500 miles on one tank! [Archive] - bimmerfest

andy_thomas

09-07-2004, 02:29 PM

Took a road trip over the weekend. With a tail wind part of the way, and conservative driving, I got 500 miles out of one tank of gas. I would say that is :thumbup:

I love this car...keeps getting better with age.
500 miles, assuming there is a US gallon left in the tank when you fill up, is 32 US mpg on average. Not bad at all.

During a recent drive around the south-west of England and Wales with three hawk-eyed family members for passengers, I averaged 37-38 mpImpg (according to OBC) and clocked ~470 miles before filling up; the reserve light was still nowhere to be seen.

One chap got from London to Cannes on a single tank of fuel driving a 320d some years ago - that would be about 725 miles on one tank. All at 60 mph, and mostly on empty, wide-open French toll roads. No thanks :)

Jim Seattle

09-07-2004, 02:37 PM

500 miles, assuming there is a US gallon left in the tank when you fill up,

Under a gallon...I was on fumes and the light was on.

Amazing about those 320d cars....that's something to be proud of.

Warot

09-07-2004, 05:41 PM

yea we had a really cool experince, my friend and I. We were able to borrow one of BMW's company car, a 320d. We went from Pretoria to the Kalahari desert (South Africa) on one tank. That was about 950 kilometers I think, and we were going about 130kmh. Amazing cars, I love diesels.

If you think that's impressive, imagine what a 120d can do.

Bimmer4life

09-07-2004, 05:57 PM

I totally belive this cause when I'm crusing on the interstate, I always re-set my "instant" and I awalys get around 30-32 MPG.

Elwood

09-07-2004, 06:18 PM

I totally belive this cause when I'm crusing on the interstate, I always re-set my "instant" and I awalys get around 30-32 MPG.
Just did LRP and back this weekend. 350 mi round trip and had a healthy 1/4 tank left. ~= 466 mi/tank :thumbup:

Cruising in this car is the best.

grayghost

09-07-2004, 07:44 PM

On a recent interstate trip, I did a little testing and found that I got right at 34 mpg at a constant 70 - 72 mph, and it dropped to 32 mpg at 75 - 77 mph. (6 speed manual, cruising in 6th).

I'd say that is pretty good, considering the performance potential of the car! :)

allaboutme

09-07-2004, 11:30 PM

grayghost

09-08-2004, 04:52 AM

You must not have many hills

Well, the trip was ftom Atlanta to Raleigh and return, and the terrain is generally rolling the entire distance. No real steep mountains, but it is continiously up and down. Never had to drop out of 6th to climb a hill, if that is what you mean... But, with the torque of the 3 liter engine, that would take a pretty steep hill.

solsurfr

09-08-2004, 06:55 AM

ChosenGSR

09-08-2004, 07:07 AM

Sounds abour right, I usually get around 24mpg average with my zhp (3.6k on the odo) so a gas tank lasts me about 380 or so. On the highway the zhp is rated at 30mpg so yeah 500 can happen :thumbup:

grayghost

09-08-2004, 08:38 AM

I haven't gotten more than 340+ miles out of one tank :dunno: .

I drive semi-fast on highways but consertively for the most part. My car is 9 months old with 6800 miles. Maybe it will get better with age?

Coming back from the US Open last night, I was able to do around 95MPH down the turnpike. My passengers didn't even notice, hehe... but I'm sure that won't help my gas mileage either.

Please tell me how you guys are driving your cars to get 400+ miles on a full tank?

I get 400 miles to a tank around town... :) (sometimes)
Key things are:
- Use as high a gear as possible/practical: There is no real need to cruise over 2000 RPM in lower gear, unless you just like the sound of the engine. I generally use whatever gear that will get me to 1500 RPM or so. This is for constant speed on level ground or downhill; accelerating or uphill may require a higher gear. When accelerating up to speed, shift early (certainly no higher than 2500 RPM) and accelerate slowly/smoothly.
- As much as it hurts(!), refrain from fast acceleration. It really is a matter of pretending there is a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal.
- Plan ahead! Coast to stop signs/lights. Try to avoid stopping completely. Think of your brakes as the biggest enemy of good gas mileage. (Within reason. of course, please!) The good part of this is that it reduces the brake dust problem.... :thumbup:

I'm not saying that we should all drive for maximum gas mileage all the time.. (that would be somewhat of a waste of a great car!) But, it is a good thing to practice occasionally and it is certainly good to know that our cars are capable of very good mpg numbers.

Oh, I've got about 7500 miles on my 330Ci, but have been 'playing' with this mileage thing for the past 2000 miles or so and haven't seen any real change in mileage, other than my driving.

