Choice of engine

September 20, 2024 - Reading time: 7 minutes

Why the BMW M57

First question, why the BMW M57?

Throughout my research, it appeared that whilst almost any engine suited to rear wheel drive vehicles could be made to work, there were two options which were well understood with very well documented conversion processes:

• LS3 V8 crate engine.
• BMW M57.

And one more which seems to be viable, but less well documented.

• Ford EcoBoost 3.2.

In addition, the option exists to rebuild and remap the existing Ford Puma 2.4 engine.

Objectives

It is also worth clearly stating my objectives as this greatly aids engine selection:

1. More refinement. The Puma engine is noisy and whilst it maybe well suited to a Transit, the Defender deserves better.
2. Improved performance. To be able to cruise comfortably on the motorway at 70MPH.
3. Improved reliability. The current Puma needs overhauling to maintain reliability.
4. Reasonable fuel efficiency. I am not sure what is achievable at the moment, but I am looking for the best fuel efficiency for long journeys on fast roads.
5. Engine to chassis integration using off the shelf parts (if possible).
6. Reasonable cost of conversion.
7. Subtle conversion, maintaining as many original LandRover features as possible.
8. Availability of parts.

Engine Choices

Rating these requirements against each engine - based purely on my opinion and research completed thus far gives:

• 10 - Excellent
• 8 - Very Good
• 6 - Reasonable
• 4 - OK
• 2 -Poor

So, the M57 wins.