Hopeless suspension in Indica

akash_m · 3rd July 2007, 10:30

Hi Guys! My due apologies to all the Indica owners out here, but this thing all of you must have noticed. Whenever I am behind an Indica, i always see the rear two wheels poking outwards from below, sometimes to an extent that looks as if the entire rim would come out. I ahve spoken to many of my Indica owner friends who say that Indica does have a major suspension problem.

The tyres seem to last only 20-25 k kms in an Indica... I think the terms like tow-in, tow-out, caster, camber are all not there in Indica's dictionary. The TATA guys have revamped the entire suspension system in an Indica but still it remains flawless only in initial months. Please correct me if I am wrong in saying all this..

abhilash_iv · 3rd July 2007, 11:34

I have driven an Indica for more than 80K kms, and my OEM tyres worn out around 40K kms only. The front suspensions where changed around 75K kms.

ravibhat · 3rd July 2007, 12:28

When I travelled in India ride was really good much better than my Swift. Only thing I agree about Indica is parts life time is less compared to other
premium cars but again indica is cheap to other cars as well

Ravi.

Zappo · 3rd July 2007, 16:57

Where did you get this info I do not know but you are generalizing something rare. In fact, that brings me to another issue. This issue has already been dealt with in the forum earlier. You should have done a search before opening the thread.

Having said that, I agree you would have seen this thing once in a while. However that is mostly seen in Indicabs. The reason is the kind of loading those vehicles are put up to. Over a period of time they suffer the "rickety legs syndrome". And if any other car were to be subjected to that kind of treatment (as those cabs) they will also meet the same fate. So it is nothing special really.

Now, about personal Indicas, I have two in my family with a combined experience of 6 years. The older one is now 4+ years old and crossed 45000kms. It has no such syndrome. In acquaintances we have Indicas that are more than 70000kms old. They have never shown this problem. Heck, our dear mod Tsk has one which will complete the 1lakh mark soon. That has never had this problem.

So you get the drift? If you load a car to the gills and then drive like a maniac over every pothole and crater then you can not expect a mint fresh car.

akash_m · 3rd July 2007, 17:29

well I guess Zappo is right that the rough use of Indicas as cabs might be the culprit..

lordofgondor · 6th August 2007, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by akash_m

Hi Guys! My due apologies to all the Indica owners out here, but this thing all of you must have noticed. Whenever I am behind an Indica, i always see the rear two wheels poking outwards from below, sometimes to an extent that looks as if the entire rim would come out. I ahve spoken to many of my Indica owner friends who say that Indica does have a major suspension problem.

The tyres seem to last only 20-25 k kms in an Indica... I think the terms like tow-in, tow-out, caster, camber are all not there in Indica's dictionary. The TATA guys have revamped the entire suspension system in an Indica but still it remains flawless only in initial months. Please correct me if I am wrong in saying all this..

Hey Akash, from my personal experience I'd well and truly beg to differ from what you have written! My Indica's done almost 1 Lac Km and I have never faced any suspension related issues. I have had to change my set of tires (all 5 of them) only once until now, and maybe will need to after another 5K Km. Also the rear shocks been changed once at 80K Km. I think the car's been a real wallet friendly vehicle until now and (touch wood) would be in the future.

wolfinstein · 6th August 2007, 22:44

So far so good @ 17,000 KM- Suspension is great !

Had to replaced Rear shocker arm just after delivery apparently the rubber bush was squeeking, so had it replaced.

Other than That...She holds well.

Could be the way the car is driven, Now a Taxi will have a different driver mindset and this can cause Premature wearing of parts and tyres. But surely not at the Reading you have said.

Next time we have a meet in Delhi, Do check the XETA out at 17,000 KM at least it should show 50 % Tyre wearout, if Your Collected Data is correct.

kkr2k2 · 6th August 2007, 23:08

We changed the OEM tyres at 57,000 km after 4 years on the odo. The tyre guys said the tread is good enough another 10,000 kms, but we were skeptical that the rubber might have become hard, and thats not advisable so changed the tyres.(though kept one the good tyres as the stepney)

raj.

nikkibike · 6th August 2007, 23:43

Dude.... I too have noticed what you have mentioned about rear wheels of Indica! Well... But I have used an Indica for 3 yrs and never noticed 'that' thingy in my car!! Infact, I have wondered why mine doesn't have that trouble when many indicas on the road had the same problem. Also, my company fitted JK tornado's lasted for 45k and later MRF ZVTS lasted for 55+k!!! This is without a single job/replacement on suspension!!
I think you guys overload the car quite often!! I've seen 'that' problem mostly in taxi cabs!!

1100D · 7th August 2007, 01:50

Many of the hire Indica's have their original tyres sold off and run on second hand used tyres (for obvious reasons).

