[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Guys but seriously, can we move on with some report and pictures!! instead of Thar this, thar that!! Its getting really boring seeing it on each and every thread. :(

aye aye... still havent seen the cream`e of the pics here. I say we budget some official photographers next time for 3-4 obstacles and get the thread rolling.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Is Lamda developing a hydraulic winch? Did you take a good look at it? What powerpack (or power steering pump?). Hose routings. Most importantly, how were the valves controlled?

1) Yes, for over a year at least
2) No, didnt take a good look
3) IIRC Scorpios
4) no idea

It is very much under 'testing and development' and faaar from a finished proper product...

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Nearly, if Vinod given more gas !!

Spikey, remember driving into the 1-foot tree stump just as you guys were leaving the hill climb... Hope nothing happened to the lower arm (or whatever it is called)

HI Santosh,
Nothing happened to any thing and THAR came out unhurt! You are talking about 1 foot tree stump, in AKC behram drove over a boulder. All the vehicle went was for a routine oil change at 15000 kms.

Originally Posted by headers

Spike: Why THAR Bashing - Did the THAR actually get bashed?
I know it did NOT do what my gypsy and some Jeeps did..but..

BTW, it was nice to meet you and Vinod at the event.

No headers THAR did not get bashed....It bashed many so called opinions that it cannot do rocky terrain and will come back in pieces. It did what every other jeep/ Gyspy did off road, that too effortlessly in stock condition and 29 inch HT tyres!! It never got winche in any obstacle. But others couldnt do what it did- beat it on the road.

THAR proved its competancy off road in AKC and now in Avalakonda and on road superiority is not even questionable. IFS or solid axle, depends a lot on driver handling it. We rest our case here.

Before we get lost in another THAR battle i would like to thank all the organisers and marshals for providing the best experience and specially loved the evening with all off roaders together discussing jeeps and Gypsys. Thanks for the lovely terrain as well.

[genesis]

Nice pictures!
The stock black landcruiser (newer model without the roof carrier and decals) seems to have taken quite a beating. Sides seem completely scratched up. Did it complete the trail without fuss?

[Samurai]

That is the Prado, that one left after the first day.

[Mpower]

Thats the legendary FJ80. Very much a full size Landcruiser.

Originally Posted by genesis

Nice pictures!
The stock black landcruiser (newer model without the roof carrier and decals) seems to have taken quite a beating. Sides seem completely scratched up. Did it complete the trail without fuss?

It looks waaay too large to negotiate the narrow paths.

[madhkris]

Hi guys. This was my first OTR event the day and a really memorable one.
(Note: It is a Long post and am sorry if anything is wrong. It is my first attempt to chronicle an OTR)
All thanks to SV Santosh for bringing me along and a note of appreciation to the organizers and tireless marshals for putting up a great event. I woke up after a sleepless night dreaming about Jeeps and finally the day was here when I will actually take part in an OTR after reading nearly all the threads on the 4x4 section on our forum. I reached catchkumar’s house and metup with mohang_j (where I parked my bullet; Thanks Kumar) and we set off for the meeting point on the Airport road. It was great to see the 4x4 vehicles arrive one by one and take off in batches to the venue. At the venue the registration was systematic and a quick process followed by a great breakfast (man! We were famished). The jeeps/ gypsies were nicely lined up and it looked as if we were about to leave for some war!! There were jeeps of all kinds and mods to keep me occupied for a long time. All the jeep owners were forthcoming and were very eager to welcome a new guy in their community. I sought and received many an advice from all the jeep legends over there.
We finally left for the trail and I was along with SV Santosh. He is not only a great jeeper but also a good teacher. I learnt many a lesson and understood that offroading is more than what meets the eye. It looked as if Jeep is the extension of the mind. If the mind did not cross the obstacle; the jeep surely did not. One very emotional moment for catchkumar was when UBS Sir congratulated him on his original (circa 1955) Willys. The first obstacle was the V-descent and ascent. It looked very technical and many cleared it well though I did see a couple of vehicles really struggle. It was necessary to follow the spotters’ instructions. The second obstacle was a steep ascent and an immediate right turn to avoid a tree. It was also cleared happily by the jeeps and gypsies. The next obstacle was in my view the toughest one: Robi’s obstacle. It was a steep muddy, slippery ascent with a big boulder at the end of the slope. The slope at the middle had a steep incline at the left side and was lined by thorny bushes. Many a jeep struggled not as much due to the vehicle itself but also due to the driver himself. It was crucial to follow the marshals here. 2 jeeps toppled here but were recovered efficiently with friendly help from all the jeepers. The next obstacle was again a steep descent and ascent and I saw many vehicles conquering it easily. At the end of the day we were greeted by a great dinner and enjoyed the conversations among some of the best jeepers in the country. I tucked in the bed and was off to jeep dreamland. The next we saw some more vehicles join us and it was a different trial. After a small distance we had a water crossing. Here though the sand beneath was firm it was slightly tricky as a few jeeps got stuck and had to be winched out. I crossed the water in the landrover and it was just like going on road!!
After another steep descent and ascent we neared the hill. The hill climb was exciting and very technical. I loved the way some jeeps just crawled to the top. I was told it is something to do with the diff ratios..(sorry if am wrong). The ascent was well guided by Arka the except for one jeep that had to self-winch itself (I could see only one) many made it to the top easily. It was a great view and a time to chat among friends. The descent was equally exciting and needed engine breaking to guide us down. This was the last obstacle and we headed to the final exit point. It was a great 2 days for a newbie like me. Enjoy(Sorry i did not some photos.know how to post photos in between lines)

