[sinhsha]

"Best thing, spend 40-50K on a set of normal tires with cheap rims, and use them for this trip.

I think even one alloy+run-flat damaged will be more expensive than 50K. Right?
"
That seems a good idea. I think then i can go for used rims and tyres as well. Though alloy and tire damage is covered under BMW SECURE but it doesn't worth the hassle.

Any idea gurus if any OE steel rims 16" match the PCD?

[Columbus_500]

Hello folks! I am planning on a 27 day trip to Ladakh from 10th September to 5th October. Planning to drive my XUV 2WD from Trivandrum. Here's a plan that I have created so far. Need your professional advice on the feasibility aspects. Also would be great if you could help to identify any stretches on my plan which might require 4WD. Eagerly looking forward to your feedback!

[msk016]

Hello people, first of all i must compliment Tanveer on this brilliant guide for ladakh travelers. Exceptional job done, thank you very much. It has been a great help in my planning.
I am planning on doing a ladakh road trip with my wife in last week may till 2nd week june. the tentative dates are 31st may till 25th june. i will be starting from bombay and will be traveling in my XUV which has clocked 11k on the odo since i bought it in oct last year. i am sailing right now and i am scheduled to sign off april 3rd week. so will be home end of april after a short holiday in hong kong and macau.
To give some idea about my driving abilities, i have done 1000 plus km drives in a day, like bombay--banglore in 16 hrs. my wife also drives so there will be 2 drivers. as far as mountain driving is concerned, have driven a bit in MH and KA. last nov went to mullyangiri peak in chickmanglur which is only 6300 feet, which is only less than half of what is expected in ladakh.
Need some advice on some of the equipment i want to purchase for this trip,
1. Reliable GPS device
2. 12V re-chargable air compressor and tire pressure guage.
3. 2 tonne D shackle and similar SWL steel/nylon towing rope or an endless sling.
Any inputs regarding make/type of the equipment and the location to get it would be very much appreciated.
thanks & regards,
Mandar.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by msk016

Hello people, first of all i must compliment Tanveer on this brilliant guide for ladakh travelers. Exceptional job done, thank you very much. It has been a great help in my planning.
I am planning on doing a ladakh road trip with my wife in last week may till 2nd week june. the tentative dates are 31st may till 25th june. i will be starting from bombay and will be traveling in my XUV which has clocked 11k on the odo since i bought it in oct last year. i am sailing right now and i am scheduled to sign off april 3rd week. so will be home end of april after a short holiday in hong kong and macau.
To give some idea about my driving abilities, i have done 1000 plus km drives in a day, like bombay--banglore in 16 hrs. my wife also drives so there will be 2 drivers. as far as mountain driving is concerned, have driven a bit in MH and KA. last nov went to mullyangiri peak in chickmanglur which is only 6300 feet, which is only less than half of what is expected in ladakh.
Need some advice on some of the equipment i want to purchase for this trip,

Thanks for your complements.

1. Reliable GPS device
2. 12V re-chargable air compressor and tire pressure guage.
3. 2 tonne D shackle and similar SWL steel/nylon towing rope or an endless sling.
Any inputs regarding make/type of the equipment and the location to get it would be very much appreciated.
thanks & regards,
Mandar.

For GPS you need a decent smartphone with 1.2GHz + and 1GB ram which can run OSmAND. OSMAND is all you need for Ladakh from Delhi.
In LAdakh, thats all you will need.

2. Try buying a 35L/min air compressor. IT comes with battery clamp adapter as it can blow fuse. You directly connect it to battery of vehicle. Must have for SUVs. Ordinary air compressors are total BS

3. Your local offroader circle is the best. you need a 3 tonne shackle and strap to take care of tolerances. 3 ton and 5 ton have slight price difference, so go for 5 tonne.


Hope this helps.

[msk016]

My very big concern for the ladakh trip is, how bad is it if we encounter head on traffic, especially trucks on one of the high and narrow passes like Zoji La or Chang la. Can it be dangerous? Are the roads actually wide enough or does some one have to reverse and go back?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by msk016

My very big concern for the ladakh trip is, how bad is it if we encounter head on traffic, especially trucks on one of the high and narrow passes like Zoji La or Chang la. Can it be dangerous? Are the roads actually wide enough or does some one have to reverse and go back?

you have to be very careful. The local taxis often drive like maniacs. I lost right ORVM due to one such driver. And guess what I had stopped to let the maniacs pass.
So at every turn, honk, and if you see a taxi coming give way. Forget right of way for uphill traffic rule. that is for civilized traffic.

