Chapter 6 - 'Mahindra Thar Modified'

To begin from the First Chapter: " The Beginning of a Dream".

The most enjoyable phase for me and my wife was when we started modifying our Jeep . The aim was to make it look more strong, more efficient, more comfortable and more hot! 

 It took us almost 2 years to satisfactorily complete the modification. Of course, i am sure that more would happen as time passes. As the saying goes 'a Jeep lasts a lifetime'.

Well, i will put forth the summary and the parts that we added to our Jeep, to make it look the way it is now.

The cost of My Thar on road was Rs 8.5 Lakhs

The following accessories were added by Silver Jubilee motors at the time of delivery and are visible in the pics below

1) Front guard         Rs 12000

 Advantage - Adds immense strength and looks to the Jeep.

2) Rear guard          Rs 15000

Advantage - It looks good and holds the spare wheel, so that excess pressure does not mount on the working of the locking mechanism.

3) Insect Mesh           Rs 1500

Advantage - Not sure, probably stops the insects.

4) Head Lamp and Tail Lamp grills           Rs 4000

Advantage - Safety and long life of the headlights.

5) Garware Sunscreen   Rs 10,000

  Advantage - keeps the glare away, making the air conditioning more effective.

The following accessories were bought and fitted after studying reviews of customers from reputed forums, blogs and websites.

6) Central Locking      Rs 4000

   Advantage - makes it very easy and convenient to open and lock the doors.

7) Power windows        Rs 12000

  Advantage - its feels very comfortable and modern when windows slide up and down at the touch of a button.

8) Central Console   Rs 9500

   Advantage - 

a) makes the cabin look rich and confident.

b) has a cup holder and another 2 compartments for small things.

Top View of Central Console

side view of  Central Console

9) Carbon Leaf springs  Rs 30,000 approx with Rs 1000 for fitting (Arc Industries, Ichalkaranji)

Advantage - 

a) the company fit leaf springs made a squeaky sound which vanished with carbon leaf springs.

b) the vibrations reduced beyond imagination.

c) ride became very confident and relaxing.

d) a huge difference in comfort with just one change of part.

Carbon Leaf  Rear Suspension

10) Amada Comfort Shock absorbers      Rs 20,000

Advantage - Technically it carries automatic valve, teflon coated piston, protective bush, twin tubes and polyurethane bushings. In my language it absorbs all potholes with a smile, making the ride beyond comfortable.

Amada Comfort Shock Absorbers

* Just for referrence - a 100 km drive on bad roads would give me a backache and a bodyache but after the above two modifications the ride became pleasant and enjoyable.

As  Jeep is a daily drive vehicle for me and my wife..

11) Nulon  Diesel engine lubricant        Rs 450

  Nulon engine treatment is a unique lubricant formulated with activated ptfe (poly tetra fluoro ethylene, the slipperiest substance known to science) and other special additives that eliminates friction and smoothens the engine .

Advantage -  It definitely made my crde engine softer and smoother.

12) Dynamat  like material          Rs 15,000

 It adheres very easily on metal surface. I covered the undersurface of the bonnet and complete cabin floor with it.

   Advantage - it absorbs the vibrations effectively

13) Thick washable Carpet mat       Rs 5000

I laid it on the whole cabin floor above the dynamat.

Advantage - 

a) it is thick and soft and gives a luxurious feel when you step on it

b) and it absorbs vibrations

14) Black Rubber Matting which comes in Thar covered the above 2 layers of Dynamat and Carpet mat.

15) Jeep footmats           Rs 1600

Advanatge - Looks great and further cushions the vibrations.

These 4 layers of cushioning reduced the vibrations to almost zero giving a soft and plush feeling.

The above  accessories added unimaginable comfort to our drive,  something that i can't put in words.

Now you guys must be wondering, why am i trying to make a hard, robust and tough Jeep so comforatble??

