Bravoecho

17 hours ago, Gaurav said:

Congratulations @Bravoecho for reaching the Intermediate Level with Carnity Offroad Club.

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

 

INTERMEDIATE

Drives Attended (Indicative)	Minimum 10 Fewbie Plus drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion.
What you'll learn	Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving Clear radio communication skills Advance recovery skills Self recover from dune crest Soft sand recovery Pop-out fixing
Skills required	Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable
Car Worthiness	Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires
Off-road gear required	Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS.
Drive teamwork	Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision
Drive Joining	Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives only
Forum participation	Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Thank you @Gaurav

7 hours ago, Davie Chase said:

Congratulations @Bravoecho on reaching the new heights of Intermediate, enjoy the new level

Thanks @Davie Chase

7 hours ago, Frederic said:

Congrats Brette !!

Cheers @Frederic

5 hours ago, JeromeFJ said:

Congratulations Brett @Bravoecho !

Thanks @JeromeFJ

5 hours ago, Pajy McPajface - luke said:

nice one mate!

Thanks Luke

4 hours ago, Gertjan said:

Congratulations! @Bravoecho Enjoy!

Charliedelta!

Cheers @Gertjan

4 hours ago, Looper said:

Congratulations @Bravoecho! Well done. 

Appreciate it @Looper

3 hours ago, Stumpy said:

Congratulations @Bravoecho well done mate,

@Stumpy cheers mate

1 hour ago, SamyB said:

Hey folks,

I think we're all in the same boat with our tiny cup holders, right? I just came across some cup holders that look like they could fix our problem. But there's a catch – it looks like the company is all the way in Australia, and they only ship to Australia and New Zealand. Does anyone have any ideas on how we could snag these in the UAE?

Thanks a bunch!

SamyB

I actually bought these ones and used Shop and Ship to get it here but as @Frederic mentioned above you can now buy a similar version locally from Miles A Part. 

I prefer the Australian design better as it has the front pocket whereas the local version trades that off so you can retain and keep the access to the ashtray.

41 minutes ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Dear Desertnauts,

very few things to mention before the drive.

The meeting point will be at Solar Park's Innovation Center (the glass pyramid), where we'll deflate upon arrival and from where will take the sand track down to the Little Sweihan area. We could actually cross the section of dunes between Solar Park and Little Sweihan, but it's become an absolute nightmare, with grass, bushes, small trees, and lots of bumps.

At the tip of the Little Sweihan dunes we'll start following the waypoint, trying to "draw" the dragon shape in the sand. It may be a little tricky at times, as we'll have to cross both through the hard and slip faces of the dunes.

The convoy order at the moment is the following:

@Gautam Banka in Second Lead

@Renier Venter at #3

@Julien Recan at #4

@lucas amat at #5

@Arravind at #6

@Pacific in the Center

@frederic demolder at #8

@Bravoecho at #9

@Robk at #10 and 

@Stumpy in Sweep.

See you all tomorrow, a few minutes before the scheduled meeting time. Thanks for joining.

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi. Looking forward to getting back out into the dunes

30 minutes ago, munkybizness said:

@Bravoecho, @SamyB - you need to get 2x Front Dome/Map lights, 1x Rear Dome/Map light (Second row), and 1x Trunk Dome/Map light (third row).

Look for CANbus/Canbus-compatible LED lights. You can choose them in White (6500K) or warm white (3000K) color temperatures. They are easily available in car mod shops (Deira) or Dragon Mart.

Canbus compatibility is key as most dome lights have three settings - Always on, Always off, On-when-door is open. For the switch lever to activate the light in these three modes, the light must be compatible to take the signal message from the CAN bus.

As @Gaurav has suggested, popping off the dome of the in-ceiling lights is quite pain-free. For best results, I recommend always keeping a plastic/rubber scraper or pick so you don't accidentally damage internal parts or your roof lining with scratches and/or color transfer from the tool.

Bonus points for someone to tell me how to wire the centre dome light (for short wheel base) with the front two dome lights so that when I open the door they all come on together.

Its my biggest gripe (I don’t have many 😁) with the SWB Y61 is that when you open either the drivers or passengers door that only the centre dome light comes on which means the front is very dark.

Also need to fit a light to the rear as well as when I open up the rear doors there is no light meaning it’s like playing Marco Polo without a torch when trying to find stuff

25 minutes ago, Gary F said:

@Bravoecho how are you? Will you be back on the sand soon ?

Hi @Gary F all well thanks mate and  will actually be back in the sand on Friday with @Stumpy and his new toy.

Been busy getting the car back on the road and putting the toys back on.

After reviewing hours of footage I have come to the conclusion that the cause was the writing was on the wrong side 😜

11 hours ago, SamyB said:

Hello Everyone,

As you all know, the Super Safari interior is pretty basic. It is indeed what makes this car's charm and reliability, but I was wondering if there are accessories out there to make it a bit more comfy! 

For instance, is there a way to raise the armrest? is there a way to add some in-cabin dimmed lights...

Please feel free to provide your suggestions and the links to those accessories 

Thank you in advance

 

If you find the cabin light let’s me know as that has been on my list.

