Pavel Pashkovskiy

4 minutes ago, Mike M. said:

@Pavel Pashkovskiy there is a certain uniqueness to @Carnity which is very far from chest pumping and crazy dune bashing. Most members are family people who would like to have a drive in the weekend to break the routine. No crazy daring stuff, no ego tests and definitely no compromise or jeopardy when it comes to safety. Based on what I am reading, and mind you I am not part of the crew nor support nor experts and most probably it is not my place to ask this,

but are you sure you are in the right club?

Most, if not all members, are not here for pissing contests. This is not Carnity’s profile. This is an inclusive club, based on a family concept with a golden rule of safety first. 

 

 

I did not mentioned it, because no one was asking, but you are right. My absolutely successful and much loved journey in Carnity came to end long time back. I am appearing in very specific posts only when somebody tagging me, and probably because my yearly subscription still valid. I am happy to join discussion if i see it might be interesting for me, and always ready to offer my support and share experience with anyone need it. Would be happy in the future to join some gathering events to meet friends and talk about cars. But in terms of driving i crossed already any possible at Carnity level by driving in other clubs.

20 minutes ago, Benjamin said:

I have done no re-gearing so far and I can comfortably drive on all levels. Maybe even push harder. Though I would be interested to know the difference between elementary school and secondary school when it comes to the desert 😂. 
 

as for 4H and 4L I still primarily drive in 4H unless I need more torque which I can change on the go. Keep in mind this is with a regular jeep wrangler sport trim 

however I agree with @Frederic I’m happy being part of elementary school if it means everyone is having fun & being safe 

Regearing it's not one of the necessary part of Jeep upgrades, and it's not required unless you are changing your tires for 2 or more size up. If you still using stock tires, regearing not required. However this is one of the sign of the difference between schools. 

In general driving stock Wrangler offroad for me it's like using smartphone for professional photography, instead of dslr camera. Or home kitchen wear in professional restorant kitchen. Is it possible? Generally, yes. Are professionals doing that? No.

As i mentioned above, nothing wrong to be in elementary school, worst thing is to stack there. We have some good examples when drivers "Graduated" from Carnity elementary school become Marshals and sharing their experience with new drivers in other clubs. And Carnity must be proud of them.

55 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Carnity is a platform that values the voices of all car owners and off-roaders for open discussion. Ultimately, whether one finds satisfaction in their vehicle, modified or not, is entirely a personal choice.

Reflecting on your Masterclass on February 28, 2023, where the focus was on exploring the world of off-roading without succumbing to the expenses of yachting, it's evident that each sport and lifestyle has its unique approach. Some prefer a more light-hearted experience, while others venture to the extreme.

In the realm of off-roading, it's important to note that the Carnity off-road club isn't tailored for those seeking an extreme adventure. Numerous splinter clubs exist, each showcasing their prowess every week, engaging in the perpetual debate of who can outperform the other.

Frederic, boasting over 8 years of off-roading experience with four different vehicles, doesn't own a Jeep, possibly sharing a sentiment similar to mine. I, too, find Jeeps to be a bit unreliable compared to their Japanese counterparts. This perspective is rooted in the experiences during the 2007-2014 production line, where Wranglers faced numerous issues, particularly in the desert of Dubai. Now, the JL model is diligently working to rebuild that tarnished reputation, making significant strides, though perhaps with a humorous nod to the crank seal challenges.

In essence, you've effectively shared your perspectives through your successful mods and presented your argument in this discussion with a reasonable rationale, which is commendable. Let's kindly conclude the conversation there to uphold the positive and constructive nature of this debate.

Gaurav, with all my respect to everyone. I was replying on specific, Jeep (even more detailed Sand Runner/Mojave) comment based on my personal experience. Of course everyone can comment and discuss what ever they want, but would be great to keep discussion on the specific/detailed level following post/comment entry. It's not really professional to interfere in to discussion very specifically related to certain issue/point of view, without being real member of this (Jeep/Heavy Modified Jeep) community. We did not discussed in general, we was exchanging specific and sensitive information/opinion. I will never be discussing something where i don't have any experience even after 20 years in offroading.

