[headers]

Originally Posted by starter

Fuel Efficiency is about 9 to 10km to a liter in mostly city traffic conditions.

Handling/Steering - It goes on the road like as if its drunk. I do not know if it is the same with others' Gypsy or if it is the same with any non power assisted steering. In my Gypsy, if you turn the steering wheel by half a turn and then you leave your hand from the steering wheel, it does not come back to the original straight position. It continues to go in the same direction as it was while you left your hand. So, you would need to correct the steering position immediately. Other than that, the steering is a little too hard when you are parking your car or changing lanes in peak traffic. Suspension is very hard, so is the ride.

First: Congrats on your BRAND NEW GYPSY.

Now, please get your king pin checked - normal steering wheel in the gypsy does return back to center if the kingpin alignment is correct! And Steering is light too if the suspension adjustment is correct. I had this problem for many years before i found the culprit and solution 2 years ago!

Your FE is also decent!

Not just the number plate but even the holder has to be removed Ram. I've seen Khan & Siddhu's plates bent. I shall do something for these before going on an OTR.

Just remove the number plate and put a sticker number place on the rear door - plain simple and reliable

3. Any way to reduce the flapping racket the soft top makes at speed?

Yes there is!

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

There is NO way reduce the flapping. Just learn to live with it :-)

I beg to differ KS

Wrt fitting an AC, you will need to go in for a bigger radiator etc. I have these on my Gypsy King 1.3 carb. And I'm sure there is a way to increase the idling while the AC comes on just like how the modern MPFi engines have them!

Cheers

[starter]

Originally Posted by headers

First: Congrats on your BRAND NEW GYPSY.

Hi Headers,
Thanks a lot!

Now, please get your king pin checked - normal steering wheel in the gypsy does return back to center if the kingpin alignment is correct! And Steering is light too if the suspension adjustment is correct. I had this problem for many years before i found the culprit and solution 2 years ago!

Thank you very much for this information. Will go to my service center soon and get this checked. I wrongly presumed that it is because of tyres being upsized and the lack of power steering.

Just remove the number plate and put a sticker number place on the rear door - plain simple and reliable

Would it be possible to remove the number plate holder as well?

Yes there is!

Since mine is a hardtop, i wouldn't have this problem. But Sawyer would be really interested. Could you kindly elaborate on what could be done to reduce the flapping sound from the soft top, Headers?

Wrt fitting an AC, you will need to go in for a bigger radiator etc. I have these on my Gypsy King 1.3 carb. And I'm sure there is a way to increase the idling while the AC comes on just like how the modern MPFi engines have them!

I read somewhere on this thread, that one needs to get his ECU reprogrammed to get the idling increased as and when the AC is switched on and this seems to be a very difficult job. Any thoughts on this Headers? I shall definitely contact you if i decide to get an AC installed. Khan's thread on AC is also very helpful.

Cheers,
Deepak

[Sha]

Originally Posted by starter

Hi Headers,
Thank you very much for this information. Will go to my service center soon and get this checked. I wrongly presumed that it is because of tyres being upsized and the lack of power steering.

Would it be possible to remove the number plate holder as well?

Deepak

Do not do wheel alignment at service centre, do it in Madhus or Shiva where i usually do it.
Have you done wheel balancing and alignment after tyre change if not do it.
You can remove number plate holder also, you can remove anything in Gypsy thats the speciality.

[starter]

Originally Posted by Sha

Do not do wheel alignment at service centre, do it in Madhus or Shiva where i usually do it.
Have you done wheel balancing and alignment after tyre change if not do it.
You can remove number plate holder also, you can remove anything in Gypsy thats the speciality.

Hey Shakir,
Point noted, will get it done at Madhus. You are right, i have not got the balancing and alignment done after the tyre change. It is nice to know that the number plate holder can be removed completely. This time, when i get the car washed, will try to check on where is this holder fixed to the chassis.
Thanks a lot for this info Shakir.
Cheers,
Deepak

[Sha]

Originally Posted by starter

Hey Shakir,
Point noted, will get it done at Madhus. You are right, i have not got the balancing and alignment done after the tyre change. It is nice to know that the number plate holder can be removed completely. This time, when i get the car washed, will try to check on where is this holder fixed to the chassis.
Thanks a lot for this info Shakir.
Cheers,
Deepak

By the way why you want to remove number plate it will get damage only if you are doing extreme offroading, I have broken 8 times thats the fun, 9th number plate is still holding after last OTR also.