Darkest cabin I’ve ever driven and makes finding stuff at night difficult 

16 hours ago, munkybizness said:

An upgraded Steering Damper is a crucial upgrade on the Y61, and I'm glad you made the leap @Vladimir BMS. Even on the bone stock Y61 that I picked up from the showroom, there was a noticeable wobble between 82kmph and 100kmph. It would disappear above and below that range. Even regular check-ups with Nissan & Arabian Automobiles gave me no answer. And it's all over the internet as the "Y61 Death Wobble". And it's an issue that has plagued this series.

When I upgraded to the All-Terrain tires, and added front bumper spotlights, and welded protection to the front differential (a very important upgrade), it only became worse, because the additional weight further stressed the stock solution.

Everybody told me that my wheels weren't balanced and aligned and that it was to be expected because god forbid anybody sully the reputation of the Y61

An upgraded Steering Damper fixed this issue entirely for me. And I'm glad you've made the same decision.

Completely agree @munkybizness. It was one of the first upgrades I did to my car 

3 minutes ago, Vladimir BMS said:

Hello!👋
So far I have only updated the rod.

If I continue to update something, I will update the content in this thread.

Thank you. I look forward to further updates.

What brand of tie rod did you end up selecting and did you consider any other brands?

On 12/6/2023 at 12:16 PM, Vladimir BMS said:

Greetings to all forum participants!✌️
You may have seen my past posts on tuning the TLC 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Since I often work on cars, this time I got my hands on the Nissan Patrol Y61 suspension.

One of the key enhancements was fitting this steering tie rod, and I'd like to highlight a few of its major advantages.

Firstly, a significant improvement in control and handling. The adjustable tie rod allows precise tuning of the suspension and steering to match individual driver preferences. It's a fantastic upgrade for enhancing confidence and stability on off-road terrain.

Secondly, the quality of components was impressive. The installation was almost seamless due to accurate sizing and a construction that required no additional adjustments. I particularly liked that when the tie rod ends wear out, only the original tie rod ends OEM D8570-VS42A (left) and D8520-VS42A (right) need to be replaced, saving time and resources.

And of course, the kit itself. All the attachments for the steering damper and components are galvanized and have an additional polymer coating, enhancing durability and protection against corrosion.

These are just my personal impressions, and I understand everyone might have their own take. However, if you have any questions or are interested in similar enhancements for your vehicle, I'm always ready to share my experience and help find suitable options.

@Vladimir BMS great write up. Thank you.

As I too am keen to improve the steering performance of my Y61 SWB I am interested to learn whether you upgraded the steering damper as well or just the rod?

Would have loved to do this @Looper but will have to put this on the 2024 list 

24 minutes ago, Gertjan said:

Hi @Bravoecho, no, this is the point I stopped as it was clear it was not going the way it should. 

Thanks mate 👍🏻

8 minutes ago, Gertjan said:

@Bravoecho, the full sequence if you are interested.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jSAWaYME8BWBJTFPA

 

Thanks @Gertjan. Do you have any more as I’m still trying to work out the next part in the series?

Thank you @JeromeFJ for a great drive.

I was really enjoying it until you know what happened.

Looking back through the footage and trying to learn more I have come to the conclusion that when the right rear popped out and the car rotated 90 degrees to the left the right hand side step became a plow and caused the car to roll right.

As you can see in the photo below it bent back until it hit the chassis at which point the car’s inertia threw the car over.

Apologies for shortening everyone’s drive and thank you once again @JeromeFJ for waiting back until the truck arrived.

Will see how fast I can turn around the repairs and get back out on the sand.

P.S Still scratching my head how the side mirrors were untouched 

Thanks for today's drive @Looper. Certainly my longest one so far with Carnity.

Can't believe our average speed was 75 km/h over 200km's 😜

Still only 4 attendees 😁

8 hours ago, Looper said:

It was a fantastic drive. I am so inspired by it that I plan to have an IM drive next week. In the drive plan I had mentioned that we will be taking photos. We did not get any time from driving to take photos did we? I managed a sum total of 1 image from the entire drive.

Thank to @Stumpy Paj, @Bravoecho & @Mahmoud Taha for participating in today's drive. We missed you @Bashar Beasha in today's drive. We were virtually a SWB convoy and your presence would have made a lot of difference in the convoy.

 

Thanks @Looperit certainly was a fun drive.

Don’t think I’ve ever done a drive with Carnity where everyone drains their tanks 😁

3 hours ago, Looper said:

Team Looper with @Bravoecho, @Stumpy Paj, @Bashar Beasha and @Mahmoud Taha was the first to complete and the invitation closed.  Thank you all for joining. We have already kickstarted our preparations starting with a preparatory drive this Sunday. Inshallah we will do great in DCT, all the best to us.

Looking forward to the shake down trip this weekend @Looper

4 minutes ago, Looper said:

No Unfortunately it won't. It will appear in the others section on your drives list.

Thought that might have been the case but didn’t hurt to ask 😜

Will this drive count as part of my Fewbie Plus drive count for Intermediate promotion?

