How "fast" is your defender?

Rook1 said:

@Colthebrummie see now im getting hopeful about my defender even though it's a 110 i can get it up to 85 and "cruise" relatively comfortably but i did have a D90 (full cheslea truck though) pull up next to me on the M1 while i was doing 85 and it pulled away!
Here we are elephant racing

But Im a city boy, London at that, so i need that low end get up and go, which i feel is unsurprisingly lacking.

@flat Wow! im impressed! mines definitely doesnt do that

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A Puma powered Defender will romp away from a Tdi.

On the way home this afternoon on my bike I didn't lose a guy in a 110 csw until well into a band B in a 60... Don't know who it was but it surprised me somewhat!

Mine, a TD5 stage 1 will out do most smaller cars, i've embarrassed a number of chavs before too!!
the only thing that lets it down are the gear changes, you can't rush them.
callum

C.McGrory said:

Mine, a TD5 stage 1 will out do most smaller cars, i've embarrassed a number of chavs before too!!
the only thing that lets it down are the gear changes, you can't rush them.
callum

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Yes, gear changes are one of the the things that does for a Series. If I accelerate from zero to top speed, let's say 60 if going downhill, 8 seconds is used up just changing through the box. Mind you, that pails into insignificance considering the acceleration phase from zero to top speed is probably about 20 minutes.

Col

300bhp/ton said:

A Puma powered Defender will romp away from a Tdi.

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Then break down.

0 ter 60mph int 8.7 seconds.
60 ter 0mph emergency stop int 3.5 seconds. Measured using er dash cam.

Edit: sorry eye thought this were the Freelander section.

I have a 2.5 petrol.
Took it to 80 mph once-I was ****ing myself!

My 90 300 tdi does 55 max. If I want to go faster or long distance I use the BMW. Defenders aren't for speed.

We’ve had our 1992 Defender 110 200 tdi since new. It would do 80 mph flat out but I used to wear ear defenders & a gum shield. At 220,000 miles I can still push 70 mph but it’s mor comfortable for both of us at 60 mph. I recently discovered the speedo is reading 5 mph faster than actual at higher speeds so 65 mph indicated is closer to 60 mph actual. It still has the ability to surprise a few people from a standing start!

they are meant to do mud not bloody speed.
buy a fireblade if ya want speed

I put a disco transfer box on my old V8 110 and tried it out on the M6
I got it up to 90 then started to wander all over the place due to ruts in the motorway, hard to keep it straight and I was still in third gear !!
Too high geared with V8 gearbox

it's a series but i hit 55-60mph on the motorway? I think? The needle was bouncing a fair bit.

Trench Rat said:

it's a series but i hit 55-60mph on the motorway? I think? The needle was bouncing a fair bit.

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The trouble with motorways is that they are a bit long and unless you are only going on it for a junction or two, the engine on a series or standard 90/110 is running flat out at 60. I take mine up to 60 on shortish national speed limit roads but I wouldn't want the poor thing to be doing it for hours. I don't have a rev counter fitted so I don't know what the revs are at 60mph

Col

Colthebrummie said:

The trouble with motorways is that they are a bit long and unless you are only going on it for a junction or two, the engine on a series or standard 90/110 is running flat out at 60. I take mine up to 60 on shortish national speed limit roads but I wouldn't want the poor thing to be doing it for hours. I don't have a rev counter fitted so I don't know what the revs are at 60mph

Col

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Agreed. This was a very short trip, about 4a mile at most.



Most motorway she's ever been on lol.

Sofasurfer said:

My 90 300 tdi does 55 max. If I want to go faster or long distance I use the BMW. Defenders aren't for speed.

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55mph? Is it broken?

landrover11019 said:

I have a 2.5 petrol.
Took it to 80 mph once-I was ****ing myself!

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The 2.5s are sweet engines but getting 80 out of one must have been fun and loud.
PS @landrover11019, how's the gearbox?

My current 90 with a 3.5 V8 efi (ex Disco1) and autobox (ex RRC) and original 1:1.4 transfer box shifts like no other Landy I've had, wheel spins if I'm not careful. I don't know the 0-60 but I'd say about 10s and she pulls all the way to 70, tops out about 80; not tried more than that. Cruises beautifully at 60

My former 90 and then 110 had a 3.9 V8 (ex RRC) rebuilt with gas flowed heads * with a LT85 and 1:1.2 had more top end torque and pulled ridiculously well from 60-90. Once, a long time ago on another planet, the speedo reached 100 but I was too scared to keep it there and backed off to a sedate 70. I wasn't concerned about the engine but a 90 doing a ton is stupid and irresponsible

* the engine was one of Steve Lundlack's creations 'Lund Engines'. Those into V8s and of a certain vintage may well recall him. Seems I was a lucky one, apparently several of his customers' special price V8 rebuilds were not up to spec. Retired due to health problems from inhaling aluminium dust, collapsed lung I heard.

I remember Steve from Off Roaders Rant Page, now about 14 years ago. He did some superb write-ups on V8 re-working/tuning, unfortunately it seemed he was not always so good at actually doing the work, can't remember it all but he seriously peed some people off. Lucky escape maybe, but I nearly bought a RRC V8 off him until a mate of mine decided to sell his at a really good price so that was a no brainer.

frog hopper said:

I remember Steve from Off Roaders Rant Page, now about 14 years ago. He did some superb write-ups on V8 re-working/tuning, unfortunately it seemed he was not always so good at actually doing the work, can't remember it all but he seriously peed some people off. Lucky escape maybe, but I nearly bought a RRC V8 off him .......................

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I knew him from ORRP when he first started his business. He did a top end rebuild of my first 3.5 carb and it was a first class job for a really good price; unfortunately about a year later the oil-pump failed and the big-ends went tonk-tonk-tonk-tonk We found a blob of black silicone wedged in the pump....? I argued that it could only have come from the rebuild and as he did use silicone gasket then he was liable Steve agreed to replace the engine with a rebuilt 3.9 hotwire with gas-flowed heads and larger valves, for a price but still very reasonable. I had time-off and spent two weeks with him helping strip down, clean and rebuild the 3.9, watched him like a hawk, did it all by the book and I checked everything (he was cool about it); ended up with a rip-snorting V8 running mostly on lpg. Was in my 90 and then went into a 110, minor crank seal oil leak sorted f.o.c and no other issues. He definitely knew his stuff as his website showed and, given time and space, could do very good work.
I think that it all went wrong when he took on a commission for Team Saluki in the UAE. I think it was too much, building two racing spec V8s in short time, then performance issues, breakdowns, a trashed engine, big arguments. Then people started complaining that his work was not up to scratch, issues with wrong parts sent or not sent at all, delays, going incommunicado......I hear he had bit of a breakdown and well as health problems.
I still think that he was good engine builder but a poor businessman.
Took me for a spin along the A4 in his stripped down IIA with 4L V8 auto with rear rad, don't think I ever been so scared
Photos from the Shuttleworth show 2004; I attended his Lund Engines stand with my 3.9.

My 300Tdi easily cruises at 70mph. Never stretched it beyond 75 to be honest. I tow my 2.5 town trailer at 60mph with ease.

I recently replaced the 300tdi I had in the defender with another one. WOW the difference. I would really have to work hard to get to 70 before. Using all the downhills and ragging it hard on the flat. realistically I used to do 55-60 on the motorway... NOW... it easily goes to 75, can see 80 but it don't like it.