landmannnn Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 How about some truly unbiased opinions on which is the best engine for an off roader? OK, so I love V8's they sound good and are great to drive, I have got a 3.5 in my hybrid. But my daily driver is a lowly (non lr) 2.5 diesel with more power than the V8. Slighly vapour build here but I want to replace the V8, perhaps with a 3.9. Problem is a second hand 3.9 will probably be half knackered. A recon 3.9 will start to cost enough to make me think there must be other choices. Used 4.6 would be good but expensive. A big US V8 like the LS1 would be good but not easy to get hold of in the UK. Not sure about diesels though, the lr stuff seems good enough but what else is there? And will it be knackered second hand? Where would you go with a budget of £2k? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I stand by the 200 tdi , not the fastest thing on the planet by a long shot ,And not the grunty rorty note and power that you get from the V8. But not alf reliable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 OT, But can you guess the best engine in the world is ,?? Its self lubricating , Starts with the touch of a finger , and does its own oil change once a month . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mortus Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 OT, But can you guess the best engine in the world is ,?? Its self lubricating , Starts with the touch of a finger , and does its own oil change once a month . i dont get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 The solution to your question depends on what factors are important, and as such you haven't detailed these factors, so you are currently lacking the information required to answer the question. Where do you stand on the need for power, reliability, economy, waterproofness, packaging, fuel, ease of installation, maintenance, reliability of your drivetrain, parts availibility, interoperability with other parts (ie landrover gearboxes), your personal time/money split for installation (ie some engines will cost a grand to install if you pay someone but 100quid if you do it yourself) etc etc if you can answer the above questions then your engine choice will be made for you. £2k will get you all the engines you mentioned including an LS1 with g/box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 OT, But can you guess the best engine in the world is ,??Its self lubricating , Starts with the touch of a finger , and does its own oil change once a month . Jase you dirty little man. some dont start with the touch of a finger though- have heard that some need a battery pack (and your soooo going to get this thread pulled:D ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 OT, But can you guess the best engine in the world is ,?? Its self lubricating , Starts with the touch of a finger , and does its own oil change once a month . The one that I've got access to is really hard to start these days, it is quite an old model though. Perhaps I should try and get a newer version as I fear an overhaul on the old one would be very expensive and not guaranteed to get it started any easier. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I'd blame operator error Mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philj Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I'd blame operator error Mo. Yes, if you don´t service them regularly they can be hard to start... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrfarmer Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 How about some truly unbiased opinions on which is the best engine for an off roader?OK, so I love V8's they sound good and are great to drive, I have got a 3.5 in my hybrid. But my daily driver is a lowly (non lr) 2.5 diesel with more power than the V8. Slighly vapour build here but I want to replace the V8, perhaps with a 3.9. Problem is a second hand 3.9 will probably be half knackered. A recon 3.9 will start to cost enough to make me think there must be other choices. Used 4.6 would be good but expensive. A big US V8 like the LS1 would be good but not easy to get hold of in the UK. Not sure about diesels though, the lr stuff seems good enough but what else is there? And will it be knackered second hand? Where would you go with a budget of £2k? 200tdi all the way save on fuel and i was out having a play in my 90 with some mates who all have V8's i had just as much fun and got alot wetter flat out across a field i was no slower than them in there V8 RR's. so for me 200TDI all the way Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smo Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Filth, pure filth :D As for engines - my personal choice is TD5, diesel, reliable, enough power and torque and much nicer to drive than an older diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted March 25, 2008 Author Share Posted March 25, 2008 The solution to your question depends on what factors are important, and as such you haven't detailed these factors, so you are currently lacking the information required to answer the question.Where do you stand on the need for power, reliability, economy, waterproofness, packaging, fuel, ease of installation, maintenance, reliability of your drivetrain, parts availibility, interoperability with other parts (ie landrover gearboxes), your personal time/money split for installation (ie some engines will cost a grand to install if you pay someone but 100quid if you do it yourself) etc etc if you can answer the above questions then your engine choice will be made for you. £2k will get you all the engines you mentioned including an LS1 with g/box Fair point. I guess I want 400bhp, 100% reliability, 100% waterproof and don't care about fuel consumtion. I may have to compromise though! I have already spent a big chunk of money with Mr Ashcroft so the drivetrain will take a lot more than the 3.5 will give. Can I get an LS1 with autobox for up to 2k? Any ideas where from? