[Mr.U]

Originally Posted by Mushroomz

The main reason I didn’t go for 16” was the drive quality on highways goes a bit harsh. With the current setup, I feel good. I might go for ironman shocks post my trip to Spiti. Let's see.

Originally Posted by GTO

One alloy wheel dealer fainted when I asked him for 16 & 17 inch designs. He said "sir, all Thar owners want to go for 20 & 22 inch. Why on earth do you want to wear smaller rims" .

The options are pretty limited in 16s for sure but its well worth the hunt. I got a set of Fuel rims in 16s for my Thar. It was task to find them and also the AT tyres from Maxxis were a pain to find but well worth the effort. Just changing the tyres and rims have made the ride so much better than stock. I am also pretty sure there isn’t any other Thar with the same setup atleast in Uttarakhand. Feels nice to have something unique.

The setup -
* tyres - 275/70 R16 maxxis AT tyres
* rims - 16s Fuel Vectors

Biggest plus point of this setup - the overall tyres diameter remains the same.

[Ksingh544]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

There are pages and pages on this subject.

I have a 27 month old Petrol HT AT.
My observations are below. (General average)
7-8kmpl in the hills
10-11.6kmpl on highways when driven at 100kmph max, with cruise control on and if driven upto 110kmph only for overtaking.
7-9kmpl in normal city usage.
Worst Ive ever got has been 6 (when using 4H and 4L over some mud and slush and rocks for some time)
And best Ive ever got is 12 on the highway last year to Madurai with cruise control on almost all the time.

Thank you Sir, as always for being a great help and advisor. I just glanced in my Inbox and as far back as 2008, when i was looking to buy a Scorpio LX; we were interacting. And you had given advise on which model to go for, because i think you owned a Rocky Beige LX 2.6 CRDE.

Sir, would you reckon that the Manual HT Diesel & Petrol would give slightly better average than the AT variants. While AT boxes in India in general have improved they still have the tiny lag which is a major irritant to an old school driver like me.

Regards

Kundan.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Ksingh544

Thank you Sir, as always for being a great help and advisor.ol would give slightly better average than the AT variants. While AT boxes in India in general have improved they still have the tiny lag which is a major irritant to an old school driver like me.
.

Always a pleasure to be of assistance in whatever small way.
Let me try and break this into bite sized pieces.
I note from your location that you live in Delhi and Jammu both. Going by whatever I am able to extrapolate from your ‘Locations’ these are my suggestions.

If you are going to keep this Thar in Delhi and use it as an all rounder then sadly there is no option to consider other than Petrol. If this vehicle is going to see a lot of service in slow start stop city traffic, it is better to go AT.

If however, it is going to be used on the highways a great deal, you can consider a Manual in order to hopefully gain perhaps 1or2kmpl depending on how you drive. No absolute guarantee that you will indeed gain this much because modern day AT’s are very well tuned and they are much easier to use Cruise Control with.

Personally, therefore I would still vote for the lovely Aisin Torque Converter AT gearbox. It is beautifully tuned and beautifully mated to the engine. And the silent and refined petrol Thar gives a whoosh and a rush that is simply addictive. The power delivery is linear.

If on the other hard you are going to buy and use this Thar mostly in Jammu and the high hills, go straight for the MHawk Diesel AT because without a doubt this is much more fuel efficient and the added advantage is the torque in a diesel kicks in a bit earlier than in a petrol. Again an amazingly silent and refined engine and great power delivery. The torque will push you back into the seat. The Aisin 6 speed Auto Box is perfectly tuned and mated to this engine as well and that makes for a superb experience.

[sgmuser]

I am done with the test drives after fitting Avo. Dealing with ex-Arka specialist who has a workshop in Chennai and he is a real hands on techie in suspension. That gives lots of confidence. Tomorrow hopefully I get the new suspension installed in my Thar and then I am leaving for a long drive to God's own country trip of offroading. The setup is at 12 currently and tuned towards a balanced comfort and composure targetted. This should have been the default setup of Thar. What we can expect from a company like Mahindra who decided to cut costs in the comfort in an absurdly high priced two door suv which easily costs as that of almost 2 door JL. Sad. But can one live with original suspension setup? Yes. For sure. But the AVO gives that much needed composure esp in decent speed, during breaking and even off road condition. AVO seems to be life time cost so it's ok to invest in it. My daughter and wife can drive this now for their daily commute to college and school. Arka with their racing credentials and technical nature is an added bonus for the support and peace of mind.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

...going to buy and use this Thar mostly in Jammu and the high hills, go straight for the MHawk Diesel AT because without a doubt this is much more fuel efficient ...

Another factor to consider is the tendency of Diesel fuel to freeze in the himalayan region at sub zero temperatures. Petrol vehicles are the popular choice for locals in these region for this reason alone.

[Ksingh544]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Always a pleasure to be of assistance in whatever small way.
Let me try and break this into bite sized pieces.
I note from your location that you live in Delhi and Jammu both. Going by whatever I am able to extrapolate from your ‘Locations’ these are my suggestions..... The Aisin 6 speed Auto Box is perfectly tuned and mated to this engine as well and that makes for a superb experience.

