Jim R
Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Location: Essex
Posts: 2
 
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| MPG improvement tip Disco 3 |
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There are few people writing about MPG on the Disco 3 TDV6.
Mine is a 2007 XS Manual with 17000 miles and over the last 3000 miles we have averaged 29.8mpg and this has included a 900 mile camping trip fully loaded to Cornwall, many slow hilly coast roads and 200 miles towing a 6 wheel boat trailer. On motorways I tend to push on a bit like many people but lets just say 'outside lane keeping up with the flow of traffic' rather than specific speeds . We do a quite a few short journeys of 5-15 miles. So it is a real mixture. Tyre pressures are kept at about 36/37 Psi.
When the car was under 10,000 miles we were only averaging 24/25mpg then I added Slick 50 Synthetic additive to the Oil (as I have done to all my cars owned since the early nineties) This stuff is remarkable but you should not add it before 10,000 as the engine will not run in fully. Within a 1000 miles of it being added it makes a noticeable difference to the MPG and my experience with other cars is that it adds great protection. I have had several cars from new and clocked up 100,000 miles before selling them and I would never own a car without adding this with almost every other change.
Before we went to Cornwall recently the average MPG on our disco 3 was 31.8, if I had sat a 70mph there and back from Essex then for sure I could have improved that overall average but I prefer to drive how it suits me rather than on the fuel gauge. Even so 29.8mpg is a significant jump from the 24/25mpg that we were getting during the first 10,000 miles. I can only assume it is the Slick 50 that has made the difference.
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 Fri Jun 20 2008 4:51pm |
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Spysmys
Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Chessington
Posts: 62
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I also have a 2007 XS with 12k miles on the clock. I do a daily 22mile round trip on the A3 to work and back. Average speed about 45mph. I don't drive aggressively and hardly ever overtake. My average MPG is 24.9.
Conclusion: Must be the Slick 50..... Previous: Defender 110 Double cab
Current: MY07 Discovery 3 XS
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 5:03pm |
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The Large One
Site Sponsor
Joined: 20 Apr 2007
Location: You may know but i'm not telling you
Posts: 1044
 
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Lots of posts on here recently on replacing your air filter
Allot of the off-road guys have done this before the 45k scheduled change and noticed remarkable differences in MPG
If you live /work or play in a dusty enviroment maybe worth a look
Nick You want it for how much !!!!!
Handle every situation like a dog, if you can't eat it or hump it, Pi$$ on it and walk away......
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 5:09pm |
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tanters
Joined: 24 Oct 2007
Location: Waterford
Posts: 597
 
