[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

This is the worst problem I face. Water eating up starting motors. Yes, they won't immediately show problems, but gradually over a week or two. Dirt enters the starting motor and eats up the brushes and bushes. That's how water is an enemy. If it's crystal clear water, I guess starting motor will survive longer.

Depends on the type of starter. The Di Turbo starter can't IIRC.

Nothing happened to the two Scorpios that went through the same place. One of the Scorpios went multiple times. Only the alternator belt snapped in one of the Scorpios, but I think that is unrelated. I thought Bolero Di was the more robust one due to the absence of electronics.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Nothing happened to the two Scorpios that went through the same place. One of the Scorpios went multiple times. Only the alternator belt snapped in one of the Scorpios, but I think that is unrelated. I thought Bolero Di was the more robust one due to the absence of electronics.

There is nothing electronic about it. The starting motor is a Electrical/mechanical device. Both in the scorpio and the bolero.

The Scorpio starter has a reduction gear IIRC, and hence prevents direct entry of water from flywheel side. Where as the bolero (Di Turbo Engine) starter IIRC isnt like that, and its easier for water to enter through flywheel side.

Also, the starter is not like an electronic device (mobile phone) which shuts off as soon as you put it in water. When water and dirt enters the starter, it gradually causes wear and tear in the moving parts, and increases the current required. After few days the starting becomes slow, like you have a weak battery, and finally dies.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

An Ecosport, a Brezza and an AWD XUV were also there but could not cross the obstacle due to lesser approach angle compared to the others. The front bumpers all these vehicles were hitting the first hump and we could not take the risk of damaging them.

Hi Blackpearl,
Based on your experience, do you think a Hexa 4x4 would have been able to clear this obstacle in stock condition?

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Hi Blackpearl,
Based on your experience, do you think a Hexa 4x4 would have been able to clear this obstacle in stock condition?

Hi Abhishek46, the Hexa will not be able to cross this obstacle in stock condition without damaging the front bumper. I think it will scrape the chassis as well due to the long wheelbase.

[Abhishek3001]

Hello everyone,
I couldn't find the right place to post this but this thread seemed the best fit.
I really,REALLY want to get into weekend off-roading,but the problem is I cannot find any clubs or groups in my city.I live in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Can somebody point me towards a club or even an individual whom I can join on occasional off-road sessions?

[ashwin1224]

Originally Posted by Abhishek3001

Hello everyone,
I couldn't find the right place to post this but this thread seemed the best fit.
I really,REALLY want to get into weekend off-roading,but the problem is I cannot find any clubs or groups in my city.I live in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Can somebody point me towards a club or even an individual whom I can join on occasional off-road sessions?

Search for Adventure Achievers and VARA on Facebook and contact them. While not regular, but they often organize such activities around town.

[Abhishek3001]

Originally Posted by ashwin1224

Search for Adventure Achievers and VARA on Facebook and contact them. While not regular, but they often organize such activities around town.

Thankyou so much,I will look them up.

[ashwin1224]

Originally Posted by Abhishek3001

Thankyou so much,I will look them up.

PM me if you're interesting in weekend excursions, I might be able to connect with a few Thar owners at the very least

[BlackPearl]

With increasing focus on environment and pollution, I have been asked this question many times - Why I drive a 4WD vehicle in Kolkata? Frankly speaking, I could not justify clearly. I stumbled upon this article yesterday and I found the point of view quite interesting. I am not saying that it is a fool proof article, but still a different point of view is always welcome, especially when it matches yours

I really liked the line at the end -

Just because someone drives a 4X4 doesn’t mean to say they’re wrecking the environment. You need to look at their entire environmental footprint, not make snap judgements based on a glance and misconceptions.

Source: https://medium.com/@robertpepperL2SF...t-bcba5ab23b50


Your 4x4 lifestyle is good for the environment - by Robert Pepper

“I suppose you’re all right, you go camping with it”.
With that, my colleague delivered his judgement and granted permission for me to own and operate a 4X4 vehicle. He couldn’t otherwise see why I wanted a largish, 2500kg vehicle with offroad capabilities, and he was openly scornful of those who owned such vehicles for a variety of reasons; safety, size and the effect on the environment.
There’s a lot to unpack in that attitude, which is mostly based on lack of understanding and fear. But let’s look at the environmental impact and whether it’s really right to make such wide-ranging assumptions.
Here’s a 4X4, modified for offroading touring and camping. It’s my Ford Ranger PX, photographed during a camping trip.



And here’s a hybrid Toyota Camry:



