muddy Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 A guy i know has a freelander td4 on some 165 wide tyres, it looks horrible but he gets extremely good fuel economy from it. I will try and get the exact size and make of them tommoro. Excellent project, how does the stereo volume effect the range? Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 so I went for higher gearing as the motor is not short of torque (450Nm peak). JESUS! So you're also going for the fastest accelerating freeby ever to hit the road as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 A guy i know has a freelander td4 on some 165 wide tyres, it looks horrible but he gets extremely good fuel economy from it. I will try and get the exact size and make of them tommoro.Excellent project, how does the stereo volume effect the range? That would be good! So long as I steer clear of car HiFi in excess of 50kw, I think it should be fine! For my cab heater (the motor and controller, although liquid cooled, only produce a few hundred watts of heat) I'm using a 3kw electric shower heater. The car is 180v - so it will deliver about 2kw. Although that seems a lot - it's only 6% of my range if it were going full blast. If it goes well - I'm thinking about a dash mounted Expresso maker for the journey Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Sorry for the delay, I have only just seen the freelander in question. Turns out the tyres are 195/80 15's, it has the following brands on it: Bridgestone dueler Maxxis radial 751 Falken landair AT Marshel roadventure AT Could you not get some larger alloys and narrow them to take motorbike tyres Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtherotti Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Could you not get some larger alloys and narrow them to take motorbike tyres Will. good idea but i think bike tyres wont have a high enough load rating for the cars weight like the train of thought tho wicked project tho rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Si, you should take it up to the Off Road Power thingy thats at Santa Pod this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlue88 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Very nice indeed Si Are you building to order anytime soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callum Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 you could give some taxi tyres a bash, they're pretty skinny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtherotti Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 what size are 2cv tyres? or if the speed is going to be low enough on the car space savers are well skinny rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Lots of good suggestions there! Freelander had it's electrical inspection today - which seemed to go pretty well. I should get the report in a few days and be able to insure it! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 will it be cheaper to insure as a 'leccy vehicle or as the original engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Si, this is a superb project - a really interesting solution to your commuting needs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuvy Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Si, this is a superb project - a really interesting solution to your commuting needs! I would have just cycled!! Its a great concept mate how could you increase the range to say 150miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 once the batteries die, you get out and push Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 I tried cycling - once! Although it's a trivial distance, it's a fast, busy route through narrow twisty country lanes - often used as a rat-run by BMW drivers! I was so terrified by the end of the trip that I swore never again! More range is desirable - but to achieve it, it's expensive. If I were to scrap the Freeloader in favour of something much lighter and aerodynamic (Ariel Atom perhaps?) and replace the lead acid batteries with as many LiFePo cells as it could carry - I think 100 to 150mile range is achievable. However, I decided to build what I actually need at the moment (6 mile range) for a trivial cost (less than £1000 all in). The expensive components can in the future be re-used in something lighter, faster, longer range as my requirements dictate. I've not had a quote for the insurance yet - although they indicated it would be similar to the original Freelander. Once I have the report, I might shop around a little! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Presumably your planning on driving the thing to work using up most of the power stored in the batteries, then fully recharging the batteries to get home again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 That's the plan. My workshop has a separate mains feed from the house (as well as a feed from the house). I'll get the workshop feed converted to Economy 7which halves the cost of power for charging over night. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Great news - it's on the road! Having waited two weeks for NFU's underwriters to come back with a quote - I rang Adrian Flux, who offered me cover immediately for £260 comp with full business use - I bit their arm off and took it for it's first spin on the road. Apart from the battery being a bit flat - it went really well! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Attryde Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Good news Si. Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Apart from the battery being a bit flat - it went really well! Si, will it be charged this evening? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Yes - but having tried it on the road, it needs a bit of tweaking! Many of the scrap batteries, were scrap for good reason. I've swapped out 8 out of 15 today. Also, the uber-long prop shaft needs balancing - above 30mph there is one hell of a lot of vibration! I got up to a top speed of 55 today - which wasn't too bad. Would have gone faster but the vibration shook a connection apart which brought me sailing to a stop. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 sounds great waiting for a youtube link to be posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.