get better mileage and I got a question

[curtis]

The rover V8 WILL die a slow and horrible black gooey death if it is not used throughout
its rev range, but hey you want 400 Miles out of a tank, I guess your saving for the rebuild

I agree 100%. Some people will not get this though. Their grandma taught them that the lower rpms you run your motor, the better gas mileage you will get AND the motor will last longer. Not so with this little V8, but try to get people to listen...

I hear the future "cha-chings" of the dealer cash register ringing up valve jobs.

Oh - but QCNR, don't put all Americans in this spendy category

 

[Eric N.]

Drive it like you stole it..

 

[Sergei]

Craig - actually its northern portion and Denver that getting low prices. 4 corners area of CO suck - i can get 10-15 cents/gallon lower prices just by driving about 40 miles to border of new Mexico. We long time well above 2$ here even for 87.

Melissa - well thank you for doubting me

And Pagosa Springs is not all downhill. Town is actually flat, then there is newer area that in fact uphill (well when you going from downtown). And downtown utterly stinks from those hotsprings.

 

[cmondieyoung]

I agree 100%. Some people will not get this though. Their grandma taught them that the lower rpms you run your motor, the better gas mileage you will get AND the motor will last longer. Not so with this little V8, but try to get people to listen...

Well I do this little thing called four-wheeling... probably 5-10 times per month. Grandma drives to the trailhead, but then Grandma takes a hit off the crack pipe. I'm in a different situation, actually, since my Disco isn't a DD. I probably have as many miles in 4lo as in D.

You must work for the oil industry if you're telling people blasting around town using the entire V8 powerband is *GOOD* for their engine. My interpretation of this thread is that getting lower gas mileage is somehow cooler and better, in a self-deprecating "haha man he's crazy!" way---that if you drive your rig carefully, you're doing something wrong.

Sort of like the cool kids at the back of the class in high school, who would make fun of the nerds and high-five each other when they got Fs on their exams.

 

[cmondieyoung]

If you are worried about MPG go and buy a Toyota Prius, if you like LR with the ultimate
(not anymore 2.7Ltr V6 diesel)

A 4.0 V8 is a faaaar cry from the ultimate engine. My farts have more torque. I'd love to drop a 454, or even a Chevy 350, in there.

DRIVE IT LIKE IT DESERVES TO BE DRIVEN.......

What is this, the Fast and the Furious?

 

[GregH]

Think a gallon of gas is expensive? This makes you think, and also puts things in perspective.
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ...........$9.52 per gallon
Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 .......... $10.00 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 ..... $10.17 per gallon
Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 .......... $10.32 per gallon
Evian water9 oz $1.49..........$21.19 per gallon?
Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ........ . $25.42 per gallon
Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ........... $33.60 per gallon
Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 ........$84.48 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ........ $123.20 per gallon
Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 .... $178.13 per gallon

Yes, but if you drink enough of the Nyquil you won't worry so much about the fuel costs...

 

[jmoore]

Craig, Curtis is right, the engine needs to be driven through the rpms to blow out the junk and especially the carbon that can build up in the heads. Have you ever pulled the heads on a rover engine? Use premium gas for complete detonation and rev it now and then.

Not too long ago, I help rebuild an MG engine. This guy told us prior to the rebuild that he "took care" of his engine and warmed it up at least 5 minutes before each an every drive. The head was mucked up and full of carbon! A complete mess, he loved it to death.

As soon as you get oil pressure, take off and drive!

 

[QCNR]

Well my first post wasdesigned to get a reaction and I see I did. Of course not all Americans are the way I described, you are all individuals, the same way other countries
consist of individuals....

Now regarding driving the Rover V8....
This is a very robust and tolerant engine and WILL go on forever If looked after.
The design dates back to the 50`s INCLUDING the latest THOR engine regarding engine block, tolerances, etc, etc
You need to run the engine on cheap 20W50 oil and change the oil and filter every 5000Kms.
The lubrication system is such that at low RPMs the bottom end is well looked after whilst the top end is almost running dry, and the opposite is true at higher RPM`s.
This means you should vary your pattern of driving to give the entire engine some lubrication.
The easiest way of doing this is by moving your gearselector every now and then when you approach junctions. This will also save your brakes. Now and then leave it in 2nd whilst accelerating etc.
I doubt these measures will break the bank, regarding having to fill up more often. I still believe you will be better off with an Audi A2 diesel if MPG is your concern.....

This is from a friends P38 HSE with 80.000Km on the clock.........
Not pretty

 

[curtis]

Many sources more knowledgable about the V8i than myself have explained it like this: This motor needs to spin up to 4K+ rpms in order to rotate the valves in thier seats and keep them clean. I am pretty sure that these guys do not work for the oil companies. I believe they were just Rover mechanics explaining why these engines get valve jobs so often and how to keep prevent the problem.

