Air pressure for Gypsy King tyres...

[jonahpach]

Ho hum.. here we go again with the techies! Mack The Knife do you have to get so technical with just about anything?? psi.. fps.. bhp..
My experiences with the gypsy was I would fill up the tyres to the maximum limit and then deflate it little by little till I got a perfect balance between handling and bump comfort. Now dont ask me at what psi I achieved this because I really dont know and didnt bother. It would all depend on what kind of shox u are using, the road conditions and ofcourse the age and condition of the vehicle. When I finally junked my gypsy it was 16-18 odd years old and important parts like the half shaft and gear boxes etc.. would fall off without any warning..

Jonah

[Mack The Knife]

Ho hum.. here we go again with the techies! Mack The Knife do you have to get so technical with just about anything?? psi.. fps.. bhp..

You can bet your cotton socks on that. Half the satisfaction lies in understanding and then using a machine at its efficient best, be it an airgun or a car or whatever.

Take GG's air-rifle for example. It was inaccurate but a change in pellet diet and a reduction of the pressure in the gas ram turned it into a completely different air-rifle.

Similarly with this Gypsy, I wont baby-sit it but I am going to make damn sure I can squeeze out as much mileage and performance out of it.

Now dont ask me at what psi I achieved this because I really dont know and didnt bother.

The above attitude probably explains why it fell to bits. Each to their own.

Mack The Knife

[mundaire]

Rusty,

If buying imported tyres in India, please be careful that you buy them from a reputed dealer - some fly by night ones have been known to pass of old worn out tyres with their treads "recut" and made to look new... not that I think you will fall into that trap - just thought I'd let you know anyhow...

I always used the factory spec MRF cross plys (hybrid road+mud tread, a shite tyre to be honest but cheap) on my Gypsys (3 in all between 1987-2006) and the factory recommended tyre pressures worked fine for me...

About the Gypsy's half shafts falling off (as described by Jonah) - the newer Gypsy's seem to have a problem with low quality universal joints being used on their shafts. There are 3 shafts (in all) in the Gypsy's drive train - one from the gearbox to the transfer case, one from the transfer case to the rear axle and one from the transfer case to the front axle. Each shaft has 2 universal joints - one at each end. Long before they fail, the joints will start giving off a warning sound (it's an irritating hum) which lets you know that they need to be replaced. Failure to replace them at this time or replacing them with low quality after market parts can cause them to come apart and (potentially) cause the shaft to come off while driving - leaving you stranded...

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[Mack The Knife]

If buying imported tyres in India, please be careful that you buy them from a reputed dealer - some fly by night ones have been known to pass of old worn out tyres with their treads "recut" and made to look new... not that I think you will fall into that trap - just thought I'd let you know anyhow...

I have always bought from established dealers but did hear/read something about avoiding the Chinese imports like the plague.

I don't know if you were being polite or actually thought I knew but this is the first I have heard of treads being re-cut and the tyres being flogged off as new and to be honest, it's very likely I would have fallen for this con. Thanks for the warning.

I always used the factory spec MRF cross plys (hybrid road+mud tread, a shite tyre to be honest but cheap) on my Gypsys (3 in all between 1987-2006) and the factory recommended tyre pressures worked fine for me...

I don't know about cross plys on a Gypsy but I switched to radials on my 800 years back and would gladly pay the extra every time. Simply put, I find them far better in the wet or on any surface for that matter. I don't know if it's my imagination but I have always felt that they bring the car to a stop far better, in the wet or dry, than a cross ply.

What I am really curious to know is how a Gypsy clad with crossplys compares to one with radials. By any chance have you driven both types?

About the Gypsy's half shafts falling off (as described by Jonah) - the newer Gypsy's seem to have a problem with low quality universal joints being used on their shafts. There are 3 shafts (in all) in the Gypsy's drive train - one from the gearbox to the transfer case, one from the transfer case to the rear axle and one from the transfer case to the front axle. Each shaft has 2 universal joints - one at each end. Long before they fail, the joints will start giving off a warning sound (it's an irritating hum) which lets you know that they need to be replaced. Failure to replace them at this time or replacing them with low quality after market parts can cause them to come apart and (potentially) cause the shaft to come off while driving - leaving you stranded...

