Hiya Pal,
Aisin hubs are the gold standard. You can source them from abroad. They may set you back by 10K each.
Maybe another 1500-2000 for fitment if you go to a specialist like Ranjith Ballal. Personally I would prefer to buy Aisin and go to such an expert.
However, Lamda seem to be an acceptable alternative and they are made in Bangalore, in that Veerasandra Industrial Estate near Electronic City, on the opposite side of the Hosur Road, somewhere near the Continental Tyres big office. And these Lamdas as earlier mentioned cost much less.
It is not at all true that the stock Gypsy gives such low mileage as you have written.
My Gypsy consistently gives 10 -11 in the city (I drive this particular stock soft top Gypsy with its stock Estate tyres very gently in general). And my recent highway run to Vellore and back with a full load of tyres it gave me 13kmpl. I never exceeded 80-90kmph on that run.
Please refer also to my friend Bibendum, on his recent run in my old Green Gypsy hardtop which he bought. He drove it to Kochi from BlR, via Cumbum and Theni and all, with a full load and he said he got 13.8 kmpl. That engine in that particular Gypsy just begs to be revved and driven hard. But Bibendum said he drove it at 80-85kmph. That Gypsy growls because it has a modified end can exhaust and a K&N conical air intake and that makes one feel like stomping on the gas and enjoy the gear changes so that one can hear the lovely sound on the over run. And it has Goodyear Wrangler 215/75/15 radials. Plus he has upgraded the suspension to Old Man Emu. When I had the self same Green Gypsy with me it had the stock suspension, but all else was the same in terms of engine spec and mods. And on my highway runs in that Gypsy I have also experienced 13kmpl.
So in the end it is all about how you drive it and where you drive it too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by condor Guys, what's the cost of:
1. Lambda FW hub (parts + labor)
2. installing power steering (parts + labor) |
Quote:
Originally Posted by condor Guys, is a FE of 7-8 kmpl the norm for a near-stock Gypsy ? What are the options to improve this ? |
Long post. But trying to pen down my experience in a simple way.
It is worth putting a mild steel fuel tank guard in these Gypsys. I’ve done that on my old one and on my new one. It protects the sheet metal tank from sharp stones and all. Long ago (1997) I ve experienced a fuel tank breach on account of a sharp stone and it isn’t a pleasant experience. In those days also the tank was made of sheet metal and a sharp stone breached it while driving over one of those flyovers which were under construction in Madras. I had to resort to WW1 biplane pilots tricks of locating the breach and the. rubbing soap over it to staunch the Petrol leak. And for good measure put some chewing gum and sticking plaster on top till I could reach the garage and give the vehicle so that they could drain the tank and remove it and solder the leaks with brass/ copper. It took 2 days of work at Kamlesh’s Garage, Electra Automotive in Madras. He was the Guru I used to go to those days. And I was out of action on the weekend with no vehicle.
In ref to the tank capacity. It is 40 litres. The fuel gauge needle is a bit vague. It stays persistently near the upper half of the gauge markings for a long time and then when the actual fuel in the tank reaches approx the 15 litre mark, it suddenly drops whoosh and shows as near empty. This has been my experience with all the Gypsys I ve ever owned.
And the present one is my 5th Gypsy in 25 years.
Also do note that when you let the tank become very close to empty, the diminishing petrol level creates a vacuum inside and actually the fuel tank surface skin contracts and then it becomes really very hard to open the fuel tank filler lid. One has to wrestle with it a lot. And when one finally succeeds in wrestling it open with one’s hand grip, one can head the audible plunk of the tank going back to shape because air has entered it. (It’s like a half full plastic bottle when you squeeze the air out and then shut the lid, it gets a little deformed). I let the Gypsy tank become low on petrol after my recent Vellore run and experienced this all over again. Hence I suggest it is best to keep one’s tank topped up at all times. Atleast have 30 litres in it at all times, which basically means it is worth topping up every 120 kms of running.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SJ410 Hey thanks Aroy. This is a brand new gypsy, one of the last few from the Maruti production line. There is less chance of the dent but I will get it checked anyway. |