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You could also just take off all the accessories, roof rack, side steps, A-bar etc to reduce weight
But sure where's the fun in that 
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 5:15pm |
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cmyers_uk
Joined: 10 Apr 2005
Location: Near Bristol, UK
Posts: 247
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IMHO I would just use a good quality thin synthetic oil.
From what I have read on the internet which like all things may not be true the PTFE in slick 50 brings its own problems. There was also an interesting case in 1996 in the USA where Slick 50 could not provide any evidence to backup its own claims in court that it advertised.
A really good read all about oil is http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html (nothing to do with slick 50 but very interesting!).
My thought is always if it did so much it would be added by the oil companies at source, they spend millions brewing the best they can for different situations.
Still if you happy enjoy!
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 5:29pm |
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al cope
Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 1591
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With that look in your eye, and "  off" in your tag, I'd say you were Grumpy Catweasel
Al TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony
(and 19" RRS alloys, satnav & DVD)
Remember - You can only walk so far into the wilderness before you are walking out again
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 6:09pm |
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catweasel
Joined: 05 May 2006
Location: NOTTINGHAM
Posts: 4031
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at least you didn't pick dopey 
oops I mean 
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 6:26pm |
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Jim R
Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Location: Essex
Posts: 2
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Hi quality oil like Mobil 1 and on time oil change is always top priority in my book - I can only write from many years personal experience using Slick 50 as a protector that I think it works, with regards the MPG all I can say is I 'think' it works.
The fact is that I am getting good MPG from my Disco 3 having added it at 10,000 miles and then a half dose 15,000 miles, I cant be sure it is the Slick 50 but something has certainly changed since the first 10,000 - so I thought it worthwhile passing on this information. Maybe another member will try it and pass on their experience, it took at least a 1000 miles with it in the oil before the MPG really increased so it is not an overnight thing.
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 6:32pm |
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cmyers_uk
Joined: 10 Apr 2005
Location: Near Bristol, UK
Posts: 247
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Jim, Its a good suggestion and your experience, Im just one of those skeptical people ( read grumpy old man  .
Cheers
Chris
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 8:29pm |
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stevemac
Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 66
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I've also got a manual XS MY2008 (just). I got 29mpg out of it, pretty much no matter what I did; then I had a visit from TFC, who worked some magic with his TorqTune box of tricks.
Now I get 32mpg consistently, a good 10% improvement (and it 'pulls' much better at lower/mid speeds, with less turbo lag). When motorway cruising it settles at 37/8, at a steady 75/80.
If the price of diesel continues to go up, the TTune will pay for itself by the middle of next year D3 XS MY08, manual, Java Black, black leather, heated front seats
Gone but not forgotten:-
1999 TD5 XS auto Oxford blue
1994 300Tdi auto Niagra grey
Life is a voyage of Discovery ...
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 9:51pm |
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SN
Joined: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Doing the Lambeth Walk
Posts: 7091
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tanters wrote:You could also just take off all the accessories, roof rack, side steps, A-bar etc to reduce weight
but sure where's the fun in that
Steve N | 2006 TDV6 S Auto in Buckingham Blue | Member of the top ten club | Am I online?
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| Fri Jun 20 2008 11:38pm |
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Harlequin
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 179
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My 2007 XS is consistently returning 30+ mpg - however I drive it, although most of the time I am fairly gentle. That said, a recent calculation suggests the on-board computer over-estimates fuel consumption by about 6%.
I have an Expo rack, roof lights, Mantec plate and Grabbers, so I suppose it would be even better without those toys.
What I have noticed - and it's not just my imagination - at about 20k (now done 23k), the performance improved quite noticeably. It just semed to have that extra 'zip'. Haven't had any problems with the EPB and haven't done anything to the oil. Engine may just have loosened up by then, but surprised it has taken that long. I was taught to be cautious.
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| Sat Jun 21 2008 6:27am |
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stapldm
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Location: In a queue for diesel
Posts: 853
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I've just had a parking brake issue fixed - my MPG (which had been consistently around 29) had dropped to 23. Now it has been fixed my MPG has headed up to 30. These are fuel computer figures, though when I've checked they've been within 5% of manual calculations - I'll let you guess which way the error lies  .
Although in the past I did have apparent successes with slick 50, I later discovered that the same effects and better could be achieved with thinner full synthetic oils, and I've stuck with those since. As a side effect I've found that the synthetic oil makes for faster engine turnover at starting time and hence quicker starts.
Following the excellent advice so often found here I worked the engine damned hard for the first couple thousand miles to bed in the piston rings (counter to LR advice) and then changed to full synth oil to stop the rings and engine wearing further (it appears most bedding in takes place in the first couple of thousand miles, after which the rings harden and little more occurs). I should have changed the oil after the first 2,000 miles when following this method, but various circumstances conspired and this didn't happen until 12K which is not recommended.
Note that "working it damned hard" does NOT involve revving the t^ts off the lump; just keep revs lower than usual with command-shift to keep torque at max by staying in the highest gear possible at all times and accelerating hard.
I attribute my higher than average MPG to the way I ran the engine in and the fully sythetic oils. I could of course be dead wrong Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Terry Pratchett, Discworld
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| Sat Jun 21 2008 9:07pm |
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