[dhanushs]

The problem with the Thar's ride quality is not it being too harsh or jarring like the Jeep/Gypsy. The problem with it is it is too bumpy, bouncy and wallowing. Its like travelling in a ship. And constant adjustments to sit properly means back pain.

I really dont think changing the leaf springs (spring stiffness) will alter the ride quality for good. ie, CFL, Removing leafs, etc..

You should be changing to better dampeners. Get high quality shocks like Ironman or Tein. A couple of friends are super happy with Ironmans in the car. Also, get tyres with higher sidewall (275/70/16 or 31x10.5x15) and maintain good air pressure. Nothing beats the dampening ability of a tyre, is my opinion.

[paragp2006]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I have got 15" wheels on my Thar shod with Michelin LTX AT and the ride quality has definitely improved. I have a slipped disc, but the Thar has been fairly comfortable over long distances on all kinds of roads. I do drive extremely carefully on bad stretches.

Totally Agree with you black pearl. Before touching any mechanics, This is the first thing one should do. I have Gurkha with me and instead of going for Fiber Leaf springs, Bilstein shocks and blah blah blah I would first go for 15 inch wheels (instead of 16 inches factory fits) with Michelin/Yoko ATs and I am sure added side profiles would give me cushy ride .

Also there is one more advantage of having 15 inches wheels. There are too many Tyre options at affordable price than 16 inches.

[gkveda]

If I were you, I would be going with a Hatch back OR sedan which has more riding comfort.
I would not take chance with modification of a vehicle because,
1. Thar is not meant for your current requirements. It is a superb off-roader but your requirements are different.
2. Your family has health issue which you cannot afford to ignore.
3. Changing Shocks or any other part of Thar is not tested to give confirmed results which suits your requirements. So, if in case, modification fails, you will not have any other option but to change the vehicle and before that, further deterioration in the health would have already happened.(Because of experimentation)
4. This may result in reducing the Sale value of Jeep because of modifications (in case you decide to sell), All your investments on your modifications will go in drains and lastly, you have to invest in new car again (With probable price increase due to budgets)

[swami69]

I had a 2014 Thar, drove it for 20K kms, enjoyed it every bit including couple of long drives, but i took a decision to sell it 4 months back. The reason for my sale was not any bumpy ride or back pain issues, but it was because I was not doing any off-roading at all which was my original intention and it was not comfortable for family trips. I would have still kept her only for my use if my 13 year old wonderful Corolla did not go in floods. At this point, i was not seeing any value in keeping her and instead gave it off when the demand was quite good and replaced her with a less than 3 year old XUV500 W8.

You are in a similar scenario, but with close to similar reasons i.e., not much offroading, partner having back problems and I would suggest you take a similar approach by selling this for a good price and go for a equivalent like a XUV or XUV itself which is ultra comfortable, high seating position, macho looks and all creature comforts you can imagine. I totally agree that if we love our Thar, XUV is no match from a heart standpoint, but I did the trade off.

Whatever modifications you do to a Thar, it is a Thar anyway and it will not give you the expected comforts and you will be spending money as someone said and not recover anything while you sell.

I took a mind decision as against my heart decision 2 years back course correction !

Would one day still buy a Jeep/Thar, but at a much lower price (used) for playing with it.

All the best for making a well thought out decision.

Swami

[Drlmtukkar]

Hi, I have tried all kinds of combinations over the last 4.5years and done not less than 20mods on my thar including a HHT. I have finally come to this conclusion and am using this right now and managed a 7000kms from my palce to spiti and back very comfortably.
1) Go for 245/75R16 tyres on rims no broader than 7" and play with the tyre prussure.
On smooth highways I maintain 34psi checked on cold tyres (almost).
On not so good roads drop to 30 and on bad roads to 28.
2) Install a Hardtop.
3) Go for composite leaf springs at the rear but mind you body roll may increase.
4) Install innova seats nothing else will work better, believe me I've gone through it all.
Happy Tharing.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by abhisheksikka

Also, my better half has developed some spine problems due to which she cant be comfortable in my car.
Thanks,
Abhishek

Originally Posted by Samurai

If you do not have offroading needs anymore, and your spouse has spine problems, you should avoid band aid solutions like this.