[msk016]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

you have to be very careful. The local taxis often drive like maniacs. I lost right ORVM due to one such driver. And guess what I had stopped to let the maniacs pass.
So at every turn, honk, and if you see a taxi coming give way. Forget right of way for uphill traffic rule. that is for civilized traffic.

I read somewhere on this thread that If I climb from srinagar and descend from manali, I would be driving on the hill side for most of the drive. How accurate is this description?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by msk016

I read somewhere on this thread that If I climb from srinagar and descend from manali, I would be driving on the hill side for most of the drive. How accurate is this description?

For Zoji La and Rohtang "Yes"!
For new first timers, this is recommended too as Srinagar side is easier than Manali side.
That said, Manali Leh has less traffic after Rohtang, and is much more scenic as compared to Srinagar Leh

[heman_369]

Tanveer,

Is the Srinagar-Leh-Manali circuit doable in an Etios in mid september?. I know i need to get some under body protection for the engine compartment.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by heman_369

Tanveer,

Is the Srinagar-Leh-Manali circuit doable in an Etios in mid september?. I know i need to get some under body protection for the engine compartment.

Yes, very much doable. Etios D has under body protection. Even the air intake is sufficiently high.

[SachinVD]

Hello BHPians. The dream of driving to Leh, Ladakh does not seem to be happening in reality in the near future due to personal/family dependencies. I wanted to know if there are any other destinations which give a similar experience, but are not as stressful/tiresome/time consuming as the Leh circuit. I know we cannot compare the natural beauty and experience of Leh,Ladakh with any such other trips. However I was just thinking such a trip would be a good idea to get some experience of mountain driving and could be a precurser to the big drive in the future.

[msk016]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

[*]Circuits

1. Nubra Valley
2. Pangong Tso
3. Changthang Desert - Hanle
4. Tso Moriri/Tso Kar

[*]Off the Beaten Path

1. Nubra to Pangong
2. Pangong To Hanle
   1. Pangong to Loma Via Chushul Tsaga La
   2. Pangong To Mahe via Chushul Kakasang La
3. Marisimik La
4. Hanle - Nidar(Nyoma) - Via Kyun Tso

[*]Off Shoots

1. Dha - Hanu route to Kargil
2. Suru and Zanskar

I am planning to do my trip from may (last week) till june (2nd week).
Like it is suggested by many people that it is best to do the trip in september, i would like to follow the advice but do not have the vacation during that time.
So, here is my question: Out of the above mentioned circuits, which CAN be, and CANNOT be done during the time that i have mentioned.
Please bear in mind that the vehicle at hand is the XUV5OO W8 FWD.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by msk016

I am planning to do my trip from may (last week) till june (2nd week).
Like it is suggested by many people that it is best to do the trip in september, i would like to follow the advice but do not have the vacation during that time.
So, here is my question: Out of the above mentioned circuits, which CAN be, and CANNOT be done during the time that i have mentioned.
Please bear in mind that the vehicle at hand is the XUV5OO W8 FWD.

Kyun Tso and Chushul-Mahe via Kakasang La is not doable.
Same for Wari La or Agham shyok routes.

Manali leh highway will open only by mid june so you have to go via Srinagar route.

[TSIched'Out]

Hi,

I've Leh Trip on my drawing board for this August (15 Aug-31Aug) as per following itinerary:
15 Aug: Mumbai to Udaipur
16: Udaipur to Delhi (stay at relatives)
17: Delhi to Gurdaspur (near Amritsar, have native place there)
18: Gurdaspur to Srinagar
19: Srinagar to Sonmarg, Day spent in site seeing
20: Sonmarg to Kargil
21: Kargil to Zanksar Glacier point and back
22: Kargil to Leh
23: Leh: Permits, Vehicle service and local site seeing
24: Leh to Nubra Valley
25: Nubra to Pangong via Wari La
26: Pangong to Hanle via Karu/Chumthang (or via Chuschul/Tsaga La)
27: Hanle to Tso Moriri
28: Tso Moriri to Sarchu
29: Sarchu to Kullu
30: Kullu to Delhi
31: Delhi to Udaipur
1 Sep: Udaipur to Mumbai

