KT Desert Drive: How to prepare your car for a beautiful off-road experience

All equipment — including tool boxes, first aid kit, gauge, and camping gear — should be firmly secured in the boot. This will allow you to focus solely on the road

A Staff Reporter

Published: Mon 14 Nov 2022, 7:00 AM

Last updated: Mon 14 Nov 2022, 5:25 PM

Desert driving is adventurous and fun but the terrain poses challenges of its own. Even a skilled driver can face a tough time if the vehicle is not well prepared for the experience.

Before you embark on the Khaleej Times’ Desert Drive on November 26 this year, we offer a few tips and tricks to check the preparedness of the vehicle for an evening of fun and adventure. Some of the listed points can be checked off now and the rest before you embark on your journey:

Tow hooks and points

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The car must have tow hooks in the front and rear. Without these, it would be hard to recover the vehicle in case it gets stuck in the sand.

Tyres

Effective steering, braking, and accelerating forces in a vehicle are mediated by the tyres, making them the most active safety equipment in a car. As you check the preparedness of your vehicle, pay special heed to the condition of all four tyres and the spare one. And while you are at it, also check for any damage in the suspension.

Gauge

You will need a tyre pressure gauge to deflate the car before the drive. We recommend keeping one in the boot now and checking this off the list.

Wipers

Give a quick look to the wipers for any damage. Lift the arm of the wiper and bring it to an upright position. Now check for any damage to the blade. If they are not in a good condition, consider changing them before the drive. Also, on the day of the desert drive, remember to top up the wiper fluid reservoir.

Keep it light

Apart from the essentials, avoid carrying anything extra in your vehicle. We suggest keeping personal items such as cell phones, sunglasses, wallets, etc. in the glove compartment or console. All equipment including tool boxes, first aid kit, gauge, and camping gear should be firmly secured in the boot. This will allow you to focus solely on the road, or shall we say, the dune ahead and have a wonderful driving experience.

Health of your four-wheel drive

Needless to say, the four wheel drive you will be driving to the desert must be in perfect working condition. It is not only important for a smooth and safe drive for you and the accompanying participants, but also for the overall experience of the day. KT marshals might deem your vehicle unfit for participating in case they spot a faulty 4X4 system.

The Khaleej Times Desert Drive is on Saturday, November 26, this year. And it will take you to the beautiful rolling dunes of Ras Al Khaimah.

If you still haven’t registered for it, you can do so by logging on to https://ktdesertdrive.com/. Tickets have been on sale since November 10.

Trading Enterprises — Jeep is the new leader of the pack for the drive as the lead sponsor for the event. The Desert Drive is also supported by: Castrol as our exclusive lubricant partner; GoodYear, as a strategic sponsor; Nature Valley, as our nutrition sponsor; CAFU, mobile fueling partner; Agthia, water partner; Baskin-Robbins, gold sponsor; Galadari Brothers, gold sponsor, and Al Hamra, hospitality partner.

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