Now about "elementary school". I am very happy that i was in Carnity, in begining of my offroading life. Until now i am recommending to every absolute newbee to join Carnity, because it's great elementary school in offroading. Nothing wrong to be in elementary school, all of us start there as a kids or newbee offroader. Problem is to stack at elementary school. There is many grate examples, and i know personally some drivers who become Marshals in highly reputated clubs, after starting in Carnity.

3 minutes ago, Frederic said:

I’m happy to be an elementary school teacher and marshal based on your comments. You can comment all you like here on the forum but I would expect some common decency and respect for others instead of referring to stock Jeep drivers as elementary school.. 

A stock Jeep JL with 280hp can climb. Unless your reference benchmark is to go and climb Y60 hill or Moreeb from the front side, and in that case you’ll be going home with pink cheeks as when the locals arrive with their modified monsters, you’ll be realizing there is always someone bigger and better than you. Leave your ego behind and enjoy what you can do. 

 

To talk about Jeep, you must have Jeep at first. To talk about proper Jeep you must have Jeep and first and make from it proper Jeep at second. Only people who passed all this steps can prove difference. 

Any stock car can climb something, even Toyota Corolla. 

1 hour ago, Gary F said:

 Great post @Zed been thinking about this a lot recently and with 50 drives I think it’s time for some experimentation.

Driving the Jeep Gladiator Sandrunner (Mojave in USA) its already packing a few hundred kilos of extra weight vs a Wrangler between the bed, reinforced frame and larger axles.  
 

I often find on larger climbs in 4hi I’m running out of RPM in first and torque in second, with 31 inch tires.
 

The Mojave has a 2.71:1 transfer case allowing up to 70kmh speeds (50mph)

might be time to find tall dune for some experiments. 

Did you tune your engine and gearbox? If not, you will not be able to climb in 4H or 4L. Offroading it is hobby and even lifestyle. Doing it, keeping in mind what happen with warranty or what says your insurance, means limiting yourself in most interesting part of it. If you want proper Jeep you must tune it. Minimum requirements are adjusting cooling system, tunning engine, tunning gearbox for faster switching. Out of than the minimum requirements for the engine tuning are proper air intake and exhaust. All above means bye-bye warranty. Ready for it? Go for it, you will not regret. Not ready? You can keep discussing about 4H, 4L... Nothing will help. You will never go outside of "elementary school".

3 hours ago, Josh S said:

@Frederic would the Rubicon put even more stress on the car in 4L when compared to the Sport/Sahara given the ratios?  Ie. More likely to damage with excessive speed. 

You need to consider many factors, not only ratios. Do you know what is main problem for most of the JL / JT owners? Warranty ! Until you will be thinking about Warranty, you will never get your JL to the right level. Most important thing is to get your JL properly tunned. You need to reprogramm colling system, transmission for faster switching, and general engine parameters. Along with that you need to put good cold air intake and exhaust to be able to achieve minimum requirements. All above impossible if you want to keep Warranty. After all modification and tunning I've got around 65 HP extra, and my JT not overheating now at all, temperature never go above 90-92 deg in summer time, i've got almost immediate gear switching which is very important in high level drives. Without tunning you will not be able to achive same performance and speed in compare to sport or sahara. I am driving my JK in 4L only, but with JK it's another story, no one driving JK in 4H, 5 speed transmission will not allowed you to do anything in 4H. On Sand Runner i am more comfortable in 4H, but till some level. Above that level i must go for 4L, even i not very like it. Driving with one club where only Jeeps, i did not herd even one case of broken transmission due to driving in 4L in last year. Maybe it's a Jeep thing only, but everybody driving only in 4L. In other club all FJs and other Japanese cars always stopping to switch between 4L and 4H depends on situation.