Now let’s take two identical families of four. Family A drives the Ranger modified for offroad touring, and takes a four-week camping holiday each year. Family B drives the Camry, and flies to Bali or equivalent for four weeks each year. That means the only differences between the two families are the car they drive, and their holiday method.
While both families with drive the same number of kilometres a year for errands, the car they use is different so I’ll calculate the emissions.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that the average mileage per car in Australia is 13,400km. Looking at Ford.com.au, I see that a MY2020 Ranger PX3 4X4 dualcab Bi-Turbo emits 195g of CO2 per kilometer, and Toyota.com.au tells me that a MY2020 Toyota Hybrid SL emits 103g/km.
However, both figures will be on the low side for real-world use, because the fuel consumption and emissions testing doesn’t represent reality. For that reason, I’m going to add 10% to the Camry’s figure, and 20% to that of the Ranger. The reason why the Ranger gets double the increase of the Camry is because I’m going to assume that it will be modified with items such as offroad tyres, a roofrack, winch and driving lights, all of which add weight and increase aerodynamic drag.
So our first bit of maths is this; 195 x 20% = 234g/km for the Ranger, x 13,400km = 3.14 tonnes for the year. For the Camry, it’s 103 x 10% = 113.3, x 13,400km = 1.52 tonnes for the year. Family B are well ahead, less than half the emissions of Family A.
Now let’s go on our four-week holidays. I’m going to assume Family A will go camping the whole time, and cover 5000km. I’m also going to assume that as their Ranger is more heavily loaded than usual with camping gear, so the emissions increase by 30% over the stock figure, not 20%. That gives us 253g/km x 5000km = 1.27 tonnes for their holiday.
Family B parks the Camry, and flies to Bali. I’m going to allow 500km worth of car travel for them — to and from the airports, and around Bali. I’ll assume the emissions are the same as for their own Camry; so 113g/km x 500km = 0.06 tonnes. They need to fly to Bali, so using the ICAO’s calculator for a Melbourne to Denpasar trip in economy class that’s 513.8kg per person. And we’ve got four people, so that’s 2.05 tonnes for the flight. Once there, they’ll need somewhere to stay, and it appears the standard emissions measure for a hotel room is 31.1kg per room per night. So, 28 nights x 31.1kg = 0.87 tonnes. That brings Family B to a total of 2.98 tonnes for their holiday, compared to 1.27 for Family A.
If we now total the annual emissions for Family A, it’s 4.4 tonnes, but for Family B, it’s 4.5 tonnes. So, Family A is more environmentally friendly than Family B, despite the latter cruising around in a hybrid car.
Now of course you can create any number of scenarios where Family A or B comes out ahead. But that’s the point. Just because someone drives a 4X4 doesn’t mean to say they’re wrecking the environment. You need to look at their entire environmental footprint, not make snap judgements based on a glance and misconceptions.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

...Just because someone drives a 4X4 doesn’t mean to say they’re wrecking the environment. You need to look at their entire environmental footprint, not make snap judgements based on a glance and misconceptions.

Wow.. I'm lucky to stay in a village where there are even worse steam rollers than mine. Not that it makes me right but, saves me from prejudice.

[tazmaan]

I knew nothing about Offroading until I bought the Isuzu Vcross. I was always intrigued by the prospect of Offroading and used to watch a lot of videos. Also after studying in Australia I was very much intrigued by UTE's a.k.a pick up trucks.

So when the V-cross was launched in India, I bought one even though I didn't need the extra vehicle. It was an impulsive purchase and if I would have thought about it for a couple of weeks I might not have got one. It will be 4 blissful years and 50000 kms in October 2020.

Pros.

1. Its a bless to get away from public places pitch a tent and watch the stars.
2. Go to places where other vehicles cannot reach like a private water fall.
3. The adrenaline rush with the prospect of getting stuck and fun of getting out of sticky situations.
4. Making bunch of cool like minded friends. This is the best part for me.
5. No cell network.
6. Cooking meals becomes a group effort from fetching wood and sharing stories while cooking around a fire.
7. The satisfaction of when you park your mud soaked truck with battle scars after a weekend trip and turn around to have a second look.

Cons.
1. Wife might soon disown you.
2. Damaging your vehicle but its expected my bigger fear is damaging your vehicle and having to leave it behind.
3. Getting in trouble with locals.
4. The long scratches left by bushes/shrubs and the screeching noise they make when at it.
5. Washrooms especially for ladies.
6. Health emergency becomes very difficult to tackle.
7. Not being able to do it once you are used to it (Covid days).

It's very important to be responsible and not leave anything behind. I also feel the off-road tracks might be daily route for some villagers usually on bikes. There is always a chance of damaging these tracks especially in monsoon with our huge off-road vehicles and make it Dangerous for the villagers. It's always better to take their consent and have contacts of local people for the areas where you frequent.

Monsoon is the best time for some weekend fun but due to Covid I don't see any weekend trips this year. So posting a clip from 2019 at a friends private plot.

https://youtu.be/NNQNFtKeszU

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by tazmaan

I also feel the off-road tracks might be daily route for some villagers usually on bikes. There is always a chance of damaging these tracks especially in monsoon with our huge off-road vehicles and make it Dangerous for the villagers. It's always better to take their consent and have contacts of local people for the areas where you frequent.

True. That's why since many years now we only go to private properties.
Earlier, when vehicles were less and tyres not super aggressive this wasn't a problem but the competition tyres and the huge numbers of vehicles have made haters out of villagers.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Earlier, when vehicles were less and tyres not super aggressive this wasn't a problem but the competition tyres and the huge numbers of vehicles have made haters out of villagers.

I think this holds good for almost any weekend hobby indulged in by 'city-dwellers' that takes them into surrounding rural and natural settings. As long as it is a couple of people and with minimum noise and disruption, and if the effort is made to politely ask the people actually living there for permission and to explain to them what is happening, all will be well.

The problem starts when it becomes popular- larger gatherings, music, noise, organized events, competitions, tamashaa. Then a line is crossed and as a practitioner, even if you attempt to avoid those and indulge in the activity in a smaller, less disruptive way, the locals will treat everyone with suspicion. If you can somehow include the locals in the ecosystem of the activity, especially if they stand to gain economically through it (such as by running local home stays), then that is the best way to sustain the activity long-term. But that carries with it the inherent risks of greed, commercial over-exploitation of the natural environment, and group-ism/competition among the service providers.

(Speaking from personal experience with other outdoor hobbies/adventure activities. Of course offroading will be much more disruptive than most other outdoor activities like trekking and cycling and more likely to be perceived as a 'city/rich-man's-pursuit', so I guess more sensitivity will be required.)