defender transfercase gear ratio change.swap with disco t/c

[scampo]

:)hi all have just brought a 110 2001 td5 extreme .has any one put a disco transfercase in to one? been told this drops the rpm bye 1000rpm .th vehicle has a power chip up date and goes to good most off my use is highway travel ,i find the sweet spot for the engine revs is at about 90/95 km ,have owned 2 x 130 300tdis over the last 9 years & noticed the same lower gearing rev sweet spot . my ex has a 2000 td5 disco with standard small wheels my guess is there is a a defernent ratio change ?? any help with any sagestions ////?????
all so why are all the defenders ive owned the spedos are out ?? with correct tyres on them .
cheers scampo

[justinc]

Drops the revs 20%, is a good thing for highway use BUT can be a nuisance towing heavy items off the mark, especially up inclines.

JC

[seano87]

:)hi all have just brought a 110 2001 td5 extreme .has any one put a disco transfercase in to one? been told this drops the rpm bye 1000rpm .th vehicle has a power chip up date and goes to good most off my use is highway travel ,i find the sweet spot for the engine revs is at about 90/95 km ,have owned 2 x 130 300tdis over the last 9 years & noticed the same lower gearing rev sweet spot . my ex has a 2000 td5 disco with standard small wheels my guess is there is a a defernent ratio change ?? any help with any sagestions ////?????
all so why are all the defenders ive owned the spedos are out ?? with correct tyres on them .
cheers scampo

A drop of 1000 rpm? Er... not quite. Well, only if you could get to about 5000rpm in a gear, you'd drop back to about 4000rpm in the same gear with disco t/case! :D about 20% drop as JC said is correct. Many people have done it though.

As for the speedo, I think you'll find most vehicles over-read the speed for a few %, with standard tyres in my D1 the speedo over-read by about 4%, now with slightly larger tyres it is almost spot on compared to GPS. I don't think its a bad thing, it gives a little safety margin if your speed creeps up a bit - you have 2 easy options, fit slightly larger tyres and it will be closer to correct, or just accept driving a few k's slower than indicated and enjoy the view!

As a side note to speedo's over-reading, post 2000 (IIRC) the ADR's were changed such that a vehicle must not UNDER-read the speed, it may only OVER-read by up to 10%, so car makers most likely factored a small under-reading margin to ensure legality.

Seano

[scampo]

:):):)hey guys cheers for info was told to expect 15% drop but not the flashest for heavy toeing in top gear .has any one had first hand expierience on this mod .doing the the jobs not the isue its the actual how it went// goes in the long run .not interested in big tyres just interest better fuel or a nice cruise at 110/120ks on the open road & what would be the best disco to score one from ie..manul auto 4or 5 speed etc. just
done a nearly 2000ks trip toeing a big loaded up trailer with 25 / 30 knot head wind and my good it dont even notice it on the back except for the hi fuel witch i expected.
as for the spedo my 130 tdi has 235/85 16s is 101km @110 & 110 defender is 103/4 @ 110 km & my last 130 was 10 k out seems odd
have come across a cheap wreck 130 2000model was thinkin of gradeing tdi to td5 is there a market for 300tdi s gearboxs diffs etc :)

[justinc]

If you are towing big loads then leave it be, BUT if a one off then yes by all reports it improves fuel economy and you loose that feeling of wringing that wonderful Td5's neck when overtaking at 120:o

Also, if you do tow you can lope along in 4th gear, which is better for the trans anyway.

ANY LT230 from a Disco will fit, manual or auto. If getting one from a D2 however, mid 2001 to 2003 they lost the CDL etc. This is no biggy as you can rob all the bits from your present case, but that would render it unsaleable....

JC

[brendanm]

I went the other way and replaced the D2 Discovery tcase with a defender as I wanted lower torque. Fuel economy suffers, though with larger tyres it improved low down high range. Could swapping tyre size be an easier alternative to the final ratio? Just a thought.

[Slunnie]

pm Tusker, I'm pretty sure he runs 1.2 high range, but I think he did this when the transfer was apart rather than swapping out the transfer.

