[josepeter]

Why Safari?

Had to move for work from Chennai to Hyderabad; home was now gonna be 1200 Kms away. Over the last 4 years - ever since I moved from Mumbai to Chennai; we have always hit the roads for our bi-monthly visits to Cochin. My trusty Bolero was fine for Chennai-Cochin day trips; but Hyd-Cochin was far too stressful for one reason mainly - lack of power. You know these highway runs need power - the 63 BHP of my DI turbo was far too less for a comfortable, stress-free cruise; your brain has to literally keep doing a million calcs a second to keep up with the fast traffic on our highways these days- overtaking really takes a toll and you end up drained.

So i searched for an upgrade : keeping all options open. I did ponder with the idea of a buying a Bolero storm and swapping all mods on my DI with the Storm; but this idea wasn't met with too much support on the forum and posts about major engine scares on the Storms too put me off. I did TD the Scorpio and decided against it in like 2 minutes. I had trained my eyes on the Cruze too; wifey turned it down after like 2 minutes in the back seat. That's when I went with a friend to TD a Manza and while waiting for the demo car; I chanced upon a Safari (poster!) and asked if the guys if I could TD one. ( i'd always loved the Safari ever since Tata build them, but had never come close to one. The TD blew me (and my Manza friend) away; both of us now have one each

Frantic searches on the forum revealed that the Safari had a kind of cult following in here.

I didn't waste anymore time; what mods will my Safari sport? That was all there was to think about. I also felt the Safari is not inherent moddable like the Bolero - its far too curvy and car-like ( read not Jeep-Like). No radical mods here...Just trying to get the look right while adding some functionality - wider wheels and tyres, a new grille and maybe an ECU re-map or something...

So here it is my 2011 Dicor 2.2 GX with subtle mods:255/65/16 Yokos, 5 spoke alloys, a mesh grill, Rallye 2000s and blackened head lamps. There's a Spider Piggy Back ECU too...

I have done 25Ks for far ( since Feb) and like it a lot. Does a true and effortless 150 Kmph; can cruise all day ( Ive done numerous day trips to Cochin); returns a consistent 12 Kmpl stock ( and 13 Kmpl with the spider); the ride is fantastic; the only real worry being the brakes - mostly after the 100 KMph mark - Do what the truckers say : KEEP SAFE DISTANCE.

[Shome]

Nicely done. Looks like a hunk made of steel . Why dont you put up a few clearer pics of the alloys and some of the interiors as well?

P.S: The sun reflecting off the chrome in the third pic makes it look like a twinkling grin. Love combination of black and chrome.

[SPEEDY_RACER]

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[mercedised]

Handsome Safari you own! Do put a review on the performance before and after that new Spider ECU.

BTW, do get the camber checked at the alignment shop, it seems that camber is out for one of the wheels.

[dhanushs]

Drool worthy man!!.. The Safari in black itself is a killer machine, and now with these tastefully done mods, its just plain drool maal!!..

I'd love to see some more pics, especially the side 3/4 profile, which I love to look at the safari most!. Also, wouldn't a black mirror with a chrome strip have done more justice?

Originally Posted by mercedised

BTW, do get the camber checked at the alignment shop, it seems that camber is out for one of the wheels.

Umm.. from the pics, can we really come to a conclusion?. Also, is there camber adjustment for the Safari?

[libranof1987]

Whoa, that is some butch Safari! Very well done.

Btw IMO, the chrome OVRMs are slightly out of place and don't go too well with the overall black finish. Think you can do something about that?

[rm_arjuna]

how much does these Rallye 2000's cost and where did u source them , also how is the lighting / throw .

[planet_rocker]

Looks great Jose please upload more pictures.

Details about the Spider ECU - take care and drive safe.

[mercedised]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Umm.. from the pics, can we really come to a conclusion?. Also, is there camber adjustment for the Safari?

I too have alloys on my Safari and it has its camber out by -0.20 especially from the 1st and 4th pictures it seems that the camber is too much out. Might be an illusion.

[MAS]

@josepeter - Excellent write-up and you got yourself a hunk of a Safari. After 25K, the SUV looks spic & span. Congrats. Drive safe.

[Fortuner71]

A handsome Butch looking safari . How much did the tuning box cost you ? iam eagerly waiting for the Merlin to take a call .

[ravi_23]

The beast now looks even meaner, as if wearing a sharp black tuxedo Great job with the mods, nothing over done. It surely is a head turner now. Keep enjoying the suave beast.

[coloneljasi]

Nice ride, josepeter! Did Kitup have something to do with the mods by any chance?

I did see your old Bolero in my city a few months ago and was wondering what it was doing here...till I read that you'd sold it off. The Safari is one perfect upgrade for you, no doubt. It's not a 4X4, is it?

[josepeter]

Originally Posted by coloneljasi

Nice ride, josepeter! Did Kitup have something to do with the mods by any chance?

I did see your old Bolero in my city a few months ago and was wondering what it was doing here...till I read that you'd sold it off. The Safari is one perfect upgrade for you, no doubt. It's not a 4X4, is it?

The grill and lamps were done by Ostler in Cochin ( they did my Bolero too). I did book a 4X4 GX ( and dream about custom bumpers with a Winch); but TATAs sc#@ed me by discontinuing 4X4 in all trims except the VX- losing the value proposition for me...

Originally Posted by Fortuner71

A handsome Butch looking safari . How much did the tuning box cost you ? iam eagerly waiting for the Merlin to take a call .

The box is 21.5 K MRP; still haggling on final cost.

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

how much does these Rallye 2000's cost and where did u source them , also how is the lighting / throw .

Rallye 2000 rocks; but you would have to search hard to get a new pair. I got them from KL for Approx. 6K - quite a steal!

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Whoa, that is some butch Safari! Very well done.

Btw IMO, the chrome OVRMs are slightly out of place and don't go too well with the overall black finish. Think you can do something about that?

I always wanted to smoke them off...didn't find time honestly!

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Drool worthy man!!.. The Safari in black itself is a killer machine, and now with these tastefully done mods, its just plain drool maal!!..

I'd love to see some more pics, especially the side 3/4 profile, which I love to look at the safari most!. Also, wouldn't a black mirror with a chrome strip have done more justice?

Will post more pics....Will smoke them mirrors!

The Spider ECU is quite new: I've driven some 1300 Kms so far; its on the second of 5 settings available- progressing from passive to undriveable. In the current setting; low-end torque is better, can drive one gear higher in almost all scenarios and there is a 1+ Kmpl increase in mileage. I plan to try K&N replacement filter to see if things can improve. ( it's never too much!)

[sajands]

Congrats josepeter. Awesome ride and your truck has the mafia look on it now I am tempted.......

-Sajan