3 hours ago, Naveen Raj said:

I know some of our Carnity friends  who broke their JL transmission for their love to do extreme  drives in 4L with other clubs..😃

I know people who broke ther Jeeps transmission during mall crawling in 2H.  It's not about rules or recommendations,  it's all about drivers.

52 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

As far as I remember, the Wrangler states a maximum speed of 40 kmph in Low Gear. (Please double-check with your owner's manual).

Recently last year @Pavel Pashkovskiy enlightened me that the "Sand Runner" owner manual says up to 90 kmph in Low gear as they have some Mohave edition or gearing that allows such high speed in Lo.

As Fredy and Sri mentioned, most clubs that back 4 Low driving are backed by garages or off-road product sponsors, so they are pressed to break a minimum number of cars every week, like a sales target.

Even the many owners of such garages car sit in workshops for 5 days every week to come out and play 1 day as a show car doing top climbs and defying gravity at extreme angles.

@Josh S read your owner's manual, which will help you not let your head explode.

https://www.jeep.com.eg/content/dam/jeep/eg/other-pdfs/owners-manual/Jeep_Wrangler_Owners_Manual.pdf

Page 234

Hello Gaurav,

Gladiator "Sand Runner" was electronically re-programmed to allow to drive with engaged diff-lock on the speed up to 90 km/h on 4H. In 4L it have more or less same limitation like any other Jeep. JL or JT can definitely run faster in 4L than any other offroad cars, thanks to 8 speed automatic transmission. Rubicon except 392 usually slower due to high gear ratio of the transfer case. All other trims like Sport, Sahara, Mojave, Sand Runner and Rubicon 392 sharing same 2.71:1 transfer case gear ratio, which is giving you enough high speed even in 4L with 8 speed automatic transmission.

I have two ARB dual head compressors, one with tank, one without. 2.5 times difference in time.

1 hour ago, controlz said:

Hello Carnity,

From those that read my previous post about starting my off-road adventure, I have been persuaded to buy a cheaper used car instead of buying a brand-new car that I will use as a daily+desert combo. I work from home so do not have a daily commute, and I drive to fetch groceries, gym, meet friends etc.  As such, I am looking at a used Pajero/Prado for around 70-80k which if I break off-road, I will not be upset about, or if I do not find a passion for the hobby, I can sell for not too much of a loss and buy a more suitable daily. If I do enjoy the hobby, I expect I will modify it and then get myself a separate daily, however for at least the first 6 months I will use the car for both.

Historically I have never bought a car that is more than 2 years old or more than 30,000km, so buying a 4-5 year old car with 70,000km-80,000km behind it is new to me. As such, I feel I need to get an inspection on the car I am looking at, and so I had an inspection conducted yesterday. I believe this is far more comprehensive than the Tasjeel Comprehensive.

The inspection attached clearly shows some issues, however, I have no idea if these should be expected of a 5-year-old car, or I should avoid these.  For the privacy of the seller, I have removed images and references to the specific car.  There are a quite a few items marked as 'fair' however the only 'poor' item is the oil look from differential cover and bolt.

I would appreciate any thoughts! Thanks

(p.s. I would happily increase my budget to 100-200k as I was happy to spend 200k on a new Wrangler, however I am following forum advice about buying used a cheap)

Inspection.pdf 485.55 kB · 13 

So, why not a Wrangler? There is many on Dubizzle 2017-2018 JK with 55-75k milage on it and price below 100k. Ultimate offroad car. Instead of that you are looking for dead Japanese car? Do you want feel the real offroading? I am not talking about creazy drives, i am talking about driving in offroad style, without roof and doors, breathing fresh air and enjoying unlimited view? Or you want to sit inside small box with small windows? Hmmm... very strange decision.

52 minutes ago, controlz said:

Completely makes sense! The only reason I was looking at a newer vehicle (excluding the 392) is the price differential between a  new and used Wrangler within 5 years doesn't seem that large, and I know that certain used vehicles require a lot of maintenance. That being said, I have found used Pajero's for a lot cheaper than Wranglers, i.e. Around 80-90k!