[starter]

Hello Friends,

Let me share the list of accessories/add-ons that i've installed on my Gypsy since delivery.

First addition on the Gypsy was tyres. The original tyres that came with Gypsy was CEAT F78 R15 (205, 70, R15). I replaced these to BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres (215, 75, R15). I got the tyres through my dealer's contact. The price for BFGs was 23K for a set of 5. The dealer took back my OEM tyres for 11K.

Close up of BFGs


Next set of accessories, my sales advisor suggested a place near Sagar, called Top Car. It is right opposite to Apollo Hospital, Jayanagar. This is exactly where wifey's Alto (she calls it Diva ) also got its accessories. List of accessories that i purchased:

JVC head unit with USB/iPod input
2 simple Pioneer speakers
Mobile charging socket
3M sun films
Car cover
Car shampoo

JVC head unit


Am not a big fan of loud music. So, i did not want to have an amp, a sub-woofer, not even speakers at the back. With Gypsy, having speakers at the back is also a problem.

• No carpet at the back yet. So, was not sure if these speaker boxes would cause a problem.
• These speaker boxes might also be a problem while installing front facing seats.
• If placed completely at the back, had to drill some holes on the body.

With all these reasons, i said no for speakers at the back. Coming to the speakers in the front, Gypsy comes with 2 small cubby holes at the front, for speakers, i guess. On the right side, it is near to the accelerator pedal (on the right side). Similar on the left side as well. We tried placing the speakers there. The size of the hole is too small and hence very small speakers. Once you start the car, you can hardly hear a thing. So, the accessories guy suggested to place the speakers on top of the B pillar. This could accommodate slightly bigger ones and the effect is quite nice.

Speakers


Also, i like their work in terms of concealing the wires. You can hardly see any wires in the Gypsy. The only part of wires seen is the black patch coming out of the cardboard into the hole on the body.


Next was a small antenna for better radio reception. For this one, there were already holes on the windshield frame.


Some experts here adviced me to seal the air vents in the front. This was completely designed and done by the graphics guy in the accessory store. He was in love with my Gypsy. Suggested some hundred varieties of graphics and i said no for all of it. Am not a big fan of them.


2 Hella Comet 500s in the front. These are mainly to enhance the visibility in the night, along with the OEM lights. The performance of these are pretty ok. They are not positioned perfectly. Have to get these adjusted. By the way, to get these fitted, i'd to get 2 holes on the bumper.


Apart from these, got 3M sun films, Sumo's car cover and ArmorAll Car wash.

That's about the list of car accessories and additions on the Gypsy till now.
Am off to Kanyakumari in a couple of hours. Naah, not in the Gypsy. Will come back only next week. So, will reply to all your comments once i am back.

Next post, i shall try to highlight the differences between hard top and soft top.

Cheers Everybody,
Deepak

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by starter

That's about the list of car accessories and additions on the Gypsy till now.
Am off to Kanyakumari in a couple of hours. Naah, not in the Gypsy. Will come back only next week. So, will reply to all your comments once i am back.

Next post, i shall try to highlight the differences between hard top and soft top.

Cheers Everybody,
Deepak

Very good and appropriate accessories for the King I would say. Congrats on the fit. So I guess the ac is next in the line right??

[harjeev]

Hey guys,
Pardon my ignorance, but I've seen many Gypsys with covered front air vents!
is there any specific reason for the same!!!

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Hey guys,
Pardon my ignorance, but I've seen many Gypsys with covered front air vents!
is there any specific reason for the same!!!

Yes, because a lot of rubbish gets into the vented space and then the rain makes a mess of it, including starting to leak into the cabin. Starter has a neat graphic done for it, I covered my vent in layers of wide 3M scotch tape from day 1 that has held very well and is almost invisible. One of the many Gypsy learnings from this forum!

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Hey guys,
Pardon my ignorance, but I've seen many Gypsys with covered front air vents!
is there any specific reason for the same!!!

Yes these vents were covered in ours too,but that was way back in late 90's but then i was a Kid
But i do remember,when ever i used to start the blower,it used to blow out a lot of dirt,mud,leaves and what not when they were uncovered
may be the closing the vents prevents it,i dont remember if blower used to push out dust after as,it was sold by then

[harishF1]

Originally Posted by starter

Hi Headers,
Thanks a lot!

Thank you very much for this information. Will go to my service center soon and get this checked. I wrongly presumed that it is because of tyres being upsized and the lack of power steering.

