maxtherotti Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 hi all i have posted on the disco forum with regards to converting my 98 disco 1 to auto for more relaxed towing but want to know is the auto a better gearbox for towing? i plan on doing lots of towing next year with a 1900kg caravan on and a loaded car so will be running heavy a lot will the auto cope ok? will i loose my currently good mpg with the auto? what extra cooling should i consider for the auto as i dont think the bog brush cooler on my old rrc was that effective (large mocal type cooler perhaps?) will i loose much power (i barely have enough as is and the engine is all ready modded i drove a 98 factory auto years ago with edc on and it was sloooooow on its own lol) thanks in advance rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrfarmer Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 hi all i have posted on the disco forum with regards to converting my 98 disco 1 to auto for more relaxed towing but want to know is the auto a better gearbox for towing? i plan on doing lots of towing next year with a 1900kg caravan on and a loaded car so will be running heavy a lot will the auto cope ok? will i loose my currently good mpg with the auto? what extra cooling should i consider for the auto as i dont think the bog brush cooler on my old rrc was that effective (large mocal type cooler perhaps?) will i loose much power (i barely have enough as is and the engine is all ready modded i drove a 98 factory auto years ago with edc on and it was sloooooow on its own lol) thanks in advance rob yes an auto will to the load but my 300tdi RRC was fliping back and forth from 3rd-4th as for mpg the auto won't do as well as the manual would towing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtherotti Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 see thats my concern is loss of economy it does between 24 and 28 mpg towing as is if its going to drop to say 20 to 24 ill get a v8 as ill at least have the extra power then rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 In my experience the auto is only a benefit if you have the power to hold a gear for longer, otherwise it will be changing up and down all the time at which point you're better off controlling the change yourself. The big advantage between auto and manual for long distance towing is that you can leave the cruise control (if fitted) on with the auto and just relax! I tow a lot with my Td5 Disco manual and I wouldn't want an auto in that, too little power when you have 3000kg on the back. I also tow with my work Ford F350 auto and that has the power just to put the cruise on and forget, so I wouldn't want a manual in that! I'd say either don't mess with what you have, it will clearly get the job done. OR get something bigger that will do the job effortlessly, but with higher fuel use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtherotti Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 looking like my original idea to change it then is the best option rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 looking like my original idea to change it then is the best option Not necessarily, with the mods to your Disco you'll easily have more power than my nearly standard Td5 and that's done over 5000 miles with 3000kg+ of trailer on this year. That's not been good for the gearbox, but it has done 150,000 miles. If you accept that you're going to be going everywhere at under 60 mph then the Disco should really be up to the job, thus saving yourself the time and effort of changing cars or gearboxes. As per your other thread, all of the options that give increased power / towing ability will also bring increased running costs in fuel, maintanence, insurance, etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrfarmer Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I'd stick to the 300 disco, my 200 disco used to tow 3 1/2ton lovely, so yours should be even better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobyone Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 you have after market charge cooler i see. did it drop your boost? check your boost pressure and if necessary relocate your actuator pressure feed to the inlet manifold. then set up the actuator so it boosts at 1 bar. i am setting mine up now as i believe mine is under boosting. but if you have bigger diameter pipes and a bigger bore cooler, you will need to set the boost up again as it should go down if you have a less restrictive setup now. if all is well on that front. take your motor fully loaded with your said trailer for a drive and see how it goes... failing that, a gearbox change seems a whole lot of hassle, why not change the compressor side of your turbo for say a t28, providing it fits of course. the book says 200 tdi's are garret t25's, and 300's are allied signal. there is a thread on here somewhere( i think the defender forum) that says a 300 turbo's internals(both turbines) fit into a 200 housing without alteration. if that is the case, then a t28 turbine and housing(compressor side) should also fit a300 turbo. i know the exhaust side is part of the manifold, but it is perhaps an interesting point and i am not sure about the revs when it will start boosting. you could ring a garrett specialist and chat to him and he might tell you. i dont know if the t28 will boost more than 1bar but a quick check on google will tell you. i like manuals, and would advocate modifying your current turbo, or getting one of the 300 tdi vnt's which were from a warrior. this will no doubt transform your car too. that thread is on here somewhere also. perhaps it will prove as much of a hassle doing the g/box. but it will be well worth it looking at what you have done up to now on your engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithjh Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 hi all i have posted on the disco forum with regards to converting my 98 disco 1 to auto for more relaxed towing but want to know is the auto a better gearbox for towing? i plan on doing lots of towing next year with a 1900kg caravan on and a loaded car so will be running heavy a lot will the auto cope ok? will i loose my currently good mpg with the auto? what extra cooling should i consider for the auto as i dont think the bog brush cooler on my old rrc was that effective (large mocal type cooler perhaps?) will i loose much power (i barely have enough as is and the engine is all ready modded i drove a 98 factory auto years ago with edc on and it was sloooooow on its own lol) thanks in advance rob I have done at least 30,000 miles in the last 5 years towing a 3 1/2 twin axle trailer fully loaded across europe including the alps, and had no problems using the auto box, able to keep it at 60 on thje flat no problems, okay some of the long climbs in Austria were a pull but no problem. MPG was on average 22-23. Disco is a 300 with a full width intercooler When in used my V8 3.9 i was frequently down to 12-14 to the gallon. Regards Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobyone Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 with reference to my last post, if you google t25 upgrades, then you will find loads of 'em. one of which is a t28 compressor change. so there is quite alot of inter-changeability between t25/28's. i would still check you are producing 1 bar of boost first. looking at keithjh's last post, an auto box is a good swap too. i would still change internals of standard turbo so max boost is earlier in rev range. then get the thing running sweet.... and then get the auto change anyway, they are certainly easier for towing and long drives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I would suggest that if you want relaxed towing go V8 auto with lpg on , none of the diesels do it relaxed from my opinion , they will do it but its how . The lpg will give you the economy , and you have a vehicle that was designed to do the job from start . JMHO gained from a lot of towing with landrovers upto 7.5ton train . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxtherotti Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 thanks all for your views re boost pressure i have a gauge fitted and shows 1 bar boost from 1750 rpm (this is however measured off the fuel pump pipe from turbo) performance wise its quick for a tdi disco (2 of my mates also have 300 tdi,s and they both feel slow in comparison) i think im just going to have to live with dropping to 50mph on long motor way inclines then lol that said i wont be sad to keep the old girl rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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