Thought i would post a few tips and tricks for our new members on what are some basic things they should know or do.

first thing is that most cars today have esp control or traction control systems enabled. Of course, these are useless in the desert (can actually cause stuck in the desert if ON). make sure before going off road to disable it, Below is a pic of what the symbol for traction control looks like and a warning message when disabled! Also by holding the traction button for around 10 seconds usually disables other controls. ** Some cars though cannot disable the traction control by button but by removing a certain fuse from the fuse box , Example - Hummer H3, ^^more infor to come^^
[ATTACH]384[/ATTACH]


Next Tip : Appearances can be decieving!!!

Do not assume that because youre vehicle is a 4x4 that it already has tow points all over it.
Exhibhit A: Chevrolet Avalanche
[ATTACH]385[/ATTACH]

The Avalanche has 2 front tow points which u would probably rip the bumper off after a couple of pulls!!:
[ATTACH]386[/ATTACH]

BUT!!!

It has no proper REAR tow point except for the tow hook which is connected directly to the chassis:
[ATTACH]387[/ATTACH]

You should Always check youre car to see where are youre tow points. And if you dont have, what can be done do have them installed because if you dont have TOW POINTS, You cant be pulled OUT!!!!

+++ Make sure they are Rated Tow points (thick,reinforced,bolted, welded properly) as Tin Tin makes a very good point of this below in is reply(see below)+++++++++
My FRONT TOW POINTS ARE RUBCON DESIGNS CHASSIS TOW HOOKS
Depending on your car or dealer, you can have different types installed as i have done:
[ATTACH]388[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]389[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]390[/ATTACH]

*** BTW You can purchase the readymade shackle tow hook from ACEHardware- Abu Dhabi as seen in the pic of rear tow points on my Jeep ****
Picture Below
[ATTACH]394[/ATTACH]

Hope This helps Anyone!! BYE BYE 4 Now!!

thanx bro for the great info
yes some need to know these tips befor offroading

Thanx Taher, i was always taught that any information is always helpful information.

I would also add that just because the points are made from metal, it doesn't mean they are strong. I went through two sets of tow points on the front until I got a thicker set made for the front.

Make sure they have a rated capacity or are at least a copy of the stock made from thicker steel. Preferably bolted AND welded too if you can!

I wish to add that
Tow hooks are directly bolted to the chasis.
Use only rated shackles and rated recovery straps
The main reason for using rated recovery straps is that if the rig being pulled is severely stuck and cannot move, the strap must snap, otherwise if it doesn't, the chasis of the stuck car will be bent because of the excessive force being used to pull it out.
Using rated expandable recovery straps is the best way as they use kinetic energy to extract a stuck rig. These can be found in ARB store in Mussaffah.

Thank you Scavenger. Very useful topic indeed.

Very informative thread .. Thanx for the initiative Saleh .. Keep those tips and tricks coming.

Thanks Saleh,, always informative ..

Wanna add one more thing about the traction system, in some cars you can't disable it by any button (like the Lexus). but you can disable it by removing a fuse.

good point ayoob, ill make a note of that

Thanks Scavenger for this useful information.
You save me on my fist trip when you showed me how to disable traction control, afterward my skills got improved a little

but i am not sure about my car's rear tow point, you would not believe that I never noticed that whether i had it or not, i just presumed.

Dont worry Cherokee,

alot of people make the same mistake, that why i posted this tip as you can see, my pickup (chevy Avalanche) Doesnt actually have a proper rear tow point for such a large 4x4 car!
as long as you know where they are now and what you can do to add some more. If you have a trailer tow point on the back of youre car, you can purchase the tow point insert as i did for my car.

Regards