When I started reading this paragraph, I began seeing visions of a stranded Gypsy on a country road and me hiking it back to Bangalore with the fishing tackle and children in tow. Glad you mentioned about the early warning sounds that gives one sufficient time to do the needful. Damn shame Jonah did not hear them.....repeatedly

Mack The Knife

[Django]

Our first Gypsy in the family was the fully imported one we bought in 86, it was an incredibly reliable vehicle, my father hated the squirmy MRF bias ply that came with it and spent a fortune at Khan Market, Delhi to get super expensive Duelers, they were worth it as they proved their mettle on his next fishing trip near the sandbanks of Yamuna. Recent Gyspy quality has come down, but no less than the Scorpios and Boleros out there, have seen them break plenty during off road events, have seen the fancy electronic 4WD lock up few times in Mahindra vehicles as well.

[mundaire]

Sure - tyres (good tyres) are the single easiest and best way to improve the performance of your vehicle - more so when the vehicle in question is intended for off-road use. Have driven Gypsy's shod with radials, MRF/Ceat/ Bridgestone DD's etc. The improvement in ride and braking distance is very evident and of course they are much much better on sand...

And rest assured, a well maintained Gypsy is not likely to let you down... the engine is bullet proof, electricals are best in class (they are simple, which helps tremendously - no fancy shmancy power windows etc. to worry about) and the transmission seldom goes wrong - not unless you have the unusually bright idea of trying to shift into 4WD while it's cruising along at 60 Kmph! (this from a real life incident - a second cousin completely ruined his transfer case doing this)

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[jonahpach]

You can bet your cotton socks on that. Half the satisfaction lies in understanding and then using a machine at its efficient best, be it an airgun or a car or whatever.

Take GG's air-rifle for example. It was inaccurate but a change in pellet diet and a reduction of the pressure in the gas ram turned it into a completely different air-rifle.

Similarly with this Gypsy, I wont baby-sit it but I am going to make damn sure I can squeeze out as much mileage and performance out of it.

Quote: › ‹ Select ›‹ Expand ›
Now dont ask me at what psi I achieved this because I really dont know and didnt bother.


The above attitude probably explains why it fell to bits. Each to their own.

Heh.. well Mack The Knifeji after 18 years of exemplary service I betcha yourns would fall apart too.. Actually the body sound was too loud to hear anything.. My friends would say that the horn was the only part of the vehicle that couldnt make a sound! I really miss it though and your excitement about your new Gypsy is really making me nostalgic.. Keep Truckin'

Jonah

[Mack The Knife]

Heh.. well Mack The Knifeji after 18 years of exemplary service I betcha yourns would fall apart too..

And how much would you betcha?

[Django]

not unless you have the unusually bright idea of trying to shift into 4WD while it's cruising along at 60 Kmph! (this from a real life incident - a second cousin completely ruined his transfer case doing this)

Cheers!
Abhijeet

Yep, for that you need the Gurkha or MB G Wagen, you can shift on the fly to 4H at over 100kmph, its fully synchronized, no damage done.

[jonahpach]

Thats a good one! Now what could i bet that would last 18 years from now..

[Mack The Knife]

Thats a good one! Now what could i bet that would last 18 years from now..

Lots of stuff....if you maintain them.

You forget she finishes nine years this December. Drop me a reminder sometime in 2016.

Mack The Knife

[Django]

Frequently off roaded 99 Gurkha with 80,000km, runs like new, haven't had any major thing done, engine oil consumption is almost nil between changes. 97 VFJ Jonga, 1,72000km, apart from the early tranny failure, nothing else done to it, off roaded frequently. Sadly didn't have that good a luck with Safari and Armada Grand, point is solid, well built car with sound engineering will never give you trouble.

[Mack The Knife]

point is solid, well built car with sound engineering will never give you trouble.

And does a Dec. 1998 Gypsy King 1.3L fall into that category? For some reason, I have never thought of them as 'solidly built' vehicles.

[Django]

As long as you realize the limitation of the Gypsy chassis, it would outlast many other vehicles, perceptions can be otherwise, but the Gypsy is well designed vehicle and considering its been called to do duty way away from its original intent. The aluminum engine and tranny along with diff and T case is quite reliable. Between the Gypsy and Daihatsu Four Trak, I would take the later though as its more hardcore.

[Mack The Knife]

As long as you realize the limitation of the Gypsy chassis.

Django,

Could you elaborate on this please and thanks for all your replies so far.

Mack The Knife