Planning a Trip To Leh From Trivandrum in My Car

[AR Ram]

Re: Planning for a Trip to Leh from Trivandrum in my car

I already have a ICE system which has multiple amplifiers and subwoofers. My car has powerful headlights, fog lamps and power windows.

Should i upgrade the battery before i commence the trip?

Regards,
Sankar

Not necessary, you can retain the same battery. Even if you upgrade your battery, your alternator won't match with it. Instead, you can go for a capacitor for your Amps; it will give more constant power to the Amps and less strain on the battery.
And when you are driving in those cold region, make sure that you are not giving full load on the battery. For exmp. you can turn off your amp and sub woofers and use only the head units, when you are driving in the night with head lights on. And when you are using the AC or Heater, it doesn't make any difference, because the compressor is driven by the engine, and you need power only to engage the clutch, and for the heater, the radiator water is used; and in both cases the blower runs and requires power. All these parameters are applicable only when you are driving there, just to keep the battery at its full power.

I would strongly recommend to have a co-driver with you, in case of any emergency, he will be a great help to you. Taking adventures and challenges in life is very good, but at the same time one can not close his eyes against some realities and risks.

 

[AR Ram]

Thanks Skay

Wow never thought toll would add this much to my expense. Some of the toll booth charge 100Rs

Any particular reason for asking me to think over my solo trip decision. This question i to everyone. Please can you elaborate the negatives of doing the trip solo?

Regards,
Sankar

yes, toll plays a major (dirty) role in cost calculation, and I mentioned in my previous post. It will cost you approximately 70ps per km, depends on the road you are using.

 

[Gurrala74]

Wow !! Great trip it is going to be, it requires lot of enthusiasm and guts to do such trip.

Sankar

I don't think your car will have a GC problem after reading lot of travelogues of our TAI friends and since it is Maruti you will get assistance every where just remember that Maruti advertisement in TV from Ladakh

Now comes the issue why not SOLO, my reasoning is

1. Initially it look very good but after some time you feel bored of driving from a place to other and you need some body to talk and share the experience and have some help if required

2. It is safe to have a co driver as you may get tired at times and need some rest as it is a long trip.

3. In terms of little safety also and while in any kind of break downs it will be helpful to you

Yes I agree with you that getting a person who is just like-minded is little difficult and have good driving skills where you believe in him while he is driving and take a co passenger seat without any tension. Yes I am not talking about taking the family but, if you get a good friend who is cool and clam and just enjoy the trip like you then it is a bliss and if you get some body who thinks exactly reverse to your thoughts then it will become a disaster.

Anyway my suggestion would be search for a friend who can come with you and gather all the information till June next year from our great travel-freak friends Fyzy, Ram sir, Smoothrider and others and ensure that you visit every place like Fyzy and remember the trip for long time

A suggestion : To the trip till Delhi SOLO and try to find a friend from our TAI community from either Delhi or Chandigarh or that region who also has interest to visit Leh, so you can enjoy your trip SOLO till Delhi visiting all the temples and places and you will not have much troubles as the roads will be most of the time highways.

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Not necessary, you can retain the same battery. Even if you upgrade your battery, your alternator won't match with it. Instead, you can go for a capacitor for your Amps; it will give more constant power to the Amps and less strain on the battery.
And when you are driving in those cold region, make sure that you are not giving full load on the battery. For exmp. you can turn off your amp and sub woofers and use only the head units, when you are driving in the night with head lights on. And when you are using the AC or Heater, it doesn't make any difference, because the compressor is driven by the engine, and you need power only to engage the clutch, and for the heater, the radiator water is used; and in both cases the blower runs and requires power. All these parameters are applicable only when you are driving there, just to keep the battery at its full power.

I would strongly recommend to have a co-driver with you, in case of any emergency, he will be a great help to you. Taking adventures and challenges in life is very good, but at the same time one can not close his eyes against some realities and risks.

To be frank i think capacitor is a waste of money as a Capacitor doesn't generate additional power. It just stores power and then gives it to amplifiers when needed. This doesn't mean load to battery is reduced using a capacitor. Capacitor might reduce small light blinking issues but when running powerful multiple amplifiers even 10 Farad capacitors which cost 20,000 won't do any good. Recently found this out from a high end install at my friend's shop. My thoughts were with replacing my current stock 65mah battery with 80-90mah battery which would provide the additional power required to run my power hungry accessories or add an additional 65mah battery to boot which will be connected in parallel which will act like a single battery with double power.

