Hello everyone.

I'm finally getting ready to order a 110 and have been doing a bit more research on the site. I've read several threads comparing the P300 to the P400 but didn't really get the answer to my question.

I live at 9,500' in Colorado and will use it on the mountain passes here. Hopefully it won't see much time on I-70 for those familiar! The sales associate is trying to talk me into the P400. Saying I won't be satisfied with the 4cyl at altitude. And I believe that he's being genuine.

It'll be a second car used for transportation to/from ski resort in winter and on trails in the summer. Another reason I want the P300 is so I can get the 18" wheels w/out a lot of modification. Any thoughts/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

 

Sounds like a load of BS to me to try to upsell you into the P400

Sales associates at my local JLR knew almost nothing about the Defender.

Get the p300 and the 18"s. I doubt you'll have any regrets. It's a royal PITA getting 18's on the P400.

 

I agree with GavinC - load of BS. That being said, I live in CO at about 7k and have the P400 and am frequently up and down the mountains. Never a single issue - so I have no problem believe the P300 won't get the job done for you.

 

I haven’t driven much at quite that elevation. But a lot in the 5-8K feet range on a P300 and it has been great. Driving through WA, MT, UT mountains and high deserts. Having the turbo helps in the thinner air. Climbing has been fine as well. I’m at around 17K miles so far with no issues.

It might be different if you are towing, but for general driving the P300 has been great for me.

 

I did not occur any problem at that elevation, always power.

 

The P300 is a forced induction engine so altitude should have little to no impact is my understanding.

 

Spent plenty of time in Ridgeway, Ouray, and Silverton. Never had issues at altitude with my p300 and I am on 35s!

 

Exactly. If the P300’s paltry 300hp is sufficient for your right-foot’s desires going up a steep hill in Louisiana, it should be equally sufficient up a steep hill in Colorado. The computer will just allow the snail to stuff more air into the chamber to keep power up, something a normally-aspirated engine can’t do.

There is a limit to this ability, of course, and I don’t actually know if a P300 at 10,000+ feet is still making 300hp, or if the air up there is so oxygen-poor that the turbo can’t physically stuff enough into the plenum to equal sea-level power. At some point that would happen. I do know that, like Sarek, I spent a couple of weeks in the San Juans this summer, albeit in an appropriately manly P400, and never noticed any diminution of power. That said, I wasn’t exactly going WOT through Imogene Pass either.

 

It's a turbo that makes 300 HP not sure why anyone would ever question if it is enough.

 

Thanks for all the responses and this one is especially useful. It looks like 32-33" is about the max with stock suspension - that's what I'd go with. So, if it'll pull 35's up the passes, I should be fine on 32's.