[scampo]

cheers not into big tyres thats not my thing may be 20 years ago .plus when remote travling i stay common har har .as you were saying d2 cases just strip n swap gears i see a late modle one in here some where for $300 .as 4 ringing its neck out not constant for hundreds off ks non stop. but i must say im inpressed at what it does

[justinc]

cheers not into big tyres thats not my thing may be 20 years ago .plus when remote travling i stay common har har .as you were saying d2 cases just strip n swap gears i see a late modle one in here some where for $300 .as 4 ringing its neck out not constant for hundreds off ks non stop. but i must say im inpressed at what it does

Sure thing, they do a hell of a good job for 2.5 litres!!!:twisted:

JC

[scampo]

yep thats right .sort off live qld work wa & kids in wa so for extended travlyn sittin at $120 all day with out it workig to hard is what i want do & if im toeing well 90ks in forth is ample for me :) sent the guy in sydny a msg for a 2002 tranfrecase @$300 what have i got loose if it dont work i will change it back ive seen people blow $300 + on a night out har har im off to lar lar land 2hrs sleep in 2 days lots off travlin now work :(thanks for your input guys

[cewilson]

I've had mine converted for about 5 years now. The vehicle is a 93 Defender with the 200tDi in it - the engine is slightly tired so there may be some differences in power between the engines.

I've found the conversion really good for cruising. 5th is only an overdrive now, as it really has no 'pulling' power with my engine - and it really shouldn't being 5th gear. 4th gear is brilliant now compared to what it was - it easily slips in at 90-100km/h and generally holds the speed unless on bigger hills - AND it isn't revving hard which is the bonus.

The biggest problem I found was initial take-off. It does require more revs and a gentler approach to the clutch which is really noticeable when towing a heavy load. You can get around it though by starting in low range and changing to high range 'on the fly.'

Remember that this does not change anything off-road whatsoever as they are the same ratio, it only changes on-road.

Overall, would I do it again. Yes I would.

Cheers
Chris


P.S - conversion is a piece of cake :angel:

[Hendrik]

I have not driven a td5 defender before, but my manual D2 running 265/75 which is about the same as 235/75, I find it an absolute pain to drive around town and in some cases offroad too. Sure it does drop the revs at a 100 down to about 2200rpm, but its a pain to take off, especially on steep inclines as mentioned. And wouldn't a d2 transfer in a fender throw out the speedo as well? My speedo is out by about 10%. I myself have considered dropping in a defender transfer, bit cheaper than 4.11's.

[100I]

I have done the complete opposite. My D1 has 30.5" tyres and it was absolutely woeful on all but a flat highway. It would not tow, would not pull away on any incline, had no acceleration. Defenders are a 32" tyre. You're in for a world of pain downgrading to disco gearing.
I've spent the last 2 weeks on a drive from Brisbane to Melbourne and return. It will sit on 120 all day on flat to mild country. It is a small engine, it needs rpm. It does not have the capacity lope along at low rpm. TD5 are more powerful granted but torque is still limited, they are still only 2.5L

[HBWC]

if you want to swap im looking at puting a defender case in my disco i would evan pay for the swap


I have done the complete opposite. My D1 has 30.5" tyres and it was absolutely woeful on all but a flat highway. It would not tow, would not pull away on any incline, had no acceleration. Defenders are a 32" tyre. You're in for a world of pain downgrading to disco gearing.
I've spent the last 2 weeks on a drive from Brisbane to Melbourne and return. It will sit on 120 all day on flat to mild country. It is a small engine, it needs rpm. It does not have the capacity lope along at low rpm. TD5 are more powerful granted but torque is still limited, they are still only 2.5L

i think their may be something wrong with yours mine has 31's and i tow over 3 ton regularly but didnt find much diffrence apart from 100to 160kmph (privet road tests)

[Bundalene]

The TD5 130 we recently bought and built up had a Disco transfer case, as we found out late in the build.

As part of the build we installed a flashable chipped ECU.

On the trip to the Northern Territory (Sydney to Gove) , we found we were driving outside the desired rev range and optimum turbo curve, making the drive less than pleasurable. As said in a previous post, 5th gear was really an overdrive, but who really wants to be cruising at 110kms per hour in 4th gear.

Added to that the fuel economy was a lot worse than it should have been.

