How to prepare your car to desert 4x4ing

There are many ways to prepare a 4x4 for action in desert. In many ways, most stock 4x4s are ready for most actions but not for all. Some agents specialize in Egypt to fit 4x4s for such actions.

Outfitting your 4x4 with equipment has to be for a purpose so please read well why and how to prepare each for your 4x4.

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It's important to mention here that 'Recovery' is the art of bringing a sand-stuck car back to traction and to be able to move itself using its own engine. 

How to prepare and operate certain 4x4 brands in Egypt for desert offroading

• Cherokee XJ (1995-2001) 
• Toyota Fortuner 2013

Important Manuals for some 4x4s to download

• Cherokee XJ (1998-2001) Owners Manual
• Wrangler JK (Unlimited) 2012 Owners Manual
• Wrangler JK (Unlimited) 2011 Owners Manual
• Grand Cherokee WK (2014) Owner's Manual
• Grand Cherokee WK (2014) User's Guide

Gasoline consumption averages for select SUVs

Consumption of gas on- and off-road is one of the most important features to learn aboutu SUVs for Desert Cross Country safaris. Only with careful research you can secure enough gas to cover the distances over legs of a route safely and without having to leave the 4x4 behind.

* to convert from X L/100 KM to Y KM/Jerrycan (Arabic: كيلو فى الصفيحة) use this equation: Y=(100/X)*20

Fixed Equipment

Those are parts or complete kits that you need to go to a workshop to install them in your 4x4. for example, new suspension shocks (Arabic: مساعدين), etc. or you install them in your own garage if you have a private one with enough skills and tools. It's important to separate this section because non-fixed tools have entirely different nature. For this section of fixed gear, you need to be careful for size, necessary changes, quality of installation, and hidden costs. Few outfitters are experienced and credible enough to handle this section in the market.

Roof-rack

This is an important element for most 4x4s which have no pick-up box in the back to carry their jerry-cans and other loads. Roof-racks are the best part to have handles to fix accessories on during trips such as shovels, sand-mats, hi-lifts, etc.

Suspension

Shock-absorbers and springs (Coil or leaf) are important to configure for loads. Most stock 4x4s (bought as manufactured for 'normal' use) don't allow for big loads. Big loads compress the springs to dangerous limits which makes them unable to function well on rough terrain and which --consequently-- impacts their ability to avoid sand-stuck situations, handling well, slopes handling, etc.

Lights

Lights fixed on roof on front which is used mainly for path-finding during nights by the Leader. They have the problem of illuminating the hood and dashboard too much during their work and the inflexibility of turning in directions.

Lights on the back or side are sometimes used to help in camping or during parking the car. Those are of relatively low importance.

Winch

Measured by tons of pull. Usually used by placing one end of the cable on another car to either pull own car or the other car.

Restrictions

• In Egypt, license must mention specifically that the car has protruding parts from bumper (ie, brush guards, winches, etc.)
• Unibody cars (3ala 3elab Arabic: على علب. non-Chassis cars) such as Cherokee of all years models, have a problem in placing a winch fixed on any of its frontal points. Winch causes fatigue on the Unibody which lessens its rigidity and distort its dimensions by frequent use of the winch.

Snorkel

allowing best air-intake to ensure good engine performance. The engine intakes less dust and cooler air due to higher location of intake scoop. 

Bumper

Those replacing the stock bumpers are important because they allow stronger points of towing, hi-lift manual winch points, winch-platform, etc.

Non-fixed Tools

Tools you don't need to install so no hidden costs, bad quality of installation or truly hidden costs. Those are all dependent on your purpose of buying and skills of using.

Towing straps

Used like winch but the pull is dependent on the possible traction of the car that pulls. Some types are elastic "Snatch Straps" allowing the pulling car to start moving suddenly to cause a sudden pull at the elastic strap which usually allows higher values of pulling force at the strap right after the shock stretches the strap to its max. CAUTION: all people must be cleared off a radius around the straps to allow a broken cable to lash at nobody.

Shovel

although simple, it's a much necessary piece of tool to clear sand off the side of tires. The recovery techniques used are subject to different methods but the sand-clearing could be done in anyway.

4x4 and Camping Traders/Outfitters in Egypt

There are already many who provide variety of professional services in Egypt. The following are most common ones.

Fabricators

In Cairo there are many skilled and well-equipped fabricators (Arabic: حدادين) for cars modifications. ِA fabricator usually can use raw rolled bars, steel sheets, etc. to bend and weld in their shops to build any construction for cars or else. Usually, they work from experience tested by many of their clients and may reject some of your designs. The good ones can explain why, while others may not. They're bounded in knowledge to what they saw so some new technologies may take time from them to absorb. Also, bounded by available raw materials which must be pliant, light-weight, and as strong as need be.

You can see this table as contributed by SaharaSafaris members: