TD5 chip / overdrive
Discussion
For our 130, in about 2006, we have had a chip and intercooler upgrade by J. Fearn, about 190hp, before that we had added a GKN overdrive .
At the time I had used the Defender for a lot of transcontinental trips and it worked very(!) well. Especially when in hurry for reaching the ferry.
When ordering the GKN Overdrive, I expected it to pay for itself after about 60.000 miles. It turned out to pay for itself after already 30.000 miles, as the combination saved a lot of fuel.
The downsides are: The Fearn upgrade delivers black smoke from the exhaust under some circumstances. It´s a bit exhausting to get the driving right to avoid the black smoke, especially in todays time black smoke is a No.
You wouldn´t use all avaiable power to avoid the smoke.
I tried to contact JF twice in recent years to find a solution, I wouldn´t even mind to lose some power for a result, but there was no response, maybe he is already out of business.
The GKN OD gave up a few years ago (after about 50k miles), which we couldn´t fix easily yet. Spareparts are a bit of a problem now and we don´t know which part we exactly need. Not that big of a problem, as we use the Defender only relaxed and for leasure (3-6k miles a year) any more.
My Facit:
o OD only works in combination with engine tuning. Standard power is not enough to use the OD properly.
o OD is not needed if you are a relaxed driver and do max. 70 mph and no long motorway journeys.
o Tuning is (for me) important to make the 130 15P driveable. The standard power and gearing was useless in the
mountains and for towing.
Maybe 150-170hp tuning would tick all boxes, but I don´t know.
To make our Defender the perfect leasure car for our purpose I am now thinking about a proper engine transplant.
Target would be V8 petrol and at least 250hp. Maybe the classical Rover V8, a Jaguar XK 4.2 or, when you are at it anyway, the charged AJ engine.
A lot of homework to do now, but no force as the Td5 is still sweet.
At the time I had used the Defender for a lot of transcontinental trips and it worked very(!) well. Especially when in hurry for reaching the ferry.
When ordering the GKN Overdrive, I expected it to pay for itself after about 60.000 miles. It turned out to pay for itself after already 30.000 miles, as the combination saved a lot of fuel.
The downsides are: The Fearn upgrade delivers black smoke from the exhaust under some circumstances. It´s a bit exhausting to get the driving right to avoid the black smoke, especially in todays time black smoke is a No.
You wouldn´t use all avaiable power to avoid the smoke.
I tried to contact JF twice in recent years to find a solution, I wouldn´t even mind to lose some power for a result, but there was no response, maybe he is already out of business.
The GKN OD gave up a few years ago (after about 50k miles), which we couldn´t fix easily yet. Spareparts are a bit of a problem now and we don´t know which part we exactly need. Not that big of a problem, as we use the Defender only relaxed and for leasure (3-6k miles a year) any more.
My Facit:
o OD only works in combination with engine tuning. Standard power is not enough to use the OD properly.
o OD is not needed if you are a relaxed driver and do max. 70 mph and no long motorway journeys.
o Tuning is (for me) important to make the 130 15P driveable. The standard power and gearing was useless in the
mountains and for towing.
Maybe 150-170hp tuning would tick all boxes, but I don´t know.
To make our Defender the perfect leasure car for our purpose I am now thinking about a proper engine transplant.
Target would be V8 petrol and at least 250hp. Maybe the classical Rover V8, a Jaguar XK 4.2 or, when you are at it anyway, the charged AJ engine.
A lot of homework to do now, but no force as the Td5 is still sweet.
Sorry for delayed response!
Thank you for the replies and yes I am still very much interested.
Someone suggested chipping it first as this will mitigate the perceived need for overdrive but I can't see how that increased power makes for a more relaxed high(er) speed m-way cruise as still effectively stuck with the OEM short gearing.
Thank you for the replies and yes I am still very much interested.
Someone suggested chipping it first as this will mitigate the perceived need for overdrive but I can't see how that increased power makes for a more relaxed high(er) speed m-way cruise as still effectively stuck with the OEM short gearing.
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