[abhisheksikka]

Hi all,

This is my first post in this awesome forum and am hoping to get some advice that a novice like me can understand.

I drive a 2014 Thar CRDE without any mods or customisation whatsoever and she has given me excellent performance on both city roads and mild offroading that I have to do occasionally when visiting my farm. In fact, the builder got stuck in his scorpio once on the way down to the farm but Ive never got into a situation which I couldnt get out of.

I'm shifting cities soon and will not be needing the car to offroad too much. Also, my better half has developed some spine problems due to which she cant be comfortable in my car. I'm hoping to mod the suspension for a more comfortable ride in the city or on the highway. 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.

1) Is installing Composite leaf springs on the Thar CRDE an option? Couldnt find a product for Thar on ARC industries page. There was one for MM540/550 though. If yes, should these only go on rear?

2) If not CFLs, are shock absorbers better for improving ride quality on city roads. I saw AmadaXtreme Comfort shock absorbers on Jeepkart available for 25K for a set of 4. What are the pro/cons for shock absorbers and which model would be best for the Thar.

I'm currently in Pune but will be driving to Delhi in a few weeks. I know Bimbra is an option for getting this work done in Gurgaon but any other leads would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Abhishek

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by abhisheksikka

I'm shifting cities soon and will not be needing the car to offroad too much. Also, my better half has developed some spine problems due to which she cant be comfortable in my car. I'm hoping to mod the suspension for a more comfortable ride in the city or on the highway. 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.

Hi Abhishek,
1) CFLs are available for Thar and if you dont overload your vehicle then you should go for it.
2) Few users are using AmadaXtreme shocks in their stock Thar and happy.

Grizzly Motor Works in Pune is authorized dealer of Amada, search for them in Facebook. They might be able to help you.

Shubhendra

[DirtyDan]

I think you will get very minimal improvement by changing your stock suspension. What may help a good deal more is to spend money on new seats and maybe padded seat covers.
I have no suggestions as to brand. You may have to research this yourself. Up market seats taken out of crashed vehicles are available in India. Getting quality seats and seat covers may solve your problem.

[KMT]

A sandbag at the back or a heavy flywheel bolted to the back floor helps. The sandbag is cheap and best, just ensure it is tied securely.
I have reupholstered my seats heavily but it's not much help.
I have installed Ironman shocks and while high-speed roll and pitch is well controlled, low speed ride has become choppy like a Gypsy��.

I carry loads regularly so CFL is not an option.

Can we install sprung seats like lorry/ busdriver seats?

[samaspire]

Check out this post about the Bose suspension system:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post3907165

If you can source it, it's the perfect solution for your problem

[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.

[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!

Here is what I suggest,

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.

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.

3) Check Janniah leaf springs for the rear. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post3155781

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

5) Explore different shockers. Imported racing shocks are pretty hard. They will solve body roll issue but will give you a hard ride.

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

7) As other members mentioned, have some weight on the rear of the Jeep.

[GTO]

By Jeep standards, the Thar has comfortable ride quality. Far superior to the old Mahindra offroaders, and a lot more so than the bumpy Gypsy.

It's definitely liveable, but there are ways to further improve comfort. BHPians have covered most points above. As per the suggestions, you must consider CFLs & cushier seats. These will make a big, big difference. Very few cars < 10 lakhs have nice seats - all manufacturers cut costs here. Invest a couple of thousand bucks here.

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.

Be sure to maintain the right tyre pressure. Over-inflation will make things bumpier. In fact, with the wife onboard, you can drop 1 PSI in the city.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

I am not a 4x4 guy, so not giving any gyan on the same.

Just wanted to mention that if you want to keep the Thar for any off-roading you would want to do, instead of spending money on the mods to make it comfortable, please consider buying a decent pre-owned car for family purposes as they would feel comfortable during long drives.

Suggest you to go through this thread, wherein a BHPian Swamy bought a pre-owned Corolla (also retaining the Thar for off-roading) for family usage.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...xperience.html

KK

[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.

Your tyre life and mileage might drop by roughly 10 or 15%, but these expenses are spread over time and you won't feel the pinch.

The engineering solutions are a hit or miss/trial and error type of solutions. The above is something you can do today and see instant results.

[crdi]

Originally Posted by KA09_BIKER_GPER

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

I too had toyed with this idea for sometime, then came across a thread where a bolero guy had tried all sorts of things like inverting, removing, re-cambering his vehicle's leaves, not having any satisfaction and eventually selling it. So didn't try it myself.
Apart from the other options mentioned, on two instances I felt an improvement in ride quality, one is when I had got the wheels aligned (I had to nag the a.s.s. to align all four wheels, properly adjust the caster,camber and not just the usual toe job) second is when I had installed rear wheel spacers. The spacers were done only for aesthetic reasons but I've felt the rear to be less bouncy after that. I am not a technical guy and I haven't read anywhere about a similar effect after using spacers but I think offset wheels, being a little distant from the fulcrum(leaves), acts a little like the way when the rear is having a light load. One will be warned about axle/bearing lives though and it will be a perceptable but not a major improvement in ride quality.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by smartcat

No cost but 100% effective solution is to reduce the tyre pressure to 25 PSI for city drives

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.

[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.

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by abhisheksikka

I'm shifting cities soon and will not be needing the car to offroad too much. Also, my better half has developed some spine problems due to which she cant be comfortable in my car. I'm hoping to mod the suspension for a more comfortable ride in the city or on the highway. I understand that its a trade-off with offroad capabilities but I cant seem to find definitive content which can guide me to make a better decision.

Originally Posted by KA09_BIKER_GPER

3) Check Janniah leaf springs for the rear. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ml#post3155781

1. Janniah leaf springs help a great deal. They're cheaper than after market shock absorbers and actually transform high speed handling, too.

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.

Cheers,

Jay

[BlackPearl]

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.

Be sure to maintain the right tyre pressure. Over-inflation will make things bumpier. In fact, with the wife onboard, you can drop 1 PSI in the city.

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.