[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Why is the derriere muddy and rest of the SUV clean?

Honestly, even I had no clue!

All I did while going to Chokhi Dhani was to take a backlane since the Google told me U-Turn on the main road was way too ahead! And the backlane wasn't so bad to throw so much muck! So even I was like when I noticed it later that evening.

BTW, the car crossed 158k yesterday and is inching close to 160k for its next service.

[Manuuj]

Wow!! Thats a lovely thread youve got there bro! I know im really late to this party but - Welcome to the Fortuner family! In my view the best vehicle there is!

You have some awesome modifications preinstalled on Atlantis! Could you share some details of the modifications, suspension setup etc.

Also do let me know how the Bighorn 764's are performing.
What size tyre are you running?
How many kms have u used them for so far and your impressions about using MT tyres on the road, in respect to noise and ride quality.

Obelix as you know is on its way for some long awaited mods also now!
I see you had a wonderful trip to Leh in Atlantis. Bhai TLog toh banta hai! What is your youtube channel called? Will subscribe!

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Wow!! Thats a lovely thread youve got there bro! I know im really late to this party but - Welcome to the Fortuner family! In my view the best vehicle there is!

Thank you Manuuj and glad to welcome you here in my thread. Indeed I am enjoying the experience!

Before I got Atlantis home, I can't even remember how many times did I go through yours, Guderian's and Karan561's threads on your respective beasts!

Originally Posted by Manuuj

You have some awesome modifications preinstalled on Atlantis! Could you share some details of the modifications, suspension setup etc.

I think I shared the list of mods in a post somewhere... over the top of my head.

• Ironman 4x4 Nitro Gas Filled Shocks and Springs with 2" lift kit
• Ironman 4x4 Bullbar (Commercial - Sub Brand, winch and airbags compatible)
• Ironman 4x4 Electric Winch with steel rope (12,000 lbs capacity)
• Ironman 4x4 Snorkel
• A pair of Hella Ralley 3003 Compact Spot Lights
  
• Rocksliders to replace sidesteps - Soon
• Continental Cross Contact AT Tires - Soon
• Mechanical Rear Differential Lock or Toyota OEM Rear Axle from South Africa/Thailand - Soon, budget permitting

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Also do let me know how the Bighorn 764's are performing.
What size tyre are you running?
How many kms have u used them for so far and your impressions about using MT tyres on the road, in respect to noise and ride quality.

I am running 265/70/R17 size on my Bighorns. They are awesome overall, espcially for off-roading and hill trips, slightly bigger than OEM size and fill the wheel arches well, especially after the lift. However, they are noisy on the smooth tarmac.

To put it in .anshuman's words aptly, at 100 kmph Atlantis feels like a small Cessna about to take off from runway!!!

Ride quality is okay however Ironman suspension makes up a lot for any faults with tires due to stiffer sidewall too! So, I expect ride quality to go up a notch once I switch to AT rubber.

I have put 20,000 kms on them and rhandle used them for around 30,000 kms before I got the car, so total usage is about 50,000 kms! Since MT tires wear out faster than HT or AT, I think time is coming near to replace them with a set of Cross Contacts. Soon, I guess.

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Obelix as you know is on its way for some long awaited mods also now!

Can't wait for it! Will be awesome to have Obelix to join our Sunday morning OTRs if you can chim in, especially now when winters are approaching so outdoor activities can last long enough during the daytime!

Originally Posted by Manuuj

I see you had a wonderful trip to Leh in Atlantis. Bhai TLog toh banta hai!

I know man! Just that I and .Anshuman both are caught up with daily chores of life ever since we have been back to civilization! .A has been busy processing the pics for a while now. Once that is complete, we will kick start the write up on Travelogue. Stay tuned for it.

Originally Posted by Manuuj

What is your Youtube channel called? Will subscribe!

My YT Channel here

.A's Channel here

Most of the videos are on .A's channel.

[Ace F355]

So if you recall my opening posts in this thread, I had mentioned about MT tires being little too harsh for road use and my plans on possible upgrades.

Good News! Atlantis has been bought new pair of shoes. Continental Cross-Contact AT in OEM size, 265/65/R17.

I decided to upgrade the tires since another long drive in Rajasthan is due next week and I was noticing fast wear on my current Maxxis BigHorn 764 MT Tires while driving on tarmac. Now that I have AT tires on my Fortuner, MT tires are going to stay with me for upcoming mountain expeditions (where the toughness of MT tires really shines) and next Monsoons (in hope for mud fun... hehe).

Broadly speaking, I had 4 tires to choose from once I was sure I wanted at least an All Terrain Tire, not HT ones.

1. Yokohama Geolander AT-S -



Supposedly good rubber from a reputed company, but unfortunately first one to be ruled out of contest. It had mixed reviews on the forum itself. While a few people were quite happy with this tire, most had complaints with its weak sidewalls which are reported too prone to fail at speeds! Manuuj, Harjeev, rhandle and Frankenstein, all reported this issue. Not to mention our dear Sam Kapasi had a terrible blowout on Mumbai-Pune Expressway and his Land Rover was wearing these ones as well. With this much of an mixed bag of reports, I had lowest levels of faith on these tires. No offence to those members who are proudly satisfied with this tire, I myself have Yoko ATS as my current spare wheel (and have gone through a couple of sets of Yokohama A Drives, A Drive R1s and DB Series V550) but I wasn't ready to take these Geolanders as my dependable set of rubber in Fortuner! Ruled Out at first instance!

2. Michelin Latitude Cross -



Michelin LC is one hell of a tire in mixed conditions IMO, specially if your driving conditions are 80 : 20 biased for On : Off-road. Extremely silent on highway, excellent grip and decent off road performance makes this tire one of the best choice for Fortuner owners. Only deterrent was Tejas's post in his Pajero Overlanding thread where he mentioned about V-16's Fortuner (shodded with these Michelins) struggling on grass+mud terrain. Considering my intended usage is 50:50 on/off-road, I had to take this one out as well despite being a very competent product. A particular word about this one - Michelin LC isn't a proper AT, however its offroad performance is generally very decent, hence it always tends to come up in Fortuner tire upgrade options.

3. Pirelli Scorpion ATR -



Probably one of the best AT tires in India, period. When the tire comes as OEM equipped on a renowned product like Mercedes G500, you know the rubber has to be very good. .anshuman has this on his XUV and we have have seen how much off-road performance he extracts from these Pirellis. If I wasn't going to take my call on Continentals as my final pick, these would have been blindfolded choice!

4. Continental Cross-Contact AT -



My final Pick. These tires have been highly recommended on our Forum by many, including TSK1979, Karan561, Columbus and bhp. Really tough tires, the tread pattern is really aggressive, almost like my current MTs. Well suited to my usage of 50:50 on/off-roading. For overlanding, I anyway have BigHorns with me.



So what do I like about my new tires? Plenty of things, actually. It has been 100+ kms only with these tires and I want the new rubber to set in for at least 500-600 kms. However initial observations are

• Really Silent Rubber - No more Cessna on a runway feeling!
• Excellent Ride Quality - considering Maxxis were a little too harsh due to their stiff sidewalls.
• Light Steering - Atlantis now feels like a SUV, not the truck!
• Better FE - Too early to tell, will confirm with 3-4 back to back tankfuls. However there is no denying that these are lightweight compared to Maxxis and so far I am noticing some improvement in FE.
• Supposedly Amazing Resistance to Aquaplaning - One of the most highlighted feature on their website.

What I don't like:

• Habit to pick up small stones - within our first 5 kms of new rubber, we had 2 incidents of small stones being thrown around in wheel well. The tread blocks have very good gap where these stones get stuck and thrown around later at high speeds.
• Toned Down Looks - Maxxis suit Atlantis's character much better.
• No White Letters on Tire Wall in India - Why Continental? These are your premium tires, treat them like ones.

Anyway, I will give detailed feedback later once I put on some miles on these Contis, probably put on in a separate thread. Meanwhile enjoy the pics below.

Had discussed with the dealer (Zig Wheels, on Golf Course Road, Gurgaon) on phone prior to my visit. By the time I reached the dealer, he had pulled out the tires from his warehouse. .anshuman joined me there in a couple of minutes.