Its like this, my wife had agreed to buying the Thar just for my happiness, so in return i was trying to make her as comfortable as possible..Just my way of saying Thanks!

16) Sony Double din Stereo system with 6 speakers for surround sound          Rs 20,000

  Advantage - Amazing stuff !! We love to listen to soft romantic music, old hindi songs and the above Sony sound system fulfilled every fantasy we had. 
We could hear even the softest flute clearly that played in the background. That was luxury at its maximum for us.

17) Branded Luxury seats and  Premium Leather seat covers with brackets and fitting    Rs 30,000

  Advantage - 

a) These bucket seats with Leather seat covers made the cabin look rich, affluent and cosy. 

b) These seats are wider, bigger and pleasant to sit on.

c) Because of them, we could drive for longer hours without fatigue.

          

18) Farm Jack  48 inch  with brackets and fitting     Rs 15000

The farm jack is also known as a Hi-Lift Jack. The farm jack, invented in 1905, consists of a steel beam with a series of equally spaced holes along its length, and a hand operated mechanism which can be moved from one end of the beam to the other through the use of a pair of climbing pins.

Advantages - The Farm jack's applications are mechanical lifting of heavy vehicles,  winching, clamping, pulling and pushing..It also adds to the macho looks of the Jeep.

For me, it is yet an unused accessory.

19) Alloys  16 inch Neo Helix  5 pieces         Rs 33,000

  I had this one problem with my Jeep right from the day i purchased it, that is whenever i made a slow full turn, the wheels would kind of get locked and vibrate, so i would have to press the accelerator further to complete the turn.. in short the turns were not smooth at all ( twice i have visited the service center without any solution.)

Advantage - 

a) This problem just vanished and the turns became very smooth and free flowing.

b) Handling became very soft and easy.

c) Braking became better.

d) it enhanced the looks of the vehicle.

e) somehow because of the light weight alloys, the tyres would just breeze above the potholes.

20)Maxxis Bighorn 764  Mud Terrain   245/70/16                    Rs 52000    (5 tyres)

   Advantage - 

a) Macho looks are the biggest asset of these tyres.

b) I ride these tyres with 20 psi air pressure, so that they do not interfere with my comfort.

c) They make this 'Hmmmm' sound above 40 kms/hr but somehow we like it.

d)  They have exceptional grip off road.

e)  They also have a good grip on highways and city roads due to the reduced air pressure. 
Yes i know the disadvantage of reduced mileage and early wear out, but who cares,  they are worth it.

21) Fenders  4 inch          Rs 20,000

 I had to change them coz the Maxxis are bigger tyres and were rubbing the original fenders.

22) Jeep Wrangler side view mirrors  with fitting        Rs 12,700

Advantage - 

a) Better, clearer and wider view.

b) The mirror within can be manually tilted in all directions.

23) HID  Xenon 9 inch Fog lights  with fitting         Rs 10,000

   Advantage - 

 When it is raining we usually drive towards Mulshi to our farm house plot, where there are no road lights for kms...And trust me, these HID Xenons light up the whole mountain.

 *I don't use these lights on highways becoz they are blinding.
( They are supposed to have a throw of 1 km)

 I have also covered the Fogs with an army sticker and net to protect it from scratches and damage.

24) Carbon Black Antennae on the Front Guard

25) 48 watts Led Fog Lights for reverse gear         Rs 2500

Advantage - 

 Amazing lights, the moment i put the Jeep in reverse gear, the whole premises lights up and i can easily reverse.

26) Steering wheel knob                  Rs 800

 Advantage - can manage a turn smoothly with just one hand.

27) Digital Altimeter                     Rs  2500

  Advantage -

a) Altitude total gain/loss, 24 hours altitude record and chart.

b) Max/min altitude, temperature, humidity record.

c) 24 hours air pressure trend chart. 

d) Incorporates altimeter, barometer, compass functions.

e) Day, Date and Time.

Eventually a rough idea of how the dashboard looks.