We did have a decent head wind added into the mix, making 5th gear pretty useless for some of the trip. Also making this worse were the larger than standard tyres.

I drive this stretch twice a year with, lately with a non chipped 06 TD5 Defender and prior to that in a non chipped TD5 Disco and IMHO this is a far better driving experience for both accelleration at speed, general driving, those small inclines, starting on a hill and Fuel economy.

One of my jobs on the 130 is to change back the transfer gear ratio to standard.

[flagg]

My Isuzu 110 has the 1:1 TC (Factory fit) but i've swapped out an R380 into it. (was LT85) Its great on the Highway - but too fast.. I'm constantly overtaking people as the engine wants to be at a bit higher revs.

Sounds great but traveling at 120km/h in a 20 year old car with drum brakes isn't my idea of fun. (or the people in front of me, haha)

Stepping down to 1.2:1 and fitting 33s at the same time should drop me about (licks finger and holds up in the air) 10%, which will put 5th in the sweet spot at 110km/h.

My Father has an '02 fender (Td5, R380, 1.4:1 TC, 235/85) and has fitted the GKN overdrive. This is a really sweet setup. On the highway you just pop a switch and the noise disappears.. get to a hill, flick it again and you power up the hill. Its very very nice - but I can't fit it in my 110 as the Isuzu will eat it.

For a Td5 however, this is the best of both worlds. (albeit more expensive)

F

[TD5_Fender]

Hi Scampo, I have a 2000 TD5 Extreme which i have put a 1.2 transfer case into from a 96 Auto 300tdi Disco and i get between 9.2 - 9.8km's per 100k's. Conversion is straight forward enough, i just swapped my speedo transducer and hand brake from my defender t/case over to the disco t/case. My defender is chipped,bigger intercooler,exhaust 2.5in all the way and 18psi boost. I have no problems with driveability at take off and around town driving is far better in my opinion as it uses the torque i have available far better than the old 1.4 t/case. At 100km/h i am doing slightly under 2200rpm, have no problems overtaking from 85-90km/h in 5th and i can tow my 4.5m boat without a problem. I definately wouldn't do the conversion on a std td5.

My issue now is i want to go from 265/75/16 tyre to 315/75/16 tyre and i think this will knock the wind out of its sails. But if you keep the standard size tyre then i think you would be very happy with the end result.

A GKN overdrive would have been my first choice but as they are no longer available the disco transfer case was the next best thing.

Cheers Shane

[scampo]

:):)all sounds good haven't cone the or wont do the bigger inter cooler or the exhaust i don't that will make much more power ,power is very very good if not to much as is .it reminds me off riding a motor bike with a power band have scored a transfer case from this site for $300 from an 2002 disc with 13000km? this ain't got the lock up ,so i should be straightforward to put the gears in to my case ,the works not the problem I'm a mechanic harha was told just swap the gears ,,is this all the gears or just input from gearbox out put and center gear only .haven't done or seen inside off both together.& at the end off the day if its not what I'm after i can reverse it haven't much to loose ,i don't think my 130 tdi would have the top end power for this thou??
+ i dont whant to put big tyres on its dont do it for me
cheers guys

[cewilson]

Also making this worse were the larger than standard tyres.

And that's the biggest problem with converting the transfer case. If you go to a bigger tyre/rim combination you'll hate it very quickly.

[flagg]

A GKN overdrive would have been my first choice but as they are no longer available the disco transfer case was the next best thing.


There is one on ebay at the moment in the UK if you are quick :D:wasntme:

[100I]

if you want to swap im looking at puting a defender case in my disco i would evan pay for the swap



i think their may be something wrong with yours mine has 31's and i tow over 3 ton regularly but didnt find much diffrence apart from 100to 160kmph (privet road tests)

depends what you find acceptable

[reeksyofoz]

This is just the thread I was looking for - thanks :)

Having just driven 25,000km around the country in my '99 TD5 (chipped and gassed) the one criticism of the old girl was fuel economy. Kept a pretty close eye on it and noticed how important it is to keep the revs down when cruising a brick :D

Averaged 11.4 litres/100kms sitting at around the 100km mark and i'd like to either be able to go a little bit quicker for the same juice ...or get a little more economy for the same speed ;)