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Chicken Drumstick

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Everything posted by Chicken Drumstick

  1. The new Ranger starts from £28k +VAT. Which is significantly less money than the starting price of the Grenadier. I know the tests have generally been against something more like a Wildtrack spec or even maybe a Raptor. Which are priced much closer to the Grenadier. But their basic build quality and interior materials are still those of a £28k truck. I’d say the Grenadier was a rung higher in materials and engineering if you consider how heavy duty the axles and things are meant to be.
  2. I drove one recently and thought it was a non issue. Maybe a long haul would say differently, but I'm not convinced it would be an issue. A tall and/or big person might have issues I guess, I'm not tall, so can't really vouch on behalf of someone who is, but again I'd be surprised. But I do wonder if it just media hyperbole more than anything, most auto only cars have some sort of footrest these days, including the new Defender. Maybe all that is needed is an aftermarket option to add an additional upright section to change the angle of your foot. As per the new Defender above.
  3. What are you hoping to get from the course? Is it how to operate your own vehicle. How to drive off road in general or something more specific? Where are you in the country? If it is about driving technique and ability. An alternative might be to join a local competitive club and have a go at a Tyro or RTV trial. Clubs are friendly and will normally help people learn and improve their driving and have someone ride along for guidance. Often no better experience than the real thing. Might not be what you are looking for if meant as a present. But probably a better learning experience if that is the end goal.
  4. I'm guessing the engine/pump have been tuned? While not common, good tuners here in the UK would often change the timing slightly to improve performance when over fuelling. I believe it is done for a similar reason to the boost ring (https://fourby.co.uk/epages/950004277.mobile/?ObjectPath=/Shops/950004277/Products/DTS01&ClassicView=1). As a way to inject fuel earlier for a better burn. Jeremy J Fearn used to tune Tdi's this way. As the boost ring mod is much newer. If it ran well before, I'd be tempted to keep the same timing.
  5. Go to the webpage of the item, click in the address bar so that it highlights the url and copy it. Return here and just paste it. Right mouse click will give the copy and paste options.
  6. So what did you actually fit in the end? Can you post a link to the items?
  7. What signal are you trying to boost? CB or you mention data. Are you referring to mobile phone signals? In the UK radio transmission are heavily regulated on the frequencies and power you can transmit at. Although generally with the right equipment listening is fine. Apart from something like a mobile phone or satellite phone. You are mostly restricted to CB and PMR446 as your radio frequencies and both have transmitting power limits. You would need a HAM radio licence to transmit on other frequencies and using more powerful transmitters.
  8. How have you determined the turbo is not boosting right? Did you check anything else? I'd have thought a "turbo on the way out" is somewhat unlikely and remote. 200Tdi is a nice engine, but it will never be a rocket ship. The auto will generally reduce performance vs a manual. Stock gearing is likely to work the best, but it will always be a trade off between acceleration and cruising rpms. You can tweak the Tdi for more power, albeit at a result of more smoke and higher EGTs. But it would be handy to know what has or hasn't been done to the engine thus far.
