[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

2000 kms mark breached last week, in 45 days of ownership with only home-office commutes thrown in. Highway drives planned later this month.

Wow 2000 kms in under 2 months, looks like you are smiling all the way enjoying the boost. So has she been consistent with her performance and mileage perspectives?

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Wow 2000 kms in under 2 months, looks like you are smiling all the way enjoying the boost. So has she been consistent with her performance and mileage perspectives?

No complaints whatsoever Mahesh.

I've been enjoying the turbo kick so the FE has dropped a bit. I'm getting 16.5 kmpl with a/c in city traffic. I do get to open her up in the mornings when the roads are clear. With a light foot, the FE has reached around 18 kmpl (with a/c).

[n_aditya]

Took my Ritz on her first long highway drive this last Friday.

Drove down to Chennai on friday evening after work.

I found the stock bulbs are just about adequate or average for night driving. Need to upgrade the bulbs soon.

Due to limited visibility owing to the stock bulbs i did not exceed 100kmph and only on the stretches where visibility was good, did i touch 120 kmph.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Ritz delivered an astounding mileage of 22.3kmpl. The a/c was on (thermostat was not set to fully cold) and blower was set to 1.

On the return leg yesterday, she delivered an FE of 20.5 kmpl. I left chennai in the afternoon, so the a/c was running full blast with the temp knob at max cold and blower speed at 3).

Since the visibility was a lot better thanks to the daylight, i managed to touch 130kmph on isolated stretches. The car handles very well and if i should compare it to my esteem, it is miles ahead in terms of corner speeds, handling and braking.

The brakes on the ZDi are brilliant. I had braked hard on a wet patch while on my way to Chennai on Fri night to avoid a truck sans any tail lights or reflective markings and the car shed speed without any drama and i was able to steer away without breaking a sweat.

There was a bit of light rain on my onward journey and the rear wash and wipe was a blessing as well.

I'm glad i made an intelligent decision to buy the fully loaded version with ABS, Airbag's (hope i never get to test this) and the works.

I enjoyed the sound of the turbo so much that the music system was off for almost half of my return trip. The sound of the turbo spooling and the blow off is so addictive. I was toying with the idea of turbo charging the esteem long back but had kept the plans in hibernation as reliability was a concern.

This weekend I will buy the Osram Night-breaker Plus or the Philips Xtreme Visions in the stock rating. I do not want to mess with the electrical system or the headlight lens/plastics by adding a relay and higher watt bulbs. Will keep the car in stock condition as much as possible.

A couple of pics from my cell phone:

Coffee break near Kanchipuram:



Kitna Deti Hai (What's the mileage?):

[Schoudhury]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Due to limited visibility owing to the stock bulbs

I fail to understand why these car manufactures doesn't provide better lights on cars. Are these cars only meant to be driven inside the city and not on the highways during night ?
Try to avoid those whitish coloured lights for the headlight , they are absolutely useless even if there is a slight drizzle .

Originally Posted by n_aditya

The car handles very well and if i should compare it to my esteem, it is miles ahead in terms of corner speeds, handling and braking.

You mean ,you found handling better in Ritz compared to your esteem ?

Originally Posted by n_aditya

There was a bit of light rain on my onward journey and the rear wash and wipe was a blessing as well.

That's the one thing I dearly miss on my Ritz during highway rides , specially if it is raining or rained .

Bdw , how was the ride quality .
The reason why I ask is, a lot many people complain about bouncy ride on Ritz , which I never found . So wanted to know you point of view .

Cheers

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

I fail to understand why these car manufactures doesn't provide better lights on cars. Are these cars only meant to be driven inside the city and not on the highways during night ?

Cost cutting measures i guess. Same is the case with tires.

The stock JK's on the ZDi, although 185 profile, are grippy but on rough tarmac there is considerable amount of road/tire noise inside the cabin.

My cousin's who were traveling with me were surprised there was absolutely no harshness or diesel clatter inside the cabin. One of them was sleeping peacefully in the back seat.

When i was accelerating with the pedal pressed hard there was a bit of engine noise but with a light foot (while cruising) the engine is very silent. And, the blower was set to 1 (the lowest speed), so the engine noise if any, should have been audible but it was very faint.

Even our fellow friendly moderator, vid6639 was amazed on the NVH levels of the new maruti diesels.

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

Try to avoid those whitish coloured lights for the headlight , they are absolutely useless even if there is a slight drizzle.

Yeah, i tried them on in the esteem a few years back and immediately switched to the "normal" ones.

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

You mean ,you found handling better in Ritz compared to your esteem ?

Yes. The esteem is much lower and one would feel like he or she is sitting on the road and driving. The esteem also has a lot of body roll and at high speeds it tends to feel like it is lifting off the ground. IMO, the Ritz is definitely better in terms of cornering and has significantly lesser body roll compared to the esteem.

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

Bdw , how was the ride quality .
The reason why I ask is, a lot many people complain about bouncy ride on Ritz , which I never found . So wanted to know you point of view.

I've heard this one so i asked my cousin who was in the back seat and he said it was comfy. He was sleeping like a baby except for when we stopped for breaks.

On the other hand, i will say that in deep potholes (or craters!) the car does rock a bit so one has to take it slow. On rough patches, gravel strewn / broken roads, it is not unsettling at all. The car is very stable and comfortable.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

Bdw , how was the ride quality .
The reason why I ask is, a lot many people complain about bouncy ride on Ritz , which I never found . So wanted to know you point of view .

