Years ago just turn the vacuum wipers on, if you had a heavy foot they would nearly stall and if driven economically they were a blur

Only you and I can remember the 3 speed Ford Pop  Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Pegleg wrote:

Heyho,
I see you've got a manual gearbox.
Same here, and if I drive in an economical manner, I regularly get mid 40's mpg
So in that respect, I would suggest that there's not a lot wrong with the O/E mapping

As you're a tight fisted Yorkshireman (aren't they all?), no need to spend any money whatsoever

I actually have my car in for a remap now and Yes you do get improved torque and Hp, but you also get :

a significantly more responsive throttle
improved fuel economy (by up to 15%)
better power and torque distribution
the power curve is smoother
and the auto (from all reports) shifts smoother

Its not just about upping the power, but makes the car a lot nicer to drive, with the benefit of improved economy. Also take into account that the state of tune that the manufacturers generally use, is designed to handle the conditions in most of not all of the markets the car is sold, so is not 'optimum. So the standard mapping has to account for different fuel types, emission standards etc. So it may not be optimum for your region. So basically all I am doing is re-mapping the vehicle to work with my local conditions as optimally as possible.

From my understanding of the Remap my car is getting, the remap is a series of small adjustments to various 'maps. in the ecu to change the way the engine performs and behaves. Each of these 'maps' has particular limits and a good map will not exceed them. However, the small changes to all the different aspects add up to noticeable changes in the overall driveability and performance of the car.

Essentially it just makes the car perform as well as it can under local conditions within the parameters of the ECU.

The remap can be returned to standard if it needs to go to LR or whoever for warranty work. However in Australia they have to prove that the damage was caused by the remap to not cover the repair under warranty. Down here insurance will also cover it no problem, or at least mine does.

So far I have not found anyone that has remapped the ecu of their car to have a negative thing to say about it, or have experienced any issues.

I would however expect that if you drive with a lead foot to start experiencing premature wear and tear on components, but I would also expect you to have the same issues even if the car was not remapped.

Saying all this, I do service mine every 5000km (oils and filters) and has been running full synthetic oils since about 10000km, which incidentally are a 1/3 the price of the LR oils.

Doka

Who is doing your reamp in Sydney if you dont mind me asking.

Davis Performance Landrover. I will have before and after Dyno results if your interested as well as fuel economy figures as I have tracked my fuel consumptions for the last 3 months and will do the same after the re-map.

Doka

More than interested, mine is only 6 months old so will probably wait till out of warrenty.
Do you have your vechicle serviced at Davis and if so how do you find them.

Sparky

I don't have my vehicle serviced there, I have it serviced by an independent who is a land rover specialist (and also a friend), so it is the best option for me as I get to get under the hoist and check things out for myself when he goes over it as well as paying cost for parts/oils etc.

But if he is busy or cant do a job, then Davis is his first recommendation.

But I do know a number of vehicles serviced by DPL and I can only say that they have all been extremely well looked after.
So I can quite easily recommend them.

I am pretty sure that they can do your factory services, while under warranty which would probably save you a $$ or two

heyho wrote:

Thank you all for some clear advice, it's appreciated.

I shall not be buying one!

pab wrote:

The other question I'd be asking is, if it's that easy to get an mpg improvement of 4-5 mpg why doesn't LR incorporate such a revised map into the standard car? Manufacturers / engine makers spend a lot of time and effort designing their maps, and whilst one can imagine commercial reasons for not offering the maximum power possible it is difficult to imagine them not offering maximum economy unless there were undesirable side-effects.

You will, of course, find people who'll tell you this is rubbish, that they've chipped their car and had no problem at all. But then, you'll also find people who've smoked for the last 50 years and never had a cough in their lives! Personally I won't be trying either!

flylr wrote:

Chipping can provide more power and sometimes better economy by pushing the limits of what the manufacturer may find acceptable for longevity (boost levels for example) or by tuning in such a way that ups the emissions and would affect the tax band.

