[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by GTO

....Thar's top down and go open-top cruising to admire the lights & fireworks in this mega city. ..

The Thar convertible is meant to do just this! . So good to see you putting the Thar to good use.. A perfect lifestyle vehicle.

[GTO]

I spoke to Anshuman and he had the same opinion. Am seeing Shankar.Balan posting on similar lines on the main Thar review thread. I drove a 2023 Thar and also feel the same.

It's no longer worth it for anyone to spend 1-lakh on an AVO suspension or any after-market suspension. Reasons:

- The 2023 Thars come with reduced bumpiness from the suspension. Don't get me wrong, it is still bumpy (short wheelbase, offroad suspension & all that), but the bumpiness appears to be much lesser than the earlier cars. In a nutshell, the 2023 Thars stock suspension is now liveable.

- Drop the tyre PSI to 28 - 30 for city usage. At 29 - 30 PSI, you will be able to easily live with the Thar. Raise it for highway runs though.

- Anshuman says that the kickback from the rear (old Thar problem) has reduced in the 2023 cars.

- The stock suspension is dirt cheap .

- The AVO kit costs 1-lakh rupees. Then, at the 40000 - 50000 km mark, the AVO dampers apparently start leaking and need replacement. That is big bucks all over again.

I have yet to drive the 2023 Thar on the highway, but based on a city drive, I think the suspension is now tolerable. I wouldn't spend the money on AVO if my car had come with the latest OEM suspension.

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by GTO

It's no longer worth it for anyone to spend 1-lakh on an AVO suspension or any after-market suspension. Reasons:

- The 2023 Thars come with reduced bumpiness from the suspension. Don't get me wrong, it is still bumpy (short wheelbase, offroad suspension & all that), but the bumpiness appears to be much lesser than the earlier cars. In a nutshell, the 2023 Thars stock suspension is now liveable.

- Drop the tyre PSI to 28 - 30 for city usage. At 29 - 30 PSI, you will be able to easily live with the Thar. Raise it for highway runs though.

- Anshuman says that the kickback from the rear (old Thar problem) has reduced in the 2023 cars.

I wouldn't spend the money on AVO if my car had come with the latest OEM suspension.

FANTASTIC piece of news this morning !

Aside, from the non-usability or the pain to get into the back-seat for the family members, a BUMPY ride was a BIG NO for my wife & my parents. It was so hard to convince them on this front. Sure, my wife loves the THAR, but the moment she got into the back-seat of a 2020 TD vehicle - her opinion changed.

I just sent a screenshot of this excerpt to her. Here's hoping for some positive reply.

[ph03n!x]

I drove the 2023 Thar briefly, and while it definitely felt better - steering was better ruined, and suspension was definitely better than the stock from my first batch Thar, I'll definitely need more time with it - esp on/ off/ bad roads. The feedback from the ownership reviews though seem promising.

Originally Posted by GTO

...

- The AVO kit costs 1-lakh rupees. Then, at the 40000 - 50000 km mark, the AVO dampers apparently start leaking and need replacement. That is big bucks all over again.

...

Wanted to correct this bit - I'm at 59k KM and the AVO is holding pretty good (will give a detailed update in my ownership thread), and the folks at ARKA have said that the suspension is completely rebuild-able with child parts, and will not need a complete replacement (like the stock shocks) unless broken/ damaged/ deformed beyond salvage.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Sent the Thar across for her first detailing session to Selvin @ XSEL MotorWorX. The deep, lustrous RED is back & she's looking brand new :thumbs ]

You really have a great looking Thar. And unlike me, you spend a lot of effort on detailing. Indeed that red convertible is very desirable and more so after those subtle enhancements. I wish the convertible were an easy choice to make. The only thing that prevented me from buying one was the security aspect.

On the AVO, Mr Leelakrishnan himself said that he would have the suspension serviced as needed if needed. My Thar has done about 27000kms. AVO does help as Ive documented earlier. And the lower tyre pressure of 28 psi also helps.

But the Thar itself is overall a pretty bumpy beast even though it really feels invincible. I drove my stock Gypsy yesterday for about 25kms just for an early morning spin and enjoyed Bangalore’s excellent weather in that vehicle. Today I drove the Thar for an early morning 20kms spin on the same route as yesterday. And believe me when comparing the vehicles on the same stretch of concrete white topped Inner ring road the stock Gypsy was far less bumpy than the Thar. At the same speeds, 60kmph. The Thar’s Jeepy looks make one forgive it all its trespasses. My problem is I love the Thar, the Gypsy and the Jimny but it is not at all practical nor sensible for me, as the only driver in this house, to buy and own all three.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

And believe me when comparing the vehicles on the same stretch of concrete white topped Inner ring road the stock Gypsy was far less bumpy than the Thar. At the same speeds, 60kmph. The Thar’s Jeepy looks make one forgive it all its trespasses.

You have swapped out the OE suspension, so that can’t be it anymore, is it due to the combination of height/weight/SWB? I wonder if this will be less pronounced in the 5-door Thar?

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

My problem is I love the Thar, the Gypsy and the Jimny but it is not at all practical nor sensible for me, as the only driver in this house, to buy and own all three.

