With 300 HP from a mere 2l engine, I think I'd leave well-enough alone lest it grenades on me.

 

I wouldn't worry; there are so many cars out there these days that have high-output 2.0-liter engines. Mercedes has a 2.0-liter with over 400hp, and VAG has the EA888 that is available in multiple 300hp+ tunes. Plus, the 300hp version of the AJ200 Ingenium engine in the Defender has been in production since 2017 and has proven to be a pretty reliable engine.

 

Exactly, with 300 HP. They would have delivered it with 400 HP if they thought it could take the stress for 150,000+ miles, or even be trouble-free during the warranty period. I mean, why build the P400 if the lighter, cheaper, less complicated P300 could reliably deliver the same power?

It's like how silly it is to overclock a PC or graphics card these days. Intel, etc., has already pushed them right up to the edge of instability.

Same with how lame the usual claims of extra power from changing the muffler or air filter are. Get those for the sound if you must, but manufacturers have (generally) already done the very best that could be done, especially in high-performance cars, with essentially nothing left to gain.

 

From the research i've done and Land Rover's general reliability it does sound like the P300 is not a good engine to push, transmission could be the move! Was just curious if anyone has pushed this motor. From my experience, I do disagree that manufactures generally do the best they can. Id go as far to say the majority modern turbo motors especially in this premium market are highly tunable.. BMW B58, the majority of VW Group motors.. I'd be pumped if JLR stuck a bmw b58 in a defender (RIP grenadier)

 

I'm sure you could get 1000 HP out of the P300 for a few minutes.

But what is this claim about transmission tuning resulting in more HP? Transmissions do not make power. You can get a little more torque if you shift sooner and hold the gear longer. That's what the "sport" setting already does. What else could be done for "more HP"?

 

You obviously can't get more horsepower out of the transmission. 8HP is the internal code for the ZF 8 speed transmission. You can have the transmission reprogrammed for better performance, smoother shifts, shift logic and shift speed; RPM & torque limits and more. This can allow the car to be noticeably quicker without increasing power.

 

They should've used the B58 instead of using their $hitty 4.4 N63 V8 to replace the AJ133.

 

And so why would JLR not use the best performing, smoothest tuning for the transmission too? I'm just generally skeptical that some garage with a laptop can do better than the combined efforts of ZF and JLR.

 

Because this is tuning for better performance. The Defender's shift logic isn't performance-focused. And by that I mean it isn't tuned like your normal performance vehicle. It is tuned for off-roading, fuel economy and to be as smooth and unintrusive as possible. My friend put a transmission tune on his Audi S4 with the ZF 8HP and the difference is night and day. A lot more responsive, quicker and smoother shifts, no more auto upshifting in manual mode etc. Is it necessary on the Defender? I personally don't think so, but people can do whatever they want with their vehicles.

 

Also, if you're concerned with the P300's performance, why didn't you order the P400?