My first view when I reached his place.


The Tire Label - Notice For Europe writing


Tires Made in South Africa, I like that, better than China in my books. lol.


Pretty Fresh Batch too! April/May 2016 = Less than 6 months old.


The boys at Zig Wheels started onto the task pretty quick, taking off all 4 wheels.


BigHorns being taken off from Alloys.


Atlantis on jack support! All wheels taken off.


A visual comparison of Continentals Vs BigHorns. Notice that BigHorns are still taller than Contis, despite being worn out. Reason: They are one size bigger - 265/70/R17 Vs Contis 265/65/R17.


.Anshuman checking on the final fitment and observing some numbers on Tread Wear Rating/ Traction Rating / Temperature Ratings.


Continentals have above mentioned ratings at 660 (suggesting very long life tread life, Michelin LC has 330 BTW), 'A' (Second Best Rating for traction in wet conditions) and 'B' (in the middle rating for heat dissipation) respectively.

More can be read here about these numbers in case you wanna check yours

Like I said, need to run in the tires first and once I have close to 1000 kms, I will update my opinion on them. Stay Tuned for that.

[rhandle]

Originally Posted by Sheel

It should. We ought to know which is more awesome, both on-road and off it.
?

Just concluded first session yesterday. You'll now I would rate Endy higher.

Lots more abuse to go and to see if Cerberus can withstand the abuse like the Atlantis.

Well soon there would be a ritual round to my village will meet you then.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by rhandle

Lots more abuse to go and to see if Cerberus can withstand the abuse like the Atlantis.

Yes, that has to be seen as well. Most are under the impression that a Ford cannot match a Toyota as far as taking it for granted goes.

We would know as to who is right & wrong. I simply would love to see a MT there & that is it.

Well soon there would be a ritual round to my village will meet you then.

Would look forward to meet you after a really long time, 5+ years to be precise.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by rhandle

Just concluded first session yesterday.

Here are a few pics to boot! I know I am spilling the beans here, however ideally we would like to create a separate thread for penning down the comparison, otherwise the info will be diluted/lost put here.

Pics Below...

Originally Posted by rhandle

You'll now know I would rate Endy higher.

Going by the first impression we have had during past weekend, I would also rate Ford Endeavour better overall.

However, then again, Endy is a FULL generation ahead of Atlantis, so it ought to be better. I am not the kind of person who likes too many electronic aids, however I will admit there are a couple of these aids which actually help you out on tricky situations. And Endy comes with OEM Differential Lock in the rear which is another advantage.

While the initial impression of next gen Fortuner isn't as good as the Endeavour, we will have to make a proper comparison of both SUVs once it is launched in India in November. Guess we will know once the time comes.

Originally Posted by rhandle

Lots more abuse to go and to see if Cerberus can withstand the abuse like the Atlantis.

Hahaha, yes that's primarily the reason why old school manual controlled functions are better IMO, these are robust and withstand with abuse very well. I will too, be looking forward to long term usage of Endy.

Afterall it is one of the very few choices which I can replace Atlantis with, once the time comes, that is.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Habit to pick up small stones

I most certainly wasn't putting above quote lightly about these tires. Here is an example how badly these tires pick up small stones. I think the tread blocks which have been made so in order to channel water out efficiently (to avoid aquaplaning) and aid self cleaning in mud/slush are a little too wide for small stones, leaving them getting stuck in between far too often!

[Ace F355]

I was travelling in past 5 days in South Western Rajasthan. Had some really good time on this family vacation and visited Udaipur, Mount Abu, Chittorgarh and Jaipur on my way back home. No issues with Atlantis to report during this 1900 kms+ roundtrip. Tires have been through their honeymoon period now and I am happy to report that their tire noise is still well under my expectations. I also completed 160k kms on odo reading during this holiday and will be sending the car for regular service at Toyota during upcoming weekend. For the record, overall FE from this trip was 10.8 kmpl tankful to tankful and I wasn't gentle on gas by any means, considering the roads are sublime in this part of the country.

A few pictures from the trip below.

At top of Udaipur


Floating Palaces in Lake Pichola...


