I get 19-20 mpgs with my LR3 and a 400 mile range.
Thoughts on Transplants- 300Tdi vs. 3.9 v8
- Thread starter Dendy Jarrett
- Start date
I get 19-20 mpgs with my LR3 and a 400 mile range.
Bugspray
Adventurer
like I said, life is short drive what you want.
Very true! Mine probably lacks the character that yours has! LOL
Not to digress, but it seems that the significant increase in reliability with the recent generation of LR3s (now LR4s) and RRs, their character has decreased.
Well, Scott- You know I love your trucks for sure. You are one of the rare few that have truly built a truck from scratch and have it be lust-worthy! Seriously, ... not trying to stir the pot here, but really --- rather --- find true thoughts and opinions. I think I have shared with you the folks that are bringing in the DI 300 Tdis that are chopped in half and all documents of the life it lived previously as a full-fledged truck provided along with video documentation of said 300 Tdi running and I do believe that is the best way to buy one so you can be assured it is complete and all ancillary items included.
But again- I see no reason to do it "just to say I did". Rather, start saving now- or possibly find the right one for when that time comes ... and a "heart" transplant becomes necessary.
D
But again- I see no reason to do it "just to say I did". Rather, start saving now- or possibly find the right one for when that time comes ... and a "heart" transplant becomes necessary.
D
Rovertrader
Supporting Sponsor
That's pretty straight froward actually- the V8 I mean, with 5 spd.
Snagger
Explorer
I have a 300Tdi and R380 and my RRC give between 30 and 35mpg on a good run. The injection pump was replaced with a second hand brand new unit off a cast Wolf engine, but the reason the engine was cast is that the pump was faultily manufactured; it's timing was completely wrong, and now that that has been fixed, I have found its boost diaphragm plunger is seized solid, so though the turbo provides boost, the pump doesn't throw in any extra fuel in response. It still manages to cruise at 70 mph and reach 85, though it struggles compared to how it used to be. It used to manage 95mph. Just one more thing on the "to do" list...5 speed in a classic is really nice.I've been enjoying 26 mpg with the R380 behind a 300 in mine. Can't say she is fast, but she can cruise at 75 easily.
cheers
The 300Tdi and R380 are an excellent combination in the RRC. I don't think the same would be true of the TD5, which being taller may struggle to fit beneath the RR's bonnet and would certainly be harsher and noisier. The TD5 pulls better, but a tuned Tdi would match a standard TD5.
That's not strictly true. Traffic in Europe is not really that slow. Motorways are 70-80mph limited for the most part. I cruise at 50mph in my 300Tdi Defender for the most part, due to comfort and fuel consumption.
For tough overland trips I can't really see anything Land Rover has to offer beating the 200 and 300Tdi's. Easy to fix, reliable, powerful enough, relatively economical, no electrics to speak of...
We recently did a 450 mile trip with a friend, me in my 300Tdi Defender and him in his 3.9 Automatic RRC. Exactly the same route, with roughly the same load. Mostly tarmac with about a 150 miles of very technical offroading. He calculated an average consumption of less than 11mpg, while I was getting well over 21mpg...
300Tdi's are relatively easy to upgrade too in terms of power. With a variable geometry turbo bolt-on kit you can tickle it to some 160bhp and little over 270lb/ft's of torque. Instant power delivey across the range. Couldn't complain about lack of power then... You have to ask though, do you want a tuned diesel, or something milder but pretty much bulletproof?
They're known to be good, reliable engines. I can't help but think that everyone's who's having trouble after a conversion have just messed something up.
I don't think the Rover 3.9 V8 is all that great. It's not all that reliable, it's not very economical (for a V8) and for it's displacement it's not even very powerful. So what do you get? A good soundtrack? IMHO not even that.
For tough overland trips I can't really see anything Land Rover has to offer beating the 200 and 300Tdi's. Easy to fix, reliable, powerful enough, relatively economical, no electrics to speak of...
We recently did a 450 mile trip with a friend, me in my 300Tdi Defender and him in his 3.9 Automatic RRC. Exactly the same route, with roughly the same load. Mostly tarmac with about a 150 miles of very technical offroading. He calculated an average consumption of less than 11mpg, while I was getting well over 21mpg...
300Tdi's are relatively easy to upgrade too in terms of power. With a variable geometry turbo bolt-on kit you can tickle it to some 160bhp and little over 270lb/ft's of torque. Instant power delivey across the range. Couldn't complain about lack of power then... You have to ask though, do you want a tuned diesel, or something milder but pretty much bulletproof?
They're known to be good, reliable engines. I can't help but think that everyone's who's having trouble after a conversion have just messed something up.
I don't think the Rover 3.9 V8 is all that great. It's not all that reliable, it's not very economical (for a V8) and for it's displacement it's not even very powerful. So what do you get? A good soundtrack? IMHO not even that.
Antichrist
Expedition Leader
Yes and no.
I'd hazard to guess that most with Tdi's did the work themselves, or are really familiar with the setup, so not too likely to be turning the vehicle over entirely to a small town mechanic.
As for getting parts for a Rover V8 vs a Tdi, the typical Rover parts houses that supply parts are obviously already set up for shipping, dealers not so much, and given how few dealers there are, the odds of one being close are pretty slim.
DividingCreek
Explorer
I have had the opportunity to drive or own most everything that Land Rover has had to offer anywhere in the world in the last 25 years with the excepton to the Td6.