You have to change way you are thinking about car maintenance,  especially offroad car maintenance. With 10 years old Wrangler for example, you don't need to go to the dealer for service and maintenance,  you don't need to go even to high level garages in Al Quoz somewhere. 

There is fields of happiness in Sharjah people called scrap yards 😄, you can get there almost new engine for 10k including swapping. I've got there 2018 gearbox for 2.5k+1k for installation. What you are worried about if you can completely change engine and gearbox together for less than 15k? Offroad wheels and rims cost more. 

You can't jump to offroading with standard mentality. If you be always thinking how much will cost your repairs in case you will jump or climb high dune, you will never become part of this life. You have to look for the dune where you might potentially destroy your shocks, and do everything to avoid damages.

Of course all this applicable to higher level of drives, but remember there is only 15 drives between absolute newbie and the level where you will need proper shocks, proper wheels, cold air inrake, exhaust and many more to be able to comply with requirements. 

9 hours ago, controlz said:

How about the 392? I’m used to driving very powerful cars on the road but are there any risks with it being too powerful for a beginner in the desert?

I've been in same situation like you and was thinking more or less same, exept i never planning to have multipurpose car. In last January i was looking for new hobby due to boring life, and decided to try offroading. Everybody was saying don't spend big money, try first, try first.... i did not listen. Went to TE and bought brand new Sand Runner, which cost me around 250k with modifications. And after 2 month i realized that to be able to drive with most of the clubs, and have most of the fun, i need short wheelbase car. So, i bought 10 years old 2dr Wrangler for 50k. It's another story how much i spent for repairs and modification, generally it was not necessary, it's just my new hobby now, restoring and modifiyng jeeps. I am very happy from result and performance.

What i want to say, if you have money, nobody will stop you, and you will get most probably wrong car. But if you need advice from the person been in exactly same situation, try what i am telling you. Buy car for 40-50k, there is lot on Dubizzle, and drive for one season. If you will not like it, i mean offroading you will sell it for 35k and will loose nothing. Consider as a price to try. But if you will buy now car for 250-350, you will loose a lot of money in case you will not like it.

I did not loose anything, because my initial plan for Sand Runner was camping and expedition. 

10 minutes ago, Looper said:

Here you go. How should you order Bronco

badlands from Ford doesn’t come with Sasquatch pack as standard, WildTrack does that’s why it is top model in US. In UAE dealer orders Badlands with Sasquatch package by default so making it top end here. 
 

 

No spare parts, no upgrade kits, no specialized garages, absolutely nothing. Jeep, Nissan or Toyota you can repare at any coffee shop. "Please one Karak and one shock absorber... and driveshaft for the balance please..."

Why people even thinking about cars like Bronco for offroading? It was the name long time back, same like Defender, but now they are typical mall crawlers 

1 hour ago, Nilakantan Erode said:

 @Gaurav. Thanks. Will certainly start a new thread for Bronco. Dont see too many on the road here  in Dubai since it has only been here since 2021 and limited supplies) .Most reviews and videos are still heavily US focused / biased (that is US offroad is not so much Desert / Dunes!).

Everytime i hear about Bronco, i remember old joke:

A town in the West American steppe. Saloon. At the table sit two cowboys, a local and a visitor, and drink whiskey. Suddenly, someone rushes along the street at great speed, firing revolvers in all directions. There's no one in the saloon with an ear. Local visitor:

- Bill?

- Yes, Harry?

What was that, Bill?

- It was the elusive Joe, Harry.

Why is he called the elusive Joe, Bill?

- Because no one's caught him yet, Harry.

- Why hasn't anyone caught him yet, Bill?