However I have seen a Marina in our office (not a hire car) that has the inner tread completely gone on one of its rear wheels.

2fast4u · 7th August 2007, 13:02

hi
i dont own an indica but i have seen the testing for an indica, safari at tatas done on Instron simulating machine.

the torture the vehicle is put to is what the indica would not get in 5 yrs of rough driving its quite extreme. also the suspension is so strong that on the simulating machine the rim got bent due to the g forces.

I dont know much about its tyre wear, suspension wear, ride quality but it is built quite tough for a hatch type.

.anshuman · 8th August 2007, 22:02

i have a indica which has run more than 1,35,000kms and its still running stock suspension and is still running fine.Uneven tire wear has never been a issue,average tyre life at around 35-40K kms.

windiesel · 2nd November 2009, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by akash_m

Hi Guys! My due apologies to all the Indica owners out here, but this thing all of you must have noticed. Whenever I am behind an Indica, i always see the rear two wheels poking outwards from below, sometimes to an extent that looks as if the entire rim would come out. I ahve spoken to many of my Indica owner friends who say that Indica does have a major suspension problem.

The tyres seem to last only 20-25 k kms in an Indica... I think the terms like tow-in, tow-out, caster, camber are all not there in Indica's dictionary. The TATA guys have revamped the entire suspension system in an Indica but still it remains flawless only in initial months. Please correct me if I am wrong in saying all this..

Hey Akash,
what you saw is the case in Indicas which do not have mud flaps on the rear, you will see that the bumper of the Indica curves sharply, right behind the rear wheels, thereby causing an optical illusion that the rear tyres are protuding outwards at the bottom.
Indica's suspension is quite robust, although it suffers from alignment issues. Just take care of this one aspect and your set of tyres will last 50K at least. I drive an Indica since early 2000 done 1lac and 5K and now on my third set of tyres(recently changed). The original suspension was changed at 90,000 kms, not bad, eh?

speedmunster · 30th April 2012, 16:54

I have totally used 3 indicas since 2000. the first two were really amazing vehicles which actually prompted me to buy my third indica after selling the first 2.
The third one however was a totally different story. its a 2006 DLS and the problem of uneven wear in the rear tyres has plagued the car since the time it crossed 20000 kms. I have crossed 94000 kms now and have tried to get the suspension/lower arms changed and rectified time and again. The rear tyres do not last me for more than 18000 kms.

Is there any solution to this problem or do you suggest i sell the car and buy a swift????

deep_bang · 30th April 2012, 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedmunster

I have totally used 3 indicas since 2000. the first two were really amazing vehicles which actually prompted me to buy my third indica after selling the first 2.
The third one however was a totally different story. its a 2006 DLS and the problem of uneven wear in the rear tyres has plagued the car since the time it crossed 20000 kms. I have crossed 94000 kms now and have tried to get the suspension/lower arms changed and rectified time and again. The rear tyres do not last me for more than 18000 kms.

Is there any solution to this problem or do you suggest i sell the car and buy a swift????

SpeedMunster, did you visit the alignment shops - what do they say? I suggest a computerised alignment shop. The manual ones that do alignment, ONLY aligns the front 2 wheels. The idea is that the front wheels take the majority of the load plus, as they are connected to the steering and chances are more that they can go out of alignment.

However, the computerised ones take into account the back wheel too. Can you post some pictures of how the wear and tear is? Is it inwards or outwards or just a lot of wear and tear both inwards and outwards?

Just to clarify, i have a 2006 Indica, and dont have any issues. Also, try searching in this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...oblems-65.html

I saw a few TBHPians have complained about rear tyres getting worn out, although i did not read all the responses. You can use the "Search this thread" functionality to search for alignment issues.

