[vipinmishra]

Moderator note: Back to back posts, please use Multi Quote [Quote+] instead. Thanks.

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

@vipin: Unless you are going to go off-road regularly, do not put Bighorn or any MT Tyre. They are noise, hard & unsafe on roads. Keep a set only for off-road use.

265 is too big and will stress the already weak front axle/steering components. Your best bet is to go for stock size or if you want bigger go for 245/70/16 (Ford Endeavour Size) or 245/75/16 (JK Elanzo). Beyond this is too big for your original rims.

@4X4addict. Thank you for replying. I must confess the primary reason for my considering the Big Horns is vanity. I just love the way they make the Thar look. Now having said that, what would say that the difference between an MT and an AT Tyre, in terms of safety, huge?
Or would you say its a marginal difference?
Also, the wear and tear that you warn me about, in the front axle/steering components, have you seen or experienced it in another Thar in the past?
Yes, the wider the tyre, more the surface traction and stress, but I want to ascertain if the trade off between looks and the wear and tear is a fair one.

Originally Posted by obaidhakim

@vipin: I was in the exact same position about a year back as you are today. Coincidently I was considering the exact same tyres that you are considering and chose to go for the maxxis bighorn. And man am I glad!

The bighorns are really good tyres, fairly good performance on road and fantastic off-road performance. In fact I was quite pleasantly surprised how well they performed on road, even in the monsoon. Yes they are a bit noisy than what you would prefer, they are also a little stiff as compared to the stock tyres adding to the already harsh ride, but then jeeps were never supposed to be practical.
But let me tell you they will never let you down ever. They are a dream off-road, self cleaning and excellent sidewall protection. Even on the road they they manage to get everyone's attention in a jiffy. Hugely complement the look of the Jeep.

What's more they fit right on to the stock wheels, thereby saving the moolah to be spent somewhere else on the Jeep.
I have done about 14K kms on these tyres by now, 80% road had only one puncture and a fantastic drive everyday.
One of the best investments that I have done on my Jeep.

Thanks obaidhakim. I'm happy to see your post as it re affirms what I'd love to settle with as far as the choice of tyres on my Thar are concerned.
Do you off road a fair bit? And in those times or on occasions of going over a bump on the highway at high speed, do the 762's touch the fender?
At full turning radius, do you feel that they're touching the insides of your jeep?
These along with the accelerated wear and tear that 4X4addict mentioned are my main concerns.

Originally Posted by Avigo71

Factory fitted Bridgestone are good enough for daily use & basic off roading. If you want A/T tires then go for the Geolander ATs in the same size as stock. If you fit a broader tyre than 235, then make sure it's not 70 R16. It should be less than 70 otherwise the clearance of the 'wheel arch' reduces and the tyre hits the wheel arch when the car goes in a dip or a speed breaker at a moderately high speed. I think 255/65/R16 is good.
The Bighorns are very good but you should put them only if you are 60-70% on off road terrain. Else you should put them if looks matter more to you than highway performance or money! Because they are a bit noisy, they give a bit lesser performance on highways in terms of grip & braking & also they wear out real fast on normal tar roads.

PS: I am no expert but have done a bit of research on this issue, and this is the feedback I received from experts & a few test drives I did with different tyres before settling on the 235/70R16 Yokohama Geolander AT s

Thanks Avigo71. Yes the Geolander AT 255/65R16 seems to be the most sensible swap and the Bighorn the most desirable one, more from a "look" point of view, I agree, as 20% off roading time is the most I can expect to get.

However, I'm eager to hear from obaidhakim if he's had any issues with his tyres touching against he fenders.
If not, then getting the Bighorn might be a fair trade off of looks vs highway performance and kmpl.

[4x4addict]

@vipin: MT Tyres are a safety risk when braking in wet conditions at high speeds. If you are planning only moderate off-road, then AT tyres will do just fine.

[obaidhakim]

No issues with tyres touching fenders. Only when you hit a huge ditch and the suspension bottoms out, the tyre slightly grazes the fiber extension to the fender. Not that it has been an issue worth worrying.
@4x4addict: wet condition braking might not be a 100% but surely is on the high side of 85%
I have done a fair bit of wet condition driving with speed of around 100kmph without an issue. But yes I do brake fairly early in the jeep as compared to what I would in my Mercedes C250cdi. But can't really compare the two.

[vipinmishra]

Thanks obaidhakim. Your feedback helps me make my decision a little simpler.
Shall decide between the Geolander AT 255/65R16 (Head) and the Bighorn 762 (Heart).

Being from Mumbai, would you happen to know places and people who can help do mods or accessorise the Thar?
I liked the bumpers from Prad at Banglore and they said they can ship it here.
Reasonably priced too. So thats one option.
I've ordered the Mahindra accessories from the showroom itself when it comes to the front and rear light grill and insect mesh to start with.
Would be grateful if we could share some leads when it comes to mods for the Thar in the city.
Thanks.
Cheers.

