Diesel Power Box

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polsta

Active Member
Posts
843
Location
Portsmouth, south coast
had a look at the un conected power box i have in my 96 dse, and its one of these rimmer bros ones @ £350 (suprised me to see that, another nice little expensive extra on the car :)

Power Box 2 - Diesel Fuel Saver for Range Rover P38 at www.rimmerbros.co.uk

should i connect it up or leave it be or fully remove it ? :confused: (i know nothing about them and im new to range rovers)

im getting 25/26mpg around town and 32/33mpg on motorway
 
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One thing for sure is that it will not help to prolong the life of your engine. Just like mine its getting on a bit. I would say leave well alone.
 
well any sort of speed gains im not interested in, i dont have a diesel range rover for that, thats what my bmw is for, but mpg gains ? im googling and see there are 4 different settings on these ?

has anyone got actual expirience of this exact box on a p38 ? what was like before/after,and how it went over a long period of time ?
 
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polsta said:
well any sort of speed gains im not interested in, i dont have a diesel range rover for that, thats what my bmw is for, but mpg gains ? im googling and see there are 4 different settings on these ?

has anyone got actual expirience of this exact box on a p38 ? what was like before/after,and how it went over a long period of time ?
Click to expand...

Sorry to jump in, but if you decide not to use it would you fancy selling it to me? :D
 
I've got a PSI VP power chip on my P38, switchable by the front foglight switch. I don't use it much but the guy from Promotive (BMW specialist), told me that the motor will love it as they are so under stressed. I must admit it does make a lot of difference and will pick up and go quite surprisingly! It feels much crisper & lively, especially with it switched on on the motorway:)
 
$tumpy said:
I've got a PSI VP power chip on my P38, switchable by the front foglight switch. I don't use it much but the guy from Promotive (BMW specialist), told me that the motor will love it as they are so under stressed. I must admit it does make a lot of difference and will pick up and go quite surprisingly! It feels much crisper & lively, especially with it switched on on the motorway:)
Click to expand...

The diesel lump will take almost anything that you fancy; tuning boxes, bigger intercoolers etc. but you've got to be careful of whether the gearbox can handle it. You might want to have a look at some of DATATEK's posts on this.
 
Rangie.lad said:
Sorry to jump in, but if you decide not to use it would you fancy selling it to me? :D
Click to expand...

it might possibly go for sale if i decide not to or after maybe testing it, but wel see, il look right in to it 1st
................

my style of driving in it,i accelerate slow, cruise motorway at around 60, rarley going faster, and very rarley "giving it some" , i use the truck to get from A to B in winter and comfort and when i need to load it up or venture off road, so "speed" is not an issue as i dont use what it can anyway, as i always drive this to use as less fuel as possible, i find it drives excellent as it is and is a lot more nippy/pokey than my 300tdi disco was, but if the box improves mpg if i still drive the same way and wont harm the engine at all then i may use it ? , as its not like im going to use the box n rag the guts out of it everywhere and cain the gear box etc
 
polsta said:
well any sort of speed gains im not interested in, i dont have a diesel range rover for that, thats what my bmw is for, but mpg gains ? im googling and see there are 4 different settings on these ?

has anyone got actual expirience of this exact box on a p38 ? what was like before/after,and how it went over a long period of time ?
Click to expand...
Most of the more imformed guys on here ( not me im afraid )say that if you gain power you cannot gain mpg as well.....:(
 
but why is it called a fuel saver ?

The Power Box 2 - Diesel Power Upgrade is a high quality, digital management upgrade, incorporating a modern RISC microprocessor. The “chip” is carefully programmed - using the manufacturers standard fuel map as a foundation – and modifies the opening times of the injectors, which then accurately meters the extra fuel required. Unlike many analogue devices, which crudely over-fuel throughout the entire rev-range, each Power Box 2 - Diesel Power Upgrade is specifically mapped for the intended application. Extra fuel is provided when needed - eliminating flat-spots and hesitation - but there is no unnecessary enrichment, meaning no loss of fuel economy and no black smoke. In fact, most Power Box 2 - Diesel Power Upgrade users report a noticeable improvement in fuel economy, as they discover it’s no longer necessary to work their vehicle so hard.
 
The way a diesel generates power is through increasing the fuel....the more fuel the bigger the bang...unlike a petrol which is a balance of fuel to air.

The only way to increase power is to introduce more fuel and thus resulting in poor MPG.

Now ere is a paradox....

Depending on *how* you drive the car, you could increase your MPG but this is very difficult to do as it requires a balancing act....

Consider the time taken to get to 60 in a standard tune engine...lets say it takes 16 seconds...over that 16 seconds lets say 10ml of fuel is burned per second.....

Now tune the engine with a powerbox.....it now takes 12 seconds to get to 60 but burns 12ml per second to get there.....