@Stumpy Pajand I would love to join @Looper.

Is there a airtime challenge? If so we’re in 😜

42 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Solid axles @Bravoecho😂😂

The only way to drive 😜

14 hours ago, Frederic said:

Member in the spotlight

While most of us are staying inside during this scorching summer, some people decide to crawl underneath the car and work on them. This hands-on approach has won @Stumpy Paj our "Car Guru Of The Quarter" award !!

From dropping sub-frames, to replacing radiators, and spare wheel cover delete work, with the help of @Bravoechohe has turned his Pajero into a real Offroad Beast ! 

Well done Nathan !

@Fredericjust for the record and to manage people’s expectations my role in helping @Stumpy Pajprimarily involved making sure he was hydrated in the summer heat, sometimes resorting to fluids of a amber colour 😁

19 minutes ago, Looper said:

As we reached our meeting point, some of us found ourselves engaging in a mini self-recovery due to the soft terrain. Prior to our combined convoy briefing, I was reminded that Convoy One comprised all the Mitsubishi Pajeros on the expedition. It was then that I playfully brought up the selection process for the convoys, which involved grouping vehicles based on the number of drives and assigning them to Convoy 1 and 2 sequentially.

The remarkable history of Mitsubishi Pajero, now known as the Montero, was not lost to me. These vehicles boast an illustrious rally sport heritage and are considered among the finest machines ever crafted. Although they may not be as forgiving in desert conditions as some other vehicles, when guided by a skilled driver, they can match any car stride for stride.

While Convoy Two appeared to have a relatively smoother journey, Convoy One encountered the full wrath of the challenging terrain. Initially, I worried that I might have exaggerated the ruggedness of the area, but it soon became clear that the terrain lived up to its formidable reputation. It wasn't exceptionally soft, but it was undeniably technical. We experienced a couple of tire popouts and had nasty refusals in soft sand, necessitating the use of ropes to help pull the vehicles even before we had crossed the 4 km mark. However, as the journey continued, the convoy's performance improved significantly.

I took the opportunity to explain the best approaches for handling this demanding terrain, and I noticed a significant difference in our drive once we resumed after overcoming the initial obstacles. Although I refrained from vocalizing it at the time (as I believe in avoiding jinxing things by speaking too soon), I found myself driving at a higher speed through even more challenging terrain than we encountered at the beginning of the drive. To my delight, the convoy exceeded my expectations, and we encountered no further issues in this area. I have highlighted the area in the screenshot above which is a must do area in my opinion. I looped back in the highlighted area one more time before we left. I plan to do it again in the near future.

As we left this area, we encountered one of the densest and bushiest deserts imaginable. Hardly should it be called a desert even. I was practically scraping the dunes' base to locate enough sand to continue driving. At this point, my focus was to complete the drive as our scheduled time had arrived.

Towards the end I discovered some nice spots where we could do side-sloping on long ridges. We took advantage of this, but just a few hundred feet from the exit, we faced another pop out. Convoy Two also exited at the same end location where Convoy One had completed the drive.

@Bravoecho you were excellent second lead to me and perhaps had the most amount of driving done in the convoy apart from me, keeping up with me in all the areas without any issues.

@Srilakshman Karthikeyan you too had a good drive. I will recommend that you start to notice what the desert sands are telling you on how to drive on them. The soft sands require that you either drive with very gentle gas or full force of acceleration. You should now focus on the same and understand how to respond to soft sands of the deserts.

@Abhilash Kottakkal couple of advises for you. One - do not fret over anything that happened today. All the refusals and popouts are part of the driving experience. You need to focus on how to reduce them - in doing so try to get some reliable pressure measuring device because you told me that you were at 10-12 psi when I checked you were actually at 8 psi.  Next try to be gentler with steering. Desert does not like anything abrupt and it will cause issues. You will not only lose control over your car, but you can find yourself in some nasty situations. My second piece of advice is that whenever you change something in your vehicle, start low and gradually go up the levels - without over doing it.

@Emanuel you were remarkable with your driving today. 

@Stumpy Paj thanks for all the help with the popouts and refusals. It was great to have you on the drive as usual.

@Mahmoud Taha you definitely had the most driving done today and had some nice skill presentation when the rest of us had our break. That refusal on the crest and self-recovery was quite an impressive showcase of your driving prowess. BTW we would have left you there on the top of the dune to fend for yourself, should you not self-recover yourself.

@Benjamin thank you very much for the assistance with managing the convoy and the effort you always put into every drive you join.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank @Kailas & @DP1011 for joining and taking up the second convoy. 

Thanks @Looper always a pleasure sharing the dunes with you and thanks for giving me the chance of Second Lead.

Very different perspective from being further back and seeing the constant course corrections you need to make as Lead.

4 hours ago, Stumpy Paj said:

@Looper, the oracle @Gauravhas commanded that we are to leave all ropes  behind. 😅. I believe this is a brilliant idea, especially if it means @Bravoechohas to self recover 🤣 with a spoon 😜

@Stumpy Paj Patrols don't get stuck. They just have have long rest periods 😜