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by obaidhakim

No issues with tyres touching fenders. Only when you hit a huge ditch and the suspension bottoms out, the tyre slightly grazes the fiber extension to the fender. Not that it has been an issue worth worrying.

I have surprisingly cracked my front right stock fender after hitting a ditch. Tyres are stock specs geolander. Have to design some new ones that won't touch.

[obaidhakim]

Lots of serious offenders opt to lose the fiber extensions all to gether for the same reason.

[vipinmishra]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

I have surprisingly cracked my front right stock fender after hitting a ditch. Tyres are stock specs geolander. Have to design some new ones that won't touch.

Thats pretty crazy, given that Jeeps have a far stiffer suspension set up with a far greater room for play. And that too on a tyre thats to the stock specs.

[Avigo71]

Originally Posted by vipinmishra

Thats pretty crazy, given that Jeeps have a far stiffer suspension set up with a far greater room for play. And that too on a tyre thats to the stock specs.

I can guarantee that stock speck Geolanders will not touch the fenders at any angle. This is a common problem (which even I faced in the beginning) which people get confused with the tyre size. The trick is to find a good Service centre which will adjust your torsion bar height & setting perfectly. After doing that there is no way your stock tyres will touch the fender. If you are in mumbai, then NBS at Reay road will do it perfectly!

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by Avigo71

I can guarantee that stock speck Geolanders will not touch the fenders at any angle. This is a common problem (which even I faced in the beginning) which people get confused with the tyre size.

Maybe you are right. To what I actually have, its Geolander 235/70 R16 on 16 inch HRS alloys. Due to the negative offset the front wheels pop outside the fenders.

Will have to add some more fiber glass material to make the fenders wider by another five inch, lets see how it turns up


Posting a few frames of my Thar, nothing new to the forum though.


Have modified the seats with Innova eight seater's rear seats.
Added the locking mechanism too by extending the locks attached at the bottom of the seats.


For the safety of my son, have planted a solid iron plate on either sides of the seats and covered it with foam which acts as arm rests too. This plate is welded to the plate on which the seats sits on the sides. All mods were done on stock bolt holes where the stock seats were planted.
Both the front and rear seats have been given added paddings for thigh and back support, looks more like a sofa. Wife finds them the best seats among all rides

PS: This has become my daily ride now, the Duster and Brio are gathering dust. Its actually soundless, absolutely soundless except the wind noise, even on roughs.

[Avigo71]

[quote=himadrimondal;3375069]Maybe you are right. To what I actually have, its Geolander 235/70 R16 on 16 inch HRS alloys. Due to the negative offset the front wheels pop outside the fenders.

Will have to add some more fiber glass material to make the fenders wider by another five inch, lets see how it turns up
Attachment 1210205


Looking at the pics with naked eyes, I'm pretty sure that your torsion bar height setting is low. That's why your wheel is scraping. I advice you to get it done & you will see a marked difference.

PS: there is a chance that inexperienced people at the service centre will tell you that if you raise the height your suspension will become hard! Well, if they do it correctly I assure you that your ride will only get better.

[vipinmishra]

@himadrimondal- Those rear seats look very comfy indeed. Definitely a mod that I'll be looking at in the future.
@Avigo71 - Is there an optimal distance between the top end of the tyre and the fender, which defines the correct setting for the height of the torsion bar? Because different sized rims and the height of the tyres would be a variable. Right?

[Avigo71]

@Avigo71 - Is there an optimal distance between the top end of the tyre and the fender, which defines the correct setting for the height of the torsion bar? Because different sized rims and the height of the tyres would be a variable. Right?[/quote]


Yes there are some numbers which define the exact height. They are based on a few technical terms which I am not very familiar with. I think some " seam" setting or something. Once all those parameters are set & correct alignment is done, the ride & wheel clearance becomes perfect. The parameters are for stock size tyres. Increasing the tyre size drastically is going to give you that scraping problem. So if you put say 255/70R16 then you will get your broad tyres but the height is going to increase because of the "70". So you must compensate by putting "65" or "60" instead of "70" (255/60/R16). That gives you your extra breadth (255 as against the stock 235) and also reduces the height by coming down from 70. Changing Rim size from 16 is also not a good idea.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

Have modified the seats with Innova eight seater's rear seats.
Added the locking mechanism too by extending the locks attached at the bottom of the seats.

The seat modification looks great. But how do you manage to get in/out? Is it a-la-Tata Sierra?

[himadrimondal]

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

The seat modification looks great. But how do you manage to get in/out? Is it a-la-Tata Sierra?

Ha ha, quite similar. The gap between the front two bucket seats is big enough for even an elder preson to walk through. Moreover the seats are so comfy, no one is complaining about the ingress.

[jeeva]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Could someone tell me if the Thar DI is available in BS4 variant? My neighbour got a Thar DI registered recently in KA 04 RTO which is supposed to register only BS4 variants since its inside the city. Is this even possible?

The Di Boleros were also registered the same way here.