The other obvious solution is to trade your wife for another who does not have orthopedic problems and can ride merrily in your Thar. You could wait at a Hospital parking lot, approach a guy who is not driving a Thar, as a tender kindness to your present wife, and make a swap.

"Pssst! Pssst! Hey buddy, have I got a deal for you. What's your's got, appendix? Gaul bladder? Let's talk!"

If he thinks a spine is more serious than a gall bladder, you might have to kick in with a tyre iron, some lug nuts or an old muffler to sweeten the deal.

This transaction is also in line with government policy moving toward a cashless economy.

[KkVaidya]

Dear Abhishek

You can change the leaf springs to aftermarket options to make your ride cushier but I believe you lose some points in handling and off-roading.
The other easy alternative is to keep the tyre pressure at 28-30.

But the best way is to swap your car as advised by many on this thread. THAR is built for a purpose and it does have some brickbats on ride quality compared to SUVs. If you have used your vehicle for what it was intended for and are content with it, better someone else enjoy it.

[Jaggu]

Let me try to help, but before that few questions.

Originally Posted by abhisheksikka

I drive a 2014 Thar CRDE without any mods or customisation whatsoever
======
I'm shifting cities soon and will not be needing the car to offroad too much.

So do you want to still hang on to Thar or open to replacement? If so do you have any budget in mind?

I understand that its a tradeoff with offroad capabilities but I cant seem to find definitive content which can guide me to make a better decision.

What is your expectation out of this? Make it like a sedan or make it ride just a little better?

1) Is installing Composite leaf springs on the Thar CRDE an option? === If yes, should these only go on rear?

It is available and for rear only, down side it can result in slight tranny vibration at acceleration since CFL ain't great for torsional rigidity, but the rear ride is marginally better.

2) If not CFLs, are shock absorbers better for improving ride quality on city roads.

Shocks will help reduce the roll (handling), more than the pitch (ride) though it will reduce pitch by better damping during rebound cycle.

Originally Posted by Samurai

If you do not have offroading needs anymore, and your spouse has spine problems, you should avoid band aid solutions like this. Consider switching from Thar to a used Duster. If you manage to get Duster AWD, it will also take care of moderate offroading.

Originally Posted by KA09_BIKER_GPER

1) Get an AT tire of same size. I switched from stock BS Dueler HT to Continental Cross Contact AT of same size and the ride quality has tremendously improved. The tire are able to absorb potholes quite well. Lowering tire pressure to around 30psi will give you a plush ride on ATs.

Stick Dueller is bad, but anyday other good HT tyres are better wrt ride. Try michellin HT for best comfort.

2) Inspect your IFS. If your IFS is set too high the ride will be bumpy. Too low and it will bottom out on the bump stops. The ideal IFS height would be 1-1.5 inches between the control arm and the upper bump stop.

Absolutely, but unless you have made changes to it chances are its set stock. Since Abhishek mentioned it in opening post.

4) CFL's are very soft and will give you plenty of body roll. Not sure how well they perform off road though!

Not really they are not that soft also but compliment the stock softer fronts that Thar has.

6) Try removing a leaf or two from the rear leaf set.

Remove one leaf but you might loose the ride height ratio with front and if you try to correct that with cambering spring, it will be counter productive on ride front.

Originally Posted by GTO

Downsize your rim size to 15 inchers - that additional sidewall height will make a noticeable difference to the ride. In 15", you'll have lots of tyre options. Pick one that's geared for ride quality. This swap won't cost you too much either as R15 is the most common size among UVs.

Set of tyre and rims will set you back by 50-60k though.

Originally Posted by smartcat

No cost but 100% effective solution is to reduce the tyre pressure to 25 PSI for city drives and 28 PSI for highway drives. Just keep the car under 60 kmph for city & 90 kmph for highway.

Yup works fine if you are not an aggressive driver.

Originally Posted by GTO

Would be way too much, pal. The recommended pressure for the Thar is 35 PSI.

Company recommends lower for unladen, iirc 32 psi, and if it's just two passengers 28 is pretty safe PSI.

Originally Posted by cUjO

I believe too much thought is being put on changing some fundamental characteristics here. The demands we place on our vehicles change with time and we have to accept it and move on. My suggestion is sell the thar and go for a hatchback or a sedan. If you can afford it though, keep them both! No point making it do whats its not meant to do. Rather pass it on to someone passionate and who has the time and place to use it.