I don't interpret this to mean run the shit out of your engine. Just make sure to get it up there from time to time. FWIW - I get 13MPG City and 16-17MPG highway no matter how I drive and that is with 265/75's, 3.5" lift, and a lot of steel bolted on...

Craig - you four wheeling monster you. I say you just keep doing what you are doing. Your vast mechanical knowledge certainly trumps any advice you get on this board.

 

[cmondieyoung]

Craig - you four wheeling monster you. I say you just keep doing what you are doing. Your vast mechanical knowledge certainly trumps any advice you get on this board.

Oh just save your breath and ignore me already. Or can't you do that?

 

[kennith]

Yup,

It's a fact that the engine needs to be wound past 4000 revs more often than occasionally. It's also a fact that you need to use the entire rev range as much as is practical while driving. Drive it like you stole it isn't too far from the truth.

Craig,

Don't get me started on the virtues of a detuned V8 with a broad, low rev powerband again. You can take a piddely ass 4cyl, or even a steroid pumped big block wherever you want, but you will never find one in my engine bay. Your farts have more torque....

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[ShaunP]

Standard ULP (92) is 99cents a litre here in Brisbane Australia this afternoon not sure how many litres in a US gallon I think the dollar is about .73 US today. By the way they sell Tornadoes here to but they call them Hyclones. I guess because we have cyclones type storms here. The story goes you buy one and it doen't work they tell you that you need to on your type of car.

Hopefully I'll get one free with my next can of Snake oil 20w 50.

 

[Axel]

1 US gallon = 3.7854 litters, so that comes out to 3.75 Australian dollars/gallon, or US $2.73 using this mornings exchange rate of 0.73.

 

[QCNR]

Like I said before, Petrol IS CHEAP over there stop whinging and get used to it...
Today I filled up
95 Oct unleaded 10.50 NKR/ Litre
=$1.59/Litre = $6.01/ US Gallon

So what are you guys whinging about the price of petrol for????????
With your prices you should be able to afford to leave the gear selector in 2nd
and have the engine running at 4500RPM......

Get a VW diesel or something......

 

[NVRover]

just put a k&n (46$) and a tornado (46$) in the intake of the 98 disco and instead of getting 12mpg, I get 13.75 (city) with a full thule rack on the roof.

Just for comparison purposes I'm getting 13-13.5mpg in the city with the standard air filter set up. I'm on a week long trip to Ouray, CO from southern NV through UT and I averaged 16 mpg on the highway. So it seems as if you're getting standard mileage for your vehicle.

It's my understanding that those K&N filters don't do as good a job filtering out dust. So if you're in a dusty climate or offroading, you might be getting more dust into your engine than you want.

I was looking into those higher performance airfilters so I'd be interested in hearing about anyone elses experiences with those filters. Did you have any issues with more dust?

 

[markj11]

Ultimate Enj.

VW v10 TDI
310 hp @ 3,750 rpm, and 553 lb. ft. of torque @ 2,000 rpm, Towing capacity is 7,716 lb and gets 23MPG.

 

[Peter-man99]

Like I said before, Petrol IS CHEAP over there stop whinging and get used to it...
Today I filled up
95 Oct unleaded 10.50 NKR/ Litre
=$1.59/Litre = $6.01/ US Gallon

So what are you guys whinging about the price of petrol for????????
With your prices you should be able to afford to leave the gear selector in 2nd
and have the engine running at 4500RPM......

Get a VW diesel or something......

Its all relative

 

[PHARAOHDISCO]

My 96 D1 does 13 MPG on the highway driving at 75-80 mph, about 10.5-11 MPG offroad.
By the way, one ltr. of 92 octane costs here 0.22 US Dollars.

 

[cmondieyoung]

Ultimate Enj.

VW v10 TDI
310 hp @ 3,750 rpm, and 553 lb. ft. of torque @ 2,000 rpm, Towing capacity is 7,716 lb and gets 23MPG.

Isn't the tag on that Toureg close to $90k?

 

[LuisC]

Hey PharaohDisco,

My 96 D1 does 13 MPG on the highway driving at 75-80 mph, about 10.5-11 MPG offroad.
By the way, one ltr. of 92 octane costs here 0.22 US Dollars.

And I'm sure it's cheaper than that in Saudi Arabia and Emirates.
I'm supposed to be in Cairo right now. But with recent events, I no longer feel safe, or even welcome for that matter. Even when I was over there last year during the start of the Bush War, I could feel bad vibes from the locals. I was staying with a coworker at his home in Shubra. He's there now. I asked him to hunt down some Saudi grills at junk yards to bring back. I'll find out this week if he was successful.