[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by batish

Which tyre inflator do you use for Thar? Asking since the usual ones fail in summers due to overheating while inflating from 15 to 32 PSI.

One more thing, is 21mm plastic sleeved socket available online which is reasonable? All I can see are listings which are >2k.

I am using Viair 87P inflator. Not sure about online availability of sleeved sockets at 21mm. Thar I am using Stanley Molybdenum socket.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

This is good stuff. Can you share where did you buy? Also, for BMW or any other vehicles, instead of that TVS electric wrench, always go with a Torque wrench while tightening settings per manufacturer. It's very important to tighten to correct torque.

Thanks Turbanator. I got the amazon basics one from amazon India. Using the electric wrench and then the torque wrench to adjust as per recommended torque does the job.

[Speedrider75]

I had participated too - my quick thoughts : Surprisingly, I found the Panamera handling quite good. We did the turning brake test at 100kmpH+ and its handling was amazing.

The order of handling would probably be 911s>Panamera>Taycan>Macan>Cayenne (one may differ between a Taycan vs Panamera but the difference is quite small).

But if you add practicality (GC would be at the top of the list), the Macan would probably come out top. The Macan GTS was an absolute hoot to go around corners and it would be the most fun+practical choice here. (The entry level Macan is too slow and doesn't do justice to being a Porsche imho). Obviously, with good roads, the 911 would always be on top. The Cayenne was the only 'boat' here, but that's just relative to the Porsche family, I'm sure it will hold its own among SUVs of its size and weight.

[robimahanta]

Update: Thar & GTI

Did a 6600km cross country drive in the Thar. Will do a detailed post soon. It was an amazing drive and I never imagined the Thar will be so comfortable.


The GTI had its 5 year service. The car is at 51000kms and I am hard pressed to find a suitable replacement. The service was part of the 2 year service pack worth 22k. The actual bill was 11.3k for oil, oil filter, air filter, cabin filter and diagnostics.

[robimahanta]

Private track day in MMRT, Sriperumbudur

Had a wonderful day with an enthusiastic bunch of guys at the track yesterday. Thanks a lot to BHPians Reesnat and Speedrider75 for coordinating and arranging the track day. It was mostly the M340i group with a few other awesome cars joining. We had 9 M340i's, E63 W212, A45S, VRS245 and an M2C.

I joined them late around noon due to some work related issues but had a fabulous time in the 8-9 laps which I did. Drove overall 680kms during the course of the day and it was amazing to have a car with such a dual personality. Drove hard on track (hard to push the personal car too much as costly tyres, pads etc keeps floating in the brain ) and back to bangalore comfortably. Thanks to BHPian D3MON for joining us on the drive.

There is no getting away from the fact that the car is heavy and the load it puts on the brakes and tyres. The front end grip isn't much and there is some understeer. Maybe with the DSC off it would be faster but I didn't have the balls to do it. Did some laps in the range of 2:05 to 2:08 (lines were all over the place), while the regulars did 2:00 to 2:03. Maybe with better tyres and some cooling modifications, a few seconds can be gained. Having said that, it was a lot of fun with all the car talk, pizza for lunch and the camaraderie. Looking forward to many more track days with the group. Hopefully, the tracks near Bangalore come up soon.

Some pics,

The fuel bunk near the track sold a lot of XP100 yesterday


My M340i on the track (thanks to D3MON for the pics)




The line up








Chilling in the pits during lunch


After a few laps, the beautiful nardo grey wrapped M340i with big brake kit in the background


Nikhil008's lovely 6.2 litre beast heading out


Ressnat's M2C


My M340i


Ending the day with some rava masala dosa and filter coffee

[9403040021c]

Wow, that looks like a very nice group of cars to drive with. Your Polo is very nice as well haven't really seen many around. What are you planning on replacing it with if you don't mind me asking? Are there any new cars for sale today that you think have a similar driving experience?

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Thanks to BHPian D3MON for joining us on the drive.

Big thanks to Robi for taking me along for the best kind of day trip. It was wonderful to meet the group and I had tons of fun.

It was a pleasure to experience Robi's driving skills at work throughout the day. The drive was quick, careful & methodical. Always safe with zero risks taken or with things left to chance. For him, driving down to MMSC , followed by driving on track, and then driving back to Bangalore the same evening was just a walk in the park. He refused to even label it as an endurance drive (as it pales in comparison to all the other crazy expeditions that he undertakes)

The M340i truly has a Jekyll and Hyde nature to it. It's a proper performance car that has genuine everyday usability.

- On the road, it was extremely well damped and did not feel uncomfortable at any point of time, even with the 19" rims. For reference, I'd estimate that it was only a little bit stiffer than the G30 530d with the dampers in Sport. The M Performance Exhaust was completely silent during low altitude cruise, and screamed in a visceral manner during bursts of acceleration. The power on tap is immense. 2000-3000 RPM is more than enough to make RAPID progress. There were so many instances where the car was accelerating rapidly with the exhaust screaming away when I thought the car must be doing at least 4-5K RPM, but it was actually doing just 2-3K RPM. The sonorous exhaust really adds a lot of drama to the car and makes even street driving a lot of fun.

- On the track, the car was an absolute monster. It howled away to glory and reached near double ton speeds in double quick time. From the vantage point of the passenger seat, the handling reminded me of Clarkson's comments in the Evo 8 review by Top Gear (watch from about 1:00). Turn in the car at any speed for any corner, and it's near impossible to crash. The electronics just sort it all out, by juggling power to the right wheel at the right time. All this time, the car is doing a beautifully balanced 4 wheel drift, with DSC fully on.

https://youtu.be/Ees2aZcDUn8?t=61

[Ashwintona675]

Wow. Your beast looks amazing on track. I have a query, how do you manage to tackle the roads from Sriperumbudur to Walajapet on the way back. Full of potholes and take diversions. I find it extremely difficult in my A3 and it considerably reduces the average speed. I would think it would be a harsh ride with your stiff suspension. Correct me if i am wrong.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Private track day in MMRT, Sriperumbudur

Had a wonderful day with an enthusiastic bunch of guys at the track yesterday. Thanks a lot to BHPians Reesnat and Speedrider75 for coordinating and arranging the track day. It was mostly the M340i group with a few other awesome cars joining. We had 9 M340i's, E63 W212, A45S, VRS245 and an M2C.

How does one get invited to such an event? Assuming of course, ownership of requisite machinery.

[R.P.M]

@Robi - What tyres are you using for the GTI?

We are currently running the original 215/45/16 setup. We are due for a change, the only 2 options available are the original tyre once again (Pricey @ 24k per tyre - 2019 Manufacturing date) or the PS4 205/50/16 (deviation of 2%) but with a 1.5 yr old production date.

Any other sizes that can be considered with the stock rim (without too much of a deviation). I love the stock stance with the 45 profile tyre, any leads to get better deals with a newer lot?

Thanks in advance.

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by Ashwintona675

Wow. Your beast looks amazing on track. I have a query, …. I would think it would be a harsh ride with your stiff suspension. Correct me if i am wrong.

Thanks. I am just slow and careful in the bad sections. The ride is stiff but not harsh at all, I am used to stiff dampers so maybe it isn’t a deal breaker. Having said that I rarely have anyone in the back seat, which I presume is uncomfortable.

Originally Posted by v1p3r

How does one get invited to such an event? Assuming of course, ownership of requisite machinery.

This was a private event arranged by the M340i Blr group and some friends. We pooled in the money and arranged it.

Originally Posted by R.P.M

@Robi - What tyres are you using for the GTI?
Thanks in advance.

I am using Michelin PS4 205/50 16 for the last 40000kms or so (on my second set now). Haven’t had any issues yet.

[R.P.M]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

I am using Michelin PS4 205/50 16 for the last 40000kms or so (on my second set now). Haven’t had any issues yet.

Thank you for the confirmation, I will continue my search for a newer manufactured PS4 set.

[robimahanta]

Had a short and fun drive to Ramnagara with the "Thar Bengaluru" group last Sunday. There was a short trail with some rock crawling and lot of slipping and sliding in a slush pit. This was followed by a scrumptious picnic lunch and the usual camaraderie of an off road group.

All waiting for the slush area to get ready


Watering the area for maximum fun


Slipping and sliding begins, the Thars were like pigs rolling in the mud




I parked it little away below a nice mango tree and watched the fun


Some cars after the mud session


This one had an apt sticker


Did some nice climbs and trails around the area. The Thar climbed with ease and as usual it never failed to surprise me with its capabilities




Finishing the day with some lovely food, thanks to the awesome hosts.

[ak10]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Had a short and fun drive to Ramnagara with the "Thar Bengaluru" group last Sunday.

I am waiting for delivery of my Thar in couple of weeks. Would like to join in such off-road excursions. Can you please suggest how to get to know about these events and be part of these groups?

[robimahanta]

Had a lovely Sunday morning driving loop of around 400kms with the group.
It was great fun in some fantastic and some terrible patches of roads. Finishing with a tasty biriyani near Vaniyambadi,TN and back home by afternoon.

Sharing some phone pics,

The group heading out


My M340i


With BHPian Megazoid's 330i


With D3MON's 530D


All the petrol's together


BHPian Highrevvinh's 330i with those drool worthy BBS


BHPian Megazoid's 330i with lovely Sparco 18's and Michelin PS4's


Awesome sighting of an Aventador SVJ during breakfast


BHPian Dr.AD doing what he does best, BHPian Nerd_1200's lovely new Scorpio N and Highrevving's 330i in the background

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by robimahanta

Had a lovely Sunday morning driving loop of around 400kms with the group.
It was great fun in some fantastic and some terrible patches of roads. Finishing with a tasty biriyani near Vaniyambadi,TN and back home by afternoon.

It was a great drive. Totally enjoyed driving with you guys and had a lot of fun. Seeing the 7 BMWs (a few in front of me and a few behind me, as I was always in the middle of the pack) taking the corners and running up and down the hills was a great experience. And we had a mighty Scorpio-N giving us company and watching over the convoy as these 8 cars had a fun-filled 400km drive!

BHPian Dr.AD doing what he does best

Hahaha. I enjoyed taking photos of the cars.

Here, if you could please allow me, sharing a couple of photos I took of your M340i.

The car looks stunning from any angle, and especially this one (and the gorgeous alloys are worthy of a full photoshoot just of the alloys):



Another one on the background of the lake: