mpg

[bobkitten]

Some things can be done but they will be a bit costly. I would recommend a plug wire change to 8mm and a quality brand (Magnecore or Kingsbourne etc). If pollution laws are not strict where you are decat it, or get a highflow cat. A high torque cam replacement is an excellent bet as well. This allows the vehicle to basically pull it's own weight better and tow better with the low down torque. (This is my favorite upgrade as it bumps the hp output of this brick to a respectable 210-220 hp). On the pricey end of things would be a free flow exhaust which can also gain you an extra 1mpg or so.

Everyday things you can do are use synthetic fluids in all areas of the vehicle (engine, diffs, transfer case). Be up to date on all maintenance (sensors, wheel rotations, shit even vacuuming the carpets to lower the excess weight.

Do all of these and i guarantee you a solid 18mpg from your beloved Disco.

 

[turbodave]

Electric Fan?

 

[p m]

If pollution laws are not strict where you are decat it,

A usual injection - it is illegal on federal level.
That said, if you know that your truck had a history of running rich, it pays to pull the Y-pipe with cats and inspect them visually to see that they are not clogged. Clean stock cats aren't that restrictive - but you can get aftermarket ones that are even less restrictive.

IME, a power increase never resulted in gas mileage improvements... The use of the thin pedal becomes so much more pleasant.

 

[p m]

A high torque cam replacement is an excellent bet as well. This allows the vehicle to basically pull it's own weight better and tow better with the low down torque. (This is my favorite upgrade as it bumps the hp output of this brick to a respectable 210-220 hp).

Favorite upgrade? How many of these have you done?
And - gain of 45 hp due to high-torque (correct me if I am wrong - wouldn't a high-torque cam have lower lift?) cam???

 

[bobkitten]

Had mine done, did none myself. But from my experience and from accounts of others, it makes the vehicle a much more fun ride. And your maths is way of with the 45 hp gain. At around 190hp stock you gain about 20-30 hp with that mod, with 22-24 being the avg gains. If you are going to have this done, get the the kit that comes with new timing chain, tappets and gaskets required so everything is refreshed.

I am not in the US market but i am sure you all can find and equivolent (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Discovery...arParts_SM&hash=item27c2af846b#ht_6316wt_1163

 

[bobkitten]

With the above kit you have the option of a high torque cam, or for a racer type cams but which will only work well with head work.

 

[bobkitten]

For further fuel efficiency I am also attempting an lpg conversion of my truck like the Brits using one of their kits. Will be getting an approximate 36-40 mpg per gallon when that is done. Then i can keep my Rover forever.

 

[wheelen disco]

For further fuel efficiency I am also attempting an lpg conversion of my truck like the Brits using one of their kits. Will be getting an approximate 36-40 mpg per gallon when that is done. Then i can keep my Rover forever.

You don't get any better MPG with lpg or cng. Your cost per mile decreases, but usually your fuel consumption increases

 

[bobkitten]

I know the logistics. I should have said what would financially equate to 36-40 mpg. And you can still maintain the same fuel mpg as petrol if you tune your vehicle for the optimum. I've done my research. No need to be a petrol slave.

 

[p m]

Had mine done, did none myself. But from my experience and from accounts of others, it makes the vehicle a much more fun ride. And your maths is way of with the 45 hp gain. At around 190hp stock you gain about 20-30 hp with that mod, with 22-24 being the avg gains. If you are going to have this done, get the the kit that comes with new timing chain, tappets and gaskets required so everything is refreshed.

The stock GEMS D1, IIRC, is rated at 182hp, 14CUX - at 175. 220-175 = 45; 210-182 = 28. I don't think my math is that far off.
And I also believe that, given the scatter of your "20-30 hp" estimate, you have little clue about what can be done with just cam, tappets, and chain. This is somewhat supported by your suggestion of "high-torque" cam - if by that you mean "RV grind" or similar, it increases the low-end torque at the expense of high-RPM horsepower. The "aggressive" cam will have the higher lift and increased duration/overlap - which can indeed increase the max horsepower at high RPM, but your gas mileage will suffer.

Take it with a grain of salt - I haven't touched the cams in my trucks, and hope to not have to in a few years.

Speaking of LPG - if you could store as much volume in LPG as gasoline, your mileage per gallon will be about 25% less (LPG conversion sites say less by 37%). In the UK, LPG is a LOT cheaper than gasoline, hence the frequency of LPG conversions. In the U.S., your benefits may be less - you may still benefit, but not to the extent of getting the equivalent of 36-40 mpg/gasoline.
I know that you are not concerned about legal aspects of vehicle modifications, and it varies state-to-state. In California, you cannot have an LPG tank in a two-volume body vehicle (station wagon), period.

