this might just be me or does the engine in the D1 have no guts for a v8
i mean im not asking for much but 65 is hard to get to in mine going up
eisenhower ( spelled wrong) tunnel. plus i spend half of the trip searching for the
right gear. Just a rant.

 

You have 182 HP in a 5000 pound vehicle. It is going to be a little gutless in the hills. Heading up Floyd Hill out of Denver on my way to Evergreen I found that I had to put the truck in third gear instead of drive to keep it from hunting for the right gear.

And let's not forget that a naturally aspirated engine is going to lose even more power as you climb due to the thinner air. Eisenhower is at 10,000 feet (I believe, maybe higher) which makes for some very thin air. Going to take my Rover across Trailridge Road when it opens in the spring. That ought to be an adventure.

 

Make sure that you are using premium gas, itIS required.
A good tune up will help as well as full synthetic oils in everything.
And like AK said, a heavy truck that is shaped like a brick with a small engine will be slow and have to work harder to do things that the bigger engines do.
These trucks are designed for slow speeds and off roading.

 

didnt hey have issues with the 4HP22's with them "hunting" for the rite gear, especially 3-4.. sis has a 95 SWB RR and it does the same thing, has for 50k miles. around 40 mph or so its constantly shifting.

 

One just has to learn to use the automatic like a manual tranny. I live in Colorado too and am just used to shifting down to 3rd or even 2nd on some steep highways. On an interstate or other divided highway I am used to just staying in the right hand lane and driving slower than other vehicles. Discos just aren't made for high speeds on steep roads. You just have to get used to that. I have 4.11 gears too and that helps but not enough to make it perform like a big HP SUV like my old 98 Explorer which is also much lighter. They are offroad trucks not highway cars. I don't overstress my 97 Disco by trying to keep it floored going up steep grades. I just slow down, downshift, and get up at a slower but respectable speed.

 

I never use 4th gear unless I'm going over 45mph or going down a long hill.

Willie

 

I find that the D2 has a lot of get up and go past about 50 mph. It did seem sluggish when we first got it, but I have gotten used to it when driving around town.

 

denverrover - what year is your D1 and how many miles? Have you done a tune up on it lately? A simple tune up could make a difference in performance on the hills.

 

its a 95 with about 133000 on it, its been a JC for a full lookover and tuneup. However as im reading the post im beginning to feel like the luck one
as i have a 5 speed manual. Im not really complaining and i remember the car when my parents bough it in 1995 being a little slow but
i feel like a could have peddled the thing faster. Any way i know that its an off road vehicle and that it was made in England which isn't know for its large passes.

 

I think you may be right about being the lucky one to have a 5-speed. I like my automatic but I prefer to be ale to choose the gear I need myself. I realize I can select gears with the automatic but I still prefer a manual transmission. The only good reason for having an automatic is to have a remote start system on the vehicle.

The guys over at JC's just replaced my head gaskets and water pump for me. They good really good work.