3rd July 2007, 10:30	#1
akash_m BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 257 Thanked: 101 Times	Hopeless suspension in Indica Hi Guys! My due apologies to all the Indica owners out here, but this thing all of you must have noticed. Whenever I am behind an Indica, i always see the rear two wheels poking outwards from below, sometimes to an extent that looks as if the entire rim would come out. I ahve spoken to many of my Indica owner friends who say that Indica does have a major suspension problem. The tyres seem to last only 20-25 k kms in an Indica... I think the terms like tow-in, tow-out, caster, camber are all not there in Indica's dictionary. The TATA guys have revamped the entire suspension system in an Indica but still it remains flawless only in initial months. Please correct me if I am wrong in saying all this..
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 11:34	#2
abhilash_iv BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kochi Posts: 216 Thanked: 15 Times View My Garage	I have driven an Indica for more than 80K kms, and my OEM tyres worn out around 40K kms only. The front suspensions where changed around 75K kms.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 12:28	#3
ravibhat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,256 Thanked: 37 Times View My Garage	When I travelled in India ride was really good much better than my Swift. Only thing I agree about Indica is parts life time is less compared to other premium cars but again indica is cheap to other cars as well Ravi.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 16:57	#4
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,922 Thanked: 2,696 Times	Where did you get this info I do not know but you are generalizing something rare. In fact, that brings me to another issue. This issue has already been dealt with in the forum earlier. You should have done a search before opening the thread. Having said that, I agree you would have seen this thing once in a while. However that is mostly seen in Indicabs. The reason is the kind of loading those vehicles are put up to. Over a period of time they suffer the "rickety legs syndrome". And if any other car were to be subjected to that kind of treatment (as those cabs) they will also meet the same fate. So it is nothing special really. Now, about personal Indicas, I have two in my family with a combined experience of 6 years. The older one is now 4+ years old and crossed 45000kms. It has no such syndrome. In acquaintances we have Indicas that are more than 70000kms old. They have never shown this problem. Heck, our dear mod Tsk has one which will complete the 1lakh mark soon. That has never had this problem. So you get the drift? If you load a car to the gills and then drive like a maniac over every pothole and crater then you can not expect a mint fresh car.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 17:29	#5
akash_m BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 257 Thanked: 101 Times	well I guess Zappo is right that the rough use of Indicas as cabs might be the culprit..
	() Thanks

6th August 2007, 22:44	#7
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	So far so good @ 17,000 KM- Suspension is great ! Had to replaced Rear shocker arm just after delivery apparently the rubber bush was squeeking, so had it replaced. Other than That...She holds well. Could be the way the car is driven, Now a Taxi will have a different driver mindset and this can cause Premature wearing of parts and tyres. But surely not at the Reading you have said. Next time we have a meet in Delhi, Do check the XETA out at 17,000 KM at least it should show 50 % Tyre wearout, if Your Collected Data is correct. Last edited by wolfinstein : 6th August 2007 at 22:47.
	() Thanks

6th August 2007, 23:08	#8
kkr2k2 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, Hyd Posts: 1,294 Thanked: 66 Times View My Garage	We changed the OEM tyres at 57,000 km after 4 years on the odo. The tyre guys said the tread is good enough another 10,000 kms, but we were skeptical that the rubber might have become hard, and thats not advisable so changed the tyres.(though kept one the good tyres as the stepney) raj.
	() Thanks

6th August 2007, 23:43	#9
nikkibike BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: QoAS Posts: 526 Thanked: 4 Times	ugh!! Dude.... I too have noticed what you have mentioned about rear wheels of Indica! Well... But I have used an Indica for 3 yrs and never noticed 'that' thingy in my car!! Infact, I have wondered why mine doesn't have that trouble when many indicas on the road had the same problem. Also, my company fitted JK tornado's lasted for 45k and later MRF ZVTS lasted for 55+k!!! This is without a single job/replacement on suspension!! I think you guys overload the car quite often!! I've seen 'that' problem mostly in taxi cabs!!
	() Thanks

7th August 2007, 01:50	#10
1100D Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,390 Thanked: 4,079 Times View My Garage	Many of the hire Indica's have their original tyres sold off and run on second hand used tyres (for obvious reasons). However I have seen a Marina in our office (not a hire car) that has the inner tread completely gone on one of its rear wheels.
	() Thanks

7th August 2007, 13:02	#11
2fast4u BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: pune / Bahrain Posts: 488 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	hi i dont own an indica but i have seen the testing for an indica, safari at tatas done on Instron simulating machine. the torture the vehicle is put to is what the indica would not get in 5 yrs of rough driving its quite extreme. also the suspension is so strong that on the simulating machine the rim got bent due to the g forces. I dont know much about its tyre wear, suspension wear, ride quality but it is built quite tough for a hatch type. Last edited by 2fast4u : 7th August 2007 at 13:06.
	() Thanks

8th August 2007, 22:02	#12
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,064 Times View My Garage	i have a indica which has run more than 1,35,000kms and its still running stock suspension and is still running fine.Uneven tire wear has never been a issue,average tyre life at around 35-40K kms.
	() Thanks

30th April 2012, 16:54	#14
speedmunster BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 218 Thanked: 327 Times	Re: Hopeless suspension in Indica I have totally used 3 indicas since 2000. the first two were really amazing vehicles which actually prompted me to buy my third indica after selling the first 2. The third one however was a totally different story. its a 2006 DLS and the problem of uneven wear in the rear tyres has plagued the car since the time it crossed 20000 kms. I have crossed 94000 kms now and have tried to get the suspension/lower arms changed and rectified time and again. The rear tyres do not last me for more than 18000 kms. Is there any solution to this problem or do you suggest i sell the car and buy a swift????
	() Thanks