- Because no one wants him, Harry. ==

18 minutes ago, Davie Chase said:

great to hear, and I am glad that my eyes are still ok as I did not see transmission fluid on the stick as we only had half a cup full, good lesson not to push a bad situation, as if we had kept trying we could have done damage to the planetaries etc.. Glad it all worked out for you and you are getting it fixed quickly, look forward to seeing you in the sand again very soon .

 

@Davie ChaseWe will be calling you now Davie Falcon Eye 🦅

Why Fewbie Plus? It was empty last week and this week will be same. There is more FB drivers than FB+ currently active. Why not to make it FB and increase the level during the drive if everyone will be ready for it. Almost every FB drive transforming to FB+ after 15 min anyway. 

Amazing post. I need to plan it for next year definitely, alone or in the group. Will be happy to join this initiative. I've seen some posts in other clubs people getting together and organizing trip to Salalah. I am sure many of the Carnity members will be happy to be part of trip like that, regardless how much it will cost.

7 hours ago, controlz said:

@Pavel Pashkovskiy  I’ve been doing some reading and my understanding is the rubicon ratio is only relevant in 4L, but most driving on sand is in 4H anyway. 

😁😁 you will be driving in 4H only until you will try 4L. There is special technics how to drive in 4L including manual gear shifting and other tricks. You definitely reach that as soon you become experienced Wrangler driver.

Anyway, don't want to open Pandoras box at least in this topic. I want to tell you something different to look in to it from another side. Wrangler - it's Lego in car world. This is only car you can build and re-build by yourself according needs, taste and wishes. By buying fully loaded (big question actually) Rubicon, you passing your opportunity to build your own car to the manufacturer. Owning Jeep Wrangler it's  a lifestyle. And by missing opportunity to do your own modification, you are loosing big part of your lifestyle. Absolutely everything coming on stock Rubicons are lower than medium rated components in compare with what you can put on it by yourself. Even heavy duty Dana 44 axels can be easily damaged by non-experienced driver in first desert drive. Instead of that you can do axel reinforcement in some high rated garage for less than 2k aed, and will get lifetime warranty on it. Stock shocks, even Fox are very basic. For good performance you need to put at least cold air intake and exhaust from 3rd party professional manufacturers. Every Wrangler engine in Middle East must be re-tunned, even GCC specs, because it's coming with US setting, which is not enough in very hot climat here. You will get totally different car after all modifications, but will loose warranty. This is why my suggestion to not look for brand new car from dealer.

Instead of hunting for stock multimedia system with car play, you can put some system from Carobotor. Good apholstery shops will make leather upgrades for you which non of stock owner can even dream, any color and combination. All your modifications will cost you minimum 2-3 time cheaper than getting it in stock car, but your car will be performing 10 times better than stock. All what you need is just avoid double payning for that. Better to get stock Sport, and modify it till the level much higher than Rubicon, and it will be still cheaper. This is what i called to be Wrangler owner and living Jeep Wrangler lifestyle. By skipping this, you are loosing all experience for what this car was done.

2 minutes ago, controlz said:

Are there any owners of Rubicons in Carnity that are happy with their car!? I love the rubicon and it feels like the best value in the market right now, but you've made me second guess myself.

@DP1011 @Davie Chase

17 minutes ago, Mark B said:

Rubicon and sand runner are both 4.10 ration, but low range is 2.72 for sand runner and 4.1 for rubicon, be sure to check with your dealer even buying a sport or Sahara, as in the US they come with 3.73 for sport and 3.45 for Sahara both 2.72 low range where here they tend to use 4.1 for low range for some reason even tho is crap on sand. It is a different transfer case, command trac or selec trac, there are opinions which is better but command is what the sand runner uses. 

rubicon is as it says on the tin, rubicon is a rock trail in the US and which is what they are made for and are very good at! 

have a think about if your going to want bigger tires etc, bigger tires equals higher gear ratio well lower but higher numerically lol 

 

I think you are talking about gear ratio, but not transfer case ratio.

1 minute ago, Gaurav said:

Wow, I never knew about this transfer case ratio is an issue for Rubicon. Thanks for sharing this.