Another very good suggestion ^^

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

2. Keep tyre pressure at 30 PSI. This will make steering heavier and the Thar less responsive, but you can't have it all.

1+2 should make life a lot more comfortable. Your Thar will also handle better than stock on the curves. If you're moving to a city that has well laid tar roads than concrete ones, you'll see an improvement in ride quality even without making a single change.

And that reminds me, how old are the tyres? If its more than 2 years and stock, changing them to a newer HT would help a bit.

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I have got 15" wheels on my Thar shod with Michelin LTX AT and the ride quality has definitely improved.

Like i mentioned earlier an HT latitude will make it even more plaint.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

The problem with the Thar's ride quality is not it being too harsh or jarring like the Jeep/Gypsy.
====
You should be changing to better dampeners. Get high quality shocks like Ironman or Tein. A couple of friends are super happy with Ironmans in the car. Also, get tyres with higher sidewall (275/70/16 or 31x10.5x15) and maintain good air pressure. Nothing beats the dampening ability of a tyre, is my opinion.

I differ to this, iron man and Tein i would not recommend for ride. Go for Bilstien only if you want comfortable ride. Also dont just go by sidewall height, they can actually mess up like i found out when i moved to bighorns. Since the sidewall is super stiff.

Originally Posted by paragp2006

Totally Agree with you black pearl. Before touching any mechanics, This is the first thing one should do. I have Gurkha with me and instead of going for Fiber Leaf springs, Bilstein shocks and blah blah blah I would first go for 15 inch wheels (instead of 16 inches factory fits) with Michelin/Yoko ATs and I am sure added side profiles would give me cushy ride .

Also there is one more advantage of having 15 inches wheels. There are too many Tyre options at affordable price than 16 inches.

If you are sure you want to keep Thar, try this first. 15 inch tires with higher (softer too) sidewall profile that will be off similar overall diameter of stock tyres.

Originally Posted by gkveda

If I were you, I would be going with a Hatch back OR sedan which has more riding comfort.
====
All your investments on your modifications will go in drains and lastly, you have to invest in new car again (With probable price increase due to budgets)

Absolutely sensible if you ask me.

Originally Posted by swami69

All the best for making a well thought out decision.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

But the best way is to swap your car as advised by many on this thread. THAR is built for a purpose and it does have some brickbats on ride quality compared to SUVs. If you have used your vehicle for what it was intended for and are content with it, better someone else enjoy it.

Scorpio 4x4 will give you best of both worlds

Will await for your response to the questions at the beginning, and then suggest further.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Would be way too much, pal. The recommended pressure for the Thar is 35 PSI. Most owners drive around on 30 PSI.
Going at 25 PSI will be detrimental to the tyres.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Yup works fine if you are not an aggressive driver. Company recommends lower for unladen, iirc 32 psi, and if it's just two passengers 28 is pretty safe PSI.

Right, I actually mentioned that because I assumed 30 PSI was the recommended tyre pressure for Thar. What I originally meant to suggest was up to 20% lower-than-recommended PSI for city drives and up to 10% lower-than-recommended PSI for highway drives.

Because, the tyres are built to carry the vehicle at 120 - 140 kmph on full load for an extended period of time.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I differ to this, iron man and Tein i would not recommend for ride. Go for Bilstien only if you want comfortable ride. Also dont just go by sidewall height, they can actually mess up like i found out when i moved to bighorns. Since the sidewall is super stiff.
.

Like I mentioned - and you know might be knowing better the Thar has a wobbly, pitching problem which makes the passengers sick. Otherwise, the ride is good compared to the Jeeps/Gypsys. Just need to sort out the pitchy and bouncy part.

Also agreed the Ironmans make the slow speed ride harsh. But, keep a low tyre pressure with a good tyre with high sidewall and ride on ironmans. (eg: A 275/70/16 Yoko Geolanders riding on 25psi (when single) and Ironman shocks). Yeah, you might not get the max tyre life (Outsides wear off), but, the ride will improve drastically.

Also dont just go by sidewall height

Completely agree.

[KMT]

I removed rear Ironman, now I have removed the 3rd leaf.
Ride is better but not great, handling is lousy now.

I have retained front Ironman shocks though!

Sadly, Long term, I reckon Jeep is Jeep, trying all this crap out is like drinking non-alcoholic beer.