  9. Eventually got to see and drive the Grenadier today. Our local dealer let us down cancelling on the last booked test drive. But I received an email from Ineos inviting me for a driving experience in Surry. Bit of a wet grey day, but that aside it was a good event. A bit like a Land Rover experience event, albeit a bit shorter and less seat time. We did a circa 25 min road drive first in a Field Master diesel: Then a vehicle swap to a diesel Trial Master for the off road drive: As you can see it was quite muddy out today: Sadly their off road course had been flooded so we were restricted to driving some tracks round the estate and a man made hump section to see the approach/departure/breakover angles. They did say they would invite us again when they return to site to be able to try the full off road course. They also had the Quartermaster prototype we could have a poke around: The Quartermaster looks BIG compared to the regular model. 127" wheelbase I believe, so I guess similar to a Defender (proper one) 127/130, but looked more aimed at competing in the US/Asia markets with the Jeep Gladiator. Sadly no commercial specs there, they were all Station Wagons. Apparently the ones used in the big press drive up in Scotland and with some examples having over 14,000 miles on now. Many done off road. They even gave us a super tasty pork belly and venison ragu lunch, which is far more than we ever got at Land Rover. So what did I think? Well, there were only two things I wasn't so keen on, so lets get them out of the way first. 1. The auto gearbox on road. It had the same dimwitted feel pulling away from the line, a big pause, then if you apply a bit more throttle, way too much. It seems to be a common trend on many modern cars and diesels. The D240 First Edition Defender was equally awful here. Going to WOT the kick down also seemed hugely sluggish, like all other examples of the ZF-8 speed I've driven. If you only use part throttle it is ok, but wide open throttle and it needs a nap before it decides what to do. So far at odds from my p38a 4.6 Range Rover which is super crisp on kick down at WOT. 2. The posh leather seats. The look and feel nice and below my shoulders where very comfy. But I was very uncomfortable. This trapezoid bit with the Grenadier name on was very uncomfortable on my upper back between the shoulder blades. Bit like sitting in a seat when you have a big padded hood on your coat: I am quite short and do have a dodgy back. So suspect it is probably fine for most people. My brother said he thought they were super comfy. But I really couldn't have driven it far with these seats The Trial Master had the cloth like seats in, which look mostly the same, but they must differ somehow, as I thankfully found these very comfortable. I think the same section of seat isn't as hard and doesn't protrude as much. And that is it for the negatives. Things I was impassive about: The steering doesn't self centre at low speed. So you have to manually wind it back when pulling out of a junction. I feel you'd just get used to this, but it is very different to any other 4x4 live axle vehicle I've driven. The instructor could only give me a generic it is like this due to the caster of live axle vehicles. But it isn't, it must be something else and I'd hope a deliberate design choice and not an error. The Grenadier is quite high to get into and has a slightly outward sloping ledge. There are some grab handles, but they could do better here. The optional side steps made a big difference to the ease of ingress. It 'felt' higher to jump in/out of than my 1989 Ninety. Autobox only. In an ideal world I'd have much preferred a manual. But given such limited choice these days with anything with a manual box, it really is buy an auto or don't buy anything. therefore, while not really what I'd choose, in this instance it wouldn't be a deal breaker. The bulge in the floor by your left foot. I can sort of see how a very big or tall per might have issues, but I found it to be an ideal foot rest and was completely a non issue for me. Things I really liked: Performance. It wasn't TDV8 quick, but there was no reason to complain from a performance stand point. I'd love to see how the petrol compares and if it gets rid of the delay when pulling off from a standstill. Engine braking on road, the gearbox programming aside from pulling away and wide open throttle kick down was very good. It held gears well on hills without needing any intervention and did feel well sorted and maybe better than most automatic vehicles. Gearbox off road in low, lots of engine braking in gear, very low crawl speed and lots of control. Even in Drive it still held gears really well. Handling. It felt much smaller and more nimble on road than it is. It actually felt very tight and composed for normal driving, making it very enjoyable and fun. Ride quality. On road and on gravel tracks, it felt very sorted, compliant and comfortable. I do not believe most people would be able to tell it has live axles based on the ride and handling. Refinement. It was super quiet yet still made a good noise when you floored it. Comparing all of the above I would say it drove and went better than a good p38a Range Rover. Which I think is quite a compliment, as the p38 is very accomplished. It certainly had less wollow than a p38 has, but rode easily as well or better. Build quality. Despite these vehicles being well used, there wasn't a