[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by columbus

I got stuck on a sandy beach in my Fortuner. The front left and rear right dug in and other two diagonal wheels did not have any traction. The central diff. supplied power only to the wheels which had lost traction and they were just spinning. I know its the limitation of my vehicle for this condition but will the above technique help for this situation also ?

Thanks

You can always use the parking brake (wisely) to get some more traction on the stuck rear wheel in such a situation. It will help (slightly) to even out the power distribution between the two rear wheels as the wheel which is spinning freely will also get some resistance.

[ex670c]

Originally Posted by columbus

I got stuck on a sandy beach in my Fortuner. The front left and rear right dug in and other two diagonal wheels did not have any traction. The central diff. supplied power only to the wheels which had lost traction and they were just spinning. I know its the limitation of my vehicle for this condition but will the above technique help for this situation also ?

Hi Columbus,

Did you Lock the Centre Diff? 4HLC or use 4LLC?

Regards,

Arka

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by B O V

Amazing write up!Is the clutch released fully?If so won't it stall?I've always preferred the 100 series over the 200(Looks too bloated IMO)

I remember back when I used to live in the middle east the Land Cruiser was advertised as the King of the desert.I really didn't understand why till I actually experienced(As a passenger) it on the dunes.Absolutely phenomenal.

Do they have any Nissan Patrols doing duty?

Thanks.

Yes, the next preferred vehicle was the Nissan according to them. And of course they used to joke about the hummers being good only to show off.

So of course, i treated my wife to a limo ride along with my other friends

[Samurai]

Fantastic report. Your threads always has so much to teach. I think you are addicted to the high one gets while teaching.

When most people think Dubai, they think shopping and then some more shopping. And you think of learning another style of offroading, the proper way. Just added this to my todo list for some day...

[debmum]

Moderator note: Removing [Font] tags, please avoid Copy Pasting from external font editors. Also do a Preview before Submitting posts. Thanks.

A fantastic write-up! You rekindled some old memory for me as well. I had got my Dubai driving license through Emirates Driving Institute. And I am proud to say that I had got the driving license within 1 month of my enrollment (while some Indian and Pakistani colleagues at my new office in Dubai had been trying for years to get a Dubai driving license. In fact, the funny thing was that they refused to believe that my Dubai driving license was real, some even calling it fake ). However, I had enrolled in the “VIP course” offered by EDI, which cost me 14,000 Dirhams in 2008. I was that desperate to get a driving license in Dubai as I had realized from my Day 1 in Dubai that I would need a car in Dubai to survive, and to do my daily commute to and fro office. The benefit of the “VIP course” offered by the EDI is that you pay more and get a chance to appear for the driving test early (within 1 week of enrollment). In the normal course, you have to wait much longer to appear in the test conducted by Dubai RTA (not RTO as we call it in India). RTA has an office within the EDI premises where they conduct the test for giving Dubai driving licence. I had failed in my first test for the driving license as I had forgot to switch on the indicator before changing lane and also forgot to perform the “shoulder check”. Though I drove in Dubai for 3 years after that, never thought of going to bash the dunes myself. After reading your write-up, I realize what a mistake I did by not going for the dune bashing when I was in Dubai, as I have relocated to Mumbai now. However, my Dubai driving license is valid till 2018. So will go before that to drive on Dubai roads as well as to bash the dunes!

[pariwar]

Some memories have been dragged out from the cold storage in my head on seeing this post.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in the Middle East, "desert driving" ("dune bashing" is a term reserved for the desert safari / visit visa participants) was one of the most thrilling sports that I had the opportunity to engage into.

For close to two years, I have had the opportunity to spend a minimum of two weeks every month in the desert, Dubai predominantly. Have seen a fair share of mishaps (not been directly involved in any, thankfully) and spent some really wonderful time with enthusiasts from all nationalities.

In the initial days, drove a Ford Explorer and in the local parlance they call it "Exploder" as it does not rank anywhere in the top 10 for an ideal desert driving vehicle. Quickly moved to the FJ Cruiser when it was launched, now that was a neat vehicle indeed.

For all those who can grab the opportunity, do not hesitate it is indeed something that you can be proud off and in time a good story to relate to friends.