I don't have any issues with going with a friend or family but the problem is with attitude. I am kind of guy who do the unexpected. If i find a place which needs additional days stay and i simply do stay there for couple more days. I am in no hurry to reach ladakh and i plan to visit a lot of places en route and finding a guy with same thoughts will be difficult. I have a couple of good friends here but most backed out when i told them they would need 21-22 days of leave which none are prepared to take

Wow !! Great trip it is going to be, it requires lot of enthusiasm and guts to do such trip.

Sankar

I don't think your car will have a GC problem after reading lot of travelogues of our TAI friends and since it is Maruti you will get assistance every where just remember that Maruti advertisement in TV from Ladakh

Now comes the issue why not SOLO, my reasoning is

1. Initially it look very good but after some time you feel bored of driving from a place to other and you need some body to talk and share the experience and have some help if required

2. It is safe to have a co driver as you may get tired at times and need some rest as it is a long trip.

3. In terms of little safety also and while in any kind of break downs it will be helpful to you

Yes I agree with you that getting a person who is just like-minded is little difficult and have good driving skills where you believe in him while he is driving and take a co passenger seat without any tension. Yes I am not talking about taking the family but, if you get a good friend who is cool and clam and just enjoy the trip like you then it is a bliss and if you get some body who thinks exactly reverse to your thoughts then it will become a disaster.

Anyway my suggestion would be search for a friend who can come with you and gather all the information till June next year from our great travel-freak friends Fyzy, Ram sir, Smoothrider and others and ensure that you visit every place like Fyzy and remember the trip for long time

A suggestion : To the trip till Delhi SOLO and try to find a friend from our TAI community from either Delhi or Chandigarh or that region who also has interest to visit Leh, so you can enjoy your trip SOLO till Delhi visiting all the temples and places and you will not have much troubles as the roads will be most of the time highways.

I have always done solo long trips in my car. Just drove to Ernakulam which is 220km away from my place and back to get a quote on re-installing my ICE and i never get bored on driving.

Yes i am also looking for such a friend. Finding one is very difficult as i am crazy about driving and had driven 19 hours straight with even feeling a bit sleepy. So a lot of driving plus visiting awesome places will be like a dream come true for me. Also i want to forget about my work and it's high pressure environment as it's taking a tole in my life which has turned to be very mechanical. I have a couple of good friends here but most backed out when i told them they would need 21-22 days of leave which none are prepared to take

Yes if i could find a TAI member who i also interested like me to visit Ladakh i am most happy to go with them together.

Regards,
Sankar

 

[AR Ram]

Yes, you are right, capacitor doesn't generate power, but it gives constant power to the amps from what it stored. When you increase the volume, an irregular pull of power from the battery takes place, that's why light fluctuates; and any fluctuation can cause damage to the electrical and the battery on the long run.

This is only a suuggestion

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Yes, you are right, capacitor doesn't generate power, but it gives constant power to the amps from what it stored. When you increase the volume, an irregular pull of power from the battery takes place, that's why light fluctuates; and any fluctuation can cause damage to the electrical and the battery on the long run.

This is only a suggestion

Thanks for the suggestion Ram sir.

Yes i am planning on installing a capacitor and an increase capacity battery so that i won't have electrical problems during my trip.

Will i need Hella driving lamps like Hella 700FF?

Regards,
Sankar

 

[AR Ram]

Thanks for the suggestion Ram sir.

Yes i am planning on installing a capacitor and an increase capacity battery so that i won't have electrical problems during my trip.

Will i need Hella driving lamps like Hella 700FF?

Regards,
Sankar

I will explain to you my audio set up; I have 2 nos 12 inch 2000W DVC Boschmann sub woofers driven by a mono block Glider Amp, 4 nos infinity component speakers driven by Sony 4 ch Amp, Pioneer AVH 4250 2 din Dvd Head Unit connected with Pioneer BT 100 Bluetooth and reverse camera , 2 nos head rest monitors, separate pioneer amp. with set of 4 Pioneer speakers exclusively for MMI Gps voice boost. And none of this is connected to the cars original wiring system. A separate line is drawn from the battery for the power source and amps are connected through the capacitor, that gives constantly 12 v DC power to the amps without any interruption, and never drops even at peak volume, and mind it, without capacitor the amps don't work more than 1/5 th of their capacity and without distortion. This set up is running trouble free for the past 6 years.

