munkybizness

Thank you @Mario Cornejo - I hope I join you on a drive soon. Love your SWB 😍

Thanks @Naveen Raj! It's easier to do these things with the beast. The real skill comes from what you do with yours 💪

Congratulations @JeromeFJ!

Supremely well deserved. From my first newbie and fewbie drives with you, you've always had an "advisory" quality. And let's not forget your smooth operator radio voice

@Alain Canivet-Abikhalil - thank you buddy! @Brette - Thanks! Been a while since that sweet sounding Cherokee was spotted out in the wild @varunmehndiratta - Right back at you! We're still due playing loud punjabi tunes on the radio @Reggie Landicho @James Thorn - thank you gents!

@Josh T. Thanks! I need to get my PCRs sorted to join a drive you’re on. I need some of that Shaheen churnin’ 🌪 Doc @Chaitanya D thank you 🙏 I hope I make it into your night drive this weekend 🤞 @Rizwanm2 - thanks, and thank you for making the convoys I'm on with you so fun! I saw your dashcam videos from the Quaa drive and damn! You rode that bowl like a baws, as you usually do. I want some of that "fun" too soon 🚀

I need solid recommendations on where to get good Boba in Dubai so we can swap notes 🤓

@Mehmet Volga - Thank you! I'm hoping to be on a convoy you're leading soon. @Zixuan Huang - Charlie - Thank you! I just noticed your expertise... Will chat more with you about it when we meet next

@MMansoor @Vaibhav @Ahmad Shaker @Waqas Parvez @topgear @Santoso Marjuki- See you boys here pretty soon! @Sunil Mathew, @JeromeFJ, @Davie Chase, @Looper, @Anoop Nair, @Ranjan Das - Thank you gents! Looking forward to driving with you soon! Doc @M.Seidam - Thank you so much for the wishes, and the guidance so far. I am going to be counting on getting more wisdom and advice from you in the drives to come. @Hisham Masaad - you're the first one to give me the confidence to really push it, in Faya. Will join your crazy Badayer drives soon @Shaaz Sha - you've given me some excellent training to prepare for this step-up! Thanks! @Islam Soliman - thank you! Hoping to learn a ton on how to tame a LWB with you! @Gregory - It’s been a while since we’ve been on a drive together. I hope we fix that soon! @Thomas Varghese - thank you! See you this weekend @Tbone - Thank you! So happy to see you leading drives again. Will join one soon! Still think about that drive in Tawi Nizwa... @ShereenMK - Gotta get my PCRs done and see that beautiful LC of yours in AD soon! @Tareq Al Turq@Karthik Raptor - thanks guys!

Congratulations @Mo.!

Be careful what you wish for I made the same folly and was given a full workout in the next drive. Congratulations, and enjoy the new level!

Congratulations @Issaa - this is where things get really interesting!

Congratulations @Trekado - enjoy the new level

Congratulations @Max Beloenko - enjoy the new level!

Congratulations @KAMALIO! Enjoy the new level!

@Gaurav - thank you! But mostly, thank you for this amazing club of beautiful people that I've grown so fond of and look forward to each week. I hope I get to be on one of your drives soon Thanks @Srikumar! We need a drive together soon!

Thanks @Russ! I'm eagerly looking forward to the step-up required. @Frederic - Thank you!! I've been hooked to this thing because of you, and people like you.

I would have gladly taken a 5/10 on that. You’re much too kind. The real reason for me doing any of it right really goes to @Ashok chaturvedi keeping a keen eye on Junaid’s steering and for you shepherding from the ridges. Will definitely learn to improve my control and care in future 🙏🏽

