Mohit Gurnani

Running a few mins late sorry 

@JeromeFJ apologies wasn’t able to make it- somehow stopped my alarm instead of snoozing.

hope it was a great drive.

Hi @JeromeFJ, will have to exclude myself- have to work tomorrow as well to catch up on deliverables.

Have a great one.

@JeromeFJ getting very interrupted sleep - don’t think I will be able to get enough rest for the drive - hence dropping out- have a great drive! 

1 minute ago, JeromeFJ said:

@Mohit Gurnani, these bungee cords are not the best, as heavy objects tend to slide below and escape. Straps like the ones I lent you are better.

@JeromeFJ noted I will try to find something like this 

Thanks @JeromeFJ for an amazing drive! Some very good challenges and overall very smooth!

PS: Shackles and radio frequency issue sorted - thanks for a accommodating it this time! 

Hi @Frederic have woken up with a terrible headache today , so will sit this one out. Have a great one!

Hi @JeromeFJ just got new tires fitted, so I think I’ll skip this one safe side- hope it’s a good one!

@Fredericneed to drop out, I’ve got a work commitment that’s popped up. Enjoy the drive!

On 12/20/2023 at 12:29 AM, Mike M. said:

@Mohit Gurnani maybe it is best to go back to basics to answer your question.

What is your main purpose of off-roading:

1- Dune bashing ?

2- Over-landing ?

3- Adventure truck ?

4- Do you need space to haul in the family into adventures ? with their gear?

To @Gaurav’s point: Is it an ultimate goal for you to reach the fastest or getting to the tallest point? 

While I’m aware that none of the above points are answers to your question but sometimes going back to basics might help you find the answer. All in all, you already have the car and it is one of the top off-roading cars. Maybe, @Frederic’s point about balancing your drive levels could be a compromise to keep the “car abuse” concern you have in check. 

The point you bring probably goes through the mind of many off-roaders, if not all.
 

Maybe there is no straight forward answer as there are also other elements in play, at a more personal level, such as your appetite to write-off the invested amount in a new car based on financial aspects and comfort levels, among other points.

One point I have seen and heard from multiple off-roaders is that many started off with an objective for exploration, overlanding or having an adventure truck then slowly found themselves stuck in the loop of dune bashing. This is why I’m suggesting going back to basics as you might find some answers there which might help you in your decision process. 

Hope this helps, even slightly.
 

 

 

 

@Mike M. this is a super helpful framework! Maybe the best next step would be for me to explore the car in other capacities apart from dune bashing, and see what’s the sweet spot accordingly.

That would definitely help me narrow down the decision long term!

On 12/19/2023 at 7:24 PM, Rob S said:

Hi Mohit, can you explain a bit more what you mean by "car is taking a bit of abuse"

Although I drive a modified FJ (Lifted with Dobinson's suspension) I don't feel the car takes to much of a beating on intermediate level drives (though driving slowly through cross tracks is required!). Unfortunately I cannot compare driving stock FJ! 

I too bought another car as my daily now, so can keep the KM off the FJ and it can be my desert toy for many years to come. 

@Rob Smaybe abuse was a stretch - but what I meant was generally pushing the engine, transmission to the limits, scraping it in all sorts of places, the occasional bump to the skid plate etc just made me a bit worried- but I think I’ll make my peace with it for now!

18 minutes ago, DP1011 said:

Instead of getting a car for off-roading, just get a car for on-roading  -  

That’s a great perspective too!

Thanks a lot @Frederic and @Gaurav for your expert opinion on the topic- this helps bring clarity!

I think one commonality in both your inputs is, don’t switch from an FJ.

So this narrows my choice to either keeping my current car and rotating levels, or getting an older stock FJ (and keeping it stock)

Since I bought my FJ new this year and have reached IM level, started realizing that the car is taking a bit of abuse (holding up super well mechanically!). While I love the car and the capability- was thinking maybe it would be wise to buy an older & cheaper car which I’d be more comfortable in pushing to the limits + adding mods if needed. (Latter is a no-go for me with the current car)

Below were some options in my mind (looking only at Japanese):

1. LC100

2. LC200 5.7l V8

3. Patrol safari 4dr

4. Lexus GX460

While option 1 is to get an older FJ, wise to consider any of these?

@Frederic was a great drive- one of the smoothest ones actually! Really enjoyed being the 2nd lead too 🙏

24 minutes ago, Looper said:

Drive Report

We touched upon 3 way points. Gafteen Bowl, Nagara Hill and Old Lady dune. at Old lady dune @Hisham Masaad was remined many times why I am called Looper. It was the first time here so I was kind of wandering aimlessly and looping back to where I started finding him again and again. The distances between way points were covered easily and without much troubles. just a few refusals here and there but then what's a desert drive without a refusal - its never complete without one.

