Member Since: 31 Jan 2006
Location: North Cave East Yorkshire
Posts: 6
Turbochip vs J&E
Has anyone upgraded their TDV6 manual that I could speak to?
I would like some real world experience on how these improve on an already great product! Thank you
2nd Feb 2006 9:15 am
LRtuning
Member Since: 22 Feb 2005
Location: AUSTRALIA + UK
Posts: 468
Contact forum member JohnT
This is what he wrote the other day..he was my latest customer with a manual D3
Quote:
Added a turbochip upgrade yesterday - whoa what a difference, wish I had done it a year ago, car pulls like a train now and the MPG is just fine at around 32 -34 on the run back, and believe me I was not taking it easy
Member Since: 02 Feb 2006
Location: NorthYorkshire
Posts: 2532
@ Turbo chip do you use the Autoigoc to tune your TDV6's ??
Regards bell
2nd Feb 2006 5:58 pm
LRtuning
Member Since: 22 Feb 2005
Location: AUSTRALIA + UK
Posts: 468
We use a similar 'platform' to Autologic's own diagnostic tool and they use our tuning files Money talks.Sex sells.Mud sticks.Time flys. happens.People talk.Impressions last!
2nd Feb 2006 6:43 pm
JohnT
Member Since: 13 Jan 2006
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 45
TurboChip
Well it's been 1 whole week and 500 miles now since having Chris upgrade upgrade my Manual 54 Plate Disco 3. (& all on the same tank ! of diesel )
I havn't stopped smiling yet !
The difference in seamless power delivery is remarkable, peak torque is moved from 1900 rpm to 2600 rpm and significantly increased , looking at autologics engine graphs I can concur with the torque and power delivery characteristics.
On the road this simply transforms the car. Using 1st and 2nd to simply get moving the fun starts with 3rd,4th,5th and yes 6th.
From 1500 rpm the turbo comes on boost, as soon as your over 2000 rpm you have some serious grunt to play with
I have been using approx 3600 rpm in each of the upper gears to change up ie at peak power, this is where it has been really well thought out as the upchange drops the rpm into/or around the peak torque for the following gear.
This gives a seamless surge of acceleration, I have found myself on the wrong side of 85 MPH on numerous occasions just playing with the gears
Motorway cruising is now a joy as once up to speed stick it in 6th and leave it there, you will find that you are running between 2000 rpm and 2600 rpm and overtaking/ lane change becomes a doddle with the torque delivery.
If you want to do things a little quicker then simply drop to 5th/4th and you will be in or around peak power
MPG well mines sat at 28.6 at the moment and won't budge below it and god knows i've tried this afternoon with a 4 hour blast around Lincolnshire dropping off and picking up bit's and bobs, avoiding well placed mobile detector units all afternoon.
I guess one of the biggest single improvements I've noticed is the ability to easily overtake large lorries with no effort whatsoever and to sit on the of BMW's at high speed whilst they try to get away, payback time
So I guess the exam question for most people is the upgrade worth the money....
IMHO it's an unequivocal 100 % yes, the car is much nicer overall to drive and the increase in MPG will I guess eventually pay for most of the upgrade
Thanks to Chris and autologic for delivering a real enhancment to what was already a good package, it's now simply excellent.
2nd Feb 2006 7:17 pm
Coffeecup
Member Since: 15 Jul 2005
Location: Middleton, Manchester
Posts: 1084
What mpg were you getting JohnT before your D3 was chipped?
Did you reset the trip computer and let it start at Zero and then settle at 28mpg? Coffeecup March 2005 TDV6 S - Tonga Green - Manual May 2008 TDV6 SE - Stornoway Grey - Auto Dec 2010 SDV6 XS - Galway Green - Auto
2nd Feb 2006 7:58 pm
kjh1957
Member Since: 05 Nov 2005
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 44
Seeing all these positives with chipping or re-mapping - increased power, increased torque, better fuel economy etc, why LR not set them up like this in the first place - surely improved performance would sell more Discos!
I guess there must be a downside - shorter life engine? emissions outside tollerance? Would it fail MOT?
I am interested but quite frankly it looks all too good to be true
2nd Feb 2006 8:50 pm
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
As I understand it, they do set them up like that during development anyway, then detune them so they'll survive on the crappiest fuel, engine oil and conditions known to man. The fuel quality and engine oil in UK, Euo-zone AUS and US are such that they can be returned to optimum tune with no detriment to lifespan, which is what I believe the engine tuning companies do...
2nd Feb 2006 9:06 pm
bellautos
Member Since: 02 Feb 2006
Location: NorthYorkshire
Posts: 2532
This is how i see it as well
2nd Feb 2006 10:58 pm
JohnT
Member Since: 13 Jan 2006
Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 45
Ok a few points to answer
The trip computer is automatically reset with the TC upgrade as the ECU is totally reloaded deleting all old values.
On the run down to Northampton down the M1 I recorded 34 MPG on the run back to Leicestershire it was at 32MPG
Over the following week I have covered numerous motorway and cross country miles and rush hour driving whilst err testing out the characteristics of the engine map to it's full driving like a hooligan has returned 28.6 MPG
With the driving style I had adopted I expected it to be in the low 20's not 28.6 MPG
Next week I intend to drive like Miss Daisy to see what I can get out of the car then, although this may be more difficult than anticipated as I am rubbish at restraining my right foot, but I'll try.........
kjh1957 my sentiments exactly for the UK and European market where top quality fuel is available then they should give you a no cost option for a more aggressive map.
IMHO the re map is well within the engines capability and I would suspect only a very mild boost lift has been applied along with some work on the fueling map.