All the other electricals are intact especially the OBD system, which is very sensitive in Skoda. The stock battery lasted for 5 years, and the present one is the second, and now three years, so far no issues. My Octy has crossed 105000 kms already.

I don't think you need to upgrade the battery, it may overload your alternator. You can consider HID head lamps which consumes less power than the normal HL bulbs, and I feel that will be sufficient.

 

[SankarNarayanan]

I will explain to you my audio set up; I have 2 nos 12 inch 2000W DVC Boschmann sub woofers driven by a mono block Glider Amp, 4 nos infinity component speakers driven by Sony 4 ch Amp, Pioneer AVH 4250 2 din Dvd Head Unit connected with Pioneer BT 100 Bluetooth and reverse camera , 2 nos head rest monitors, separate pioneer amp. with set of 4 Pioneer speakers exclusively for MMI Gps voice boost. And none of this is connected to the cars original wiring system. A separate line is drawn from the battery for the power source and amps are connected through the capacitor, that gives constantly 12 v DC power to the amps without any interruption, and never drops even at peak volume, and mind it, without capacitor the amps don't work more than 1/5 th of their capacity and without distortion. This set up is running trouble free for the past 6 years.

All the other electricals are intact especially the OBD system, which is very sensitive in Skoda. The stock battery lasted for 5 years, and the present one is the second, and now three years, so far no issues. My Octy has crossed 105000 kms already.

I don't think you need to upgrade the battery, it may overload your alternator. You can consider HID head lamps which consumes less power than the normal HL bulbs, and I feel that will be sufficient.

Are you referring to peak power of your subwoofers or RMS power? 2 2000w RMS subwoofers would need a very powerful 4000w RMS monoblock amplifier to power them adequately and i am sure even a 20 farad capacitor won't be able to feed them power cleanly. Is your Sony 4 channel amplifier class d amplifier? My setup has a 4 channel DD Audio Class AB (which is very power hungry) amplifier which runs my front Rainbow and rear Polk components. My Infinity Kappa amplifier currently run a focal subwoofer now. But will shortly switch to 2 Infinity Kappa 120.9w 12" subwoofers.

Won't HID lamps scatter if not focused through a projector? Also a pair of Philips 4300k H4 hid costs 12k while Philips 130/100w bulbs with wiring kit cost only 2k and in my opinion 130/100w has much better throw compared to Philips HID with out projector.

You haven't answered this question:-

Will i need Hella driving lamps like Hella 700FF?

Regards,
Sankar

 

[AR Ram]

Are you referring to peak power of your subwoofers or RMS power? 2 2000w RMS subwoofers would need a very powerful 4000w RMS monoblock amplifier to power them adequately and i am sure even a 20 farad capacitor won't be able to feed them power cleanly. Is your Sony 4 channel amplifier class d amplifier? My setup has a 4 channel DD Audio Class AB (which is very power hungry) amplifier which runs my front Rainbow and rear Polk components. My Infinity Kappa amplifier currently run a focal subwoofer now. But will shortly switch to 2 Infinity Kappa 120.9w 12" subwoofers.

Won't HID lamps scatter if not focused through a projector? Also a pair of Philips 4300k H4 hid costs 12k while Philips 130/100w bulbs with wiring kit cost only 2k and in my opinion 130/100w has much better throw compared to Philips HID with out projector.

You haven't answered this question:-

Will i need Hella driving lamps like Hella 700FF?

Regards,
Sankar

My Glider amp. is 1800w RMS, and BM woofers are 2000w 12", I am not sure whether its RMS or Peak, capacitor is Audio Surge 1.5 farad, Sony amp. is XM554zr and I think class AB, and the other Pioneer amp. is just the normal 50w Rms X 4ch . Only the Glider and Sony amps are powered through capacitor. The total output quality is just great.

