1.8 power

I don't know if this is has been covered but how would I go about getting more power out of my 1.8 engine (bhp) and where would I get the parts from ? I have been looking everywhere for compatible parts but coming up with nothing.

Cheers for your help

1.8VVC, T16, or 1.8 turbo conversions

Money no problem? Then you could try: a pair of piper 270H cams, vernier pulleys, some basic head work [ porting/polishing], an induction kit and a sport exhaust with a sport cat too.

Let me know how it goes!

HTR

My 1.8 seems to have more power after I renewed the head gasket and used Hylomar sealant and a toughened uprated oil rail. In addition to this, I previously removed the propshaft and have also wrapped the exhaust in insulating wrap. No more leaks no more overheating, better fuel economy and better power I believe. 1.8K Freelander Head Gasket Renewal and Overheating Fix - YouTube

1.8VVC, T16, or 1.8 turbo conversions

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Has anybody actually completed a VVC conversion? Been Googling but haven't found any details or pictures of a VVC fitted and running in a Freelander.
Very flat torque curve from way low down should make it a great candidate surely...
I'm not up on the Rover ECU setups, but it would seem reasonably simple on my early distributor K-series - they're in plenty of Metros!

The Docmeister said:

Has anybody actually completed a VVC conversion? Been Googling but haven't found any details or pictures of a VVC fitted and running in a Freelander.
Very flat torque curve from way low down should make it a great candidate surely...
I'm not up on the Rover ECU setups, but it would seem reasonably simple on my early distributor K-series - they're in plenty of Metros!

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I toyed with the idea of fitting a VVC engine into my 50th edition Freelander. I decided that a turbo conversion would work best for the Freelander. I never got round to ether as I bought a V6 instead!!

Nodge68 said:

I toyed with the idea of fitting a VVC engine into my 50th edition Freelander. I decided that a turbo conversion would work best for the Freelander. I never got round to ether as I bought a V6 instead!!

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twin turbo then?

I decided that a turbo conversion would work best for the Freelander.

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I'd have thought though that you'd want a slow, steady boost build up for off road/4x4 as opposed to a more 'sporty' car turbo type delivery. Diesel/ V6 style torque delivery from low down the revs with as little lag as possible.
I've been playing with Saab Turbos for the last wee while and to avoid that kick up the backside turbo boost feel you need a small turbo, which while spooling up quickly will run out of oomph higher up the rev range. Fine for a Freelander, not so much what you're after in a 'sports' saloon.
I'd have thought that car style power delivery wouldn't do the transmission much good, nor would having to rev it to get the turbo spinning if stuck in the mud.

I got in touch with one of the K-series tuning companies last night and they seem to think it the VVC swap has been done, it's quite simple, and just a case of swapping from MEMS1.9 management to MEMS3. That should just be an engine loom/ ECU swap over.
I'd still like to see pics and info on a completed VVC swap - there must be a thread somewhere on t'interweb!

There's lots of taking but no actual doing on this thread http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/has-anyone-dropped-k-series-vvc-into-freelander-133255.html

The VVC from my point of view has all its power at the wrong end of the rev range. My VVC MGF comes alive above 4500 rpm. Before that it's no more powerful than the standard 1.8.
The Turbo 1.8 is at full boost by 2200 rpm giving a nice lump of torque at a more useful engine speed.

I prefer the V6, if only it could be made into a manual. This would be the ultimate Freelander for me.

That thread is like most I've found! It's even tricky to find VVC power/torque graphs which are correctly labelled.
From what I've seen so far it's the flat torque curve of the VVC that appeals rather than the spike that a turbo will always give. The secret would be keeping that as smooth as possible to save undue stress on the 4wd system.
On the old 900 Saabs, one of the plus points of upgrading to the later 'Trionic' management setup is that you can actually smooth out the spike in torque and save your gearbox!

I think you're right about the V6 though - I even found some talk about a few manuals having been made, but again no specifics. A V6 on LPG could be my ultimate Freelander...

How much of the V6 drivetrain is upgraded? Perhaps that would be worth looking into if going turbo too?

