Team-BHP - Jodhpur, RJ to Kanchipuram, TN in a Jeep to attain 4x4 event Palar Challenge

I did bangalore to Bhopal in my jeep a couple of months back it was close to 1400 Km, did it in 2 days, one halt in Hyderabad and no breakdowns. I am planning for the same since i have to get my jeep back for Pallar Challenge. Yes toll tax hurts a lot specially if you are traveling on GQ.

Desert King, it will be a great road trip but GQ gets very very boring, make sure you have a good selection of music with you, because you will get so tired of sitting and see all the sedans go past you.

Here are the suggestion from Mjothi who did the whole GQ route (6000 KM) with a team in 6 days. Now I am convinced to do the Non GQ route while going for sure. Returning route is yet to decide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjothi

As far as the routes, I would anyday prefer non-GQ routes. Why?

1. Tolls
2. Its nothing. Just sit and drive. Not much shops, not much scenes, boring etc.
3. Since its on 4wd jeep you can easily use alternate routes.
4. Unless you want to speed as guys do in their cars, this is of no use.

I have traveled in jeeps and know that they are not as comfort as car. But i still feel that its not worth at all to drive from there in GQ that too with increased distance.

Talk about average speed - Yes its correct. But again you will travel extra ~300KMs and that will be compensated with this extra speed. Right?

forget about time, relax every 2 or 3 hours while drive, have nice sleep in nights and you will as good as you started every time.

Just my opinion.. :)

Thanks,
mahesh

MONSOON is what I missed to consider while planning my long trip :Shockked:. I never travelled outside Rajasthan by my own vehicle and has a very limited knowledge about the Monsoon rain in other states during August 2nd and 3rd week. Can you please suggest me if this the monsoon time enroute and if I may get stuck on the way due to heavy rains.

My plan for drive is as follows...

From the 8th to 11th or latest 12th August..

Jodhpur > Pali > Rajsamand > Udaipur > Banswara > Ratlam > Dhar > Dhamnod > Sendhwa > Shirpur > Dhule > Chalisgaon > Kannad > Aurangabad > Beed > Sholapur > Indi > Hosapete > Bellary > Anantpur > Madanapalle > Chitoor > Vellor > Kanchipuram

Back on the same route from 16th to 19th August.

Can somebody also advice if is safe to drive on this way in nights or if any precaution to be taken caren of.

Thanks.

Hi Naren,

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertKing (Post 1287282)

If I consider that we will drive at the speed of 80 KMPH, we will get an average speed of around 60 KMPH. This mean we have to drive aprox 14.5 hrs everyday. If I consider 3 haults of half an hour on the way, it is going to be 16 hrs.
..

Consider that your average is 40 kph. Doing 80 is optimistic, but consider 60 your max speed to be comfortable for both man and machine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertKing (Post 1287282)

I and my brother are the two confirmed member and also I one more T-BHPian is serioully planning to join us. All of us can drive so I guess if Jeep will not have any problem, we would be sharing the driving and targeting to cover the whole distance in three days.

You could also drive 24 hours with one of you sleeping while the other two chat and drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertKing (Post 1287282)

Can somebody also advice if is safe to drive on this way in nights or if any precaution to be taken caren of.

If you stick to GQ, driving at night is absolutely safe!

The advantage of GQ over the other is

1. Superb roads - hence minimal wear & tear on jeep and its parts
2. Less stressed driving
3. Better FE and better average speeds as you bypass most towns.

The disadvantages is more tolls, but you would actually start enjoying the tolls at one point!

All the best!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertKing (Post 1290592)

Here are the suggestion from Mjothi who did the whole GQ route (6000 KM) with a team in 6 days. Now I am convinced to do the Non GQ route while going for sure. Returning route is yet to decide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjothi

Sorry, I have to disagree with the logic here. Since I have driven both GV & CJ340 on long distance drives, I have had ample time to compare the various aspects involved.

The Jeep presents three major problems:

Heat - There is no escape from this, non-A/C Jeep can sap your energy 2-3 times faster than air-conditioned cars.
Dust/Smoke - It gets in everywhere, your eyes, hair, dress, everywhere. You'll lose your feeling of freshness very very fast. When you are not fresh, it really adds to your tiredness.
Ride quality - This is basically about how much feedback your vehicle transfers from the road to your body. Over long distance, constant pounding from the road can bludgeon your body. Just because Jeep can handle bad roads, doesn't mean your body can take the same punishment for hours, let alone days.

Now imagine the combined impact of all the above on your body. When you consider any 300+ kms of drive, these things can seriously start to tell. You can get serious fatigue, I have experienced it once while driving just 300kms over really bad roads despite having many many breaks.

How to overcome it?

Heat - Pray for clouds, cool breeze and even light rain. Nothing else you can do.
Dust - Stick to clean roads and drive during less traffic. That means GQ is preferable to some dusty interstate with local traffic. Wash your face every couple of hours. Even use soap, if you can.
Ride Quality - Stick to clean roads with least undulation or potholes. That again means GQ over other roads.

I suggest to stick to GQ.

Jodhpur - Ahmedabad - Mumbai - Bangalore - Kanchi

I think it would be 2382KM (from google maps)
i think, if you carefully plan you can do it in three days
Day 1 : start at 3 AM from Jodhpur, reach Navi Mumbai by evening
Day 2: start at 4 AM from Navi Mumbai reach Bangalore by night
Day 3: start from Bangalore at 6 AM and reach Kanchi by after noon/evening.

for this you would a well maintained Jeep (s), multiple drivers (minimum 3 per jeep)
good supply of liquids (water, juices etc) to prevent from dehydration
a canvoiy of jeeps is better (i also suggest to go with three jeeps)
a back up mechanic who is also a driver would help.

I do not think, you can drive 80-90KM average distance per hour like a car.
but i think, you can easily do 55-60KM per hour average easily.
start early to ensure that you cover major distance before the sun raises.
driving after 11 AM till 5 PM would be a pain as it would be hot, dusty, sweating
plus the traffic will also limit your speeds.

i also suggest you to carry food with you if you do not like the south indian food.
i have couple of friends from Rajasthan who prefer their own state food.

Mumbai to Bangalore toll is about RS 650/- i do not know other toll charges.
i think, it is approx 0.7-0.8 RS per Km of complete GQ section.

Hi Desert King,

We all now know that you did make it Palar. Congrats for your courage to do N-S on a Jeep. (not sure if you have reached back to Rajastan yet).

If you have/Once you get back - can you conclude this thread. OTR is onething for a Jeeper - But less than 1% of Jeepers in India would have done 5000+ Kms in 8-10 days on a M&M Jeep.

Please post a detailed experience of the ROAD trip, good things, BAD things, RTO issues, Police check points, Breakdowns (none i hope), etc etc. It would be a great bible if you can help us out...

I am perhaps disappointing you here... I could not do it with my own Jeep as my buddy co-driver could not get leaves due to some urgent training (he is in inteligency)..

I went to Chennai by train. I became co-driver of Vinod Nookala. After finishing the event, I joined Basker's Jeep and reach at Banglore on the 16th evening. One kind Jeeper offered my his guest room to stay there. Cought the train back on the 17th and since I did not had any confirmed reservation so I could not get a birth. My Palar Chalange ended yesterday evening (19th Aug) when I reached home.

Since our team won The Palar, it seemed me worth going there.