I don't think you need additional Hella driving lamps. And again your car is new, so that the reflectors must be bright and not faded. High power Halogen bulbs can cause damage to the reflectors and lenses on the long run. When you upgrade to high power HL, keep it in mind that it is permitted by the law, especially when you are driving to other states.

 

[SankarNarayanan]

My Glider amp. is 1800w RMS, and BM woofers are 2000w 12", I am not sure whether its RMS or Peak, capacitor is Audio Surge 1.5 farad, Sony amp. is XM554zr and I think class AB, and the other Pioneer amp. is just the normal 50w Rms X 4ch . Only the Glider and Sony amps are powered through capacitor. The total output quality is just great.

I don't think you need additional Hella driving lamps. And again your car is new, so that the reflectors must be bright and not faded. High power Halogen bulbs can cause damage to the reflectors and lenses on the long run. When you upgrade to high power HL, keep it in mind that it is permitted by the law, especially when you are driving to other states.

Actually i have never heard of a company called Glider

As per rule 1 farad is needed for 1000w of power so given the specs both your amplifiers combined would need atleast 2 Farad capacitor.

130/100w would cause my reflector to fade right? The trip will be in a years time. So would surely fade by that time as i do regular 30mins night driving everyday. Should i change to 100/90w?

Can you let me know the use of Hella driving lamps? A friend of mine suggested fitting them as i would need them for the trip.

Regards,
Sankar

 

[smooth rider]

sankar you don't need powerful extra lights in ladakh as night driving should be avoided there. it will be needed only if you are planning to do night runs on the highways from down under to the north. i feel just changing the bulbs to osram / philips 130/90 or 140 /100 is enough.

 

[AR Ram]

Actually i have never heard of a company called Glider

As per rule 1 farad is needed for 1000w of power so given the specs both your amplifiers combined would need atleast 2 Farad capacitor.

130/100w would cause my reflector to fade right? The trip will be in a years time. So would surely fade by that time as i do regular 30mins night driving everyday. Should i change to 100/90w?

Can you let me know the use of Hella driving lamps? A friend of mine suggested fitting them as i would need them for the trip.

Regards,
Sankar

Yes, even I raised the same question about the Glider 6 years back. And the guy, a friend mine who fixed the systems at Chennai does only for top end vehicles like Merc, BMW, Audi etc. etc, and he said this is a lesser known brand in the market and does 100% justice to the purpose and performance. It has been 6 years or more now, till today I didn't have any issue with the set up, the sound quality and the punch is really great. I will upload some pictures later.

I don't know much about Hella driving lamps. If you are so keen, upgrading to HID is a good option as far as the load is concerned. Probably you can contact the store guy, and see couple vehicles fitted with HID with out projectors. I think if the focusing is done perfectly, that solves the issue.

Above all, as SR said driving in Himalayan roads in the night is not at all advisable, but risky too.

 

[SankarNarayanan]

sankar you don't need powerful extra lights in ladakh as night driving should be avoided there. it will be needed only if you are planning to do night runs on the highways from down under to the north. i feel just changing the bulbs to osram / philips 130/90 or 140 /100 is enough.

Is there a 140/100 headlamps? Never heard of them though. Mine has Philips 130/100w headlights.

I don't plan on driving at night in ladakh but do plan to drive at night's in normal highways in Delhi etc and my friend suggested Hella driving lamps. Have never driven a car fitted with hella driving lamps so am confused with their power and throw.

Yes, even I raised the same question about the Glider 6 years back. And the guy, a friend mine who fixed the systems at Chennai does only for top end vehicles like Merc, BMW, Audi etc. etc, and he said this is a lesser known brand in the market and does 100% justice to the purpose and performance. It has been 6 years or more now, till today I didn't have any issue with the set up, the sound quality and the punch is really great. I will upload some pictures later.

I don't know much about Hella driving lamps. If you are so keen, upgrading to HID is a good option as far as the load is concerned. Probably you can contact the store guy, and see couple vehicles fitted with HID with out projectors. I think if the focusing is done perfectly, that solves the issue.

Above all, as SR said driving in Himalayan roads in the night is not at all advisable, but risky too.

Yes after some browsing i also found about Glider amps but it seems they are Chinese made amplifiers. I doubt if they will really output 1800w RMS as 1.5 farad won't be enough for a powerful monoblock which outputs 1800w. Since your happy with it then no issues what so ever.

