Thread: Is Bigger Really Better?

Originally Posted by 350RRC

Hi vnx,

The stock driveline is strong enough, except for the diffs and axles if the car is thrashed. I look after it off road.

Mine is only running 10 splines, which I suspect are heavy duty because I haven't broken them yet. Don't know to tell if they are. Matt?

The thing has done a gazillion km's and only gets a really hard time up against ricers at the lights..........just can't help myself.

cheers, DL

Very unlikey if the axle ends are the little humps as per factory

A sensible driver on 31's will be fine............its only us silly ones that can kill them so easy

Originally Posted by Slunnie

Pat, is that the one that goes onto the steering box?

Thats it.The cover will degrade over time and let water in.The problem is it has no way to get back out. Pat

Originally Posted by rovercare

Very unlikey if the axle ends are the little humps as per factory

A sensible driver on 31's will be fine............its only us silly ones that can kill them so easy

My disco still has the original drive flanges,12 years and counting.When I grease the uni's I grease the flanges.It's driven everyday,first 9 years in sydney traffic. Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

My disco still has the original drive flanges,12 years and counting.When I grease the uni's I grease the flanges.It's driven everyday,first 9 years in sydney traffic. Pat

Sooooooooo, what's your point?

Not bad for little humps as per factory. Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

Not bad for little humps as per factory. Pat

Pat, your an idiot

The little hump as per what is likely to be fitted to DL range rover, are not the same as the drive flanges fitted to yours, they are an integral flange, cast in with the axle, then final machineing is done

That's very nice that your rover has done 400kays, well done, oviously well maintained

But everyone has different purposes/expectations for their vehicles, I build modified rovers, to serve a purpose, oddly enough, everyone who has a larger motor/tyre/diff etc fitted/built, is always happy, the ONLY people I hear prattle on about how good they are stock, seem to be very narrow minded and forever justifying their purchase

If it happens that a stock rover, suits you, thats excellent, but expand your mind a little and appreciate, others have different intentions sometimes

Rovercare, I love the way you say,"Pat, you're and idiot", and then choose an emoticon that will probably let you get away with it.

However, I do feel the need (largely because I am filling in time waiting for my wife to cut up a few things that I need to throw on the barbecue) to take exception in a lighthearted way to your comments about people with stock vehicles.

I'm not sure that I was prattling on about how good the standard vehicle is. What I was trying to do was point out that I believe there is a downside to some of the things that people often think would transform the Land Rover into a world beater.

Just in case you think I am an unimaginative narrow minded person unable to consider other possibilities, I offer my experience some years ago with a Honda SL125 as evidence that I might not be.

They were universally acknowledged as the ideal bike to teach your girl friend to ride because they produced almost no power at all and were so predictable.

I pressed the sleeve out, bored it out a bit and fitted the sleeve from a 305 Honda CB77. I had that bored to take a piston from a Honda 740. That gave me 145 cc.

Next I bought a stroked crankshaft from America to take the capacity out to 175cc.

A Webcam camshaft restored the breathing a bit.

Running it at 16:1 compression on alcohol gave it enough power that I could easily beat the 125cc racing bikes available at the time.

Surely converting a Honda SL125 into something that could thrash purpose built racing bikes suggests that I am capable of looking at potential improvements.

Before anyone suggests that my modifications to the engine proved that bigger was better, I had better point out that there was a price to pay for having an engine with a powerband even better than your big American V8s. In fact it was almost like a steam engine or an electric motor. If it was running it was in the powerband.

The price I had to pay was that I went through head gaskets with such monotonous regularity that I resorted to making my own from sheet copper. I also wore out the big end, something that would never have happened with the original setup.

Anyway things are now cut up ready for the barbecue, so I had better stop.

Originally Posted by hoadie72

The M30 engine was used by BMW from 1968 to 1994 and was used in cars from the CS to the 5, 6 and 7 series as well as the M1.

Dammit, I knew someone would pick this up. OK all car companies do share engines, its impossible not to. But the M30 is one hell of an engine.

Its 3.5L straight 6 putting out more kw and nm than the 4L v8 RR engine. It is lazy and never works and lasts for 600,000km with oil changes. Its super maintainable with everything in an easy place, the oil filter is cartrige. And it was upgraded a lot but in the end it was superceeded by a 3.0L v8 with only 5 more kw. It also has a chain which never dies and there are no weak points to the engine. Also very simple to work with at home.

However BMW have many types of engines and even when the M30 was in the 5 series, it was sold along side at least 3 or 4 other engine choices for the same model.

LR used the one engine for everything and I still say bmw is an engine company and LR is a 4x4 company in need of any old powerplant that will propel the vehicle.