28) 'Jeep' Spare Tyre Cover             Rs 1000

 Advantage -

 Protects the tyre and the alloy from dust and rains

29) Stickers                  Rs 5000

30) Headlight Bulbs 

     The headlight bulbs were 50/60 watts , so i changed them to 90/100 watts. A relay was also required before i changed the bulbs. 

 Advantage - the visibility definitely increases.

 I think i have covered almost all that i have done with my Jeep in the last 2 years..She is a family and we have developed immense love and respect for her..We can boldly go where no car dares to go.
'Jeep' has always been my dream and i am trying to live it with my wife.

I am not an expert so i must have missed out lots and must have made mistakes too..Do read the above with a forgiving heart. 

I would like to end with a video of my 'Adventures with Thar'.

Chapter 5 - 'Mahindra Thar Review'

 "After gathering most of the required information, one thing was clear, that the Thar was a superb platform to build a great cross country tourer on. It would allow us to do things we couldn’t have dreamt of in the older Jeeps."

The story continues -
Later some day in the end of Sept 2014 we reached the Silver Jubilee showroom in camp with the required documents and a cheque of around 8.5 lakhs. i was impressed by the way they treated us, everybody was very polite and informative. we felt very comfortable with them.

After all the formalities of booking the  black Thar crde were done, i was reassured that i would get delivery of my Thar in 2 months.

Very happy with the purchase that we did, my wife and me happily came back home with smiling faces. A few days later i informed them about the auspicious date in November, when we wished to pick up my Thar .

In these 2 months we carried on with life with an inert excitement, we also made a short trip to Spain for a friends wedding where obviously another dream of mine was waiting to be fulfilled-'The Bull run'. The original bull run occurs in Pamplona, in Navarre region of Spain in July during a 8 day festival and such festivals are repeated almost quarterly in various regions of Spain. Bull runs are a traditional part of summer festivals across Spain. We were fortunate to participate in one such run. Me and my wife are extremely fit and thought it wouldn't be tough, But when you have 6 ferocious bulls running down the street behind you, the experience becomes very noisy, scary and  fun(only if you come out unhurt) , which we did.

Revelers run around Nunez del Cubillo's fighting bulls on the Estafeta corner during the seventh running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival

With beautiful romantic memories in our hearts we left Spain, promising each other to return back someday for one more Bull run. 

Back home some days later, the auspicious moment arrived and we reached Silver Jubilee motors, camp. We were welcomed by the staff who was as polite as usual, pics were clicked, required documents were handed over and we with a smile on our faces stepped in our dream machine.  Slowly, cautiously we drove through the crowded streets of Pune to reach our house safely where another round of pooja was done.

The only sad part about the experience with Silver Jubilee was that my Thar was showing a run of 300 kms already, which means those ruffians had used my Thar for test drives for many customers, and that really hurt us no end..All of a sudden we felt cheated and obviously sad.

With mixed feelings we slept only to rise again the next morning with a twinkle in our eyes.

Lots of work had to be done, lots of modifications had to be done. As seen in the above pic we had already done a few cosmetic changes in our Thar i.e

1) Front guard.

2) The rear guard which holds the extra wheel, so that excess pressure does not mount on the back door, which would hamper the working of the locking mechanism.

3) Headlight and Tail light grills.

4) Garware sunscreen films of legally acceptable visibility.

5) Insect Mesh.

Going back a bit, the journey from the showroom to our house was making us blush like a newly wed girl. Almost everybody was staring and admiring our vehicle as if they were seeing a beautiful hot girl walk down a ramp. That feeling is something i would want to live with all my life and at that moment all the money spent seemed worth it.

The next week we went to Iskcon to buy some Bhagwat Gitas, which we wanted to distribute to a old age home, obviously our Thar was of immense use to us due to its space and load carrying capacity. That day my wife said we are lucky that our Jeep is a Vaishnava too(followers of Lord Vishnu). We had already started feeling at ease in our Jeep. She was now our family, our constant companion.

