ECU Upgrade and Intercooler

[def-90]

Guys [maybe Micka and Slunnie and any one else...]

What is the approx cost of the chip and/or Intercooler price and what are the options and places to do it in Victoria?

Heard you mention the 150kw/520Nm option - what are the others?

Thanks!

[Mick G]

Guys [maybe Micka and Slunnie and any one else...]

What is the approx cost of the chip and/or Intercooler price and what are the options and places to do it in Victoria?

Heard you mention the 150kw/520Nm option - what are the others?

Thanks!

I think the Bruce Davis chip will set you back around $1000 these days but don't know about intercooler.

Aye, Mick

[walker]

Ring up Range Rov in Mitcham, they are selling the chips and intercoolers, the only problem will be if you can get the intercooler for a Defender, I only know they make them for Disco's.

[Micka]

I paid $800 for the chip upgrade from MR Automotive in Qld. They deal with Bruce Davis.

I think the cooler was around $1500-2000 fitted.

I know that you can order the same, and larger, coolers from the UK and land them for less than the asking price from Davis and others.

You just need to search the net a bit...or buy the Land Rover Owner's Magazine from a news agent and look thru them.

They do make it for the Fender...and I am oh so close to ordering one too.



Micka

[Slunnie]

I'm not sure about locations, but you'd be looking at about $850 for the ECU upgrade and about $1200ish for the intercooler if using Davis parts. Then installation on the intercooler on top of that.

You should also get more power than that. about 160-170kw with the base ECU upgrade.

[Micka]

I'm not sure about locations, but you'd be looking at about $850 for the ECU upgrade and about $1200ish for the intercooler if using Davis parts. Then installation on the intercooler on top of that.

You should also get more power than that. about 160-170kw with the base ECU upgrade.

I don't think it puts it quite that high.

From memory, the chip gives around 40% more power. That is a farkin huge increase, for sure, but the factory figures of 90kw for a Fender and 100kw for a Disco show that the end result is perhaps more like 130-140kw.

By adding a decent exhaust - I have a straight thru 3" mandrel bent - you could safely assume that you would be looking at closer to 150kw.

Adding the cooler to that will take you up into the 180-190kw range

All of that from a 2.5 litre diesel

My only concern about adding the cooler is the life expectancy of the donk That is a MASSIVE increase in power and I can only hope that the engineers at BMW "factored in" these mods when they built the thing.



Micka

[Slunnie]

Sorry, that should have read the base ECU Upgrade (130kw) and intercooler ends up at about 160-170kw.

[def-90]

Micka - how much was your exhaust? Did you do ECU first and then exhaust or both together?

Thanks

[Micka]

Micka - how much was your exhaust? Did you do ECU first and then exhaust or both together?

Thanks

Did the exhaust first. Was $500 fitted. It decreased the turbo-lag quite noticeably and the whistle from the turbo was HORN

It stayed that way for maybe 2 weeks, and I think in that time I drove with the front windows down the whole time - just to listen to the turbo

Then I decided to do the ECU and that turned it into a demonic monster

The cooler is more of a want, than a need. I will probably put in a long range tank first - more practical for my needs. But if the funds allow...I will do the cooler in the future.


Micka

[def-90]

Thanks Micka - What are the more detailed specs of the exhaust? does it run from the manifold or have you installed extractors?

[def-90]

Also, how is the fuel economy with the Chip and Exhaust?

Is there anything I should stay away from or any bad experiences from chipping?

[Micka]

Its 3" from the back of the turbo all the way out. No mufflers or cats. Defenders are turboed - no extractors required.

There is some flexi-pipe at the big bend from the engine bay to beside the chassis rails, and I think they made it in 3 pieces so that I could easily add a muffler/resonator if I wanted...or was made to.

My fuel economy blew out on the first two tanks I think I only got around 500ks out of a full tank. But that was with me flogging the arse out of it - cause it was so farkin good.

But I got over that pretty quickly and it sits at 10l/100klm on highway runs. Around town it rises to the dizzing heights of maybe 12l/100klm.

For the WE Rock finals at Milbrodale, we did 1865klm and used under 180 litres of fuel. That was loaded up for two people with stuff for the weekend. We drove both way non-stop - 9 hrs each way - and it was during quite cool nights, which no doubt helps economy.

As for problems...the only one I can think of is that I should have done it sooner. Or that they should come standard with it done.

If noise is a problem, get them to put in the most free flowing resonator that they have. It will drop the noise heaps.

Micka

[justinC]

DEF90,

DO it, do it now.

I fit heaps of these chips from Bruce davis, and I have fantastic results. I have a DEF110 customer with the 3" exhaust and the chip like Mickas, and it flies. The latest fuel figures are around 10 5l/100km, (28mpg).
I also have a customer with a DEF 110 that was used by Bruce in the early days as a development vehicle, it is a 1999 model and was only about 5000km old when the owner 'lent' it to them as a test bed to develop the ECU maps. It got one of the first intercooler upgrades aswell, and puts out around 165KW and 490 Nm . This vehicle has now done 180,000km and is still as reliable and grunty as ever. The latest fuel figures with an air filter modification that I performed is 9.5l/100 km. MOST of it was city use. The owner does not drive like an old person either. The last time I got to drive it, I recorded a time of 6 seconds from 100 to 120 KmH, in 5th gear, on a flat road. This is a very impressive vehicle to drive, and has proved to be very reliable, even after all the dino hours and 'test' thrashing during ECU fuel map development.

Just do it, you won't be dissappointed,

PM for more info.

JC

[Slunnie]

Thats reassuring. Chipping and ICing these is such a long term unknow. Thanks for that info JC

[Micka]

Oh now that's gone and done it

Now I have to get a bloody cooler

Micka

[def-90]

Thanks Guys - JC PM sent...

[Team Raider]

Range-Rov has intercoolers for $1300.00 to fit defenders....

I should know! And yes definately worth the increase in power and driveability.

BTW for the record.

2001 Extreme

Dyno Dynamics dyno - STD ecu & Intercooler = 38kw per wheel
Dyno DYnamics Dyno - Max Ecu & IC = 89kw per wheel

LR driveline is very high in loss... 90kw reduces 60%
SO do the math on 89kw.... increase is pretty darn serious!

Cheers
Mike

[def-90]

OK - good news....completed the ECU upgrade and very happy with the decision.

Basically got the Bruce Davis ECU from Ritters - took one hour to change over and tune up and I was out of there.

Ritters did the job, normal price $1000, $900 for members of LROCV so I was happy with that! Figures are supposedly 130KW and 420NM and I really notice a big difference. Most noticeably is the disappearance of lag at low revs. Before there was lag present, now its Low revs are better and the Top and mid punch has extended a lot too - you can actually feel the incraesed torque. So overall I am very pleased with teh results and recommend to others looking for bang for buck performance....

Also had windows tinted so will update some pics soon...

Thanks for the advice and think you guys helped me make the right decision...

[def-90]

OK - ECU upgrade was well worth it...

Now i am thinking of the exhaust. Can you guys recommend a good exhaust place on the peninsula [mornington] that can do a 3" exhaust?

Any key points i need to mention when getting it fitted?

Also saving for the intercooler...