 

[bobkitten]

Once again... I am not in the Us market. Don't have a Gems either. Should have made myself clear hence the mix up. Where i am Lpg is half the cost of petrol.... CNG is half the cost of Lpg. I chose lpg because the initial cost is much cheaper and the hassle is way less for right now.
Later however when our govt regulates things i will switch to CNG for dare i say 60 to 70 equivolent mpg.

 

[bobkitten]

Once again... I am not in the Us market. Don't have a Gems either. Should have made myself clear hence the mix up. Where i am Lpg is half the cost of petrol.... CNG is half the cost of Lpg. I chose lpg because the initial cost is much cheaper and the hassle is way less for right now.
Later however when our govt regulates things i will switch to CNG for dare i say 60 to 70 equivolent mpg.

 

[bobkitten]

I am from the Caribbean btw.

 

[p m]

Don't take me wrong - I've never swapped a cam in any of my Rovers, so I can't tell you what performance gains could be had. There's a very few cams for Rovers that people seem to like a lot, but I don't think I've seen a dyno sheet for a Rover engine, with a NEW stock cam and an aftermarket cam.

You can also get pretty decent power boost from LPG - but only when you increase compression ratio to close to 11:1, when you are pretty much committed to only running LPG. The OP is from Vegas so the nights don't get _really_ cold, but in the mountains in winter LPG will hurt (not where you are).

 

[antisoshal]

I am actually looking into LPG myself, but not as a primary fuel. Since I have a Diesel, introducing 10-15% propane is an easy way to get a significant power gain, better fuel utilization and cleaner emissions. I can go 70mph all day at 1000ft above sea level, but on I-70 through the mountains, 9000ft and 6% grades reduce me to a rolling obstacle. I expect it would be un-workable pulling a small utility trailer full of camping or other stuff. An on demand propane system should at least help me avoid becoming the equivalent of a construction barricade to other drivers. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt off roading either, but that's secondary. If Diesel gets too much more expensive it might be economical to use the propane all the time, but that opens up different issues such as keeping it vaporized in winter, and either having to fill the tank weekly or getting a much larger tank than I currently plan.

 

[p m]

I-70 from I-15 to Denver is a bitch.

 

[antisoshal]

I-70 from I-15 to Denver is a bitch.

Yep, and it's the primary vacation route for EVERYPLACE I have any desire to go. I'm not in a hurry, but at the point where I'm going 25mph and semi's are careening around me I need to find a better way. If I could keep 45 flat out I'd be fine.

 

[fishEH]

Yep, and it's the primary vacation route for EVERYPLACE I have any desire to go. I'm not in a hurry, but at the point where I'm going 25mph and semi's are careening around me I need to find a better way. If I could keep 45 flat out I'd be fine.

You probably know this but you'll have to manually downshift to keep any kind of speed up. If you wait for the transmission to do it on its own it will be too late and you'll just lose speed to the point of no return. Even shifting manually its a major pain. Just put your 4-ways on and enjoy the scenery.

 

[antisoshal]

Brett.... I've been driving from here to all points in Colorado in any manner of auto or manual vehicle for 30 years, sometimes 5 times a year. I'm aware of the requirements to make it over the mountains. Actually, my 1984 Isuzu Amigo with a 2.5L 4cyl was a CHAMPION on I-70 compared to this Discovery. That will be addressed soon as well. Have a project in progress that I will let you know about shortly. Rover is going to Georges in a couple of weeks to spend my next trip to Oklahoma getting some major surgery while I'm away.

 

[p m]

Yep, and it's the primary vacation route for EVERYPLACE I have any desire to go. I'm not in a hurry, but at the point where I'm going 25mph and semi's are careening around me I need to find a better way. If I could keep 45 flat out I'd be fine.

Last summer, a dude flew past me in a diesel Ram with a huge trailer with a wooden beam on it, somewhere between Palisade and DeBeque. I was so jealous...
... until the guy's trailer went a little too wide in one of the turns, and he calmed down a lot.

Some places on that road were not really meant to be driven beyond 45. I once drove the same strecth of the road in an XC70 in a snowstorm, and it was even slower than that.

Coincidentally, this part of I-70 is where I once saw 19mpg in the Disco, going both ways. About 11 years ago.