Performance Tuning

[Roverworks Canberra]

We recently tuned a Defender 90 with a 2.2 Puma diesel in it. The car went from 90 KW and 360 NM to 120 KW and 430 NM. This turned the car from ordinary into something that has the owner smiling weeks after, when he can get the keys off his son.

The beauty of a diesel is that full power is around the 2500-3500 rpm range, which is where you normally drive it, every trip. So, 120KW full power that you experience when you put your foot down in top gear to overtake up a hill, does make a difference. The extra torque (which you have to love diesels for anyway) makes it pull much harder.

The problem with petrol cars that are rated with full power at 7000rpm or so is that with normal driving you NEVER get to that theoretical power unless you are a bit of a hoon. As a rule, the higher performance petrol engines are not as much of an increase as the diesels.

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Thoughts?

[LoveB]

johnny/richard

how much would this cost me? :x might be worth doing on my next service hahaha


*****edit*****

nvm just saw the price on the bottom of the page... might be worth doing at my 80k service!!!

[Eevo]

The problem with petrol cars that are rated with full power at 7000rpm or so

i disagree.
most petrol cars peak power is between 4-5k.
only worked cars have full power at 7k rpm.

[steveG]

Just a side comment - Is it just me, or is the Roverworks page unusable on an iPhone??

Steve

[LR V8]

Yep, it's pretty poor. I can't zoom without the page header filling the screen....

[El Rey]

Does anyone have experience-based thoughts on whether modifying your Defender makes it more reliable, less reliable, or no difference?

For examples:
Assuming that workmanship is solid:

- Is a chipped engine with a bigger intercooler and a custom exhaust that adds 20-30 HP any more or less likely to conk out than a stock motor.

- Or is a 2" raised suspension with the camber also sorted any more or less likely to give problems than stock suspension.

- Or are upgraded drive trains more prone to niggles than stock ones.

- Or is a Defender with holes drilled in it for wing protectors, roll cages and various other add-ons any more prone to rust getting in.

Changes or upgrades to a Defender don't seem the same as hotrodding of other vehicles, since they are usually done for a functional reason - to increase the number of places they can go, survivability etc. The hotrodding mindset that I see with owners of my other brand of vehicle seems to lead to more problems in general, although it's close.

[Marty90]

This is only my opinion,but;
Forget add on chips and only go with a reputable tuner and use only BAS or Alive to re-map the ECU.High flow exhaust is questionable as it reduces back pressure and can affect turbo operation.Bigger intercooler provides big improvements,and consider blanking the EGR while remapping.
Two inch lift doesn't sound like much but you're probably looking at DC shaft.No camber adjustment on these but castor can be affected but correctable.
From what I read on this forum any improvement to the drive train is a good thing.Have a look around the site and you'll find a lot of interesting threads.
Regards to drilling holes.
Apparently stainless steel and aluminium in contact create a chemical reaction ,causing corrosion.So avoid using the two together or use a chemical agent between the two.Someone will fill you in.

[El Rey]

This is only my opinion,but;
Forget add on chips and only go with a reputable tuner and use only BAS or Alive to re-map the ECU.High flow exhaust is questionable as it reduces back pressure and can affect turbo operation.Bigger intercooler provides big improvements,and consider blanking the EGR while remapping.
Two inch lift doesn't sound like much but you're probably looking at DC shaft.No camber adjustment on these but castor can be affected but correctable.
From what I read on this forum any improvement to the drive train is a good thing.Have a look around the site and you'll find a lot of interesting threads.
Regards to drilling holes.
Apparently stainless steel and aluminium in contact create a chemical reaction ,causing corrosion.So avoid using the two together or use a chemical agent between the two.Someone will fill you in.

Cheers - this is a useful reply.

[Blknight.aus]

Does anyone have experience-based thoughts on whether modifying your Defender makes it more reliable, less reliable, or no difference?

For examples:
Assuming that workmanship is solid:

- Is a chipped engine with a bigger intercooler and a custom exhaust that adds 20-30 HP any more or less likely to conk out than a stock motor.

- Or is a 2" raised suspension with the camber also sorted any more or less likely to give problems than stock suspension.

- Or are upgraded drive trains more prone to niggles than stock ones.

- Or is a Defender with holes drilled in it for wing protectors, roll cages and various other add-ons any more prone to rust getting in.

Changes or upgrades to a Defender don't seem the same as hotrodding of other vehicles, since they are usually done for a functional reason - to increase the number of places they can go, survivability etc. The hotrodding mindset that I see with owners of my other brand of vehicle seems to lead to more problems in general, although it's close.

in a diesel, most likely not but it depends on how you get it.. dont add bits in when you can remap or tweak existing gear, anything that bolts in between the computer and the world then tells lies between them is going to get you into trouble.

nope a 2 inch lift with quality gear and workman ship wont cause you any realistic issues day to day, might just keep you out of an underground carpark however.

if it gives you niggling problems its not a driveline upgrade, its a hinderence..

no most defender panels are aluminium but good workmanship would prevent the rust from starting on the holes because of the prep work and clean up involved. the extra stress caused by what you bolt in causing other issues however would still remain

and as always, good maintenance will get on top of minor niggles, I get to see plenty of cases where and "upgrade" ha been blamed for a failure that was just operator stupidity... Ask me about the incident where after melting head one and having a low coolant alarm installed head 2 (and other things thatwere tortured to edge of spec the first time) went all melty because the operator didnt like the beeping of the alarm so unplugged it...