From Sajjangarh Palace






Vijay Satambh at distance with some temple ruins in the foreground in Chittorgarh Fort


Inside one of the temples in Fort


Queen Padmini's Summer Palace... Chittor Fort used to have such 84 water bodies, all used for rainwater harvesting and with enough storage to feed an army of 50,000 soldiers for 4 years, amazing isn't it!


More than a few Temples in these Forts too!


Kirti Satambh at Chittorgarh Fort... what amazing piece of history and art! Unbelievable form of architecture...


My Parents at Vijay Satambh


Odometer reading on past Tuesday...


Next Update once the car gets back from Service!

[Ace F355]

Meanwhile, please enjoy these videos of Atlantis in action...

From our local off-roading sessions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ec_VCAQkdQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIhk6OHCEJM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIhyIpwkTkw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsnQ-EilM3w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsDZfaDWY1A

An excellent video shot with GoPro mounted on the roof, covering our drive to Sach Pass Top...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLBId6hz8y4

[dean5545]

Hey
Amazing videos. You are making full use of the Fortuner. Glad to see you use it as it is supposed to be.
Keep 'em coming !

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Here are some of the pics I clicked the other day of the Atlantis.

[jaysmokesleaves]

Hi. I had recently gone to get the same Continental Crosscontact tires but noticed the sidewall ribs it came with earlier have been removed (as seen in your tires) and it has flatter plain sidewalls compared to earlier. Even the tread depth seemed lesser than the 11mm tread depth what it came with earlier. It was a tad disappointing and I have held back my purchase but need to finalize soon. I need to buy a set of 4 in the coming week and a robust sidewall is one of my main criteria for AT tire selection. Ive had a wonderful experience with Continental Cross contacts on and off the road earlier.

How is the experience with the Continentals and how much air pressure are you running in daily use?

What is your experience like with these tires offroad?

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Hi. I had recently gone to get the same Continental Crosscontact tires but noticed the sidewall ribs it came with earlier have been removed (as seen in your tires) and it has flatter plain sidewalls compared to earlier. Even the tread depth seemed lesser than the 11mm tread depth what it came with earlier.

Hi Jay

Are you sure you are looking at Cross-Contact AT only? The reason I ask is that there are 3 or 4 different versions of tires in CrossContact range from Continental and AT is one of them. Check if the images below look like what you have seen...

1. Continental Cross Contact LX



2. Continental Cross Contact UHP



Tire Companies don't just change tire design overnight, they'd rather launch a tire with a new name IMHO. What I understand is that while abroad Cross Contact AT comes with White Letters on side walls (as a premium tire offering), the version we get in Indian market has no white letters, rest all is the same.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

It was a tad disappointing and I have held back my purchase but need to finalize soon. I need to buy a set of 4 in the coming week and a robust sidewall is one of my main criteria for AT tire selection.

Would suggest you to re-check on what tire you are being offered and check with 2/3 different shops. Tell you what, there is a list of authorized tire dealers on Conti's website. Good idea to start from here.

MH Dealer List here

Good luck with your search and I hope you find the tires you have been looking for!

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Ive had a wonderful experience with Continental Cross contacts on and off the road earlier.

How is the experience with the Continentals and how much air pressure are you running in daily use?

Awesome is the word! I am liking these tires very much. Very little compromise on on-road behavior. I run 30 psi all around.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

What is your experience like with these tires offroad?

Very good off-road as well. So far my observations are that these are very tough and puncture resistant during trail explorations, very good grip levels in sand and slush. Self Tread Cleaning works well too. Overall, I am impressed.

[jaysmokesleaves]

HI. Thanks for the information.
See the attached image. This is a snapshot of the CROSS CONTACT AT sold in india earlier, that I have used 2 years ago. It came with the ribs you see on the sidewall. This gave it additional resistance to sidewall cuts when going through ruts.
These ribs are now missing from the current tires sold. It might seem insignificant on road, but it does make a difference Offroad.
The tread depth has also reduced from 11mm to 9mm.
I will most likely be buying the Cross Contact AT again though I'm disappointed about the points I mentioned above.
How much did the tire cost you? The dealer in mumbai quoted 12k each.