Birthday off-roading bash on Grand Vitara goes sour...

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

How far is that goddam hill from Bangalore? My Gurkha will be here on April 10th and I decided to go for the MRF Sandgrip tires. It's pay back time from the Gurkha family. !!

About 425Kms. However, if you do get your Gurkha by April 10th, I'll pay your fuel bill for the trip.

Originally Posted by Alfa_Kilo

A/T tyres are nearly as useless in mud as H/T tyres, I learned that from hard experience. Gift yourself a set of M/T tyres if you can find them here, otherwise you can get A/T tyres with mud/snow chains.

The M/T tyres are no good on highways, so I eventually might end up buying A/T tyres. Mud is not something I need to deal on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Moral of the story - if you're putting on a show, reherse first. Or did you that already?

Show was secondary, I was trying to fun, so there was no rehersal, just scouting. I had done the first climb a few times before though.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

You're gonna beat the Samurai with a Gurkha? Damn I gotta see this.

I don't believe in bringing a sword to a gunfight. If I do compete with a Gurkha, it will be on-road, not off-road.

[Steeroid]

I just went through your 'Custom Made Skid Plate' thread - you've create quite a large assembly to hold those plates in place which I believe could be culprit, not the plates themselves. The frame did look like a major overkill.

[1100D]

Belated Happy Birthday first.

When do we get to see the same "Mt Vitara" being conquered with those skid plates removed?

[ananthkamath]

Great effort on your part Samurai.

Just noticed that you're somewhere in Udupi/Kundapur area (KA-20??). I'm wondering if you have been up the Kotachadri: its somewhere north of Kollur I think, climbs from sea level to about 4000-odd ft in less than 15 kms. You have to try scaling that place in your Vitara: should break it in real nice LOL.

[Ignazio]

Hi All,

Nice videos.
I think that you didn't stuck because the skid, but too low GC and wrong tires, did you deflate tires too? What gear you where attempting with?
Ciao ciao!



Ignazio

[adc]

Great effort and spirit, Samurai.

The incline does look a steep one and one of the reason I thought was that I saw you climb a small incline before the big one. This limited your run in area quite severely and as such there was not enough force to glide you over.

Going to this in a angle for such an incline would have apprehensions as I found out while going down and up a similar steep but hard incline in Orissa, the Safari VTT almost toppled with wheels of the other side in air for a brief second.

In the mudpit the flat underbelly may have acted as a suction on soft mud. The hydraulic jack should have done the job but it then just shows how much it has dug itself with overnight rain.

Anyway again kudos to your spirit and the way that your pushing the boundaries of a high end vehicle, as almost all are used to just go up and down the ramps of shopping malls.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by spadival

Next time, call in a tractor. There should be one nearby, with all the paddy fields around. Our tractor at my grandpa's place regularly used to pull out trucks beached in knee high mud during the rainy season.

WE once had to pull out a struck tractor in the farm with the 4x4 gypsy, in 4L mode of course.
A spade can be the best off roading tool sometimes

[adc]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

A spade can be the best off roading tool sometimes

And a hi-lift jack, any idea where you can buy such over here in India.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by Ignazio

I think that you didn't stuck because the skid, but too low GC and wrong tires, did you deflate tires too? What gear you where attempting with?

I find myself agreeing with Ignazio. During both your attempts your front tyres were spinning quite a lot without giving you any traction. I think the tyres did you in and not the skid plates.

Also as somebody has mentioned you should have reduced the tyre pressures a little bit, say about 22 -24 psi.

[suman]

Samurai, first of all, a belated Happy Birthday! Well, we all dream of doing something "different" on our birthday, I think you may have got your wish though I too feel that the ending could have been happier

From what I observed in the video, I would tend to agree that it was more a GC & tyre issue, may have happened even without the skid plates.

Anyway, wish you many more Kms of serious off-roading though do take her down to the supermarket occasionally as well - just for a change

[hrag]

Originally Posted by suman

Anyway, wish you many more Kms of serious off-roading though do take her down to the supermarket occasionally as well - just for a change

Like the old KB100 TV ad - you can also ride it to the bazaar?

Samurai, I salute your spirit.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by Samurai

That is true, I was aware of it. But I was scared of rollover if I don't go up straight.

In ideal conditions (without loose mud), what would be the probability of a rollover if you climb at a slight angle?

I am just wondering what is the right way to tackle such steep incline considering the GC available.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I just went through your 'Custom Made Skid Plate' thread - you've create quite a large assembly to hold those plates in place which I believe could be culprit, not the plates themselves. The frame did look like a major overkill.

I too think so, but it was an experimental thing, and it is difficult to get everything right at first attempt. It definitely looks like I need to rework the middle-to-rear plates. Need to look at a design without middle bracket.

The current one is based on the design seen here: ASFIR - VEHICLE ACCESSORIES

Originally Posted by 1100D

When do we get to see the same "Mt Vitara" being conquered with those skid plates removed?

I still gotta think about transfer case protection after removing the rear plates.

Originally Posted by Ignazio

I think that you didn't stuck because the skid, but too low GC and wrong tires, did you deflate tires too? What gear you where attempting with?

Ignazio, videos didn't capture everything. My wife and couple of others who were in front, confirmed that the front wheels were free-spinning in the air. One voice in the video actually said that. Yes, the tyres were around 25psi instead of the normal 32. I was trying the whole climb at 1st gear in 4L with central diffs locked.

Originally Posted by vikram_d

I find myself agreeing with Ignazio. During both your attempts your front tyres were spinning quite a lot without giving you any traction.

The front tyres were in air, the GV had rested heavily on the middle part of the lower skid plates and lightly on the rear tyres. Had it rested heavily on the rear tyres, the 345Nm torque would have pushed it forward. But torque is the least power required to turn the wheels, since it was sitting lightly, it robbed away all the torque.

I need to get back the breakover angle I lost.

[tsk1979]

Regarding high lift jacks, truck spare part shops should have those. But they are not electrical but mechanical and require some muscle power to use.
The payload capacity of those jacks is 15 tonnes

[ex670c]

Hi Samurai San,

Belated Happy Birthday. I think the OTR you organised was complete in all aspects, nothing sour about it, gave the spectators a proper introduction to Off-Road Driving.

I think you GV is doing pretty well. The GC is OK, The Skid-Plates are perfect.

My observations are
1) Tyres ( Try BFG AT/KO)
2) insufficient momentum (1st attempt)
3) over-revving the engine (2nd attempt onwards)
4) With petrol engines (5000rpm+) try the climb in 1st-Lo.


Regards,

Arka

PS - I have fitted another LSD on the Front Diff.