hint of a squeak, rattle or noise from anywhere inside or outside the vehicle. And they all looked immaculate inside as though they had rolled off the showroom floor (bar the mud on some of them). Very impressed they show no sign of wear at all. I also really like the attention to detail: Not just design, but function, such as the water wading mode pressuring the cabin with the AC for better water tight seals when wading. Would I buy one? Well YES. I do feel they are a bit pricey..... although a Jeep Wrangler will set you back £62-64k these days but Id rather own one of these over pretty much any other new vehicle on the market. It really is what many of us dreamed the new Defender should have been. I still like the new Defender, but it is such a far cry from the Grenadier, that I don't feel they are even directly comparable. And indeed, should the new Defender be wearing Discovery 6 badges, I don't think anyone would compare them. It is only because they are badged as Defender that people still believe they are the kindred successor to the proper original "Land Rover" ethos. If finances permitted it, I'd be ordering a Grenadier. Hopefully I might be able to grab a used one when the first bought of PCP buyers start trading them in. In this colour please with the white roof (although the mushroom and Land Rover green colours look great too): But with the 17" steel rims. I'd also want the front/rear lockers and the glass sunroofs with the cloth seats. I think a Trial Master with a couple of options would probably do it. The 5 seat commercial would also be perfectly acceptable. 🙂
  10. Have not owned, but have driven. I know people that own pretty much every model of LR from and early 1953 80" to a brand new Defender 110 delivered last month. I have 3 Land Rovers parked outside the house now and between immediate family we currently total somewhere in the region of 16 or 17 Land Rovers. Obviously lots of Land Rover experienced people on here too. But I have lived and breathed Land Rovers all my life. My parents and Uncle are founding members of our local Land Rover club. I only say this, as I'm not just being an armchair critic. I have driven, been in, off roaded and have experience of or have close friends that have experience of. I sadly don't have the finances to have bought or owned all that many of the more recent and newer models. But I have lots of experience across most of the model range bar the new RRS, FFRR and Velar. Disco3/4 is IMO very similar in many ways to the new 110. Certainly closer than the D5 is to the D4. Discovery Sport I never mentioned. I said Range Rover Sport. As said, I don't dislike the current model. But for me it is only a Defender in name and is clearly pitched at the Discovery sector of the market. Hence Disco 5 sales being in free fall for the last few years. e.g. In N America JLR have gone from selling almost 11,000 Discos in 2016 to just 1488 last year and about the same this year. In Europe it has gone from 42,000 in 2017 down to 14,000 last year. 2022 EU sales for the new Defender are 17,600.
  11. It does make you wonder if JLR are deliberately restricting supply to increase perceived demand and values. I believe JLR sales numbers are down in general. The D5 sales have fallen off a cliff to the point that JLR now want to reposition the model.... wonder how that happened 😂 I think if you look Range Rover Sport sales are also down. I know of a couple of people who chopped in Sports for the new Defender. So yes it the new model has been a success in isolation and probably in general for JLR. But I don't think it is as good as portrayed as many of the sales are taken from their other models, rather than new customers. But I think the most important thing to note is, not every model of car can be or even should be a best seller. Mazda sell way more hatchbacks than sports cars. But I'm very glad they still put the effort into producing a bespoke model designed to be something that will never be the highest volume seller. Don't get me wrong, I like the new Defender. It is a brilliant Discovery. Which clearly many potential Discovery owners also agree with.
  12. Would it not also depend on how something is being purchased? I'd guess quite a lot might be leased or on some kind of business HP/PCP scheme. In which case it is only really about the monthly costs. Also worth noting that while the initial outlay might be more, the resale value is also likely to be higher too. For a business I imagine the total costs may not be all that difference, despite the retail price a private punter would have to fork out. I'd also assume that list price may also mean little for businesses needing such vehicles. In the grand scheme of things. Even for charities. A quick Google for RNLI: Income / Expenditure 31/12/2018 31/12/2022 Total gross income £192.21m £231.80m Total expenditure £192.06m £233.00m Some pretty big figures. And as a charity I guess they need to spend all they get.... But with figures like this Does a £45-53k pick-up really make any difference over one costing £65-75k? Even if they bought 10 or 20 of them (to which I'd assume they would then get a good discount anyway).
  13. Extra lights can be handy. Depends where you drive and what you use a vehicle for.
  14. Curious, but does anyone have any proof or referenceable docs that spot lights do restrict airflow? Surely there would still be a big air gap behind the lamps for air to be drawn in?
