I've seen several references to devices such the Ronbox and also searched on places like ebay for chips.

I am concerned over the insurance / legal issues of having such a device installed so am looking at legal alternatives.

To be honest I'm not fussed so much about extra torque (I'm not a boy racer honest or towing anything) but am more interested in an increase in MPG.

Can anyone recommend anything please.

I would say all chipping mods are legal, but what ever you do, you would still need to inform your insurance company as it would be a modification.

I have heard people have them done and "enjoy" the extra power, there for don't benefit from the extra mpg

Bluefin is one that is supposed to be quite good, its a actual re-map and can be removed and put back to normal if your car goes to the dealers, these are a lot better than the boxes that are plugged in to trick the cars ecu/pressures Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Unnecessary quote removed


Thanks for the advice. Have insurance companies been lenient when they are notified of such mods or are people experiencing increases in premiums?

I suppose you have to weigh up the cost of something like the Bluefin at around £370 to what returns you get with an improved MPG of 4-5.

There are lots of much cheaper solutions of fleabay I notice. Has anyone fitted any of these?

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!

You won't get better MPG with a cheap off the shelf tuning box, all these do is fool the ECU into thinking it's fuel pressure is low so it up's the signal as adding more diesel will give you more power, plus smoke. It also reduces the life of your injectors and fuel pump.

A lot of them have small dip switches 'meant' to let you decide how much power to make but it's only a resistor inside and cannot go the other way to save fuel.

The only way to go is a proper re-map where it pays to pay that extra for what you are looking for.

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

I shall not be buying one!

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

Best way to improve mpg is a lighter right foot and improved driving technique  Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Exactly mr pegleg, or in my case buy a golf!

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.

"a crappy DS3 which gets over 55mpg"
Blimey! How do you manage to get that king of mpg from a Discovery?
One of the reasons I shied away from a Disco was the rubbish mpg.

Unnecessary quote removed

I think he means a Citrôen.....  Foraging near Gaydon....
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MY13 HSE Lux SD4, Baltic Blue - current, 30,000> miles without fault
MY12 HSE 2.2 SD4, Sumatra Black - gone after 10 months/43,000 fault-free miles

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  Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

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. (Coming) 2016 RR Evoque td4 180 HSE Dynamc
(Going) 2013 TD4 GS Auto - Santorini Black with black leather. Cold Climate, UK Lighting & Armrest Packs. Privacy Glass. LR Rubber Mats. Full size spare.
60 000 miles averaging 35mpg

(Gone) 2010 TD4 Manual GS - Stornoway Grey. Sold at 3yrs old & 64k miles. Final average consumption 39.2mpg.

I wonder if Alex will read this and comment please.
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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.
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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?
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Kind regards from Fred
PM me please if you have a passenger LR sidestep spare. 2010GS Auto ex Celeb, Santorini Black, 2011 facelift , spoiler, spats, mudflaps, LED footwell lamps, Witter detach,
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