I will however be shortening the service interval for engine oil to 10,000 miles and changing to semi synthetic Casrtol Magnatec 5W30 as a 15000 mile interval on non synthetic oil is to far IMHO.
This is not a result of the upgrade I was just never comfortable with a 15K service interval for oil.
For reference we change Oil and transfer fluids on our track car before each day out and AYC fluids every two events.... now that's expensive.
As with all turbos remember to allow the turbo to cool before switching off the engine, this vastly improves turbo life.
I always allow the car to cool down over the last 4 Miles or so , no harsh breaking and no harsh acceleration and finally 20-30 seconds or so on the drive before switch off.
This procedure has been adopted since losing two very expensive turbos and warping numerous brake disks on my track car over the years by simply not allowing things to cool down sufficiently.
Engine emissions , I'll pop into somewhere and check , cannot see it being a problem though, certainly no plumes of black smoke in day to day use ,well so far anyway.
Hope that helps answer a few points, this upgrade is never going to appeal to everyone, you pay your money and make your choice, hopefully it's as informed with fact and not conjecture as possible.
Finally as an aside what makes things like this all worthwhile, was the look of the brand new 55 Plate RR Sport drivers face as he pulled along side me at traffic lights in Leicester, his mouth wide open in disbelief he had been well and truely trounced on the A46 and he new it pure childish pleasure..........
3rd Feb 2006 3:25 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
JohnT wrote:
Finally as an aside what makes things like this all worthwhile, was the look of the brand new 55 Plate RR Sport drivers face as he pulled along side me at traffic lights in Leicester, his mouth wide open in disbelief he had been well and truely trounced on the A46 and he new it pure childish pleasure..........
How much was that worth????? DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
3rd Feb 2006 3:31 pm
LRtuning
Member Since: 22 Feb 2005
Location: AUSTRALIA + UK
Posts: 468
I did something similar with a RRS S/C...he couldnt catch me from 30-80 mph Money talks.Sex sells.Mud sticks.Time flys. happens.People talk.Impressions last!
3rd Feb 2006 3:33 pm
MW
Member Since: 08 Dec 2005
Location: Huntingdon
Posts: 35
Turbochip
I bought my TDV6 s 2 weeks ago and had it chipped by Alastair from Turbochip over the weekend. The difference is certainly noticable both in performance and economy.
Before the change i put 2000 miles on the clock and managed about 24-25mpgs mainly with motorway driving at 75, 500 after the treatment I am up to 33-34 at the same speeds- over 80 and it drops off but still no less than 31.
When driven hard the car does drink more fuel but no more than the old MPG 26-28.
I can now get 600+ out of a tank.
Is it worth it - MY calculations are as follows:
Tank of fuel = 80 litres approx 18 gallons
Cost of fuel = £0.95/litre
Old milage on one tank = 432 miles @ 24mpg= 17.5p/mile @ 24mpg
New mileage = 594 @ 33mpg = £0.127/mile @ 33mpg
saving per mile - 4.8p/mile
based on my mileage of 45k i should save approx 2k or 1.5k over the year after paying for the upgrade.
or
Drive the car hard and save no money but have a lot of fun!!!
Possible differences noted so far:
1- not quite as smooth when first started in the morning especially when cold - sounds a little like my old nissan patrol but only for a few secs. It is also noisier when accelerating hard (only slightly but evident) but i suspect this is due to the engine working harder.
2- smell - the car definately smells like it is running hotter but i expect this will go. Smells like a new car again if that makes sense.
3-Disapointment on the face of the disco 3 driver i left behind today- a lot of fun when accelerating from roundabout to roundabout in convoy.
Conclusion
One of the better gadgets I have invested in.
I would post pics of the screen MPG and range detail- but can't figure out how to do it. Alastair and Turbochip were very good to deal with and i would not hesitate in providing a testimonial for anyone wanting an update.
Pics on my gallery as i managed to figure that one out!!
6th Feb 2006 5:33 pm
prawn
Member Since: 06 Jan 2006
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 28
I had the TC upgrade done this Sunday with the grand total of 300 miles on the clock.
First impressions are that the remap is excellent.
Having had a few custom maps in the past on wildly tuned cars I have been subjected to some pretty rough code, IMO the Turbochips code is bang on the money.
Car is still loosening up but feels very strong especially in the 'everyday driving' range of 30 to 80MPH.
Still as smooth as it was before, yes a little noisier when accelerating hard but nothing unexpected.
I agree with JohnT re the warm up/ cool down process on turbos though, having lost a few on the Audi it is an important step for long term reliability.
I would also recomend Turbochip to anyone looking at a conversion, Chris is also a nice guy, easy to deal with and obviousley well into cars, tuning etc.
PS JohnT what is your track car, mines a Radical Clubsport Zambezi Silver TDV6 HSE - TC'd
Discovery 300tdi - 119K and still going strong
Radical Clubsport 1100 - for a bit of fun
6th Feb 2006 5:58 pm
bellautos
Member Since: 02 Feb 2006
Location: NorthYorkshire
Posts: 2532
Re: Turbochip
MW wrote:
2- smell - the car definately smells like it is running hotter but i expect this will go. Smells like a new car again if that makes sense.!!
This will most probabaly be down to the new slighley higher exhaust gas temps from the extra boost and fuel added to gain you the power.
As long as the water temp guage dont rise to much under long hard load it should be fine.
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happens.People talk.Impressions last! 
March 2005 TDV6 S - Tonga Green - Manual 
May 2008 TDV6 SE - Stornoway Grey - Auto 
