[Landyjd]

Hello owners of Td5s/300Tdis.

You may have seen my rave about the new Defenders. One of the things I really liked was the motorway performance. 2000rpm at 100km'h in 6th gear was just right. But it did make me think, if you are going any faster, then you might start feeling like you want a 7th gear! This in turn got me thinking that perhaps what I really want is a Defender with the R380 fitted.


From what I gather 5th in the R380 gearbox is about the same as 6th in the new Defenders. So, can anyone with one of these gearboxes tell me how many rpm your engine does at 100km/h (60mph) in top gear.

I was thinking that an R380 with an overdrive fitted might actually be better on the open road than the new 6 speed 'box. Does anyone have an overdrive fitted? If you do, how many rpm does your engine do with the overdrive engaged at 60mph?


Thanks for any info/commentary.

 

[sarah90]

I have a 300tdi auto converstion and was doing 85+ a few weeks ago
Have no idea what the revs are cos Dave doesn't have a revs gauge!
No use to you I know but it was good fun

Oh and the noise was awesome!

And if it helps he has 285/75,16 tyres and a 2" lift

 

[L90 BCM]

I have a 300tdi, r380 box with a overdrive, couldn't really tell you what rpm its doing at 60 as i fitted the rev counter my self so i dont know if it is set up correctly to the engine.
Also what size tyres are you running, mine has 265,75,16 with standard 1.4 transfer and 3.5 diffs and it maxes out at 90mph

 

[Landyjd]

I have 235/85 R16s on my Ninety - but my question relates to newer Defenders (300Tdis and Td5s). I would likely stick with 235/85s if I got a newer Defender as I find they perform well in all driving conditions I have come across.

 

[currymunster]

Hi I've got a 1995 110 CSW 300tdi.
235/85/15's
Mine does 70 on motorway really comfy.
Do have a Disco transfer box on though - Best thing I did!!!
Cruises really well at sixty. I suppose if you could do overdrive it might save on fuel???
James

 

[Landyfox]

hi i've got a 1995 110 csw 300tdi.
235/85/15's
mine does 70 on motorway really comfy.
Do have a disco transfer box on though - best thing i did!!!
Cruises really well at sixty. I suppose if you could do overdrive it might save on fuel???
James

+1 ^

 

[GINGE]

my td5, r380, defender transfer box sits at around 2200 i think at 60.

Buuuuuuuutttttttt, i have 285/75/16's on and it throws the speedo out so i could be wrong, willl check next time I'm out in it.

 

[Landyjd]

my td5, r380, defender transfer box sits at around 2200 i think at 60.

Buuuuuuuutttttttt, i have 285/75/16's on and it throws the speedo out so i could be wrong, willl check next time I'm out in it.

Thanks GINGE, and to the others who have replied. Your figure of about 2200rpm could be correct judging from what I have found on this website:

Land Rover gear ratios

I can't verify that the info on the site is accurate, but it matches other websites with gear ratios listed. According to the website, 5th gear in a R380 is a ratio of 0.77:1, with a transfer case ratio of 1.41:1, while top gear (6th) in the new gearbox is 0.742:1 (slightly higher gearing) with a transfer case ratio of 1.211:1 (also higher).

The combination of the higher top gear and transfer case ratio in the 6 speed Defenders would lead you to expect that a Td5 would do a bit more rpm at 60mph.

Bizarrely, often on forums I read that 5th in the R380 is the same as 6th in the new gearbox, but this seems to be incorrect from the research I have done, and I remember that part of Land Rover's advertising for the new Defenders was that 6th gear would be 20 percent higher than 5th in the Td5. This confusion is one of the reasons why I'm interested to hear from Td5 owners.

 

[Thor1950]

think you are off in your math... r380 0.77:1 and the 6 spd 0.742:1 is only .028 difference 2% not 20% big difference is the 6 spd transfer box of approx 1.22 compared to a TD5 with a 1.41 box. low range is the same. This is why a conversion for a TD5 to a 1.22 transfer box is advisable then you are a RCH away from the same ratios/ drive ability

 

[Landyjd]

think you are off in your math... r380 0.77:1 and the 6 spd 0.742:1 is only .028 difference 2% not 20% big difference is the 6 spd transfer box of approx 1.22 compared to a TD5 with a 1.41 box. low range is the same. This is why a conversion for a TD5 to a 1.22 transfer box is advisable then you are a RCH away from the same ratios/ drive ability

Read my post again: I did not say that 6th is 20% higher than the Td5 5th gear, that was what Land Rover said in their advertising (and they were evidently referring to the final ratio with transfer boxes taken into account. The claim of 20% adds up when you do the math).

I have just found a great gearbox ratio calculator tool on the Ashcroft site and found that with standard transfer boxes fitted, a Td5 will do 2400rpm at 60mph in 5th, while the MT82 will be at 2000rpm. If you fit a transfer box with a ratio of 1.2:1 to a Td5, then it will be doing 2100rpm at 60mph, almost the same as the 6 speed Defenders. (I used a tyre size of 235/85 R16 to get these figures).

So I've sort of answered my own question... But I still don't know whether to go for a Td5 or a Ford engined Defender (and don't worry, I won't start a thread asking about it - I know there have already been millions of them on that topic)

 

[Landyjd]

Add an overdrive to the Td5 gearbox and with the standard transfer box you get 60mph at only 1760rpm, and 70mph at around 2000rpm.

Do you have any roads in England where you can drive faster than 60mph?

 

[cowasaki]

Add an overdrive to the Td5 gearbox and with the standard transfer box you get 60mph at only 1760rpm, and 70mph at around 2000rpm.

Do you have any roads in England where you can drive faster than 60mph?

Dual carriageways and motorways

 

[currymunster]

That said most people fly past me at probably 80mph in the outside lane.
Most police will turn a blind eye at 80 as the 10% gesture is 78mph.
Any faster and you may see flashy blue's

Still it's their own fault. Me, I'm happy at 60mph
Save's fuel, save's engine, save's brakes,
Makes me more mature
and I feel like my Dad now he has a bus pass!!!

 

[Landyjd]

That said most people fly past me at probably 80mph in the outside lane.
Most police will turn a blind eye at 80 as the 10% gesture is 78mph.
Any faster and you may see flashy blue's

Still it's their own fault. Me, I'm happy at 60mph
Save's fuel, save's engine, save's brakes,
Makes me more mature

I certainly wouldn't want to go faster than 65mph in my old Ninety. The steering is too vague - the vehicle would be wandering across the other lanes!