[headers]

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

No headers THAR did not get bashed....It bashed many so called opinions that it cannot do rocky terrain and will come back in pieces. It did what every other jeep/ Gyspy did off road, that too effortlessly in stock condition and 29 inch HT tyres!! It never got winche in any obstacle. But others couldnt do what it did- beat it on the road.

THAR proved its competancy off road in AKC and now in Avalakonda and on road superiority is not even questionable. IFS or solid axle, depends a lot on driver handling it. We rest our case here.

LOL Vinod - If THAR is superior, please give the front suspension settings before and after Avalaconda.

Also - why it could not / did not / officially did not do the last boulder stretch / long climb

Can you up shift on that incline with THAT GB?

Anyways - move on with Avalaconda, let the pics roll in and lets have more fruitful discussions rather than drifting here!

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Thats the legendary FJ80. Very much a full size Landcruiser.

It looks waaay too large to negotiate the narrow paths.

Mpower, are you sure this is the FJ80? I thought the blue one with roof carrier was the FJ80.

[Mpower]

Oh no. Thats very much a current gen Prado. I was refering to the TN reg SUV in post#42 (last pic)

[headers]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Oh no. Thats very much a current gen Prado. I was refering to the TN reg SUV in post#42 (last pic)

There was a FJ but that was a dark blue one - I think AP or KL regn,..

The TN SUV in post 42 is the one posted above!!

[mohang_j]

Dear organizers team,
We remember that in last year's OTR you all had some concern regarding the expenses. Please let us know this year also if you have something similar. It’s our duty to help you guys by paying that extra expense in return to the wonderful experience we had for two days.
Hope all participants will agree with me.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by genesis

Nice pictures!
The stock black landcruiser (newer model without the roof carrier and decals) seems to have taken quite a beating. Sides seem completely scratched up. Did it complete the trail without fuss?

Originally Posted by Samurai

That is the Prado, that one left after the first day.

Originally Posted by Mpower

Thats the legendary FJ80. Very much a full size Landcruiser.

Mpower, genesis asked about the black Prado without roof carrier, the FJ80 is dark blue and has roof carrier.

[xtreme power]

arka sir,
how did the g90's perform

[vinod_nookala]

Originally Posted by headers

LOL Vinod - If THAR is superior, please give the front suspension settings before and after Avalaconda.

Also - why it could not / did not / officially did not do the last boulder stretch / long climb

Can you up shift on that incline with THAT GB?

Anyways - move on with Avalaconda, let the pics roll in and lets have more fruitful discussions rather than drifting here!

reason was simple- we all started late, reached the rocky section late had lunch and finally had to leave due to flight timing. Didnt want to get stuck behind the convoy of 4wd's up on the top.

That rocky incline was doable and no great shakes that one would chicken out It is sad to see such negative attitude towards THAR CRDe when action has proven louder than words.

Suspension setting after the OTR is a mere figment of imagination. I just received the vehicle back in MUmbai, all intact. Ready to take on another OTR in rajasthan.


Back to the discussion- will post pics of the event after resizing them

[ex670c]

Originally Posted by vinod_nookala

reason was simple- we all started late, reached the rocky section late had lunch and finally had to leave due to flight timing. Didnt want to get stuck behind the convoy of 4wd's up on the top.

That rocky incline was doable and no great shakes that one would chicken out

It is sad to see such negative attitude towards THAR CRDe when action has proven louder than words.

Suspension setting after the OTR is a mere figment of your imagination. I just received the vehicle back in MUmbai, all intact. Ready to take on another OTR in rajasthan.

May be you must ask this question to our friends as to what all they fixed aftr 2 day of OTR. BTW i did tow one jeep from your part of country after the OTR..spent my time being helpful to some one, there after Raghav took over.

Hi Vinod,

We appreciate your coming down for the off-road event, and getting the Thar.

And I agree that it is much newer and better on road.

But off-road for some reason or the other we haven't seen the Thar tackle and Major Descents/Climb Downs, even in AKC 2010, "the big descent" was avoided.

A descent high lights quite a few things in the vehicle.
i) Suspension
ii) Gearing
iii) Brakes

The negative attitude, is a result of M&M attitude towards the customers.

Thar has proven nothing, it is doing exactly what was predicted in JAN2010, Newer and Better on road, and just about manages to do what the older JEEPs do effortlessly. (Sunny Deol vs Hrithik Roshan )

Regards,

Arka

PS - Next Time fit a winch and have some one less experienced drive the vehicle off-road (representative of the sample population who will buy this vehicle)