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landi41 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 How about some truly unbiased opinions on which is the best engine for an off roader?OK, so I love V8's they sound good and are great to drive, I have got a 3.5 in my hybrid. But my daily driver is a lowly (non lr) 2.5 diesel with more power than the V8. Slighly vapour build here but I want to replace the V8, perhaps with a 3.9. Problem is a second hand 3.9 will probably be half knackered. A recon 3.9 will start to cost enough to make me think there must be other choices. Used 4.6 would be good but expensive. A big US V8 like the LS1 would be good but not easy to get hold of in the UK. Not sure about diesels though, the lr stuff seems good enough but what else is there? And will it be knackered second hand? Where would you go with a budget of £2k? You of course are refering to UK Land Rover engines........ the absolute best built V-8 engine ever is the Chev 350 cu. in. The best diesel is the Cummins 400 as supplied in many Dodge North American pick -ups Some how or other the European engine designers never caught on to the idea that a lot of cubic inch/ litre...displacement is the way forward...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young bobtail Rhys Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 speak to dollythelw, as he has got one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 LS1 is hard to beat for value, especially with the exchange rate. Building a LR engine petrol or diesel to get anywhere near it would cost loads more. As for what the best LR engine is - there's no right answer, you can have a 100 page argument about it but it's horses for courses and everyone's different so you'll never get a meaningful answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 My first 'best engine' thought was Rolls Royce Eagle but that isn't quite what was asked. I would think one contender for a really good off road 'engine' would be an all electric drive train if it could be waterproofed enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Jase you dirty little man. some dont start with the touch of a finger though- have heard that some need a battery pack (and your soooo going to get this thread pulled:D ) Mine had a rebore last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Mine had a rebore last year Mine needs a rebore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B reg 90 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I've just gone for a BMW M57 3.0, 6 cylinder diesel, not yet fitted...... They come from L322 TD6 range rovers, BMW 530D, 330D cars etc. However they are the diesel engine of choice for comp safari racers and some Dakar racers. Easily tuned to 250HP and 440 ft/lb of torque. As the turbo is a VNT version the torque curve is very flat - See Jeremy Fearn web site for a power/torque curve. Reliabilty wise I couldn't find any one who had had a problem. Rally raid UK use them for up to 4 dakars with out a rebuild - all other engines they use they chuck after one race. That's good enough for me. Adrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Fair point.I guess I want 400bhp, 100% reliability, 100% waterproof and don't care about fuel consumtion. I may have to compromise though! you are slap bang into LSx territory (which must be one of THE finest engines mass produced) which shouldnt be too hard. Have a chat to Clevelad Pick a Part and they will sort you out with a block, ECU, CATS and all the other bits and bobs for around £1600 landed- then you have to worry about gearbox. Personally i'd go for a 4L80e which is a heavy duty overdrive trans but you usually get 4l60es which aren't quite so nice. Then pop over to www.mez.co.uk and have a chat with eliot to talk about adapting the trans to a LT230 which really isn't too hard- converter custom machined and shaft from rakeway. Then your into new engine mounts, new props probably and a rad. Then you're done. 350bhp out of the box, 400bhp fairly easily. COP gives waterproofness, engine is renowned as being very very reliable, no major failures yet. LS1 is earliest 5.7l engine (and not to be underrated- if you get a later LS1 they have an LS6 block and heads which means stroker kits to go to 383cid- 6.3l!), LS9 is a very rare forced induction monster and any number in between differentiates the sizes. LS6 is a nice block. Careful though the LTs are not the same, and some LS series were actually an iron block! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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