Somehow from the beginning we have always referred the Thar as the 'Jeep'. We are more comfortable that way and we realised that our Jeep likes it that way too.

Some 200kms down the line, the following inferences were made:- 

What we loved about the Thar

1)  Neighbour's envy...... forever.

2) Strong macho retro looks.

3) Immense road presence, grabs attention like no other vehicle i know.

4) Strong military grade construction.

5) Turbocharged intercooled 2500 cc NEF Crde diesel engine churning out 105 horse power, one of the best in business.

6) A 4 wheel drive (Advanced Borg Warner transfer case) which can take you to heaven and back.

7) High commanding  position with great view of the road .

8) Powerful Air conditioning.

9) Independent front suspension.

10) Rugged, all weather, all terrain offroader.

11) Power steering which makes driving a breeze.

12) High ground clearance of 200 mm.

* Our list would be incomplete without our favourite video

What we didn't like

1) non attractive cheap interiors

2) uncomfortable seats

3) rear leaf spring suspension which gives a very hard bumpy ride and makes a squeaky sound.

4) basic highway bridgestone tyres.

5) less legroom for co passenger seat.

6) hard shock absorbers.

7) Weak headlights

8) Absence of 12v charging point

9) Absence of a good music system

10) Absence of power windows.

We now had a clear idea of the weaknesses that we would have to work on, our goal ultimately being to make a 'Jeep' that would be our life long companion, which would take us to places where no one has dared to go before, one that we would be proud of till we live.

Soon, eventually the journey of modification began.....

 **Next post**:  Chapter 6 - 'Mahindra Thar modified'

Mahindra Thar Chapter 4 - 'The Thar is born'

The Mahindra Thar is a compact and mid-size four-wheel drive off-road and sport utility vehicle (SUV), manufactured by Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Limited. The vehicle was launched in the Indian market on October 4, 2010 to fill the void left by its predecessor the Mahindra MM540.

The Thar has the promise of bringing an "adventure experience" to customers at an affordable price point. The only real competition to this Mahindra is from the Gypsy. But then, the Gypsy doesn't offer a diesel engine, power steering or decent ride quality. Mahindra is casting the net rather wide in terms of the potential market for this enigmatic 4x4. The target segment includes

1) Offroaders who couldn't buy a new Jeep earlier.

2) Those who want a suv which does well both offroad and on the highway.

3) Those who need a rugged workhorse for farms, bad roads and jungle trails.

4) Youth who dream of a lifestyle vehicle

5) Adventurous folk who need a seperate car for weekend trips.

6) Those whose first crush was a Jeep.

The Thar is actually quite versatile and would be perfectly at ease anywhere....

It is city driving, highway runs & bad road conditions that this vehicle truly excels in, it puts a wide grin on your face. It is an extremely powerful, rattle free, vibration free, silent Jeep on the road.

The under body is pleasantly clean. Not too many unnecessary bits protruding out. Fuel tank is protected, Ground clearance is 200mm

There is no doubt that the best part of the Thar lies under the hood. The engine is a gem churning out 104 BHP and 247 Nm of torque (starting from 1,800 rpm)

 Interestingly, the cubic capacity & the bore / stroke of the NEF engine block are the same as that of the XD3P (2498 cc and 94 / 90 mm). However, this is where the similarities end. The two are as different as chalk and cheese, this is evident the moment you switch the CRDe on. The Thar's common-rail diesel is smooth and silent. Little engine noise is audible inside the cabin despite the lack of sound damping under the bonnet. Over regular city / highway driving, the engine is barely audible to the driver. The Thar is one of the very few open vehicles that you can have a conversation in, comfortably, without shouting yourself hoarse.