Truth be told, last night when the convoy order was uploaded, I was both excited and nervous to see myself in the CF position. Having seen so many other amazing CFs in this club with much more seniority and experience than me, it was a tremendous opportunity and responsibility. Of course, with such amazing drivers around, I also had little to do because there was so much wisdom available from all quarters. For trusting me with this role, and then coaching me, guiding me, and helping me learn so much more, thank you so much @Shaaz Sha. I'm deeply grateful for the experience and the confidence. Add to this, two strong, sharp, precise and insightful voices in the form of @Ashok chaturvedi and @Thomas Varghese, and it was more a case of following a crisp masterclass than using much of my own faculty. Thank you both for your guidance, insights and encouraging words today. It is truly an honour to drive with you. @Stav - for your first FB+ drive in this area with the pace that Shaaz throws at you, you did really well. The refusals were mostly due to letting off the throttle before the crests. In soft sand areas such as these, it's always a tough balance to strike. You'll find your sweet spot in no time. Thanks to you, I got the chance to break out my brand new recovery rope & shackles @Waqas Parvez - you make that Prado look so good - great drive! @Vaibhav - following you, you made it look so easy and you were setting an excellent pace, so much so that at times, I had to force myself to increase the gap even if I was enjoying being the wagon on your train so much. @Rsjiv Samuel - I had the opportunity to view your lines in my rear-view and they were sublime. You kept excellent distance, used it really well to build momentum and rerouted when you saw me bouncing on the bumps. All in all, you set a great line for the rear end of the convoy. @imranaasghar81 - Shaaz really loves you (and us). We literally started our drive with a high dune . We're using you to send in drive route suggestions in the future. @MMansoor - didn't catch much of your drive but you looked so relaxed, I'm certain it was fun in your order and any sand that Waqas and I hadn't churned up, you definitely would have @Junaid120120 - Great job for keeping your cool through the entire ordeal, and for giving me the opportunity to try my first offroad tow-tug. I hope you got your recovery sorted. And that the issue is fixed soon. See you all out on the sands again soon 🐵

Everyone living west of E611 P.S. Pick-up owners: IKEA/Ace runs don't count

I test drove the Hilux Adventure trim with the 4.0L engine (which is shared by a few other Yotas - including the FJC) and I thoroughly enjoyed it but when I stacked it against the Patrol LWB SS that I ended up getting, here was my rationale: Pros for the Hilux: 1. Lighter than the Y61 SS LWB 2. The interior is updated and modern 3. More fuel efficient 4. ~20% lower cost Cons for the Hilux: 1. Rear suspension is leaf springs. I prefer coil-overs. 2. Significantly wider turning angles, while the Patrol is already tough to turn 3. Longer wheelbase & length (~ 9.6 inches) which will impact the breakover angles 4. I have no utility for pickup beds and prefer a closed cabin SUV

@Federico Galbieri Pre-drive: If you're bringing passengers for the first time on a drive, do also check with them before hand if any of them experience motion sickness. If they do, it's a good thing for them to take Dizinil (Dimenhydrinate) tablets about an hour before the drive. Also, keep plenty of water and paper bags on you just in case. During the drive: If it gets bad for your passengers, try rotating the ones feeling it the most to the front of the car and keep your windows down if you can. Saying out loud what you're doing next really helps backseat passengers - such as "climbing up to the left now", "we're going down to the right now", etc. Since passengers in the back are literally riding a roller-coaster, these aids help them orient themselves. Trust me - a 20min "safari" experience is very different from a 2+ hour off-road drive. Not scaring you but be ready for it. And if you find amazing passengers who don't feel a thing, keep them for life.

Thanks @Gaurav - much appreciated. I will look at the diff endpoint as the first point of failure to reinforce.

Over the past few drives, especially when crossing crests, I've noticed that I end up giving my car a belly rub. As my car is still under warranty, and will be for some years to come, I won't be upgrading the suspension to add any lift just yet. Hence, I need to do the best I can with the ground clearance I have right now. With this in mind, I've begun looking at a few solutions - apart from improving my angle of attack and departure. Since Aussies are still the most active mod market for the Y61 Nissan Patrol (GU), most of them recommend welding braces to the differential to strengthen these against hard knocks just like a bash plate. I recognize that their worth is probably much more realized for overlanding across varied terrain apart from sand. Do we have any experience here on their benefits or are they overkill?

About darn time! Congratulations @Looper 😎