Even I never found the ride to be bouncy. When ever I drove the Ritz at my parent's place it was good. It felt very planted (Its a petrol). I did not take it to triple digits, but over humps and potholes I never found it to be bumpy.

[Schoudhury]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Cost cutting measures i guess. Same is the case with tires.

.

Yes I guess that's true . I think Maruti also agrees to it, as they have no issues even if you upgrade to 90/100 bulbs with proper relay . In my car, I was surprised to see the relay for my headlamp was fitted in a much better way then the way it was originally fitted during a regular service .

Oh yes, nvh for Ritz is excellent , If you are driving at speeds to around 80+ , no one can say you have diesel under the hood . During night drives it is even better .

Cheers

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

I think Maruti also agrees to it, as they have no issues even if you upgrade to 90/100 bulbs with proper relay.

So you're saying i won't have warranty issues if i upgrade to 90/100 bulbs with a wiring harness / relay?

I asked the dealer if he would install such an upgrade but he said i would have to get it done outside and that any related fault will not get covered under warranty.

Do the headlight units (lens and other related parts) get dull over time if I use the 90/100 bulbs? I used 100/130 in my esteem and that caused the headlights to dull over time. I don't plan on going over to 100/130 though.

[Schoudhury]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

So you're saying i won't have warranty issues if i upgrade to 90/100 bulbs with a wiring harness / relay?

I asked the dealer if he would install such an upgrade but he said i would have to get it done outside and that any related fault will not get covered under warranty.

Absolutely , no issues with warranty at all . If you have proper really in place there will be no issues at all , as it will be directly connected with the battery .
It's a simple plug and play stuff , remove it if needed.

I am using 90/100 from last years .

But one thing , if you 90/100 once you will feel blinded if you switch back to 55/60 ,lol.

Hope it helps .

[chncar]

I have a question on the right tyre pressure for the 185/70 R14 tyres on the Ritz, perhaps you can help since these are the stock tyres on your car. What are the manufacturer recommended tyre pressures for the Ritz ZDi?

Thanks!

Regarding the lights, 100/90 is a much needed upgrade, but for some reason the bulbs seem to burn out faster than the lower wattage ones. Nevertheless, at about 200-250 Rs per bulb they aren't that expensive to replace.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

So you're saying i won't have warranty issues if i upgrade to 90/100 bulbs with a wiring harness / relay?

Sir: you shouldnt really bother about what the dealer says about a headlight upgrade. An upgrade to 90/100 is definitely recommended and has an age-old proven installation involving a cutout. Only in India do OEMs come with below-par lighting of 55/60 W.

Do take care not to upgrade beyond 90/100: the heat generated by 100/130 bulbs etc are not conducive to the plastic holders and headlight domes of today's cars. Even if you were to put in a ceramic holder, you dont want to risk heat-damage to the headlight domes.

When I had last upgraded to 90/100 on my Swift, Narva ruled the roost. Currently, Osram Nightbreakers are said to be at the top-of-the-charts. Avoid Bosch - lot of fakes around. Philips is average.

On another note - after 10K kms, methinks you should definitely consider a remap or an RD box for your car!

[Schoudhury]

Originally Posted by chncar

but for some reason the bulbs seem to burn out faster than the lower wattage ones. Nevertheless, at about 200-250 Rs per bulb they aren't that expensive to replace.

Not sure , why you say so . I am using the same set of 90/100 W bulbs since the last 3 years.

Originally Posted by theMAG

On another note - after 10K kms, methinks you should definitely consider a remap or an RD box for your car!

I am seriously thinking about a remap rather than a ecu box . My car will be touching 50k Kms next month , so is it ok to go for remap now or its not advisable .
Also if we go for remap is there any thing extra that we need to take care .

Cheers

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Only in India do OEMs come with below-par lighting of 55/60 W.

Not true dude. 55/60W is universal rating. 90/100 is aftermarket but not legal.

The problem is nothing do with OEM's it's to do with the drivers. The only reason you will feel your headlights are not good is when you are blinded by drivers using high beams from oncoming traffic. 90/100 will basically help with illumination and you will effectively be blinding that guy even more.

Even 90/100's can cause the reflector or plastic dome to become black. If your on the highway where cold air is always blowing onto headlight it is fine. If your driving in city then even 90/100's has a chance of heating up the headlights to high levels.

[no_boundaries]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Took my Ritz on her first long highway drive this last Friday.

Awesome, the pro's of Diesel engines thoroughly enjoyed.

I know i've asked the same question before, how was the driving comfort and did you feel any fatigue at all. I'm asking this specifically with respect to the wrist and ankle pain and the lower back pain if any.
Sorry for focusing on this too much.

[Schoudhury]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The problem is nothing do with OEM's it's to do with the drivers. The only reason you will feel your headlights are not good is when you are blinded by drivers using high beams from oncoming traffic. 90/100 will basically help with illumination and you will effectively be blinding that guy even more.

What you say actually make sense , but how about highway drives in the night . Do you think 55/60 is good enough ?

If 55/60 is standard across other countries also , then are they better quality of lights or there also we have same stuff which is used in car manufactured for Indian conditions .

Cheers