Have following questions:
1. Need to shave off one day as it's not fitting in 15-31 Aug but don't want to miss anything specified above, may be I can club 21-22 above by staying at a decent place other than Kargil, any suggestions?
2. Is Leh DC office open on Saturdays for Permits? If not, any suggestions on arranging the permits for above mentioned routes before hand?
3. I'll be taking my EcoSport Petrol Automatic FWD which gives approx 500Km on full tank (52ltr) in Mumbai. I guess it will be 450km in Leh and I may need 20 Ltr Can for carrying extra petrol if taking Wari La route, can get the tankful + 20 Ltr in Can by taking slight detour from Sarkti to Karu and additional 20 Ltr (total 40 Ltr in Cans) if going to Hanle via Chuschul as I would have to do Karu-Pangong-Hanle-Tsomoriri-Tandli (600km plus). Is this correct approach in terms of quantity of petrol to carry? Howz Petrol station at Karu, quality/availability wise? Also, will plastic cans be able to hold petrol at these heights as it will be difficult to get metal cans used by military? Is there any place in/around Leh which sells these Cans?
4. Any specific problems that I may face in an Automatic vehicle while attempting difficult passes? It has gear shifters though. Plus I've driven enough in hilly areas in New Zealand in Automatic vehicles so know how to attempt inclines in low ratios and how to use engine braking while descending. Having said this, I feel EcoSport 1.5L NA Petrol engine is not as powerful enough as I would like due to the weight of the car (1200+ kgs) plus weight of two persons on board (me and my wife) plus usual Leh stuff as per this guide. Will I face problems in a slightly underpowered car while attempting Zozila, K'la, Wari La, Chuschul route and other Leh Manali passes.
5. Though EcoSport has 200mm GC but suspension is very soft (planning to get doughnuts installed for stiffening it a bit). Will it be a good idea to expose it to Zanksar route Or shall I hire a cab for a day in Kargil for this circuit?
6. Car has Goodyear Assurance 205/60/R15 tyres (will be 10k+) by August. Are these good enough for above mentioned itinerary, especially Warila and Chuschul route or shall I get something tougher, MRFs or Bridgestone types?
7. Is it ok to take Kyun Tso-Nidar route while going from Hanle to Tso Moriri with above limitations.

Look forward to TSK's and other Gurus inputs on the above.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by TSIched'Out

Hi,

I've Leh Trip on my drawing board for this August (15 Aug-31Aug) as per following itinerary:
15 Aug: Mumbai to Udaipur
16: Udaipur to Delhi (stay at relatives)
17: Delhi to Gurdaspur (near Amritsar, have native place there)
18: Gurdaspur to Srinagar
19: Srinagar to Sonmarg, Day spent in site seeing
20: Sonmarg to Kargil
21: Kargil to Zanksar Glacier point and back
22: Kargil to Leh
23: Leh: Permits, Vehicle service and local site seeing
24: Leh to Nubra Valley
25: Nubra to Pangong via Wari La
26: Pangong to Hanle via Karu/Chumthang (or via Chuschul/Tsaga La)
27: Hanle to Tso Moriri
28: Tso Moriri to Sarchu
29: Sarchu to Kullu
30: Kullu to Delhi
31: Delhi to Udaipur
1 Sep: Udaipur to Mumbai

.

Drive from Srinagar to Panikhar.
Then from Panikhar, drive to Pensi La, and then do night stay in kargil
Then take early morning start from Kargil, and reach leh by noon and do permit stuff as sometimes saturday may be half day etc.,

Secondly, from Udaipur you drive directly to Gurdaspur it will save you a day as you do not have to mess with Delhi. Take the direct expressway(I think kishangarh express or something its called) to Bathinda and then onto Gurdaspur. Long drive but day saved.

Do not attempt Kyun Tso route in the eco sport.
Also estimate fuel efficiency to be about 15% worse than your city drive FE.

9-10kmpl is realistic on good stretches and 8 on bad ones.