What do I want?

Im sure this has been asked before, but a search turned up nothing. I'm looking to buy my first defender in 2013 and I have no idea what I want engine wise.

I test drove both a 300TDi & a TD5 and I found both to be lacking power a few weeks ago. Bear in mind I'm comparing them to a 60bhp 12yr old Spanish hatchback.

From my limited understanding the TD5 has more potential with things like ECU maps, big intercoolers and the like, but there is more to go tits up. Where as the 300 is more reliable, needs a lot of tinkering but will never give then same sort of results in terms of bhp and torque.

As well as power, I'm interested in reliability and fuel economy and how each engine responds to tweaks and modification.

Any help/advice/personal experience would be appreciated, it's important to note I'm no mechanic and I have a habit of destroying things beyond repair

300tdi. There are simple tweaks to boost.

td5, 200bhp if you've got enough money to throw at it

Any idea what the max torque and Bhp you can push out of a 300TDi is without sacrificing reliability is?

You can get up to 165bhp on a 300tdi with an allisport inter cooler and a descent air filter.

Any word on how reliable either engine is post modification?

Basically the 300tdi tweaks are to the ancillaries so only benefit the engine. Think of them as upgrades to the budget factory spec.

Td5 tweaks involve mainly engine mods. Td5 things would have to be done by a garage mostly.

To the 300tdi

Fuel pump adjust.
Performance intercooler.
Performance radiator.
Low resistance silicon piping.
K and n filters.
You can also get a twin turbo upgrade but that's costly but adds a lot.

You will find driving everyday though that simple upgrades make it better but after that the benefits are limited. You don't buy a brick to race.

chunkymunky said:

Basically the 300tdi tweaks are to the ancillaries so only benefit the engine. Think of them as upgrades to the budget factory spec.

Td5 tweaks involve mainly engine mods. Td5 things would have to be done by a garage mostly.

To the 300tdi

Fuel pump adjust.
Performance intercooler.
Performance radiator.
Low resistance silicon piping.
K and n filters.
You can also get a twin turbo upgrade but that's costly but adds a lot.

You will find driving everyday though that simple upgrades make it better but after that the benefits are limited. You don't buy a brick to race.

Click to expand...

td5 tweeks are pretty much the same, except you re map with a specialist tuner, instead of Joe Bloggs adjusting your fuel pump(goes faster but smokes more), then td5 has an extra cylinder so more torque available anyway, pound for bhp the td5 is the better investment, but you dont bbuy a fender to break land speed records,

johnlad said:

td5 tweeks are pretty much the same, except you re map with a specialist tuner, instead of Joe Bloggs adjusting your fuel pump(goes faster but smokes more), then td5 has an extra cylinder so more torque available anyway, pound for bhp the td5 is the better investment, but you dont bbuy a fender to break land speed records,

Click to expand...

Seconded

Defenders aren't the quickest motors in the world. They aren't really designed for that sort of thing.

But.........

If you want Land Rover type motoring coupled with arseburning performance then I believe there's a chap on here who shoe-horned a BMW M5 engine into a Defender 90.

You may get through one or two gearboxes but, by god, your particular problem will be solved.

Good luck man!

Just don't do what Doc did with his V8, my asthmatic 75 year old dad cycles faster :lol:

Oh I'm not looking or anything to break the land speed record or race the little ****bags in their 1.6 Saxo VTRs or whatever.

For the money I'm looking to spend an older 330d or similar isnt out of the question (although I can think of nothing worse), so a bit of "performance" out of my Landy would be nice.

I'm just looking for a lal bit more poke

I'd love to put a diesel V8 in a 90 but I don't have the cash or know how.

Put a petrol v 8 in or buy one. Who wants a performance landy anyway?

111 and 122bhp seems poor from 2.5ltr units in my opinion, I'm certainly not after a performance landy, just something pushing towards a resonable power and torque output for the engine size.

The TD5 seems the best bet, but budget constraints may come in to play

Croft90 said:

111 and 122bhp seems poor from 2.5ltr units in my opinion, I'm certainly not after a performance landy, just something pushing towards a resonable power and torque output for the engine size.

The TD5 seems the best bet, but budget constraints may come in to play

Click to expand...

3.9 v8 190bhp. And sounds good. Mpg might be an issue. I got 10-25mpg depending on how i were driving

I can't live with MPG figures like that I wouldn't mind a v8 though!!

The Defender is going to be replacing my crappy hatchback and will be my everyday drive, so more grunt with as little impact on MPG as possible is what I'm going for.

300tdi will give 25 to 30mpg top speed 70 to75mph but at that speed you'll **** ya self..

Think a TD5 wil give ya slightly better. mpg and 90+ but agin you'll **** ya self..

Its a defender... not meant for speed, low BHP but a torquey beast at that, my 300tdi has the EGr blanked and once warmed up, if you strike the gears lucky and keep the turbo spooling but with it the 300tdi standard turbo is either on or off