Many people are willing to risk potential reduced longevity and/or higher emissions for the upside of more power or sometimes economy.

No responsible tuner just chucks more diesel into the engine because it will neither increase power nor economy. In fact it will most likely reduce both.

However when all is said and done I would remap for improved responsiveness and if economy was improved or remained the same I would be happy with that. Tuning for economy alone I would be hesitant to try.... It is much harder to tune for that than power.

fredastaire wrote:

I wonder if Alex will read this and comment please.
.
Years ago on petrol engines one could pipe a vacuum gauge into the inlet manifold and by keeping vacuum high teach yourself to keep a light right foot on the gas pedal.
.
With a diesel turbo we have inlet pressure not vacuum. If we added a tapping for pressure and a gauge; could we use a light right foot to keep at maximum pressure and keep fuel consumption at an optimum?
.
Kind regards from Fred
PM me please if you have a passenger LR sidestep spare.

heyho wrote:

landy19840 wrote:

Why would you chip for better mpg?! It's going to increase bhp and torque so more power, the only reason to do it is to go faster! If your not happy with mpg of a freelancer why own one???

Also I have know lots of people that have had problems with cheap recaps, over fuelling black smoking etc

The reason I have opted to own a Freelander is that I'm 6ft 5" and am finding it the most comfortable car yet to drive.

It's also the 2nd car in the house as the wife owns a crappy DS3 which gets over 55mpg.

But for the sake of a few bob if I can get another 4-5 mpg by simply adding a chip the tight arsed Yorkshireman in me would be very happy.

He puts it on a trailer and tows it behind the Freelander ...!!!  Wales
Were the mud is thicker, and the ruts are deeper.
(And we have the water to wash it off, and more on the way..! )
Sd4 and chrome Ar*e piece, Auto box for best fun
09 Xs Gone
12 xs Gone
HSE with Leather seats and 4 years warrenty.. staying for now !

heyho wrote:

Pegleg wrote:

Heyho,
I see you've got a manual gearbox.
Same here, and if I drive in an economical manner, I regularly get mid 40's mpg
So in that respect, I would suggest that there's not a lot wrong with the O/E mapping

As you're a tight fisted Yorkshireman (aren't they all?), no need to spend any money whatsoever

Those are impressive figures pegleg. Maybe there is still a bit of the boy racer in my subconsciousness.

It would be interesting to know how you define 'an economical manner'. Is it keeping the revs to a certain level as you move up the gear box, keeping to 56mph etc.

If you have the auto I reccomend in hilly areas (even mildly), to put it into sport and try to keep the revs around 1800-2000, this keeps the engine on song for hillclimbing. This prevents the engine from labouring on a hill and certainly for me gives better MPG. Once on flatter ground knock back out of sport.
.
Kind regards from Fred 2010GS Auto ex Celeb, Santorini Black, 2011 facelift , spoiler, spats, mudflaps, LED footwell lamps, Witter detach,
Other cars:-
1958 & 1959 Austin J40 Pedal Cars under restoration (I make many J40 parts)
If you have an Austin J40 or Pathfinder Pedal Car looking for a new home pls PM me.
2009 Meriva

I got my remapped by a reputable company and had nothing but problems. Now running original software again.
Kept going into limp home mode. Although they have mapped dozens without problems.

My power and mpg were terrible 32 on a long steady run. Had a look and the air box wasn't even attached to the air intake pipe. The gap had caused road dirt etc to contaminate the filter. I cleaned the filter with vacuum and refitted( correctly) the air box etc. the result 36.7mpg stop start town driving.

New filter on order so hopefully get even better on my 50 mile work commute.

Boof wrote:

.......... The gap had caused road dirt etc to contaminate the filter........

Yes of course its supposed to get contaminated! My point is the degree of contamination.
Due to the water and crap going directly into the air box via a large hole instead of an angled intake pipe.
Filters are designed to last the service interval, mine is halfway through and needs replacing.

I was merely trying to highlight an easily checked and if found, sortable problem to poor fuel consumption. I.e the none directed flow of air to engine.