When is enough 'enough'?

[GregMilner]

I've read endless threads about ECU upgrades, exhaust upgrades, chips etc...and admit to having my previous LR (2010 RRS) chipped as soon as I bought it. (Yes, it did make a difference. But I lived to regret it.) And I know that several here have boosted their L322s with above mentioned tricks,tweaks and various other types of engine alchemy.

Is it REALLY worth it? My car in stock standard form develops 700nm - an enormous amount of twist - and about 230kw peak power. Isn't that enough for anything other than towing The Biggest Loser up Mount Kosciusko?

I just question the worth of all that money spent on spreading fairy dust on what is already a magnificent thing. How much grunt does anyone actually need? And is it really worth that dreaded question when it comes to warranty claim, "Ah, so I see you've tampered with the factory settings?"

I shall now retire to my Silly Old Man position, on the couch. And look forward to younger and wiser counsel.

[justinc]

Greg I can honestly say that if i had 600 or 700Nm on tap i wouldn't be touching anything! !!😮 most of us that tow anything in the 3t range really require a minimum of 500Nm i feel. Just my 2c there☺

Jc

[Road Stone]

Have to agree.


When my car was being prepped in the UK they found a performance chip installed.
They called me and stated that there could be little justification for it given the power (and mines the 3.6).


It was removed. They stated there was not significant difference in performance.


My experience.


Cheers, Jerry

[GregMilner]

Greg I can honestly say that if i had 600 or 700Nm on tap i wouldn't be touching anything! !!😮 most of us that tow anything in the 3t range really require a minimum of 500Nm i feel. Just my 2c there☺

Jc

Yeah, I hear you Justin. I remember a few years ago when BMW introduced their 3.0 X5 diesel and critics lauded the 'stump-pulling' 530nm of torque. A figure that now seems fairly pedestrian, given that modern two litre diesels are pulling similar numbers. Even the LRA 3.0 diesel is making (a claimed) 600nm without touching it.
There are several knowledgable guys here who have tweaked their 4.4TDV8s to produce more torque than 700nm - I'm interested to hear how much benefit that has been in terms of actual result/towing/economy/peace of mind.

[rar110]

I'm very satisfied with the 3.6s output of 200/640. However another owner here did a Bluefin remap and says it made a big difference. It always makes me think (damn you Steve 😄).

It's probably like moving up to a 4.4.

[Graeme]

Mine's standard open-road acceleration tempts me too much for my own good. However more progressive acceleration in traffic would be better than its extremely casual or noisy racing options.

[CSBrisie]

As many will know Roo Systems do remaps and exhausts for numerous vehicles including Land Rover products. Glen from Roo owns a D4 which he has remapped and done a comparison on Youtube; and I note an AULRO member over on the L320 Forum had his L320 SDV6 done yesterday (see separate thread).

I had the Vogue "done" when we bought the Bushtracker caravan in 2014 as, well, you can never have too much power and torque when towing the Queen Mary 2....we added twin 3 inch exhaust plus ECU remap "Touring and Towing" as per Roo's recommendation.

The increase in power and torque is noticeable and I don't regret doing it - but would not have bothered had we not been towing such a heavy van.

The before and after Dyno print out is attached FYI.

Fuel economy didn't change much - not enough to really notice anyway. Certainly sounds sensational - but still quiet at 100km/hr on freeway. Very happy with it. But it was expensive. More than $3K I recall.

[GregMilner]

Yeah Chris I get it when you're towing a medium sized apartment behind you. Did you worry about affecting warranty claims?

[CSBrisie]

No, two reasons. Roo warrant they will cover you if LR don't. I reviewed their "Warranty" and whilst it wasn't perfect it was better than nothing. Second, I have an excellent relationship with the LR Service dealer here - they are aware of what I've done and essentially said No probs. I don't think I'm naive - others might - but I think the brand loyalty and dealership loyalty DO count. I'm on a first name basis with most of their desk team, and some of their service guys and their service has always been exceptional. Since 2014 I've had a couple of Warranty claims approved without any issue. I accept that if the engine seized tomorrow or the gearbox went kaput etc I might have a bigger problem. I'm betting that wont happen as I chose the "mildest" Tune Roo offered.

[GregMilner]

That makes sense. I too have a good relationship with the Barbagallo service department here and I've never had an issue when claiming warranty work. But I'm nervous about tampering with factory settings, just in case. And towing my 1500kg camper trailer requires a lot less grunt than your caravan:-)

[Homestar]

I tow a 1.4 tonne van with my 101 that made 120HP when new, and I'm sure a few of those ponies have escaped over the years so stop complaining! :D

But seriously, 700Nm should be heaps for anything short of a truck surely?

My work Hilux (Yes I know but I'm going somewhere with this) makes 130KW and 450Nm and regually tows 2,000Kg - trailer mounted excavators, skid steers, generators, etc.

I can sit on 100 anywhere in top gear towing that sort of stuff, so if you exrapolate that out then 700Nm should tow 3,100Kg with the same ease (give or take - heavier vehicle, aerodynamics of the vehicle and the trailer, etc). I'd leave it standard in that configuration, you'll extend the longevity of the engine and driveline by doing that, unless you plan on upgrading and that isn't so much of a concern.

Just my 2 cents. :)