Diesel talk 200 tdi or 300 tdi?

Funrover

Expedition Leader
Looking at different options for my 1989 Range Rover. Want a reliable daily driver with good efficient m.p.g. I also want a non computer engine. I am all ears on suggestions. Thanks
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
all things being equal: 200tdi. It was overbuilt for the time and is very easy to run/service. Parts are getting scarcer like heads, not a terrible issue as it can technically use a 300 head. My personal preference is V belts so that's nice.

Realistically, 300tdi was more common and made for the longest period of time. Lots of military vehicles used it which will age out in the next few years like the wolf land rovers so supply is less of an issue. The cooling system is harder to bleed than the 200, but not terrible. There are internal differences, they are a bit quieter, same rough power as 200, same fuel economy.

Both are nice non computer engines.
 

getlost4x4

Expedition Leader
Having just bought one of each. The 200 TDi is definately slower that the 300 TDi.

I drove the 300 TDi in a defender station wagon with 33" tall tires, 400 miles across the UK from Great Yarmouth to Nottingham and then to Southampton and its very livable. Fuel mileage was pretty good 16-17 mpg. We filled it up twice, each time it had about half a tank left. So all in we used a little over a tank of diesel in it. We were going highway speeds and Motorway speeds with it.

The 200 TDi is fine. Its not going to win any speed records. We didn't drive it far enough to get any mileage out of it. It was definitely slower, but not horribly. I'm sure you could ad an intercooler and turn up the fuel and boost a bit to make it more powerful. It is a stupid simple engine to work on.
 

Red90

Adventurer
They have the same power. One is not slower than the other. It is all about if they are setup properly or not.
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
They have the same power. One is not slower than the other. It is all about if they are setup properly or not.

What Red says is correct. The post above that is really a tune difference, both engines can produce the same power. 16-17 mpg is pretty low btw...
 

Red90

Adventurer
Yes. You should be around 25 US mpg. 30 mpg if UK gallons. Something is seriously wrong if you are 16-17 mpg in the UK.
 

getlost4x4

Expedition Leader
Yes. You should be around 25 US mpg. 30 mpg if UK gallons. Something is seriously wrong if you are 16-17 mpg in the UK.
iTS CALLED A LED FOOT. HA HA HA. I don't like to overstate my fuel mileage. I hate guys who think they are getting 50+ mpg out of their cummins. I get 17 out of my cummins, but I have a lead foot and like going fast.

I didn't calculate anything on the one I bought, but I know it was awesome because we didn't use much fuel. Not like a 4.2 L V8 Range Rover classic. I used to have to fill mine up just driving back and forth to SLC from my house 30 minutes away.
 

Red90

Adventurer
It does not matter how heavy your foot is. The mileage is pretty steady. You get 25 UK mpg when driven really hard like steady 80 mph in the mountains. I’ve had a TDI for 15 years and monitor the mileage. 16 is not possible even in full off road driving in low range.
 

getlost4x4

Expedition Leader
I did get 41.5 mpg out of our rental car. A 2018 Kia Optima Estate. It was a 1.7 turbo diesel. We put 1300 miles on it in a week.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
My factory 200 Tdi 1991 Defender 110 3 door was getting me 25+ MPG US every time for 2 years straight. I really almost always got 28 MPG on both Bio B20 (summer) and regular diesel (winter) the whole time I owned the truck. The only time I got under that number was longer trips on the highway climbing mountain passes and then I still got around 25 MPG. I was able to keep up with traffic but never really drove it faster than 75 MPH. I was very comfortable with 65-70 MPH even at elevation. I live in Colorado Springs and we start at 6,000 ft and go up to 11,000 ft on trips in mountains. I used it as my primary transportation and drove at least 5 days a week. I never had an issue getting parts from the UK.
 

xathor

New member
Doesn't matter how I drive, I almost always get 25-30mpg with my 200Tdi. Anyone who says they got 14mpg in a 200Tdi has a hole in their tank. I recently added some more pre-load on the "smoke screw" to help get the turbo spooled up a little bit faster down low, which I think has helped a little. I can run 70 all day long on the interstate.

36136004_223745321580108_7117741157232148480_n.jpg


(Ignore the oil pressure gauge, swapping out sensors)
 

lynx40

New member
You could use the 2.8 tdi which is based on an 300tdi gives more bhp an torque which will transform a classic
 

cameron_a

Observer
Doesn't matter how I drive, I almost always get 25-30mpg with my 200Tdi. Anyone who says they got 14mpg in a 200Tdi has a hole in their tank. I recently added some more pre-load on the "smoke screw" to help get the turbo spooled up a little bit faster down low, which I think has helped a little. I can run 70 all day long on the interstate.

36136004_223745321580108_7117741157232148480_n.jpg


(Ignore the oil pressure gauge, swapping out sensors)

I spun the boost pin, and dropped the star wheel down a turn or so on my 200. went from zero smoke, but zero pull under 2000rpm (difficult for hill starts and towing) to v. respinsive with a small puff off boost. well worth doing!
 

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