Nathan

Hi Paul, sorry to hear about the drama this morning. I hope it is a relatively easy fix? 
 

Regarding the airbags, my main concern isn’t front impact but side/curtain airbags when criss-crossing. The roll of the vehicle from one side to the other could trick the gyro into thinking it’s been a rollover event and therefore deploy the side airbags. 

@Rob S I am so impressed! You’ve done so well, keep it up and look forward to seeing you soon 

As everyone has said, it was a fantastic drive. The combination of scenic route and a little bit of night driving really added a nice twist. It just goes to show how the desert becomes a different animal after dark! Thanks @Frederic for leading such a great route and @Davie Chase  and @topgear for the support. 

Can’t wait @Frederic, get to test my new lights too! See you tomorrow 

One of the best drives I’ve ever been on. As Rob says, it really showed the great team spirit that Carnity brings. Everyone came together to support each other and even though there were a few stucks and refusals, the patience and teamwork really shone through. 
 

thanks to @Islam Soliman and @JeromeFJ for leading an absolutely superb drive, to all the support crew and to every driver out yesterday. Can’t wait to get back out in the sand again. 
 

glad to hear the Prado made a speedy recovery @Rob S! American muscle to the rescue…

Amazing work, well done @Mark D

Thanks @Brette and @Chaitanya D for your support this morning. Shame that mechanical issues led to an early exit, but the drive leading up to that was so fun! Ill get the car looked at and then see you in the desert next time! 

@Bretteso looking forward to driving with you tomorrow! See you all tomorrow, I think this is going to be a great convoy. Can’t wait 

@Hisham Masaadim out, I have to travel last minute unfortunately. See you next time 

Hi @Tbone I’m sorry but I’ve got to drop out of tomorrows drive. I’ve done my back in and not up to serious off roading. Next week…! 

Hi @Tbone it is with great regret that I have to cancel my place on the drive tomorrow. Unfortunately my car is still in the workshop having its upgrades and won’t be ready in time. I look forward to the next one! Cheers 

RSVP broken

Good work @Mark D! It’s a pleasure driving with you, here’s to many more!

Cheers for the tag Mark. 
 

Hi @Simon Hope, to be honest it definitely has its pitfalls with being such a long wheelbase. Cresting is one such pitfall, I guess with practice it gets easier but it’s still not ideal. Also, the large turning circle makes it hard sometimes in tight, technical dunes to keep up. 
 

Other than that, it’s amazing! So much power, it barely gets bogged down. One of the advantages is you can get through areas even when the sand is really churned up. 

There are some who would say don’t do it, but honestly, I’d say go for it! 

Thanks @Brette and @Shaaz Sha for your expert guidance and leadership as always! It was a beautiful location, great convoy and challenging enough to push us all in our abilities. 
 

It was a shame about the state of the desert in general, very churned up and bumpy which added an extra challenge. But overall, great fun. 
 

see you all next time! 

Can’t wait, looks like a great drive! See you all tomorrow 

That’s not ideal, I am not really looking to change cars. I guess that means I won’t really progress through the ranks into higher level stuff. 

Amazon is your friend 

4 stores didn’t sell it?! I guess it goes to show it really is off road season. 
 

unfortunately I’m not sure where else you can go, which Ace did you try? 

7 hours ago, Zixuan Huang - Charlie said:

quote of 8k for bash plate is a joke....  even a full steel offroad bumper wouldn't cost you this figure

you should not spend more than 1.5k for just the front one, 8-10mm aluminium, try to call up more workshops.

 

but dont get into the bash plat yet, with what you mentioned, 4L transmission high temp, 4wd disabled after a tug, unable to disable side airbags.

if you cant solved them anyhow, perhaps looking into something else is a better option, those will definitely annoy you in more challenging drives, especially in summer heat that is coming not so soon.

Sorry, to clarify, 8k is to do a full front bumper swap, plus bash plate and grill. As far as I can understand it, there is nowhere to fit a bashplate without doing a full bumper swap - but I am shopping around so will report back. 
 

I mean, in fairness I won’t drive in the full summer heat. But changing the car isn’t an option for me just now, so I will have to find a way through! 
 

it sounds like I’m complaining a lot about the car, which I’m not because I absolutely love it! It puts a huge smile on my face when I drive it! It’s just got it’s quirks which are annoying. 

I just got the plate in Jaddaf and then stuck it to the bumper higher up

Lift kits are just going to raise that huge centre of gravity and make it top heavy I think. The TRX looks great though! 
The first thing I had to do was lose the front number plate and switch it for a small sports plate. 
If you take out fuse 26 then you will be able to disable all driving aids. I don’t even bother with the cabin switch anymore because it doesn’t turn everything off. I keep meaning to take a photo for you! 

I thought I’d start a new topic regarding general advice with the Ram. Predominately I am concerned with progressing into Fewbie (and maybe even beyond) territory with the vehicle ‘as is’. It’s taken a beating in newbie level drives and even though I am officially now a fewbie I am fearful of risking it just yet.  
 

So, I just wanted to highlight the pitfalls of this car for other owners or potential owners. 
 

- the front bumper is super low, which makes approach/departure angle awful. The stock ‘bash plate’ has taken a beating and I’ve been quoted around 8k to get something decent put on there. It requires a whole front bumper change 

- the electronic transmission sucks! Coming out of 4L when trans temp is high is impossible. After any tug the 4wd system gets temporarily disabled 

- there is no ability to disable side airbags. The fuse for them is connected to the ECM. Removing it would disable the whole car 

- the break over angle is awful due to the long wheelbase. Prepare to crest many many times

That being said, it’s so fun smashing round the desert in a big V8! It’s very capable in deep soft sand, rarely gets bogged down, and of course it’s weight and inertia helps to get through some very tricky spots. 

If any seniors have advice on dealing with these issues mentioned above I’d appreciate it, but I don’t think the car ‘as stock’ would be able to handle a fewbie drive.

This (what Frederic has linked above) is what I have for my Ram from ACE. good price and so far very reliable. One thing to note, the hook flings up and hits my bumper when going over the rough stuff. I put some insulation foam on the bumper to stop it making more damage. Not sure what the 150 rear bumper is like but probably better thought out…!

As always, a great drive! @Ale Vallecchi thanks for guiding us on a brilliant and interesting route. Enough technical to pushing the learning, whilst also being easy enough to keep up with. plus we missed the rain at the end! 
 

great drive everyone, thanks again