24-Inch Fuel Wheels On Mahindra Thar ROXX: Why Is This A Bad Idea? (Video)
The Thar ROXX needs no introduction in the Indian market. It has been selling well since its market debut in August last year. Over time, we have seen many interesting builds and modifications based on the five-door Thar. We have seen people fitting it with wild aftermarket parts and accessories- from off-road bumpers to huge wheels. A video shared on the channel GS Custom shows installing 24-inch Fuel wheels on the ROXX. Let’s delve into the specifics of this build...
The video opens by showing the stock vehicle. It is a brand-new Thar ROXX, finished in Black. The vehicle is still unregistered and everything on it is stock. It comes with 19-inch alloy wheels. The garage, as can be seen in the video later, would replace these with oversized units, and do a bunch of other modifications as well.
First, the host explains the changes that the garage plans to make on the SUV. We then see a time-lapse of the actual work happening. The stock front bumper is replaced with an off-road-spec metal bumper. It, the garage says, comes with mounts for the ADAS sensors and LIDAR so that the owner doesn’t have to lose those features.
The video further shows how the stock bumper is carefully removed. Then, the sensors and other ADAS equipment are transplanted onto the new bumper. It is then installed on the vehicle. Door hinge steps are then installed on all four doors of the vehicle. Finally, the massive 24-inch wheels are installed.
The entire mod job has given the SUV’s road presence a major boost. It now looks massive and intimidating. The customer had wanted the SUV to have Yellow accents in various areas of its design. So, the garage painted its discs Yellow. Additionally, touches of Yellow can also be seen on the front bumper, door hinge steps, and a few other places.
No changes seem to have been made to the suspension of this Thar ROXX, or to its steering setup. The new wheels are 24-inch, J14 units. For the uninformed, the ‘J value’ of a wheel shows its width at the area where the tire mounts. The higher the number, the wider the wheel. 14J wheels have mounting areas that span 14 inches in width.
Installing such oversized wheels on an otherwise stock SUV can be risky. It can have various adverse effects on the SUV and the way it behaves. The acceleration, handling, stability, and driveability could all be affected (in different ways). Ideally, the suspension and steering should have been recalibrated/ modified when such a wheel swap was done.
In the long run, oversized wheels can cause increased wear and tear to the suspension setup, as they are significantly heavier than stock ones. This also means that using these will result in more fuel consumption. Since the contact patch here is larger, friction will also be more than usual. The engine will have to work more to compensate for these as well.
This is another reason for the mileage drop. However, using an engine with higher horsepower can, to some extent, bring a balance. In the case of this Thar ROXX, only long term use will reveal the actual impact of its new wheels on the real-world fuel efficiency. Performance compromises and slow turning are also to be expected.
Switching to oversized wheels will also have a direct impact on the speedometer readings. The stock setup comes calibrated for the traits exhibited by stock tyres and rims. When swapping to wheels as huge as these, the entire speedometer setup will need to be reworked and recalibrated. In this case, no such act is seen on video. This vehicle will likely return incorrect speedometer readings as the standard tech may not react precisely.
The new tyres seen in this video, have small sidewalls. This will make the occupant comfort and ride quality of the vehicle go for a toss.
Switching to 24-inch wheels has definitely given this Thar ROXX an epic boost in its visual presence. It will give you jaw-drops with its road presence and might. But the upsizing has most likely messed up multiple things on the drive, ride quality, and handling fronts.