C’mon, YOLO!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

is it due to the combination of height/weight/SWB? I wonder if this will be less pronounced in the 5-door TharD

Indeed a slightly longer wheelbase and better tuned suspension along with high tyre sidewalls, aided by a good amount of counter-balancing ballast in the back, will make for less bumpiness over these giant speed breakers and poor concrete surfaces and potholes of Bangalore. So the Thar 5 door should ride much better than the 3 door. I guess these facts along with the capacity increase and overall practicality and versatility are the real reasons why the Wrangler Unlimited accounts for maybe 80% of all Wrangler sales. It may very well be the same for Thar once the 5 door version is launched.

What I said earlier holds true. Drive my Thar along the Inner Ring Road in Bangalore at 60kmph and one can feel the unevenness of the surface. This is not evident in my Gypsy when driven on the same road at the same speed. I need to try this in the Jimny too, for further comparison purposes.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by gauravdgr8

The Thar is looking fresh out of the oven after the detailing session

Thanks!

Originally Posted by dhanushs

The Thar convertible is meant to do just this!

Thanks! It's the ultimate FUN-Mobile.

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Sure, my wife loves the THAR, but the moment she got into the back-seat of a 2020 TD vehicle - her opinion changed.

I just sent a screenshot of this excerpt to her. Here's hoping for some positive reply.

Best way to convince the wife is to make her drive one. Do it, she will fall in love. My girl enjoys driving the Thar as much as the 530d.

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Wanted to correct this bit - I'm at 59k KM and the AVO is holding pretty good (will give a detailed update in my ownership thread), and the folks at ARKA have said that the suspension is completely rebuild-able with child parts, and will not need a complete replacement (like the stock shocks) unless broken/ damaged/ deformed beyond salvage.

Ah okay . Thanks for sharing.

- But there have been many reports of AVO damper leakages.

- Rebuilding shocks? I have never, ever done it. At the 40,000 - 50,000 km mark, the only way I know is to replace the shocks. That's what I have done in my 30 years of maintaining cars.

- Will be interesting to know who will do the rebuild, what the cost will be, and how the performance is after a rebuild. As always, will wait for first-hand experience from BHPians.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

You really have a great looking Thar. And unlike me, you spend a lot of effort on detailing. Indeed that red convertible is very desirable and more so after those subtle enhancements.

Thanks!

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by GTO

Best way to convince the wife is to make her drive one. Do it, she will fall in love. My girl enjoys driving the Thar as much as the 530d.

Haha yes, already scheduled a TD for tomorrow. Sadly, they have only the D AT and nothing in Petrol.

Originally Posted by GTO

I wouldn't spend the money on AVO if my car had come with the latest OEM suspension.

Isn't your Thar a 2023 variant too? So, when exactly has the suspension changed in Thar's of this year?

[Turbolove]

Originally Posted by GTO

- The AVO kit costs 1-lakh rupees. Then, at the 40000 - 50000 km mark, the AVO dampers apparently start leaking and need replacement.

This is something I didn't expect. Mine have been on for about 15k kms now, while they don't have any leakage, however when doing long 12 hr highway trips, they do tend to show some fade after 8-9 hours.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

Isn't your Thar a 2023 variant too? So, when exactly has the suspension changed in Thar's of this year?

Mine is a Nov '22 build.

Originally Posted by Turbolove

Mine have been on for about 15k kms now, while they don't have any leakage, however when doing long 12 hr highway trips

I don't think it is out of the ordinary. Most of the cars that I have owned, the dampers lose their productive life after 40000 - 50000 km. Even if they don't leak, the damping quality becomes very poor after 50000 km on Indian roads. I usually overhaul my car suspensions at this mark for the best handling / ride quality.

[saurabh041086]

Originally Posted by GTO

- The 2023 Thars come with reduced bumpiness from the suspension. Don't get me wrong, it is still bumpy (short wheelbase, offroad suspension & all that), but the bumpiness appears to be much lesser than the earlier cars. In a nutshell, the 2023 Thars stock suspension is now liveable.

That is a great news. That bumpy drive on Thar was the only downer for me to acquire the Turbo Petrol MT as a second car in addition to my MPV for family duties. This sole factor was the biggest red flag over anything else in the debate with Jimny.

If they have sorted this, it will be awesome for people like me sitting on the fence. I need to get hold of a 2023 make car to experience this now.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Rebuilding shocks? I have never, ever done it. At the 40,000 - 50,000 km mark, the only way I know is to replace the shocks.

Ironman foam cell shocks can be rebuilt and the company themselves sell the kit and parts. Once the oil, seals and foam(not always) are changed, they are as good as news and good to go for another 100,000 km easily.
Same case with few other leading manufactures like Dobinson (part, Instructions ).

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

.....My problem is I love the Thar, the Gypsy and the Jimny but it is not at all practical nor sensible for me, as the only driver in this house, to buy and own all three...,.

Lucky for us that only polygamy is a crime in India. But with the way Govt. policies are being created and implemented, owning more than a single car itself might be viewed as a crime. Enjoy it while you can

[wooka]

I got the Dr. Nano suspension (nitro gas). For both front and rear. Better, but not by much, honestly. I've reached out to the proprietor for rear springs for perhaps another chance at a better life.. Will post back at the earliest.

Had to turn back from spiti halfway (from Manali) there cause the suspension was quite shook. And I've been driving the old CRDe all over, so that's saying something. Went to Sarchu instead.





P. S. Owning a tyre dealership I may just jump to R16 next. Some decent apollo AT2 exist in that size. Maybe that's my last beacon of hope. I doubt FDD is coming to Thar shockers anytime soon.