First offroading event with my Jeep: Coorg Jeep Thrills OTR 2008 Report

[Sabareesh]

Nice report samurai,

It would have been a bliss to see these wonderful machines at their naturak habitat.

I badly need a JEEP now. I can't stop my urge to get one and go off road.

once again... congrats on completing the first OTR with ur JEEP .

[hrag]

Thanks for clarifying, khan_sultan. Did anybody else drive it other than Mr. Srinivas?

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by hrag

T.... Did anybody else drive it other than Mr. Srinivas?

Can't recollect. Though there was 3-4 people group with Srinivas, so am assuming that few of those could have tried.

I think everyone was just toooo busy with getting their vehicles across that no one would have drove the Gurkha -- however, I might be wrong here.

[DKG]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

The issue with the Gurkha seemed to be it's immense weight and size. It's just toooo heavy.

The front bumper of the Gurkha, though looks mean, is way too low and hinders the approach angle while going into a stream.

Very interesting. One of the reason why I want a soft top. That much lesser weight to deal with. As regards the bumper I think for any extreme offroading these would have to be modified as aesthetics have to take a back seat and functionality rules. Do you think after the experience the owner is planning to make some mods? Do get him to participate here. Should be interesting to hear his views.

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

OK. lots of queries w.r.t Gurkha. Let me offer my perspective, from a viewpoint of a person who was there and saw how the Gurkha performed.

1. The owner, Mr Srinivas, was no inexperienced driver. He was driving quite well and must be given credit in not losing patience and being ever ready to push the Gurkha to it's limits.
2. No doubt, the manual diff locks (both on front & rear), would have helped. But in this terrain the need for these did not come into play because we hardly had scenarios where the one/more tyres were in the air/off the ground having loss of traction.
3. The issue with the Gurkha seemed to be it's immense weight and size. It's just toooo heavy.
4. The front bumper of the Gurkha, though looks mean, is way too low and hinders the approach angle while going into a stream. There were instances where the bumper was stuck royally in mud/slush and once that happened, the Gurkha with all it's mechanical Gizmos had no chance to me either forward/backward.

, Diff locks are useful when atleast when only one wheel has traction. When all four spein helplessly ho use of a diff lock. Diff lock equipped vehicle is definately superior to open diff vehicles. Gurkha would perform amazingly on rocky terrain. It would do well in sand as well unless and until it has the momentum. No grip under all 4 wheels, then even a Hummer cant do much.

Weight is an important factor. If you have higher weight you much have higher power. Lightfotted vehicles have an edge over heavier vehicles even with open diff.
May be we should compare gurkha with a Defender 90 or an invader 4wd. The weight and dimensions are similar and so is the power ratings. (defender 90 is more powerful with 122 ps) Bolero is dud in such thick muck conditions.

Gurkha will excel gypsy's in rocky terrain. Gypsy's have open diff and little axle articuation. In extreme articulation conditions where even jeep would lift wheels then gurkha is the king. I think on sand Gypsy is miles ahead of Gurkha and will be as good as any other jeep. Gurkha would be just as good as jeep & may be inferior during extreme climbs. Wieght factor will contribute here.

What gurkha delivers is comparable offroad ability with decent onroad manners and basic creture comforts. I think we have no vehicle in india that finely balances off road ability with onroad manners and comfort. But comes at a price. Hence good old Jeep still rules

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

[*]The owner, Mr Srinivas, was no inexperienced driver. He was driving quite well and must be given credit in not losing patience and being ever ready to push the Gurkha to it's limits.

I think it was Srinath, not Srinivas. Incidently I was talking to him the same morning. I said the diff locks would be useless if all 4 wheels lost traction. He countered saying that would never happen, at least one wheel will always have purchase. Oddly enough, after couple of hours later the scenerio I predicted happened. He got stuck in the stream 3 times, with no purchase in any wheels. May be he could have tried it diagonally, but that would mean rollover danger in such a tall vehicle. He was no newbie and he tried many things, it was just one very difficult hurdle.