Might as well stop driving Jeeps ����

[roby_dk]

Always listen to your heart. It may be on your left, but it is always right.

The above statement holds good in most of the scenarios.

But I feel here you have to take decision from your mind. I would suggest better to sell Thar and go for a new vehicle considering the medical condition.

It will preserve the dignity and purpose of Thar and will count as a selfless decision for your better half. A win win situation.

[Zezé]

I am planning to purchase a Thar for regular commuting around the city and some long distance drives.

Whilst I would like to off road and have attended a course at the Mahindra Adventure Academy at Igatpuri, I would not want to take a risk bouncing on hilly terrain since I have a niggling back problem.

Have test driven the latest version of the Thar and was quite happy with the performance, though I was somewhat put off with the plastic bumpers and fenders that gave it a 'sissy' look. But that can be rectified.

Originally Posted by GTO

By Jeep standards, the Thar has comfortable ride quality. ......

..............Very few cars < 10 lakhs have nice seats - all manufacturers cut costs here. Invest a couple of thousand bucks here.

I understand that the seats in the 2015 Thar are lifted from the Scorpio but without the fabric and this change in itself has improved the ride quality.

Have read posts on various threads in the forum, including some by the late Bheram Dhabhar, of the versatility of the Thar; that besides off roading, it can also be driven around the city. But after reading this particular thread, some doubts have crept into my mind as to whether I am making the right decision.

Originally Posted by KA09_BIKER_GPER

I too have a 2014 Thar CRDe. I am OK with the stock suspension setup as the roads around my city are reasonably good. My wife sometimes complains of the harsh ride but hey, end of the day it's a Jeep and one cannot expect SUV like comfort!

On the one hand, I agree that at the end of the day it's a Jeep and one cannot expect SUV comfort

Originally Posted by swami69

................go for a equivalent like a XUV or XUV itself which is ultra comfortable, high seating position, macho looks and all creature comforts you can imagine. I totally agree that if we love our Thar, XUV is no match from a heart standpoint, but I did the trade off.

On the other hand, do I follow emulate Swami and go an XUV or an XUV clone? But like he states, a Thar is no match for an XUV 'from a heart standpoint'.

To help you understand my dilemma, I will give you a bit of a background. I have always been fascinated by Jeeps and when Mahindra's introduced the Classic in the nineties, I wanted to buy one but could not afford it.

For the last few years, I have been toying with the idea of buying the Thar and as I mentioned earlier in the post, attended the Trail Survivor course at Igatpuri.

If I do buy the Thar it will only be used by me with my wife as a passenger and our two dogs in the rear. That's my requirement as far as carrying capacity goes, which means a Scoprio or a XUV has way too much seating capacity for me

Originally Posted by roby_dk

Always listen to your heart. It may be on your left, but it is always right.

Yes, I know my heart is is on the left but always right. And left to me, I would go for the Thar.

But at the same time, I don't want to end up doing a roll back and need some inputs from the 'experts'. Will be happy to provide any clarifications. if required.

[wanderhermit]

Ride of a Thar can never be as comfortable as a car.

So, in case of medical issue, it is always recommended to shift to comfortable car.

That said, some improvement is always possible.

1. Wheels: 15 inches

2. Higher side walls ( more profile)

3. Softer tyres: Michelin LTX are nice.

4. Tyre pressure: 30 front and 28 rear

These mods are the only ones advised.

CFL's help. But not without cons. That 'kick in the butt' issue, due to steel leafs, is resolved to some extent.

CFL's have reliability issues and of course, you will feel some loss in driveability. So, if your wife still has problems after tyre and wheel mods, you may consider it.


I don't think custom shocks will soften the ride in any significant way.

To add some weight at rear, you can go for custom rear bumper and hard top.

@Zeze: Go with your heart. Thar is amazing if you are fit.

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by wanderhermit

Ride of a Thar can never be as comfortable as a car............

@Zeze: Go with your heart. Thar is amazing if you are fit.

Wanderhermit, I believe you when you say that the Thar is amazing. Just the raw power of the CRDe is what is so exciting.

I just drove from Hyderabad to Goa and back last week, in a Wagon R, without any complaint. Guess I qualify as fit. Or do you think that had I driven in a Thar, the ride would not have been as comfortable as the ride in the Wagon R?