First example uses 160ml of fuel, the second 144ml.....so you get better MPG as you wont have to use the throttle as much or as long....

BUT this saving only comes in the accelration phase....the rest of the time it is always introducing more fuel regardless of road/driving/traffic/engine conditions....
 
Saint.V8 said:
The way a diesel generates power is through increasing the fuel....the more fuel the bigger the bang...unlike a petrol which is a balance of fuel to air.

The only way to increase power is to introduce more fuel and thus resulting in poor MPG.

Now ere is a paradox....

Depending on *how* you drive the car, you could increase your MPG but this is very difficult to do as it requires a balancing act....

Consider the time taken to get to 60 in a standard tune engine...lets say it takes 16 seconds...over that 16 seconds lets say 10ml of fuel is burned per second.....

Now tune the engine with a powerbox.....it now takes 12 seconds to get to 60 but burns 12ml per second to get there.....

First example uses 160ml of fuel, the second 144ml.....so you get better MPG as you wont have to use the throttle as much or as long....

BUT this saving only comes in the accelration phase....the rest of the time it is always introducing more fuel regardless of road/driving/traffic/engine conditions....
Click to expand...
Makes sense to me.....
 
makes sense to me also, but where/how does that tally up with their description in my post there , and what they say on the link (1st post) on the website there ? , and what about normal cruisng fuel use ? at say 30mph and 60mph ?

this is all new to me :confused:
 
polsta said:
makes sense to me also, but where/how does that tally up with their description in my post there , and what they say on the link (1st post) on the website there ? , and what about normal cruisng fuel use ? at say 30mph and 60mph ?

this is all new to me :confused:
Click to expand...
I think i can remember when the dse first came out reading claims of upto 37mpg. I dont think you can trust everything that you read maybe.
 
362bkr said:
I think i can remember when the dse first came out reading claims of upto 37mpg. I dont think you can trust everything that you read maybe.
Click to expand...

they tell lies you know,go back in history and you will find others that have lied in the past like the jaguar e type top speed :eek: it helps to sell their product.
 
Saint.V8 said:
The way a diesel generates power is through increasing the fuel....the more fuel the bigger the bang...unlike a petrol which is a balance of fuel to air.

The only way to increase power is to introduce more fuel and thus resulting in poor MPG.

Now ere is a paradox....

Depending on *how* you drive the car, you could increase your MPG but this is very difficult to do as it requires a balancing act....

Consider the time taken to get to 60 in a standard tune engine...lets say it takes 16 seconds...over that 16 seconds lets say 10ml of fuel is burned per second.....

Now tune the engine with a powerbox.....it now takes 12 seconds to get to 60 but burns 12ml per second to get there.....

First example uses 160ml of fuel, the second 144ml.....so you get better MPG as you wont have to use the throttle as much or as long....
Click to expand...

Totally agree, more power from more fuel used.

Saint.V8 said:
BUT this saving only comes in the accelration phase....the rest of the time it is always introducing more fuel regardless of road/driving/traffic/engine conditions....
Click to expand...

The powerbox confuses the vehicles computer into indicating a shown higher mpg, because the computer doesn't know the fuel injection time been increased to gain more power.

Q.E.D.

zzr
 
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All interesting stuff.

I bought my P38 2.5 Diesel (year 2000) six years ago, with 45k on the clock. I fitted the 'Power Box' (Rimmer Bros.) almost immediately: noticing a marked improvement in pick up.

I appreciate the quality debate on fuel economy (mainly when accelerating), but as for any detrimental effect upon the engine - none that I can determine, whatsoever. Mileage now approaching 140k.

Keeping to oil change schedules and all other maintenance required is what's essential. Some change oil every 3k, but I've stuck to 6k.

How you drive also likely has more effect.

Doug
 
so how have you found it mpg wise doug ?

mpg over any power, is what id be looking at, looking on the site at their description is more labeled a "fuel saver" product than a "power gain" product ?
 
Does the engine have an electronically controlled turbo waste gate?

If it does, the chances are that this "box" also ups the boost pressure limit, and if it doesn't increase the fuelling as much and thus makes the engine run leaner while breathing more air, then it could plausibly increase your mpg while adding power because running leaner would, in theory, result in more complete combustion. But that is IF the waste gate is electronically controlled on these - I don't know whether that is the case.
 
gordan said:
Does the engine have an electronically controlled turbo waste gate?

If it does, the chances are that this "box" also ups the boost pressure limit, and if it doesn't increase the fuelling as much and thus makes the engine run leaner while breathing more air, then it could plausibly increase your mpg while adding power because running leaner would, in theory, result in more complete combustion. But that is IF the waste gate is electronically controlled on these - I don't know whether that is the case.
Click to expand...


Gordon mate think you read too many books. You can't increase turbo boost and introduce less fuel. Unless you want to melt your pistons of course. Upping turbo boost will automatically demand more fuel not less.
 
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