I don't have much advice, but I did find a pretty good site for traveling in the desert. I would guess taking an EXTRA spare tire might be a good idea. Especially since the donut spares are small, you might be able to secure it under the PT where the current one resides (with bungee cord or wire hangers). I'd also personally reccomend you change out your engine coolant, and instead of a 50/50% mix I'd go with a 70% coolant 30% water mix so it will resist boiling even higher than say 256 degrees F (or 124 C) since avg. daily temps in Sharm are about 100 C. Also, make sure your tires are inflated well since under inflation can create more heat than the tire is designed to handle (plus it hurts your mileage).
Heres the site:
Egypt: Travel Tips - Travel and Survival in the Desert
.......and below is a section of interest:
Transport and common sense in the desert
The key to safe travel in desert regions is reliable and well equipped transport. Most travelers will simply use local bus and taxi services. For the motorist, motorcyclist, or pedal cyclist there are ground rules which, if followed, will help to reduce risks. In normal circumstances travelers will remain on black top roads and for this need only a well prepared 2WD vehicle. Choose a machine which is known for its reliability and for which spares can be easily obtained. Across much of the region only Peugeot and Mercedes are found adequate spares and servicing facilities. If you have a different type of car/truck, make sure that you take spares with you or have the means of getting spares sent out. Bear in mind that transport of spares to and from Libya and Sudan might be tediously long. Petrol/benzene/gas is everywhere available though diesel is equally well distributed except in the smallest of southern settlements. 4WD transport is useful even for the traveler who normally remains on the black top highways. Emergencies, diversions, and unscheduled visits to off the road sites become less of a problem with all-terrain vehicles. Off the road, 4WD is essential, normally with two vehicles traveling together. A great variety of 4WD vehicles are in use in the region, with Toyota and Land Rover probably found most widely.
All vehicles going into the S areas of North Africa should have basic equipment as follows:
1. Full tool kit, vehicle maintenance handbook, and supplementary tools such as clamps, files, wire, spare parts kit supplied by car manufacturer, jump leads.
2. Spare tire/s, battery driven tire pump, tire levers, tire repair kit, hydraulic jack, jack handle extension, base plate for jack.
3. Spare fuel can/s, spare water container/s, cool bags.
For those going off the black top roads other items to include are:
4. Foot tire pump, heavy duty hydraulic or air jack, power winch, sand channels, safety rockets, comprehensive first aid kit, radio-telephone where permitted.
5. Emergency rations kit/s, matches, Benghazi burner.
6. Maps, compasses, latest road information, long term weather forecast, guides to navigation by sun and stars.
Driving in the desert is an acquired skill. Basic rules are simple but crucial.
1. If you can get a local guide who perhaps wants a lift to your precise destination, use him.
2. Set out early in the morning after first light, rest during the heat of the day, and use the cool of the evening for further travel.
3. Never attempt to travel at night or when there is a sandstorm brewing or in progress.
4. Always travel with at least two vehicles which should remain in close visual contact.
Other general hints include not speeding across open flat desert in case the going changes without warning and your vehicle beds deeply into soft sand or a gully. Well maintained corrugated road surfaces can be taken modest pace by rocky surfaces should be treated with great care to prevent undue wear on tires. Sand seas are a challenge for drivers but need a cautious approach--ensure that your navigation lines are clear so that weaving between dunes does not disorientate the navigator. Especially in windy conditions, sight lines can vanish, leaving crews with little knowledge of where they are. Cresting dunes from dip slope to scarp needs care that the vehicle does not either bog down or overturn. Keep off salt flats after rain and floods especially in the winter and spring when water tables can rise and make the going hazardous in soft mud. Even when on marked and maintained tracks beware of approaching traffic.
Emergencies
The desert tends to expose the slightest flaw in personnel and vehicles. Emergency situations are therefore to be expected and planned for. There is no better security than making the schedule of your journey known in advance to friends or embassy/consulate officials who will actively check on your arrival at stated points. Breakdowns and multiple punctures are the most frequent problem. On the highway the likelihood is always that a passing motorist will give assistance, or a lift to the nearest control post or village. In these situations it is best simply remain with your vehicle until help arrives making sure that you are clear of the road and that you are protected from other traffic by a warning triangle and/or rocks on the road to rear and front.
Off the road, breakdowns, punctures, and bogging down in soft sand are the main difficulties. If you have left your travel program at your last stop you will already have a fall back position in case of severe problems. If you cannot make a repair or extricate yourself, remain with your vehicle in all circumstances. Unless you can clearly see a settlement (not a mirage) stay where you are with water, food, and shelter. The second vehicle can be used to search for help but only after defining the precise location of the incident. In the case of getting lost, halt, conserve fuel while you attempt to get a bearing on either the topography or the planets/stars and work out a traverse to bring you back to a known line such as a highway, mountain ridge or coastline. If that fails, take up as prominent a position as possible for being spotted from the air. Build a fire to use if and when you hear air activity in you vicinity. Attempt to find a local source of water by digging in the nearest wadi bed, collecting dew from the air at night. If you have fuel to spare it can be used with great care both as a means of attracting attention and a way of boiling untreated water. A Benghazi burner, two crude metal cones welded together to give a water jacket and space for a fire in the center can achieve this latter purpose. As ever in this region, be patient and conserve energy.
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Some really good tips in there. But whatever you do, be careful and have fun.
Take some pictures of your PT in the desert, then post them here. That would be really cool to see!
Good luck!
Tom