I feel Gurkha is as competent as M&M Jeeps, it does have an edge with the diff locks, but it doesn't put it miles ahead of open diff Jeeps. The Jeeps can use their lighter weight to compensate. Ultimately it is the driver skill and how creative he can get with the machine he has.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I think it was Srinath, not Srinivas..

My mistake..Srinivas was the one in the Bottle Green hard top jeep

[IronWolf]

Samurai, this being your first off roading event, it was certainly something eh?

I mean even a rocky challenge would have been fun, however this was over the top. With almost none of the vehicles getting past a stream (seriously a stream?)

This should serve as a warning for all wanna-bes like me that offroading aint no cake walk. If I was on the only 4x4 jeep around and I came upon an innocent looking stream like that, I would have taken it head on and looked like a complete moron in front of the villagers.

Going by the pics I must say that the Gurkha proved not all that invincible esp after all the hype it was generating.

Aptly put by Samurai San.

Originally Posted by Samurai

I feel Gurkha is as competent as M&M Jeeps, it does have an edge with the diff locks, but it doesn't put it miles ahead of open diff Jeeps. The Jeeps can use their lighter weight to compensate. Ultimately it is the driver skill and how creative he can get with the machine he has.

My fav pic caption of the thread. Gave me the shivers.

"Meanwhile the water stream looks upon the rescue effort innocently."

[Shakensoul]

Exemplary writeup and detailed description of the event, feels like I was right there watching the jeep frenzy. This kind of off-roading feels like the real stuff, seperates the men from the boys.
And for a newbie like me, I can say that joining team-bhp has been a fruitful and fantastic learning experience for me, there's so much one can do and still not be enough.

[GTO]

The issue with the Gurkha seemed to be it's immense weight and size. It's just toooo heavy.

True. Weight can bog you down bigtime! Thats precisely why CJ's and Gypsies remain offroader favorites.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by Samurai

...Ultimately it is the driver skill and how creative he can get with the machine he has.

Beautifully put, Samurai ...this is one of the key aspects to understand when one takes up off-roading as a sport.

.

[Rehaan]

Absolutely awesome coverage Samurai!! Some really nice pics too.

Glad you had a good time and your jeep is holding up well.

Originally Posted by Samurai

...
Ever seen a Gypsy with a patio umbrella? They say it is better than engine braking....

Lol. I liked that one.

Originally Posted by Torqy

Did your wife also take pictures with the E3? ....i guess the ones where you are there are NOT from E3.

I must say that (after post processing) the FX-36 held up pretty good. The SLR has the edge with the nice wide angle shots though.

Originally Posted by DKG

...Will post pictures of these trips soon.

Please do, especially of the one with the lake you mentioned. (OT: Still have to comment on your Corbett Travelogue which was amazing! - i had too much to say (and too much work due), burnt out, and didnt end up replying at the time.)

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

... When all four spein helplessly ho use of a diff lock. Diff lock equipped vehicle is definately superior to open diff vehicles. ....

Given the correct conditions, i agree. The whole principle is that difflocks only provide a major advantage when one wheel on each axle doesnt have traction. (eg. two wheels on slush - 2 wheels on pavement. Or rocky scenarios where both wheels are off the ground etc etc)


cya
R

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I must say that (after post processing) the FX-36 held up pretty good. The SLR has the edge with the nice wide angle shots though.

Rehaan, the FX-36 has 25mm wide while my widest SLR lens has only 28mm. The FX-36 has no manual control, so I have no control on how it shoots. I have no control on post-processing either, so it produces flatter images than the E3 which can produce stunning shots. I had to spend much more time on further post-processing FX-36 shots to make it acceptable enough to post along with E3 shots.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Given the correct conditions, i agree. The whole principle is that difflocks only provide a major advantage when one wheel on each axle doesnt have traction. (eg. two wheels on slush - 2 wheels on pavement. Or rocky scenarios where both wheels are off the ground etc etc)

Gurkha can survive even with 3 wheels spinning, but here all four wheels were spinning.

[vinzrox]

Great Report and Pics Samurai...congrats on completing the first OTR with ur JEEP