Regarding ICE in Merc/BMW/Audi i don't think your installer is right and i think he lied to you. Merc comes with audiophile called Burmester which is rated the best in world. Likewise BMW comes with Harmon kardon music system and Audi comes with Bang & Olufsen. All these products themselves cost 4-5L and are true audiophile units so i don't think owners will replace them with other brands.

Coming back to our topic fitting HID without projectors - How can the focused be adjusted? Normally it can be done using a projector and without one how can HID's throw be focused?

Also i have heard that HID light would scatter in rain. Is this true?

Regards,
Sankar

 

[AR Ram]

Is there a 140/100 headlamps? Never heard of them though. Mine has Philips 130/100w headlights.

I don't plan on driving at night in ladakh but do plan to drive at night's in normal highways in Delhi etc and my friend suggested Hella driving lamps. Have never driven a car fitted with hella driving lamps so am confused with their power and throw.





Yes after some browsing i also found about Glider amps but it seems they are Chinese made amplifiers. I doubt if they will really output 1800w RMS as 1.5 farad won't be enough for a powerful monoblock which outputs 1800w. Since your happy with it then no issues what so ever.

Regarding ICE in Merc/BMW/Audi i don't think your installer is right and i think he lied to you. Merc comes with audiophile called Burmester which is rated the best in world. Likewise BMW comes with Harmon kardon music system and Audi comes with Bang & Olufsen. All these products themselves cost 4-5L and are true audiophile units so i don't think owners will replace them with other brands.

Coming back to our topic fitting HID without projectors - How can the focused be adjusted? Normally it can be done using a projector and without one how can HID's throw be focused?

Also i have heard that HID light would scatter in rain. Is this true?

Regards,
Sankar

SN.

As regards to my friend/installer, lives close to my house in Chennai. And I spend my spare time with him, and with the work he is doing in those vehicles. he is the audio designer for studios and malls in Chennai, and one has to book his vehicle for the work at least one month in advance. People who can afford Merc., BMW or similar vehicles don't care for 4 or 5 lakhs. And whatever you and me may think may not be necessarily correct. Knowledge is an ocean, the more you explore the more you will find it deep. Let's not make any commend on someone be a lair. Sorry SN to be harsh.

I have no idea how the HID works in rain.

Thank you and take care

 

[SankarNarayanan]

SN.

As regards to my friend/installer, lives close to my house in Chennai. And I spend my spare time with him, and with the work he is doing in those vehicles. he is the audio designer for studios and malls in Chennai, and one has to book his vehicle for the work at least one month in advance. People who can afford Merc., BMW or similar vehicles don't care for 4 or 5 lakhs. And whatever you and me may think may not be necessarily correct. Knowledge is an ocean, the more you explore the more you will find it deep. Let's not make any commend on someone be a lair. Sorry SN to be harsh.

I have no idea how the HID works in rain.

Thank you and take care

I am only saying the audiophile units are charged 4-5L by the manufactures and would probably cost more than 10L in open market. It's just my thought that changing a Bang & Olufsen system with any brands won't increase SQ what's so ever. I am speaking about brands like Masconi, Gladen and Audison. My uncle's MD has an Audi A6 with Bang & Olufsen system while he also owns an Accord with 8L pure active setup comprising brands like Masconi, Rainbow Audio, Audison and Gladen. Was blown off by the SQ setup in his accord installed by one of the best installers in India. Still his Audi's Bang & Olufsen system beat it hands down in terms of SQ and he still loves his music in his Audi. I am just wondering how your friend manages to provide much better SQ compared to likes of pure Audiophile systems like Burmester and Bang & Olufsen.

Also music systems for Studio and Conference rooms/Malls cannot be compared to a car audio setup and they are miles apart in difference.

Just was astonished to find out that your installer was replacing audiophile units in Luxury cars with cheap Chinese amplifiers. Sorry to say this but from numerous reviews of the Glider amplifier working for only days or months to poor performance many has advised to stay away from them. So i thought your installer has lied to you about his installs of Glider amplifiers in Mers/Audi/BMW

Just confirmed with my car accessories friend, He says HID without projector may cause scattering during rains. He has advised going for hid units which come with projector. Confused now as it costs a whopping 15k

Regards,
Sankar