better shocks are when trying to build enough momentum over uneven dunes. In places like Iftar Bowl, when you climb from the right-hand side, there are a few humps in the get-go that my stock suspension just rebounds too much over. This leads to a lack in control and a fear that the bouncing front will rub the nose as I try to climb. If I take my ego out of the picture for not doing the climb, I don't actually really need the fancy Remote Reservoir or Dual-Shock setups. I can then instead look to make a suspension upgrade that will give me the ability to significantly increase my payload, increase comfort over rocky trails and corrugations, and account for additional weight in the front to prevent any nosediving. Cabin Drawer System (Medium) is a "redefinition" because it requires removing the third row of seats, and physically altering the space For all the things I want to stow away, and not have to constantly ratchet down. Dual-battery system (High) If you see above, I have a ton of lights If I add any more, and a fridge, and a rig to power any devices while camping, I will need an additional battery. One of the things that most of us never do when we add extra lights is to check for the current draw. Please do that, whenever you add additional electronics. This includes your entertainment head unit as well. And what are upgrades, I don't think I will be getting any time soon or at all: Beadlock Rims: I may even downgrade to the classic silver Nissan Rims on the Safari. The true benefit of using beadlocks is so far lost on me. If I was to truly upgrade my rims, I would go for forged wheels to reduce weight while increasing strength, than prioritise bead grip. Roof-rack: I don't currently see the full value in installing a roof-rack. I will only do this when I've exhausted the internal cabin space. The roofs of cars are not rated to carry the enormous loads that we subject on them. Furthermore, if weight distribution is not done correctly on the roof, it will significantly alter the center of gravity of my car. Exhaust Mods: As I live with a sportscar that is plenty loud to wake up the neighborhood, and is being tuned for the track, I prefer the "sleeper" silence of the Patrol. I've also gone to extreme lengths to deaden the internal cabin to hear music at the levels I like so getting louder outside seems counter-productive. Will this kick off another debate? I sure hope so. Like I said, that's what makes these forums so darn interesting. [ 🐵 ]

Congratulations @Sunny84! Enjoy the new level 😎🚀

While good marshals scale our skills, having the right company that you can look at directly in front of you gives you so much more to glean off of. And sharing convoys in my Newbie & Fewbie drives with you around meant that I had some of the best examples to emulate. Now, the sticker says it too. Congratulations @varunmehndiratta and I look forward to joining more convoys (in your lead) soon. P.S. We're also yet to blast loud Punjabi chunes on the airwaves

Doc @Chaitanya D - thank you for your vote of confidence, and for consistently giving me opportunities to step up and then guiding me through them to learn. It has been these moments that have instilled the confidence in me. Thank you for seeing and nurturing it 🙏

@Rizwanm2- it’s been ages! Can’t wait to be on a drive with you, and to learn from your composure @Hisham Masaad - In helping me overcome my fear in climbing Al Faqa in a newbie drive last year, you taught me a lesson that would unlock every climb since then. I have not looked back and I hope I continue to borrow more from the lessons you have to teach. @Mario Cornejo- coming from you, that means a lot to me. Every time I think the Y61 can’t do something, I just remember the complete balance with which you pilot yours. So much to learn from you still. @Zixuan Huang - Charlie @topgear @Chinthaka Ruwan - thank you gents! @Rob S - thanks bud! You’re driving with great gusto and it’s phenomenal to watch. As for the mods, you’ve given me a great idea to write about... @Zed - only made possible because of the excellent company I was in. Thank YOU for that @Mus_hus78 - We’ll do a day-drive to fix that! Was good to drive with you again.

@Frederic - You’ve been one of my most cherished mentors here. You opened me up to what matters most. And your clarity of purpose is so refreshing. It’s something I hope I can borrow from in the days to come. Doc @M.Seidam - thank you for your vote of confidence, and the continuous guidance so far. I’ve learnt so much about how to negotiate the tightest dunes in your lead. And I hope to continue to learn more, with each passing day. @Islam Soliman - I often say that if there’s one person who know how to keep their car perfectly middle of sharp slip face, it is you. Every time I see you on the slippery slopes of Little Sweihan, I am filled with complete awe. I hope to learn this exact skill from you. And of course, how to tame a LWB while I’m at. @JeromeFJ- I hope I can be half as selfless as you are. And if I achieve that, my role here will already be off to the right start. @Brette - I can’t wait to join more of your drives and see you calm resilience, and have it rub off on me. I’m truly looking forward to your notes on how I can better myself, for myself and the convoy. @Looper - Effortless. That’s what I want to learn from you. You just make it look so easy and composed. @Gregory - just running into you puts a smile on my face. You have this steadfast spirit that I look to temper some of the misplaced machismo that sometimes gets the better of me. So much to learn from you in the drives to come. @Ranjan Das - indeed, I’ve been pinching myself constantly @imranaasghar81 - Dude, you’re the quintessential excitable child that we all want to keep alive inside us. I love the way you drive with so much character and fun all doled in. And with you, we’re always off to the races @Gaurav Soni “bhai” (because I called him Sir on a recent drive 😛 ) - thank you for seeing the level I can scale to, before I did. I can’t wait to be on a drive with you soon. @Vaibhav- thanks buddy, @Ranjan Das will also be on the drive… #justsayin @Anoop Nair @Jose Thomas @Joji varghese @Mike. @Sunny84 @Mark D @Haitham Khattab @Waqas Parvez @Thomas Varghese @Jaro Tuzinsky @Salim Akhtar @Tom B @Sunil Mathew @Morshedi - y'all are the reason why I go in and out of each drive with a massive smile plastered on my face. In the way you each pilot your machines and make them do amazing things inspires me to learn so much from each of you. Sometimes, I see a better line, better throttle management, less fear, better ridge riding and exit, and so on an so forth... You are all the reason that I wake up at a godforsaken hour to share this activity with people that lift you up. For this, and the drives to come, thank you