@Mohit Gurnani you did very well for your first Intermediate Drive. In the future please try to arrive approx15 min before the drive time, so that you are deflated and ready to go. Everyone else except for you was ready to go by 6:30 a.m.; but we didn't start till 6:45 a.m.

@Benjamin great second lead for you. Managing my short wheel base turns for the rest of the convoy - you did an excellent job. @Joji varghese @Rajiv Sam and @Hisham Masaad thank you all for your support during the drive.

@Bashar Beasha, @Gary F, @Jona, @Bjoern, @Mohamad Anwer, @Gok Krish and  @Anoop Nair

it was great to have you all in the drive. See you all soon.

Nice to meet up with  @Vaibhav & @Santoso Marjuki at Nagra hill.

Thanks @Looper, really enjoyed and learnt in my first IM drive! Was a great challenge 

My apologies to everyone in the convoy for the late start- thanks all for the patience with this. Will rectify this going forward.

1 hour ago, Gertjan said:

 Congrats @Mohit Gurnani!  Take the fj on new adventures!

Thank you @Gertjan!

5 minutes ago, Imteeaz said:

@Mohit Gurnani well deserved mate - keep flying...

Thank you @Imteeaz!

12 hours ago, Sunil Mathew said:

Congrats @Mohit Gurnani

Thanks @Sunil Mathew!

12 hours ago, Davie Chase said:

Congratulations @Mohit Gurnani enjoy the new level

Thanks @Davie Chase!

12 hours ago, Mahmoud Taha said:

Congrates @Mohit Gurnani

Thanks @Mahmoud Taha!

12 hours ago, DP1011 said:

Fantastic Progress @Mohit Gurnani! That was quick move and enjoy more pace and more learning - which always is a journey😎

Thank you so much @DP1011! Looking forward!

12 hours ago, Ishak said:

Congratulations @Mohit Gurnani on the promotion.. 👍🏼

Thank you @Ishak!

30 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Congratulations @Mohit Gurnani 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

Thanks @Gaurav! Looking forward

27 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Well deserved buddy !

Thanks @Frederic- loved all the drives in FB+ led by you- looking forward to intermediate! 

25 minutes ago, Looper said:

Congratulations @Mohit Gurnani well done. I’ll see you in more drives now.

Thanks @Looper- looking forward to my first intermediate drive with you this Saturday! 

18 minutes ago, Jaro Tuzinsky said:

Well deserved @Mohit Gurnani enjoy it! and see you next time.

Thanks @Jaro Tuzinsky- looking forward to meeting again after long on Saturday!

@Looperwithdrawing myself from the drive as I’m going to be traveling 

Hi @Rizwanm2 I don’t think I’m in the state to drive today, so dropping out. Apologies for the last minute notice 

First of all @Mehmet Volgaglad you and your friend made it safely- looking forward to seeing you in the desert soon!

@Fredericthanks for the guidance on this, and I fully agree, I do carry that tendency - certainly will keep this in mind for coming drives to iron this out

Lovely drive today @Frederic- really enjoyed it! Thanks a lot again for bearing with the pop-out/ delay with a smile on your face 🙏

8 hours ago, M.Seidam said:

"Catch me if You Can" convoy 1

After coming from many night drives leading different levels in different places , last of which Big Red took the big share , it felt different today as the glimpse of light of the rising sun at top of big red inspired all of us.

As I mentioned in the briefing the main aim of my drive theme today is to motivate every one to maintain the thin line of safety as we negotiate such areas over and over in high paced drives like Fb+

After wishing @Looper's convoy best of luck we headed straight to the southern face of the mountain to take our first chase . At top and before the sunrise @Hisham Masaad the impeccable second Lead and  " Yalla push " master managed to catch me on my first crest 😂

we spent sometime testing ourselves up and down then we continued north toward pink rock passing by two elevations before nazwa mountain where we descended and further north climbing the loops before the camel rock ramp. we faced couple refusals which entailed checking our tire pressure and small adjustment in the convoy order.

on the return flight back to big Red the pace was faster and the radio was almost silent indicating total focus with max enjoyment now . probably a true stuck and amazing self recovery worth mention today was @Mohit Gurnani who could mannage to get his might FJC following the precise instructions from @Hisham Masaad out of a nasty Pocket . very well done. 

The last catch was too mine on a sideway crest just before exit , one gentle tug from Hisham and we were all out inflating.

I hope everyone lived ,at least partially , the expectation of the drive. i did my self more than any other drive as my eyes got used to the dark and mush needed to adjust to the day light for the coming season.

@Jaro Tuzinsky, @Amir Amiri @Bashar Beasha @Joseph Raju @Zulfikhar Naiyar @Krishna Rexcellent drive all of you  . many thanks to @Hisham Masaada true second lead and to our hawk eye sweep @Pacific

thank you all again for sharing the experience.

Seidam

 

Really a great drive @M.Seidam! Thanks @Hisham Masaadfor helping me unleash the FJs self recovery, newfound respect for the car!