Would it be possible to remove the number plate holder as well?

Since mine is a hardtop, i wouldn't have this problem. But Sawyer would be really interested. Could you kindly elaborate on what could be done to reduce the flapping sound from the soft top, Headers?

I read somewhere on this thread, that one needs to get his ECU reprogrammed to get the idling increased as and when the AC is switched on and this seems to be a very difficult job. Any thoughts on this Headers? I shall definitely contact you if i decide to get an AC installed. Khan's thread on AC is also very helpful.

Cheers,
Deepak

Hi Deepak,

Been going thru the thread and love the enthusiasm of the group. Kudos to you!!

I went through a similar act (or torture) of convincing wife/ mom/ dad who were on 1 side and myself on the other side (read: receiving side) of the discussion. Its not easy to convince a whole lot of people about the way you spend you own hard earned money on your own dreams and passions... Isnt it?? I have still not managed to get their agreement, esp mom, but it doesn't matter now. I had already bought a used Gypsy King Carb 1.3L (Y2K model) by then.

On the a/c part - considering that I live in Chennai I didnt have a choice: I have fixed a Sanden a/c with a super king blower. Seems to be doing well. For the best idling engine rpm with and without the a/c on, I have fixed a "valve" which automatically increases the revs when the a/c goes on. I got this fixed at a MASS center.

Happy Gypsying!!!

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by starter

I've engaged 4H a couple of times. Last week, it was raining pretty heavily in B'lore. The main road in front of my office was totally clogged due to traffic. So, I decided to take the (mud)road behind my office. Because of the rain, that road had become very slushy. After about 200 metres, Gypsy got stuck there. The rear wheels were spinning but was not getting out. That was when i realized what a 4 wheel drive is. Just switched to 4H, and started again. I stalled the engine the first time. Tried again and within a couple of seconds, Gypsy started moving. I immediately switched it back to 2H and continued driving home. God, i was grinning ear to ear My experience with 4X4 was only limited to such. Nothing major yet.

Good to see your'e having fun with your, Gypsy. Keep it up mate!

[ketla2411]

I think the best is not to add any of the comfort additions for a vehicle of this stature. Gypsies are ment to be simple machines designed to do just one job. MAKE THEIR OWN ROADS WHERE THERE ARE NONE. And that they do very well because of the simple and basic but purpose built features they come with. Its pretty logical. Less of the unwanted masala if anything has to be worked upon in the middle of nowhere .

[Jaggu]

So i happened to speak to a Gypsy buyer who wanted only an air-conditioned vehicle delivered from MUL, the customer service guided him to a dealer fitment at delivery and he accepted the offer. This was done couple of years back and this vehicle has been running without any issues all over India and have made himalayan visits also. So i would call it reliable and working flawless.

Details i could gather from him regarding the job:
- It was a dealer fitment before delivery
- Choice of additional blower (under the dash) was offered, but he went with stock blowers due to aesthetic issues.
- External blower is anyday better in efficiency department. Though in his car the stock blower works in delhi heat of 40's and manage to bring cabin to 18-20 deg's.
- While fitting choose for the THINNEST front condenser, so that the air flow is least affected.
- Fix electrical radiator fan in front, with maximum number of curved blades. He has used merc's with 12 blades.
- Put an additional fan inside the bonnet, near the header fire wall which will "blow" towards under carriage. This improved the engine cooling upto 30% oh hot delhi summers.
- Insulate the front firewall, door and underbody with foam insulation.
- Install sun control on front 3 glass, this helps alot in cooling efficiency.
_ Closed the external air circulation permanently to avoid muck getting in.
- Total cost he paid for this was 35k INR.

This vehicle has AC rpm advance working, again done by MUL dealer workshop though he doesnt know the exact details of what they have done. But this was acheived using the ECU itself.

Even if MUL dealers dont help, someone like Race Dynamics should be able to help you with this ECU thing easily.

[kavesh55]

Originally Posted by harishF1

On the a/c part - considering that I live in Chennai I didnt have a choice: I have fixed a Sanden a/c with a super king blower. Seems to be doing well. For the best idling engine rpm with and without the a/c on, I have fixed a "valve" which automatically increases the revs when the a/c goes on. I got this fixed at a MASS center.

Happy Gypsying!!!

The valve you are talking about is known as FICD pump and switch (Fast idle control device), it increases the rpm when the a/c is switched on to compensate for more power. With mpfi & Ecu in place it would be just be set at the ecu.