  15. Don't disagree, although I'm not convinced the op actually falls into this category. A SerIes 88 with a roof tent isn't all that much considering the 200Tdi is perfectly acceptable in a 130 or Discovery in standard output. I assume either they are being unreasonable with expectations, not willing to down shift, have a setup that is over geared and maybe an engine that just doesn't run great. Over the years, I've found Tdi's can be quite variable in how they perform. Some seem much stronger than others. My 88 with a 200Tdi in pulled my loaded (camping) Sankey trailer fine. The Tdi was stock, no intercooler and I'd never tweaked the pump (unknown if it ever had been, but I don't think it did, it didn't smoke). It drove really well, even on 8.25 x 16 tyres and 3.54:1 diffs. Although my plan was to return it to 4.75:1 diffs and fit an over drive.
  16. Please do. Interested to see what you think. Are you doing any dyno runs at all? Certainly not saying you shouldn't mod. Mine is most certainly not stock!
  17. This one? https://falconturbos.com/shop/land-rover/discovery/2-5-tdi-td5/land-rover-defender-2-5-tdi-td5-stage-2-hybrid-turbo/ What is the rest of your setup? What are you trying to achieve with a different turbo? Unless you are rolling road tuning or some other way to measure performance. More boost may not increase performance. Not saying it won't. But there is more to it than just slapping on an aftermarket turbo. A mate built up his Tdi with a hybrid turbo and lots of aftermarket bits. On a club dyno day his made significantly less power and torque than my stock turbo 200Tdi. Another friend also cranked up the boost on his Tdi, the boost gauge showed this. He recorded the lowest figures of any Tdi at the event.
  18. BTW - what hybrid turbo specifically are you looking at?
  19. More appropriate gearing for your intended use might be a better thing to spend on. Ashcroft offer a number of different diff ratios. Also remember boost pressure is a measure of resistance, not flow. Meaning high boost does not always translate into high Horse Power.
  20. Not really surprising a car magazine would opt for the most car like vehicle (while ignoring price too). Also a bit of an odd test really. Would be like getting an Elise, Focus RS and BMW estate together. i.e. they could all be labeled as drivers cars, but all very different vehicles.
  21. Somewhat off topic. But I would say it has. I haven't printed anything for work for over 3 years and don't use any paper notepads or anything.
  22. So far they have seemed very helpful. I have ordered a prop. 7-10 day lead time, which is the same as Bailey Morris. They said they would take payment once it is built. Priced quoted was £180+ VAT but including shipping. This is for a 1310 wide angle prop. Assuming it turns out all ok I’ll probably order a rear prop too when I upgrade the suspension next.
  23. They still potentially need gears. The Tacan is a 2 speed and I believe either Renault or Citroen have announced a manual EV on its way. The motors also need a lot more than 3 wires to make them go, they need an entire speed controller setup.
  24. Not so much stats. An interesting article. But it says they don't have enough data, not that they are actually safer or less prone. Also worthy of note, the article first talks about fires on a car transporter ship. So very obviously cars that aren't running or being driven. So oil, petrol or diesel is unlikely to be the cause of such a fire such as dripping onto a hot exhaust or similar. The fire will 100% have been an electrical fire. Showing that the electrical component is the most risky part. As all EV's also have 12v lead acid batteries, they must logically be at least the same risk of fire in this situation as an ICE car. And as they then also contain a large capacity high voltage battery, the risk profile must increase. There is no other logical way to look at it. The article also cite some other conclusions from another party, although logically they don't make sense. As this claim is Hybrids are the most dangerous with regards to fire, petrol then EV. Logically if EV is safer than petrol, then adding a hybrid system to a petrol should make the hybrid safer than the petrol. But they are saying adding a motor and batteries makes it less safe. Clearly this is conflict with the conclusion that batteries and motor in an EV is safer. It doesn't cite the source data, although I'm willing to bet the conclusions are likely based on poor assumptions and/or bad data. The article also says this about EVs: "What is clear is that the fire is more difficult to deal with, the energy release during the exotherm of the electrolyte takes a lot of cooling to extinguish" So even if there was a minuscule less chance of a fire with an EV (which I'm not implying there is.... ). It is certain that any such fire would be more dangerous, costly and risky.
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