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Fuel Consumption Report: 3.0 M50/318is

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    Fuel Consumption Report: 3.0 M50/318is

    I decided to keep track of fuel consumption for a typical week of driving for my E30 to see how economical it was during a work-week commute. I kept the rules pretty simple: 5-days of commuting to work and occasionally small errands after work. I started Monday morning before work with a full tank, and filled the tank Friday night at about 8pm, after running an errand. This wasn't an attempt to hypermile and get maximum MPG out of the car; just get results from a typical week of driving. 2 of the 5 workdays I redlined 2nd/3rd gear on an on-ramp coming home from work.

    The car is a '91 318is, weighs 2620# (w/o driver), and has a 3.0L stroked M50 with no catalytic converter, euro MAF, raised compression, and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator that was set to run at 48psi (58psi at WOT). Getrag 260/3.73/slightly taller than stock tire size.

    My commute to work is 24 miles highway (70-73mph) and 3 miles of stoplight-to-stoplight traffic.

    I went out to lunch 3 of the 5 days to a deli, total of 6 miles.

    I ran errands totalling 17 miles during the week.

    In total, I drove 293 miles: Friday night I filled the tank and put in 10.3 gallons. Over 293 miles of driving, that's 28.44 MPG

    Better than expected :) Thanks to the adjustable FPR, a light car, good gearing, and an efficient engine, it gets almost the mileage it got with the M42. As a bonus, it will shake off the 996 in the next lane at the drop of a hat. :)

    #2
    taller than stock tire means you're getting even better mileage, but 28.44 is awesome enough.

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      #3
      great mpg. how much Horse power does your car have?

      www.gutenparts.com
      One stop shopping for NEW, USED and EURO PARTS!

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        #4
        That's really good considering all the warm-up cycles you go through. Since I know that my OBC MPG is very accurate I know that my first 5-10 miles are always horrible.

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          #5
          damn, yer doubling my s50... i WISH i got that kinda mileage...
          IG: @Baye30

          FRONT VALENCE IS ZENDER!!! STOP FILLING MY PM BOX PPL!!!

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            #6
            I know I can get 30mpg+ highway on the turbo car without the gurney flap.... the problem is that I can't keep the needle under 0psi for a whole gas tank. :p
            Erick Mahle | FullOpp Drift | YouTube
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            Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
            ...one of the most hardcore E30's around. :D

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              #7
              Originally posted by golde30 View Post
              damn, yer doubling my s50... i WISH i got that kinda mileage...
              Maybe if your brakes weren't always grabbing...

              "It's like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain."
              R.I.P. Harry Goz aka. Captain Murphy
              "My ride, My ride, she don't beg, steal, cheat, or lie,
              My ride, My ride, and our relationship is classified."

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                #8
                @ Mossman, rear tires are 195/60/15, so just a touch taller than stock, not much change in effective gearing. Also should note that all 4 tires are kept at 38psi.

                @ E30S52, roughly 280

                @ GoldE30...what, Are you serious!?

                @ Erick; same here, all summer I've spent the majority of my workweek commute hauling ass and/or revving out gears, mainly to (help) subside the frustration of driving a black sweatbox in NC heat. :) I wanted to get some realistic results though, and keep track of adjustments in fuel pressure.

                @cahomey, from your PM--cams are from a '98 M3

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                  #9
                  -Great results, Stu, maybe now I have a logical rational for a m50 swap
                  1989 cirrisblau-metallic 325i

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by SpecM View Post
                    -Great results, Stu, maybe now I have a logical rational for a m50 swap
                    I'm seeing about 27.6 mpg highway at "aggressive" cruising speeds with a 3.73(~85 mph), so yea, it would be nice on a DD. Go with a slightly less aggressive rear end and you could probably do 29 easily.

                    -Charlie
                    Swing wild, brake later, don't apologize.
                    '89 324d, '76 02, '98 318ti, '03 Z4, '07 MCS, '07 F800s - Bonafide BMW elitist prick.
                    FYYFF

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Charlie View Post
                      I'm seeing about 27.6 mpg highway at "aggressive" cruising speeds with a 3.73(~85 mph), so yea, it would be nice on a DD. Go with a slightly less aggressive rear end and you could probably do 29 easily.

                      -Charlie
                      Charlie, I can't tell from your sig...is that 324e or 324d? Either way, f'n awesome.

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                        #12
                        I shoulda done a swap and not messed with the M20. I get like 24 on the highway, and maybe 20 with in town. LOL

                        That's damn good results!
                        - Sean Hayes

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                          #13
                          1992 Cabrio, stock S50, ZF trans (no overdrive), 3.25LSD, 3,000+ pounds:
                          19mpg city
                          25mpg highway
                          I have a 2.93LSD I'd like to swap in to improve the cruising RPM & see if the mileage improves a bit.
                          "If the sky were to fall tomorrow, the tall would die first."

                          -Dr. Paul Forrester



                          Do I LOOK like I need a psychological evaluation???

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by rwdrift View Post
                            I know I can get 30mpg+ highway on the turbo car without the gurney flap.... the problem is that I can't keep the needle under 0psi for a whole gas tank.

                            Me too! With my 3.25LSD i get about 23mpg on average. Thats including redlining first 3 gears every day at least twice. :)

                            Great numbers though stu!
                            -Chris

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