chipping a discovery td5

[Hugh Jardon]

has anyone on here chipped or done the chip plus intercooler upgrade on their discovery, mine is 2000 and looking to pep it up a bit and wanted to get feedback and views on it. i feel mine is gutless and needs helping along, have had lots of discos and shoguns and i know the engine is fine, just needs a bit of a boost

[Nigel]

Hi Chris

Good question! I've got a 2004 Td5...I agree regarding the performance.

I drove a Hertz Audi 1.9Tdi in Ireland yesterday; and with the Audi 6 speed 'box the acceleration was truly impressive. Diesels can be quick...why not the TD5?

Reading around the subject I'm drawn to the mod. at

http://www.james-french.co.uk/power_upgrade.asp

...which seems pretty good, and is reversable - haven't summoned up the courage to try it yet, though!

Has anyone on RIBNET actually 'chipped' one?

By the way, my Discovery is great. I gained a few too many points with my last car & the TD5 isn't too bad when you get it wound up. ACE means you don't have to slow down too much for corners! It's all about averages and it certainly keeps me more within the speed limit. It's great for towing & pulling RIBs up the slipway too!

Rgds

Nigel

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, 1908.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Nigel

Hi Chris

Good question! I've got a 2004 Td5...I agree regarding the performance.

I drove a Hertz Audi 1.9Tdi in Ireland yesterday; and with the Audi 6 speed 'box the acceleration was truly impressive. Diesels can be quick...why not the TD5?



Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, 1908.

I think you will find it has rather a lot to do with them being totally different kinds of vehicle!!!

I admit that the TD5 isn't my favourite engine - but it is a damn site better than many others!!!

For true performance in a Discovery go for the new one - ugly as sin but really goes well.

However at low speed still prefer the older model.

I had a new TD5 Discovery on lease last year which didn't really start to give it's best performance until it had been run in at about 8,000 miles. I found it would easily cruise at 100mph - not bad accelareation either for a diesel auto. Towing at LOW speeds was amazing but never tried towing anything over 30mph(no towbar)!!!

A couple of my mates have had them chipped and they really do help a lot - van aaken - Rimmer Bros and Jeremy Fern spring to mind.

[codprawn]

Forgot to say - most of these companies have demonstrators so I am sure you will be able to try before you buy!!!

[Hugh Jardon]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I think you will find it has rather a lot to do with them being totally different kinds of vehicle!!!

I admit that the TD5 isn't my favourite engine - but it is a damn site better than many others!!!

For true performance in a Discovery go for the new one - ugly as sin but really goes well.

However at low speed still prefer the older model.

I had a new TD5 Discovery on lease last year which didn't really start to give it's best performance until it had been run in at about 8,000 miles. I found it would easily cruise at 100mph - not bad accelareation either for a diesel auto. Towing at LOW speeds was amazing but never tried towing anything over 30mph(no towbar)!!!

A couple of my mates have had them chipped and they really do help a lot - van aaken - Rimmer Bros and Jeremy Fern spring to mind.

would love the new disco but not prepared to fork out that kind of money on a shopping/town car, by the way the new discos seriously chip up some hp which is cool.

Codders, how can you tow without a towbar, and how could you say it tows well at low speed without a towbar? was this ropes etc?

landys are fantastic at low speeds and on slipways etc but on the open road......ugh...they suck. come to a hill and down the speed comes.

mine has ace as well, i know why they developed it, it is because they are so slow that when you get up to speed it means you dont have to slow down so much for the corners so you dont have to scrub off so much speed.;-)

well i have done quite a bit of research on chipping landys and you can get a serial reprogram, chip replacement or a box thingy that goes in parallel, on the new 2004 models these can have a serial reprogram giving around 34-40 hp increase and torque as well, with a box you get 24 to 29.

chipping is a very cheap way to getting a better car with a bit more go so if anyone has done it and can give views that would be cool.

[codprawn]

As it was a lease vehicle I didn't fit a towbar - had to go back at 12-15k miles - which I did in about 6 weeks!!! Towed some things I shouldn't have with a rope - including a furniture lorry stuck down a grass bank.

The best was an Iveco van - huge thing full of gear - twin rear wheels - seized solid. Bloke asked me to drag it away - the wheels just refused to budge - dragged it for a few miles with rear wheels locked - wasn't long befoire the tyres burst and it was down to the rims!!! Easier to tow then!!! Dumped it in his lorry park. I just couldn't believe how easy it was and how it coped even up quite a steep hill - didn't even need low range!!!

Also used it for pulling a few stuck vehicles out of a field. The traction control helped a hell of a lot!!!

[Hugh Jardon]

Originally Posted by codprawn

As it was a lease vehicle I didn't fit a towbar - had to go back at 12-15k miles - which I did in about 6 weeks!!! Towed some things I shouldn't have with a rope - including a furniture lorry stuck down a grass bank.

The best was an Iveco van - huge thing full of gear - twin rear wheels - seized solid. Bloke asked me to drag it away - the wheels just refused to budge - dragged it for a few miles with rear wheels locked - wasn't long befoire the tyres burst and it was down to the rims!!! Easier to tow then!!! Dumped it in his lorry park. I just couldn't believe how easy it was and how it coped even up quite a steep hill - didn't even need low range!!!

Also used it for pulling a few stuck vehicles out of a field. The traction control helped a hell of a lot!!!

sounds like you gave it a good bashing then, must have been very very strong rope and where did you tie it to so as not to damage the vehicle.
have used mine to pull trees out at home with chains, is good for that and easier on the back,
if it had 60 hp more i would probably be happier with it

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Chris Hartley

sounds like you gave it a good bashing then, must have been very very strong rope and where did you tie it to so as not to damage the vehicle.
have used mine to pull trees out at home with chains, is good for that and easier on the back,
if it had 60 hp more i would probably be happier with it

Used my 12 tonne rope - attached it to the rear axle with a bridle - didn't want to risk the normal recovery eye!!!

[codprawn]

Here's some piccies - ONLY damage caused was a stone going through a spotlight near Heathrow on M4 - not a scratch offroad!!!

[codprawn]

Last ones I promise!!!

[Hugh Jardon]

cool pics, looks like you are lucky enough to live in the part of the country where 4x4s have most fun, plenty of places for the bike round here but not so much for the landy, unless you go for really narrow tracks that scratch your car to pieces, ok on the drz but not in the wifs landy, thanks for sharing the pics
chris