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to take on this responsibility @Gaurav. Driving with @Carnity and the people I've met here has been a labor of love, passion and great banter all mingling together in one beautiful harmony. There are too many people to name that has led to me pursuing to hone my skill here, and I couldn't have done it without any one, and will not be able to do without in the days to come either. I look forward to learning even more, and for us to continue to spread word on this amazing collective of ours. 🚀

One of my first drives with Carnity was in Mahafiz, and I saw your Indian flag bobbing in the wind, and it was such a beautiful sight. It's one of the first photos I took in a drive. Since then, having you there in the convoy has meant that we've always had amazing company and support - a role that is now bedding in with a label. Massive congratulations @Ranjan Das 😇

A massive congratulations @Rajiv Sam - we began our journeys at Carnity, at around the same time last summer, and it's been such a treat to watch your calm spirit, added with the coolest outfits on the drives.

Doc @Chaitanya D, I will be dropping out of the waitlist as the family has "demanded" that I prioritize them just like (insert Baghban reference here) 😛 Will hopefully join a drive with you soon.

Doc @Chaitanya D, please keep me on standby for now as I will need until tomorrow (Thursday) evening to confirm. Getting some work done on the car and I only get it back tomorrow afternoon. If it gets delayed, I won't be able to make it.

Ahh… I thought it was just my blindness 😂 The rules are puff puff pass…

munkybizness is my mIRC handle

HIIT. A common acronym on posters of gyms that are constantly staring at me to get into better shape. Alas, I walk right past and into the seat of my gas guzzler. Why should I be subjecting my legs to the intensive interval training when I can effect the same from a hundred and some horses. That's what driving @Srikumar's FB+ drive felt like to me: High Intensity. Interval Training. We arrived at the meeting point, in complete darkness not just from the night that had quickly fallen around us but also of the convoy order. Hoping to not have to keep up with Sri, I was expecting myself to get a middle berth somewhere down the middle. I even had my windshield tinted in the hopes that a less than perfectly clear view would help aid him in putting me further back. All of my plans failed as Sri repeated to me "aap second aa jao" (you should come in second). It's not that I don't want to drive in the second lead spot with Sri. For any adrenaline junkie, this is exactly where you want to be - in the hot seat, right behind our very own "Maverick". Except, on a rollercoaster, you're just a passenger. Here, you need to scale up and match his movements. And that's where the real fear and thrill is. We went in to Area 53 hunting for close encounters of the third kind, but I went into it, chasing a UFO that itself darted from corner to corner in pitch darkness like it was powered by something extraterrestrial. In one of the stops, @Vaibhavand @Waqas Parvezasked me what it felt like up front. I replied, "like a rollercoaster". Because, that's exactly what it was. And I'm never going to ask for any other seat. From the second turn, he was riding ridges climbing up the pyramids. And I just tried to hold on and like the Top Gun exercises, did my best to just keep him in my sights. If it meant pushing with complete abandon, I did just that. And boy, what a thrill it was. To everybody else in the back, I can only imagine what keeping up in the short undulating, always ascending dunes of Area 53 would feel like. It's a constant thrill ride that tested every driver out there. Thank you @Ashok chaturvedi for ensuring we left nobody behind. And we were fortunate to have @GauravSoni in the middle driving new FB+ drivers through to stay connected to the chain. I do want to commend @AlexMfor his impeccable line in keeping up. As I tried my level hardest to not lose sight of Sri, he was always there, just a few paces behind me. And in some moments when he saw me struggling over ridges and in soft patches, he course corrected beautifully. I wish I had more to say about the rest of the convoy. I have some vivid memories from seeing the chain of lights snaking up and down the pyramids. And boy, was it a sight to behold. See you all out on the sands again soon. This time too, in pitch darkness. But this time for a more intense cardio training program. Not of our legs, but of the horses powering us on. [ 🐵 ]

Well done @Jad Moussalli! Things get interesting here

Congratulations @Brett Eicher! Enjoy the new level

Congratulations @Jaro Tuzinsky! Enjoy the new level

Congratulations @Gerrit Bus! Enjoy the new pace and level