I have worked on the electricery of the td5, owned many Tdi's both 200 and 300's not that there is much difference. I have driven many td4/Puma's and have several thousand miles behind the wheel of those trucks. I have also had the V8 trucks. This past weekend I swapped the gems 4.0 out of my 96 disco (truck only has 86k).
What a nightmare. I could have done @ least two Tdi engine r&r's in the time that one V8 takes. Difficult to work on,50 year old engine design, virtually no change other than displacement and periodically a different management sytem thrown @ it. I don't get the working/pushing the tdi down the road comments. Yes these are small displacement diesels @ 2.5 liter. Do they compare to large displacement 6.2 or larger-ie twice the size, absolutely not. Are they the best choice for towing heavy loads ? No but how often do you see anyone with a rover towing any thing heavy ? I have about 40,000 miles of towing an all steel car trailer with 4000-6000lb loads-ie 8k plus in tow with a 300 tdi 130 which weighs over 6k itself. Do I have to down shift to third on steep grades-sure but I'd be doing the same with any of Rovers V8 trucks. I have driven 6+ hour trips (single tank of fuel in a tdi) with others in convoy heading to off road events where the other trucks were a mixture of V8's and diesels-all rovers. Interstate speeds were consistently 65-75 and the limiting factors has never been a Tdi's ability to keep up but rather the V8's need to stop every 25 exits for fuel. Parts have never been a problem for the tdi's stateside. I can't speak to the Td5 or Td4 engines but parts from the UK seem to come as fast or faster than they do from Rovers North and the V8 truck is far more likely to break down in the first place than the diesel, I have broken down once in a tdi powered truck. The truck was still running and could have proceeded but probably not far due to oil loss. The #1 piston and rod came through the side of the block. The truck drove onto the trailer on it's own power and later into the shop where the engine was replaced. For me diesel has nothing to do with a cool factor, its the better choice, and consistently the lesser of two evils.
Again these are my experiences but in my mind there is no contest. Would I look to repower a disco with a tdi-no way, a defender sure.
I have worked on the electricery of the td5, owned many Tdi's both 200 and 300's not that there is much difference. I have driven many td4/Puma's and have several thousand miles behind the wheel of those trucks. I have also had the V8 trucks. This past weekend I swapped the gems 4.0 out of my 96 disco (truck only has 86k).
What a nightmare. I could have done @ least two Tdi engine r&r's in the time that one V8 takes. Difficult to work on,50 year old engine design, virtually no change other than displacement and periodically a different management sytem thrown @ it. I don't get the working/pushing the tdi down the road comments. Yes these are small displacement diesels @ 2.5 liter. Do they compare to large displacement 6.2 or larger-ie twice the size, absolutely not. Are they the best choice for towing heavy loads ? No but how often do you see anyone with a rover towing any thing heavy ? I have about 40,000 miles of towing an all steel car trailer with 4000-6000lb loads-ie 8k plus in tow with a 300 tdi 130 which weighs over 6k itself. Do I have to down shift to third on steep grades-sure but I'd be doing the same with any of Rovers V8 trucks. I have driven 6+ hour trips (single tank of fuel in a tdi) with others in convoy heading to off road events where the other trucks were a mixture of V8's and diesels-all rovers. Interstate speeds were consistently 65-75 and the limiting factors has never been a Tdi's ability to keep up but rather the V8's need to stop every 25 exits for fuel. Parts have never been a problem for the tdi's stateside. I can't speak to the Td5 or Td4 engines but parts from the UK seem to come as fast or faster than they do from Rovers North and the V8 truck is far more likely to break down in the first place than the diesel, I have broken down once in a tdi powered truck. The truck was still running and could have proceeded but probably not far due to oil loss. The #1 piston and rod came through the side of the block. The truck drove onto the trailer on it's own power and later into the shop where the engine was replaced. For me diesel has nothing to do with a cool factor, its the better choice, and consistently the lesser of two evils.
Again these are my experiences but in my mind there is no contest. Would I look to repower a disco with a tdi-no way, a defender sure.
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Rovertrader
Supporting Sponsor
great pic- and synopsis.
My complaint about towing uphill and down shifting is honestly not compared to another Rover, which it should be. It is in comparison to a modern American big diesel, which is highly unfair. I also think said comparison is because my 130 felt like a bigger truck, aka F250 in terms of length/size, but is actually just a big 110. I, like Doug, have logged several coast to coast trips in Tdi and NA2.5 (little slow in the Rockies at elevation), and agree that keeping up with traffic even on Interstates, is a nonissue, and I love only stopping every 400+ miles in lieu of 200 like in a NAS90. As is always the case, one has to determine what is best for his application- then simply rationalize for it to be a Rover, and which one
My complaint about towing uphill and down shifting is honestly not compared to another Rover, which it should be. It is in comparison to a modern American big diesel, which is highly unfair. I also think said comparison is because my 130 felt like a bigger truck, aka F250 in terms of length/size, but is actually just a big 110. I, like Doug, have logged several coast to coast trips in Tdi and NA2.5 (little slow in the Rockies at elevation), and agree that keeping up with traffic even on Interstates, is a nonissue, and I love only stopping every 400+ miles in lieu of 200 like in a NAS90. As is always the case, one has to determine what is best for his application- then simply rationalize for it to be a Rover, and which one
Can you explain a little further? Why a defender but not a disco?