Specifications

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Displacement	2498 cc
Engine Description	NEF TCI- CRDe
Maximum Power	105 Bhp @ 3800 rpm
Maximum Torque	247 Nm @ 1800-2000 rpm
Bore x Stroke	94 x 90 mm
Fuel Type	Diesel
Gearbox	5-Speed Manual Gearbox (BORGWARNER (Manual Shift) with Low Reduction Gear)
Front Axle	Full Floating Hypoid Ratio 4.3:1 Capacity: 1100 kg
Rear Axle	Semi Floating Hypoid Ratio 4.3:1 Capacity: 1700 kg (Mechanical Locking Rear Differential)
Shift on Fly 4WD	Manual Shift On Fly 4WD with Low Ratio
PERFORMANCE & MILEAGE
Mileage (Certified)	16.55 kmpl
Departure Angle (degrees)	27°
Approach Angle (degrees)	44°
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
Overall Length	3920 mm
Overall Width	1726 mm
Overall Height	1930 mm
Wheelbase	2430 mm
Ground Clearance	200 mm
Kerb Weight	1750 kg
Turning Radius	5.75 metres
Front Track	1445 mm
Rear Track	1346 mm
CAPACITY
Seating Capacity	6 Seater (2 Forward Facing and 2 Side Facing Rear Bench Seats)
Number of Doors	2 Doors
Fuel Tank Capacity	60 litres
BRAKES & SUSPENSION
Front Brakes	Hydraullic with Tandem Master Cylinder with LCRV 226 mm Disc
Rear Brakes	Hydraullic with Tandem Master Cylinder with LCRV 282 mm Drum
Front Suspension	IFS With Torsion Bar And Stablizer Bar
Rear Suspension	Semi Elliptical Leaf Spring
WHEELS & TYRES
Front Tyre	P 235/70 R16 Tubeless
Rear Tyre	P 235/70 R16 Tubeless

Running a length of 3,920 mm & width of 1710 mm, combined with the 104 horses, endless torque and minimal turbo lag make it a super fun-to-drive city car. The NGT 530R V4 gearbox slots nicely, while the nifty and responsive power steering makes maneuvering in traffic a breeze. Plus it is BS 4 compliant.

The front IFS soaks bumps and potholes nicely. Even the handling is not something you will complain about. The whole mechanical package of the Thar seems to come together beautifully, working in harmony towards making your daily driving a pleasure. 

On the highway, the Thar can eat tarmac whole day long without complaining. Yes, you can even cruise at 3 digit speeds for hours on end. The 1st gear is good till 40 kph, 2nd 60, 3rd 80, 4th 120 and the 5th will max out at 140 kph. The steering is light & overtaking is a breeze, with power available at the slightest tap of the accelerator as long you are in the power band (~ 1800+ RPM). Body roll, though present, is negligible & very controllable. We tried to induce body roll by moving the steering aggressively at speed. Still, the Thar stayed reasonably firm. 

The Thar is a superb platform to build your great cross country tourer . It will allow you to do things you couldn’t have dreamt of in the older Jeeps. For example, traveling without fear (of breakdowns & overheating) or fatigue over long distances. The Thar will encourage you to travel to far flung places without having to perform an endless list of preventive checkups (as in the case of previous generation Jeeps). Just take the keys, get a full tank of diesel and you are ready for your adventure in the countryside. We drove quite a lot on dirt roads, gravel tracks, broken interior village roads and the Thar was shining in all of these conditions. The Thar's braking ability is par for the course and does the job.

If you are a Jeeper, the first thing you will notice after engaging 4x4L is the absence of the old school Jeep's "torque wall" hitting you. The Thar doesn't feel like a diesel Jeep in 4x4L mode at all. It actually feels like a stock gypsy with lot more power. The crawling speed of the Thar is a lot faster than the MM540.
In fact, the Thar is such fun to drive (by Jeep standards) that you will have a tough time keeping your right foot off the accelerator pedal.



**Next post**:   Chapter 5 - 'Mahindra Thar Review'

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