There's lots of talking and ridicule about fitting the VVC but i've found nothing about it actually being done.
Power/ torque curves are available. I've copied some off the net.
The VVC does make more torque than the 1.8 but higher up the rev range.
The turbo 1.8 has a nice flat torque curve which extends longer and is considerably higher than ether NA 1.8.

The 2.5 KV6 is in a different league altogether. This is why I consider it the best option. It's also more reliable than the 1.8.
A manual V6 Freelander would be great.
The 4X4 system should be fine with the V6's torque as it's about the same as the turbo diesel version.
Some torque curves that I found. You will find all 1.8 versions are here as well as the 2.5 V6. The V6 is obviously in a different league for power output.

just go for the T200 lump - or at least the T200 Turbo. I know that fits the L series and makes a pretty quick motor

The Mad Hat Man said:

just go for the T200 lump - or at least the T200 Turbo. I know that fits the L series and makes a pretty quick motor

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While I agree that for ultimate reliability the T turbo engine would be best. It's not so easy when it comes to the ECU. Don't forget that the V6 and all 2001 MY Freelanders use a CAN bus network. The T series MEMS ECU, as far as I can find doesn't support CAN bus. This could cause all manor of hard to sort out issues with things like the Dash ECU, the ABS ECU and possibly even the BCU.

Also are you 100% sure that the T series lump bolts onto the L series box. It does on a FWD Rover sure. However for the Freelander Application, the L series PG1 bell housing appears to be the same as that fitted to the 1.8. This would make manufacturing the box easy. The L series engine would simply need a different end plate.
Being as the KV6 shares the same bell pattern as the T series, fitting the box to ether engine isn't a straight forward swap. An adaptor plate would need to be made. This would then alter the IRD end bracket position requiring an additional spacer to be made up for that.
I've looked into changing the auto to a manual. It's not something that could be completed in a weekend or even a week which is why I'm still driving an auto V6.

I meant the turbo fits the L

Nodge68 said:

There's lots of taking but no actual doing on this thread http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/has-anyone-dropped-k-series-vvc-into-freelander-133255.html

The VVC from my point of view has all its power at the wrong end of the rev range. My VVC MGF comes alive above 4500 rpm. Before that it's no more powerful than the standard 1.8.
The Turbo 1.8 is at full boost by 2200 rpm giving a nice lump of torque at a more useful engine speed.

I prefer the V6, if only it could be made into a manual. This would be the ultimate Freelander for me.

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Your ultimate V6 manual
FREELANDER M-SPORT RALLY CAR EX COLIN MC RAE, CARLOS SAINZ | eBay

Brack said:

Your ultimate V6 manual
FREELANDER M-SPORT RALLY CAR EX COLIN MC RAE, CARLOS SAINZ | eBay

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Lovely toy but at that price it's well out of my league.
I have spent lots of time working out what is needed to make a V6 manual. One day when I'm not up to my ears in other stuff, I might just take the V6 off the road for a while to carry out the conversion.

Nodge68 said:

Lovely toy but at that price it's well out of my league.
I have spent lots of time working out what is needed to make a V6 manual. One day when I'm not up to my ears in other stuff, I might just take the V6 off the road for a while to carry out the conversion.

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Probably very different but it's the first manual V6 I've ever seen - so it must be do able

dont some of the R75's have manual boxes?

The Mad Hat Man said:

dont some of the R75's have manual boxes?

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Yes your right, wonder why they didn't make a Freelander v6 manual

The Mad Hat Man said:

dont some of the R75's have manual boxes?

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Rover 75 and MG ZT has a 5 speed manual box. It's not a PG1 box though. I believe it's a ZF but don't quote me on that. It's not a PG1 that's for sure. It doesn't help though as the Rover 75 was front wheel drive. This means the box won't be any use in the Freelander.
I would think that an adapter plate is the easiest way to mate the L series PG1 bell to the KV6 engine. The clutches are the shared with the KV6 in the MG ZS180. The linkage would come from a 1.8 Freelander as would the pedal box. I reckon the V6 IRD will bolt onto the L series box. However one of the bolts won't line up. This would mean using the 4 cylinder IRD for security.
From what I can tell, even the box mount will fit ok.
So it really is just an adapter plate needed.
One day I'm going to make a V6 into a manual.