Hyundai Verna CRDI - My Ownership Experience!

[cooldhaya]

@ Zinam Thanks bro! Yeah i always get my car back in 1 day(less than 24hours actually) if its just general service. Only in my minor accident when i had to change the front bumper and bonnet they took some time , but that also was just 3 days!

@ Mukesh Yes thanks for the advice buddy , i will change it ASAP as monsoons are approaching in Chennai!


@ Amiti Yes looks are subjective , even many people don like the older Verna(mine) but i like its cute looks! Its not a surprise that your friend is still having the car , a gem of a car with a powerful and reliable engine!

 

[cooldhaya]

Updates:


Well now changed the ICE setup of the car a little more! My previous setup is two 2 channel Sony amps powering two JBL subs and front and rear Pioneer co-axials powered only by HU. I always felt the subwoofer effect is nothing great and after some discussions with Ilango and Raj i planned to go for a four channel amplifier. So removed one 2 channel amplifier from my car and put it in my Safari to power the front Polk-Audio components.


Went to ICE dealer with dad and installer told that always a Mono is best for sub! And the effect if still not satisfactory the enclosures needs to be changed! To my surprise dad agreed for getting a mono , and i was delighted! But then he said the other two channel amp to be removed as using that to power the normal speakers will cause jarring effect. Now my dad was like what are you going to do with the other amp then? I told it will come in handy when i switch over to components! Then came my other surprise , he told me to switch over now itself! Make hay while the sun shines!


It was a big surprise that my dad agreed to get these! So i went in for a JBL mono amp and JBL front components as they were more of a VFM and i din want my dad to change his mind by suggesting him costlier brands! The dealer suggested me to go for Polk-Audio but i remembered Raj and Ilango saying they are not so good! So went in for JBL itself.


The total bill was 20k , 14k for mono amp and 5.5k for comps , rest labour charges. It took almost 4-5 hours to complete the work. He asked me where to place the tweeters. I was not interested in drilling holes to fit it , he suggested to keep it it on top of the doors near the A-pillars , i agreed to it. Works done were neat and i was eager to listen to the setup after getting the mono.


But to my disappointment the effect still is not great show-off!! Of course yes the BASS is more punchy now , before it used to be disturbed. And the effect has improved , its heard to a good extent on the outside but still i have seen some cars with better woofer effects. So asked my installer for the solution to this and he said after changing the enclosure , your car will rock the roads! I have not yet asked funds from my dad for this , decided to wait till new year!



Came home and decided to fiddle with the EQ. Now after getting mono i found out that if the subwoofer effect is reduced fully in the HU , the sub shuts off totally. Previously the sub would still function slightly if the effect was reduced fully , but its not the case now and i like it. Because some of my friends don like the BOOM BOOM effect this includes my brother and dad too! And now since the comps were powered by a 2 channel amp no more were the BASS effects overshadowing the vocals , the effect is just perfect!



But even after switching to comps i couldn find any difference in the SQ. I went in my friend's car first and then after coming to my car listened to the same song in my car , then i felt the difference in the vocals and overall SQ. Component speakers are just amazing!



Well , that's all folks , sorry for a bit long post! And lastly i thank Raj and Ilango who helped me a lot! I was a noob in ICE but now thanks to Raj i know something atleast! And Ilango thanks to him for providing me my first setup for 20k at amazing prices for everything! And also i consult Ilango all time before purchasing anything related to cars to get to know the exact market price so that i don get fooled.



Now all that is left in my ICE list is getting good enclosures. My installer said he will fit the two subs at the back of the rear seats tapered in a single ported box with all wirings neatly covered. He said it would cost around Rs.6-7k! I am waiting to get funds from my dad!

 

[sriharsha]

congrats on the new setup senior. no justice is done without pics. :-)

 

[cooldhaya]

Well what pictures you want junior? I din take pictures while installation , i can show you only tweeters , sub and amp now!

 

[jayadev]

cooldhaya ,
very much glad to learn about your ice setup.

me too i dont like boomy bass notes in car rather i like crystal clear sound. so i always go with high end high power component drivers and amps.
porting of sub woofers are very important. do take care of that. it can make or break good sound system.

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

That is cool man ,

Get a ported enclosure to get effect outside . Let us meet in a couple of week and discuss about them!

 

[cooldhaya]

@ Jayadev For crystal clear sound sound i will always switch off the sub completely! Yes thanks for your advice , i will change the enclosures soon.


@ Ilango Yup bro , looking forward to meet u!

 

[jayadev]

cooldhaya, with crystal clear sound i did not mean only voice. the bass is also included in that . it all depended how well the subwoofer is built.
if you take any 12" woofer hook it with a box of 30liter with a 3 inch port 2 inch long you get boom boom easily.

but if enclosure is rightly designed with appropriate woofer and correct parameters there wont be any need to turn off the woofer ever rather you wont be able to live without it.

 

[cooldhaya]

Well guess i need the first option for now. Second option can be obtained easily even now by fiddling with the EQ!

 

[Nofate]

Congrats on the new setup cooldhaya, which component model did you go with in JBL?

 

[cooldhaya]

Thank you Nofate , i chose just the basic entry level GT5 comps and they are quite good for me!

 

[cooldhaya]

Guys need your advice about tyres for my Verna now. My front left tyre suffered a puncture during our Chennai-meet and so i went to rectify them today. The tyre shop owner said that the puncture has occurred at a same place where patch work has been done already , and since they tyres are worn out at most places he suggested me to change the tyres! He said doing another patch work is useless as after a week again the air will start deflating slowly!



The car has clocked 41k kms with the tyres and so i think they definitely need a change! My current tyres are Bridgestone 175/70/R14 B250. These tyres provide good grip in dry conditions but in wet condition these tyres are pathetic! In highway drives during rains if i hit a puddle of water at above 70kmph the tyres loose traction!



So i need a tyre which should have good grip in wet conditions too. I am looking to upgrade to 185 section now. I am looking at Yokohama A-Drives for now. Bridgestone Potenza GIII are out of stock and will take a month it seems! Michelin's are a bit costly and i din like the grip factor in Apollo Accelerres! They quote Rs.3700 per tyre for Yokohama A-Drive and Rs.4200 for Michelin.



I liked Yokohama A-Drives , are they good , especially in wet conditions or are there better options?



Dad is like use spare tyre for now and we will change after few months! But cornering at good speeds in highways in unstable since the spare tyre is brand new and mostly my car runs in highway a lot more than city! First i have to change his mind!!!

 

[RSM]

The good options in 185/70 R14 are -

• Michelin XM1+ - Best tyre for this section. Excellent grip and very low noise. But costly.
• Apollo Accelere - Overall very good tyre.
• Yoko A-Drive - Best VFM in this size.
• Bridgestone GIII - Nothing great, only positive is it might last bit longer. Noisy tyre.

Mu suggestion, if budget is not a constraint and comfort is priority, go for Michelin. Otherwise, buy A-Drive eye closed.

And yes, 40k+, BS B250 has run its life, change as soon possible.

 

[cooldhaya]

Budget not a constraint but Michelin since its soft compound i heard it has a shorter life span. After my college gets over my running will be in bad roads in construction sites , that is what is making me think.


So i am thinking of Yoko A-Drive for now.

 

[Akash]

My suggestion is Yoko A-Drive, ofcourse on the upsized profile. Consider Michelins if you wish to have better ride comfort and minimum tire noise, but for your overall needs i feel your selection of A- Drive is right.