325e vs 318i - Most fuel efficient e30?

[Mr. Tasty]

i get 26 mpg mixed with my stock eta that has a small vacuum leak. It is also really low and has 16x9 wheels. I can't complain

[nando]

Damn, was this around town?

was about 50/50 highway/city.

It was fun to drive even though it was such a piece of shit. I kind of wanted to buy it and rebuild it but the costs are astronomical for what you get out of it. wouldn't mind having a stock 318is for a DD someday though.

when my ix was stock/automatic I got 21/26. That was when you could get ethanol free gas though..

[eur04lif3]

My average is 26.8mpg combined, but i don't baby my car at all...i'm sure i would get 30mpg if drove calmly.


PS. FUELLY is a good tool where you could see a wide spread of data from these two models.

[alpineII_dirty]

I went through an eta and now I drive a 318is(4.10lsd), never paid close attention to the eta but i feel like the 318is is decent city driving like 21 or 22 mpg(i drive slow between 40/45mph) and highway not to sure because i like to stay with traffic so Im always on and off the pedal...My friend in his eta well 2.7i would be doing lower rpms then me while we cruise at 45mph and in highway he does way much better than me. Kind of frustrates me that he has more power/bigger engine and does better gas mileage than me -_-

[anabolice30]

I drove a beat to shit, pile of a high miles 318is for a few months that consistently got 30mpg. clutch was fried and slipped at more than 1/2 throttle, timing rails were toast, tank full of rust, fart can, etc. etc..

Damn, was this around town?

[nando]

I drove a beat to shit, pile of a high miles 318is for a few months that consistently got 30mpg. clutch was fried and slipped at more than 1/2 throttle, timing rails were toast, tank full of rust, fart can, etc. etc..

[nrubenstein]

I don't have my manual in front of me, but if I remember correctly it lists 89 in a non-US Octane rating, which translates to 91 at the pumps, herein the US. I get mid twenties in my 318is, but that's in awful Los Angeles traffic. Plus - I can't help but wring the thing out, so I definitely could get more if I drove more economically.

You've got it backwards. The rest of the world frequently uses RON only, which reads higher, while we use AKI which is an average that is generally 4-5 lower for the same quality fuel. e.g. 98 RON in the UK is really 93-94 here.

[naplesE30]

My m42 avg 27 combined 50-50 driving with just me in the car. I would cruise at about 80mph on the hwy at 4k rpm. Switched out the 4.10 for a 3.73 and my mpg went to 30 every fillup like clockwork. I dont feel the 3.73 made the car much slower in city driving either, it was a good comprimise. At 80 it dropped the rpms down to around 3500.

My m42 still had the factory sticker on the dash over the fuel gauge saying 91oct only. So yeah premium it was.

[Nsquared97]

My beater '85 318 (M10) usually gets 25-28 combined city/expressway, and that's with me not being easy on the go pedal. Haven't tried a road trip with it, but I would expect 30+ on the highway pretty easily, although the stock 3.91 isn't doing you any favors at 70mph+. With the recent snow the mileage has dropped a lot though haha.

[anabolice30]

Oh yea, and it would be helpful to mention if this is around town or on the highway. I almost exclusively drive around town. I wouldn't call it "city traffic" though. It's more like navigating the suburbs.

[BobombETA]

I used to get 30+ in my eta on the highway.

[Nick_S]

I would get 29mpg even with my roof rack and bike at 65mph with my m42. Can't speak for an eta though.

[word is bond]

M42/44 only require 89 according to my manuals. My 318ti gets 28 overall city/highway combined. It's dropped a bit but k believe that's a minor vaccum issue right now.

I don't have my manual in front of me, but if I remember correctly it lists 89 in a non-US Octane rating, which translates to 91 at the pumps, herein the US. I get mid twenties in my 318is, but that's in awful Los Angeles traffic. Plus - I can't help but wring the thing out, so I definitely could get more if I drove more economically.

[jharrel]

^but that doesnt really apply to this thread. sorry. i just think its cool what you can do with technology these days. i think having a 318 would be better overall. they are lighter, more nimble then an eta. but it would be hard for me to choose between the two

[jharrel]

i read somewhere that people that have megasquirted cars can do lean out mixture around cruising speeds to get better gas mileage. which would be cool to be able to actually do if you travel a good distance to work everyday.