Thank you for your inputs.
The vehicle like my previous Thar, Scorpio and Tempo Trax is going to be my daily driver in Delhi. Every 4-6 weeks i do make a long road trip to J&K and in general across North India.
For me an Auto box is just not an option, as i despise them.
the choice is between petrol or diesel. i have always only driven diesels and love that low end torque.
But with the random NGT bans in the Delhi- NCR, along with diesel cold starts in the mountains. Im tempted to try out a petrol engine this time around.
But if the manual petrol is also giving under 10kmpl in the city then i may just stick to the known devil, which is the Diesel engine.

Originally Posted by for_cars1

Another factor to consider is the tendency of Diesel fuel to freeze in the himalayan region at sub zero temperatures. Petrol vehicles are the popular choice for locals in these region for this reason alone.

Yes that is also a factor in my decision making.

Thank you.

[AMG1]

I thought to share with the community, some of the superpowers of our beloved- Thar. Shared these videos of mine in another thread as well. They showcase the workings of MLD + BLD in tandem to help the Thar conquer tricky situations. In the video, you can see the Thar making me look like an offroad Pro (I am a complete novice in real) I hope to complete my WIP thread on my recent Offroad excursion soon.

https://youtu.be/SgOOyYpwt2o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y4k6GU9M70

[r_devakumar]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

I am done with the test drives after fitting Avo. Dealing with ex-Arka specialist who has a workshop in Chennai and he is a real hands on techie in suspension. That gives lots of confidence.

Please share the Chennai workshop contact details. I want to experience AVO setup before taking a decision. Have driven my Petrol HT AT about ~10K KMs in the last two years. For my driving style, I am not seeing much short coming on how Thar drives and handles so far (Highway and City drives). However, if I see any significant improvement with AVO, I will upgrade.

[sid_deb]

Has anyone got the Avo Arka suspension installed in Delhi NCR? Looking for a good workshop that can help with the same this weekend, any leads will be much appreciated.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Ksingh544

For me an Auto box is just not an option, as i despise them.
the choice is between petrol or diesel. i have always only driven diesels and love that low end torque.
But with the random NGT bans in the Delhi- NCR, along with diesel cold starts in the mountains. Im tempted to try out a petrol engine this time around.
.

Be it diesel or petrol , please get the AT. There is nothing wrong with the MT but that AT gearbox is far superior. It is also very much at home in the hills, like a WagonR in a shopping mall, easy-peasy.

mStallion power delivery is similar to a diesel, you won't miss any 'Torque' anywhere.

[Ksingh544]

Originally Posted by sid_deb

Has anyone got the Avo Arka suspension installed in Delhi NCR? Looking for a good workshop that can help with the same this weekend, any leads will be much appreciated.

Please contact Mr Nirankar Tangri at Classic Noida - +91 98101 56477
He is the best i have met across North India when it comes to Jeeps and customization. You may give my reference (Kundan Singh).

I have no commercial links or associations with Classic Noida, they've just been a great service partner for my vehicles for the last 8 years.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Be it diesel or petrol , please get the AT. There is nothing wrong with the MT but that AT gearbox is far superior. It is also very much at home in the hills, like a WagonR in a shopping mall, easy-peasy.

mStallion power delivery is similar to a diesel, you won't miss any 'Torque' anywhere.

Thank you for your inputs. But i derive no driving pleasure from an AT gearbox.
So it has to be a manual gearbox for me. Im trying to understand how much is the difference in mileage between the petrol and diesel engines across city and highway driving.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GhostGrid

Mahindra Thar RWD Badge Spotted

RWD or 4x4, debadging is the best way to go . I find Mahindra's big 4x4 / RWD badge very hideous & overdone:

[Urorobo]

Originally Posted by GTO

RWD or 4x4, debadging is the best way to go . I find Mahindra's big 4x4 / RWD badge very hideous & overdone:
Attachment 2458392

Dear @GTO

We are waiting for your update all we can see are the rims and tyres n we know the Stedi, GFX, XUV 700 pedals , Grill n Metal Bumper

4x4 sticker on RWD is more common me thinks and most RWD stickers will be replaced by 4x4 no matter how it looks to us

Is any one tinkering with the idea of a removable ( FRONT ONLY ) hard top without sealants or DIY sealant not needing the trip to MASS … hope Bimbra and Azad are listening

How much is an original OEM Soft top assembly ?

[shankar.balan]

As a contrarian view I love stickering up my Jeepy things a bit. In fact I like stickering up all my vehicles a bit. But with my personal taste in themed stuff only.
So I like my Trail Rated Badge and my 4x4 and 4WD Badges, the little baby jeepy badges, the 1941 badge, Texas Edition badge and the 4Wheel Drive sticker a la the Wrangler Willys.
Also the JL Grille (though I would actually have preferred the JK Grille.)
Yes, I like stickers. Yes people may say I haven’t ‘grown up’ in that sense. It just makes me happy.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and all that Jazz.

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by r_devakumar

Please share the Chennai workshop contact details. I want to experience AVO setup before taking a decision. Have driven my Petrol HT AT about ~10K KMs in the last two years. For my driving style, I am not seeing much short coming on how Thar drives and handles so far (Highway and City drives). However, if I see any significant improvement with AVO, I will upgrade.

Here goes Koman Ratnakaran ex-arka suspension specialist contact and now deals with arka products in OMR Chennai. +91 97909 27478.

Btw I have AVO demo kit installed in my car which they shipped all the way from Coimbatore and today fitting the new ones in his workshop. Give me call if you need anything and glad to help. 9952011405.

You can even test drive my car if you're around Velachery. We are here to help each other and this is the objective of these kinds of forum.