Do you mean the top speed in HI gear is restricted or are you comparing LO gear top speed of Rubicon vs sandrunner?

It's not an issue, it's just specification let say. Rubicon transfer case ratio is 4:1, when Sport, Sahara and Sand Runner/Mojave is 2.71:1 At same driving conditions Rubicon generally much slower, which is huge advange in rock crawling and disadvantage in dunes climbing. Rubicon positioning as an high loaded option, but all that quite useless in the desert. 

12 minutes ago, controlz said:

Actually, leather is very important for me as the plan is to actually see if I can use it as my daily toot sinceI test drove one on the road today . As it was going to potentially be my daily too, that is why I opted for Rubicon but if the general consensus is rubicon is a mistake, I will look at Sahara!

Would it be a big mistake?

Any Korean or Chinese crossover will be 100 times more comfortable for daily drives than any Wrangler with leather seats, without leather seats or even without seats at all.

18 minutes ago, controlz said:

1. I read that Rubicon was best for off-road and cost isn't too much higher than other specs.

2. 2dr because I have no children. Only a spouse and small dog. The 4 door seems unnecessary, however if it is better in the sand or safer, I'd consider it.

Also, I can pick up a brand new 2023 Rubicon for about 200k, which I thought may be better value for money than AED130k-150k and 50k miles on a 2018 model...  What are your thoughts?

(Only fear is wrecking it in the desert, which I hope is fairly uncommon, or considerable depreciation)

Ok, seems you are not aware about main disadvantage of Rubicon, this is why i asked first, before give my opinion and advice. Main weak point of Rubicon in transfer case ratio. This car was designed for rock crawling, mountains and mud, but not for desert speedy drive and dunes climbing. Simply speaking Sport and Sahara much faster in the desert than Rubicon. Don't want to overload you here with technical details, from now on you can Googled and read more about it. At the beginning of your offroad adventure you will not feel much difference due to basic level of the drives you will be joining, but after some time you will regret about your choice, because you will not be able to "fly" over the dunes same like other Jeeps. 98% of all offroad vehicles in the region doesn't have sway bar disconnect system and difflocks. It's almost useless on sand, and designed for mountains and muds. My personal suggestion 2dr Sport. You main choice need to be between JL and JK. If you are looking for the car model somewhere 2018, i suggest to go for JK. Because 2018 was last manufacturing year for JK and it was near best of the best option, and 2018 was first year of manufacturing of JL, and like everything just released that cars had lot of issues. Why Sport? Because technically it's same car as Sahara, just without luxerious things, which you don't need at all in the desert. You will be always thinking to remove roof and doors or trying to keep leather seats safe, why you need this? Go unlimited. 

16 minutes ago, Mark B said:

I daily drive my gladiator and love it, and it’s set up for desert driving, but yeah a daily and an off roader is great! Although if I was spending 300+ now I might go for a 700 HP  TRX 😎 but that’s just me! 
I would be mindful if you plan to modify the jeep, it’s expensive and addictive lol so might eat in to that budget 

in my opinion a rubicon is not worth it for desert driving, sway bar disconnect you will never use and lockers hardly ever, I don’t have lockers and have never needed them! 

if your going top of the line jeep get a sand runner! It’s built for sand and is high spec 

Of course Sand Runner is masterpiece of the Jeeps... BUT 😁 after driving Sand Runner for 3-4 month i decided to purchase 2dr JK. It's long and separate story about modifications i've made for it, but main reason was to be able to drive comfortably with other short and medium wheelbase cars. With Sand Runner was very comfortable to drive with the groups of trucks only, and complicated trying to follow short cars. Waiting for upcoming season to go for camping and expedition drive on Sand Runner.

... by the way, Gladiator with Magnuson supercharger and proper tunned engine don't giving even small chance to any TRX. Checked, proved 😎 with total cost for modification around 35k, total car cost hardly reach half in compare to TRX.