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-   -   Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 LX VTT-TMT [The Magnificient Tourer] - the first 2.2 on T-Bhp (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/54392-tata-safari-dicor-2-2-lx-vtt-tmt-magnificient-tourer-first-2-2-t-bhp-19.html)

WOW, No words for the kind of trips you do.clap:
Looking forward to an exciting T-log. I too will be doing Leh this summer.
I am hooked.

I am actually speechless!!! No words. This should be one funpack Diwali week/ weekend. Very eagerly waiting for your travelogue.
I am currently a Leh virgin and planning to break the ice next summer.

Buddy I too plan to do the Leh circuit next year and the current plan is taking 2-3 vehicles. We should surely meet and or open up a thread so that we can share ideas, info and knowhow about the proposed trip.

awesome Anirban. This will be a Mother of all Logs and Pics.

and you managed Fukche to Demachok, you really lucky, how was the road

Great :thumbs up.
Will pm you my contacts. Even SST too is planning Leh circuit in the same period. Lets all meet and put a begning for the same.

:OT

I am also planning to go to Leh next year. I will be driving from Bangalore.

Please PM me your contact.

I'm planning too to visit Leh again next year. Might have a group of people from Hyderabad and possibly a few 4X4's.

Will pm the contact

:OT - I have created new thread on Leh 2011.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...p-planner.html

instead of using ADC.

@adc: One final word of warning. If you do not start the Leh travelogue and include at least 50 pictures by the Diwali weekend, you are going to be in serious trouble with me! :D

adc do not make us wait for very long.You may end up being in serious trouble with many people i guess. :D

Thanks again to all for all the wishes and the compliments!!

We reached safely overnight from Delhi to Calcutta with a break in Asansol at my cousin sister's house. NH2 is as good it can be and 1200 km to Asansol from Delhi was done in 16.5 hours including breaks totalling around 2 hours around.

Absolutely will be writing down the travelogue, but after around 2-3 weeks - work situation is pretty bad and messed up - what can one expect after being AWOL for 1 month.


Attaching some moments along the trip for now.

At Manali


Inquisitive son. Four wheel drive? Why not ours?


Towards Chandertaal, HP, a break in the trek towards it.


The local is the one who puts boulders in the road, cut the road so that no one goes off season and collects the plastic bottles left behind carelessly. He made the trek to Chandertaal again at 4 pm, late evening on my request. It was absolutely desolate. Lucky to see Chandertaal in October!!


At Batal dhaba after a heart stopping journey back by slush narrow dirt track from Chandertaal, late evening.


Puncture #1 from Chotta Dhara to Jispa, before Gramphoo. A small stone got ricocheted from the front tyre, became a bullet, bent the thick steel rim of the rear tyre and slashed the tyre on the side wall.


Between Jispa and Leh




At Saboo Village, outskirts of Leh. At ex-panchayat's house on an invitation








Towards and at Pangong




Pulling a Gypsy with a down battery


Along Pangong via Man, Merak












The lone soldier at Tsaga, brought for us tea, fruit juice

Hanle and the Hanle homestay and beds






Kiangs and VTT-TMT



At Tso Moriri

You did manage to go to places where people are not able to make it normally , I have been to Leh twice but not able to make it Hanle! Good to see you back and hope this time you will be putting the log.

Hope to see all the place may be in 2011.

-Pramod

Lovely pics ADC. Good to see you doing Changthang. Hanle is indeed a special place. thats why it has always remained on our itenary. Did you get a chance to get out at night and take a few night shots?
The night skies at Hanle are truly extraordinary, and when you look at them, you wonder is it even real!

Looking at the blanket shot, it appears you had your fare share of morning start issues. We also had to do some circus at hanle due to extremely cold nights.
Thankfully, sun was bright, and intelligent parking solved the issue in 10 minutes!

Waiting for your log. Please start a thread in the TLOG section ASAP :D!!

Ladakh highlights - Part 2


The doctor and the changpa




Great hosts at the Hundar homestay






The gentleman whom we came across at Panamik, showed us the double barrel revolver which he bought at the Gun and Shell Factory here in Calcutta. He also gave us a lot of apples from his own garden and took us for a visit at the nearby gompa of his village, Tiger


The bare bones pump at Diskit, it may be derelict but the diesel quality is No. 1 - as per the pump fellow


Keeping vigil, checking us out!


Puncture No. 2 at Nyoma while going to Fukche and they [GREF labourers from different states] all helped me to change the tyre, humanity and selflessness at this best!!!


On towards Koyoul, by now VTT has 2 spare tubed tyres.










The only and one "restaurant" at Koyoul/Fukche


And night stay at this almost abandoned tin shed with gale force cold wind outside, the whole thing shook all through the night


By 3 am, with no sleep, I was inside the VTT keeping it started as diesel was freezing.


The flag flies high at Demchok, Indo-China border


China just beyond the trench, the farthest that one can ever go with wheels.


Ritual yak skulls along Fukche


Sandstorm while nearing Loma from Dungti


Diesel break at Loma


Dah village and an invitation from the village headman to a festival that takes place once in 3 years, end of October.



The beautiful of them all!!


At Dah village homestay, actually its someone's house who let us stay just like that as we had come for the festival


Fotula and things were harmless


Till we got stuck for 2 nights at Zoji la top, 11 km we advanced in 40 hours








So thats it for the highlights and most probably these set of pictures buys me some 2-3 weeks for starting the travelogue!!

How bad is the damage to your VTT-TMT? Let's take a look at that here, on your ownership thread.

I guess its the tires and rim which have taken the brunt.
I agree with SS. Start a new thread on the TLOG, and lets see how did the safari fare on this travel.
I suspect you will be needing new tie rods(if they werent new), and possible some new bushes too.

That said, due to ligher loads on front section in case of 2WD safari, the front suspension should hold up better than how it holds up on mine.

As for ricochet rock bending rim, I do not think its really possible, Most probably a rock edge jutting out of the road section did the damage.

On the Gramphoo-Batal stretch, there are some water crossings which require speed to cross if you do not have 4WD. Lot of sharp edged rocks there.

So the ricochet may be just a coincidence, and you may have hit the sidewall there.
Moreover, losing 2 tires on those stretches is a bit too much.
Maybe because in a 4WD safari you can engage 4L and crawl really slowly on rocks, damage is minimal.
I think in your case you would have needed speed to get out of trouble in a few sections.