Tdi vs LPG

[John T]

I'm looking to buy a Disco for the wife, problem is I don't know if I should go the tdi or lpg route.
I all ready have a 300tdi that is my off roader, so I do know how they perform   ...................

I fancied something with a bit more power, is the V8 noticeably better ??

It would be used as family car and occasional tow vehicle (2500kgs)

Or is the tdi a more reliable option, mines done 150k no problems :D

Which way should I go tdi or lpg..............   Help!

P.S. i would be looking at spending around 5k

[Wireless]

My 96 V8 had covered 11,000 miles on Unleaded when I bought it in March 1999, £1,200 Independent Garage Autogas conversion and I was buying fuel at 35p a litre.

It made it cheaper to run than a 300TDi, and saved me about £2,000 if you take in to account the conversion costs, plus the vehicle was lower mileage, diesels tend to attract higher mileage for obvious reasons.

I still have the same vehicle today, and 65,000 miles later I'm currently only paying 39.3p a litre (33.4p if I could claim back the VAT), I'm not sure you could say the same about the rise in Unleaded or Diesel over the last seven years.

The engine oil is still coming out at service the same colour as it is when it's first poured in, which has been done religiously every six months, so the engine internals will last much longer than on Unleaded, and I'm not using any oil between changes, could anyone say the same about a vehicle running exclusively on petrol or diesel?

In terms of power, there is a slight loss when running on LPG, but most wouldn't notice it.

In terms of economy, I'm getting an average of 19 mpg on a run, but then I rarely venture over 60mph, even on motorways, and if you do the maths, taking into account the engine is 20% less efficient when running on LPG, then I'd need to be buying Unleaded that gives me around 57 mpg, pound for pound.  If anyone knows where I can get petrol like this please respond.

The only downside is the availability of LPG at fuel stations, it's not everywhere, unlike diesel, however, if you're within the catchment area of Countrywide Farmers you could open an account and get LPG 24/7, without queueing to fill up or pay, they debit your fuel used from your bank account, every month, on the 15th day of the following month.

http://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk/energy/index.htm

Might be worth a look, I should also mention I have no plans to sell my Disco just yet  :D

[dew1911]

For Towing I would have to say TDi, purley as you get the raw grunt a Diesel has that petrols can only dream about.

Also, when you buy a TD you've got your car there, whatever price you pay. With a V8 you've got to remeber you'll be spending another possible £1000 having it converted to run on Gas.

Not trying to put you off, I'd love a V8, and I WILL own a V8 110 one day, but just offering my view on the situation. Especailly for towing I'd have to say the TDi.

[Wireless]

I've towed with the V8i on LPG;

A large twin-floor twin-wheeled sheep trailer loaded to the gills with everything you could think of for establishing a scout camp, Shropshire to Devon, didn't even notice it was behind me, except on a few of the steeper hills down there.

I've brought back an old VW Type 3 Variant Estate on a twin-wheeled car trailer from Scotland to Shropshire, again I didn't really notice it was there, fuel consumption changed to 14mpg on LPG (equivalent to 42mpg on Unleaded), that was all.

Not sure how much difference there is with a TDi 300 diesel, have to admit that although I've driven them and the more recent TD5 (seemed more powerful), I haven't had the opportunity to tow anything.

If I had a diesel it'd be running on Bio-diesel or SVO anyway, so the comparison might be slighly different.

[Wireless]

Coming back from Hampshire to Shropshire on Sunday, I noticed a Discovery 300 towing a Discovery 300 on a trailer, who gave me a friendly flash of the lights as I overtook them at 60mph on the M40 Northbound approaching Birmingham.

Was it a mud club member?  They were struggling up a slight incline on the motorway, must have been doing 30mph tops, prolly nearer 25mph, went past too quickly to see whether the tow car was V8 or TDi, but with that sort of weight it'd be a challenge for either motor.

If they are a mud club member, they could offer valuable input here.

[dew1911]

Towing something of equal weight (possibly more with the trailer an'all) now that is asking for trouble. I try to stick to the motto "If the tails heavier than the dog, the tail will wag the dog"

[Colin 009]

V8 much nicer to drive, quiter than tdi, and much more Go. 8)

[Colin 009]

For Towing I would have to say TDi, purley as you get the raw grunt a Diesel has that petrols can only dream about.

Also, when you buy a TD you've got your car there, whatever price you pay. With a V8 you've got to remeber you'll be spending another possible £1000 having it converted to run on Gas.

Not trying to put you off, I'd love a V8, and I WILL own a V8 110 one day, but just offering my view on the situation. Especailly for towing I'd have to say the TDi.

When you buy a td you pay more, V8s are cheaper to buy, with lower mileage and less wear n tear. So the £1000 you quote doesn't come into it.

[John T]

For Towing I would have to say TDi, purely as you get the raw grunt a Diesel has that petrol's can only dream about.

Also, when you buy a TD you've got your car there, whatever price you pay. With a V8 you've got to remember you'll be spending another possible £1000 having it converted to run on Gas.

Not trying to put you off, I'd love a V8, and I WILL own a V8 110 one day, but just offering my view on the situation. Especially for towing I'd have to say the TDi.

I was looking to buy one all ready converted, even then they still seem to be a good bit cheaper than the equivalent diesel.

[v8kenny]

For Towing I would have to say TDi, purley as you get the raw grunt a Diesel has that petrols can only dream about.

What a load of b*ll*cks - A V8 is a far superior towing machine - for a start there is no turbo lag and no need to keep the revs up to keep  the turbo spinning
I tow with a 200 tdi 90 and a 110 V8 pick up on a regular basis and the V8 is  my first choice every time - half the time on steep forest roads I need to use low box in the diesel to get anywhere - the V8 flies up in 2nd or 3rd high range

[WishIhadaLandy]

3.9 V8:
Power - 182 @ 4750 rpm
Torque - 231 @ 3100 rpm

300 Tdi:
Power - 111 @ 4000 rpm
Torque - 195 @ 1800 rpm

So the V8 has more "grunt" than the Tdi, you just need to rev a little higher to get it. It also has a lot more power :twisted:

I was looking at second hand disco's the other day (dreaming ) and you can get a V8 with lower milage for loads cheaper than an equivlalant Tdi, so the grand for an LPG cancels out because of the lower purchase price.

BTW, thats my plan one day as well, LPG in a V8 disco,m would be sweet :D

[Rich_P]

With a V8 you've got to remeber you'll be spending another possible £1000 having it converted to run on Gas.

Not anymore.  You can get kits in a vehicle as low as £200 now.  

3.9 V8:
Power - 182 @ 4750 rpm
Torque - 231 @ 3100 rpm

300 Tdi:
Power - 111 @ 4000 rpm
Torque - 195 @ 1800 rpm

So the V8 has more "grunt" than the Tdi, you just need to rev a little higher to get it. It also has a lot more power :twisted:

But you need to remember that the V8 has a smooth power and torque band.  Until the TDi's turbo is spinning it will lack a lot of that torque and power.

[Range Rover Blues]

When I fetched RRR back from Stockport I had it on a BJ trailer of about 700kg, so about 2,700 kg in all.  Before you say anything, the Range Rover was designed to tow from the drawing board upwards so let's not have any of the cr4p about it being unsafe.  Anyway, I passed a TD5 on the Stocksbridge bypass and that was being driven solo (no trailer).  Someone want to talk about grunt for towing........?