ChadS

09-08-2004, 08:51 AM

500 miles to a tank is about what I got about 2 years when I drove cross country. I usually had the cruise control set at somewhere between 70 - 80 mph. Needless to say, I was very happy with the gas consumption (or rather lack of) during that trip. :thumbup:

solsurfr

09-08-2004, 09:10 AM

I get 400 miles to a tank around town... :) (sometimes)
Key things are:
- Use as high a gear as possible/practical: There is no real need to cruise over 2000 RPM in lower gear, unless you just like the sound of the engine. I generally use whatever gear that will get me to 1500 RPM or so. This is for constant speed on level ground or downhill; accelerating or uphill may require a higher gear. When accelerating up to speed, shift early (certainly no higher than 2500 RPM) and accelerate slowly/smoothly.
- As much as it hurts(!), refrain from fast acceleration. It really is a matter of pretending there is a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal.
- Plan ahead! Coast to stop signs/lights. Try to avoid stopping completely. Think of your brakes as the biggest enemy of good gas mileage. (Within reason. of course, please!) The good part of this is that it reduces the brake dust problem.... :thumbup:

I'm not saying that we should all drive for maximum gas mileage all the time.. (that would be somewhat of a waste of a great car!) But, it is a good thing to practice occasionally and it is certainly good to know that our cars are capable of very good mpg numbers.

Oh, I've got about 7500 miles on my 330Ci, but have been 'playing' with this mileage thing for the past 2000 miles or so and haven't seen any real change in mileage, other than my driving.
Thanks for the tips! I pretty much follow those rules but not on a daily basis because I tend to want to drive a bit harder which I think is the main reason why I'm not getting 500 miles on a full tank. I'll try a bit harder and see what I come up with. I think having the A/C on sometimes and XI system may hinder me from having exceptional gas mileage though :dunno:

Elwood

09-08-2004, 09:47 AM

I get 400 miles to a tank around town... :) (sometimes)
Key things are:
- Use as high a gear as possible/practical: There is no real need to cruise over 2000 RPM in lower gear, unless you just like the sound of the engine. I generally use whatever gear that will get me to 1500 RPM or so. This is for constant speed on level ground or downhill; accelerating or uphill may require a higher gear. When accelerating up to speed, shift early (certainly no higher than 2500 RPM) and accelerate slowly/smoothly.
- As much as it hurts(!), refrain from fast acceleration. It really is a matter of pretending there is a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal.
- Plan ahead! Coast to stop signs/lights. Try to avoid stopping completely. Think of your brakes as the biggest enemy of good gas mileage. (Within reason. of course, please!) The good part of this is that it reduces the brake dust problem.... :thumbup:

I'm not saying that we should all drive for maximum gas mileage all the time.. (that would be somewhat of a waste of a great car!) But, it is a good thing to practice occasionally and it is certainly good to know that our cars are capable of very good mpg numbers.

Oh, I've got about 7500 miles on my 330Ci, but have been 'playing' with this mileage thing for the past 2000 miles or so and haven't seen any real change in mileage, other than my driving.
you sir should just drive a Buick ;) j/k

Only american muscle cars do well below 2k! My avg shifts are from 3-4k.

Unfortunately I rarely get "good" gas milage. Current avg for the past 6mo. is 22.3 mpg. But unlike typical SUV drivers that just piss gas out the door, I enjoy every glorious HP delivered :D

Memphis10

09-08-2004, 01:15 PM

Drove from Memphis to Dallas in 1 tank of gas (475 miles). I was driving between 100 - 110 miles per hour. Went up to 125 mph for about 5 min.

nitram_luap

09-08-2004, 02:29 PM

I've managed 930km (580 miles) from one tank in my 2004 318i - and that wasn't all freeway driving! :D

I'm pretty happy with that!

Paul Martin
Australia

Jim Seattle

09-08-2004, 02:34 PM

Please tell me how you guys are driving your cars to get 400+ miles on a full tank?

Long HWY trips it's easy...just set the cruise and sit back. In my case above...i had a tail wind for some of the trip. I reset my computer to get instant and it bounced from 37 to 38.5 at 75 mph. Without the tail wind I avg 33 mpg.

Around Town I avg high 300's maybe 400 mpg...avg shifts (at 3-4K)/avg driving.

It's a fact that once the engine really breaks in your gas mileage will increase. Since you only have 7500 on yours...you have something to look forward to.

318-Bmw

09-08-2004, 03:46 PM

Drove from Memphis to Dallas in 1 tank of gas (475 miles). I was driving between 100 - 110 miles per hour. Went up to 125 mph for about 5 min.

^ :loco: ^

Nick325xiT 5spd

09-08-2004, 03:58 PM

Thanks for the tips! I pretty much follow those rules but not on a daily basis because I tend to want to drive a bit harder which I think is the main reason why I'm not getting 500 miles on a full tank. I'll try a bit harder and see what I come up with. I think having the A/C on sometimes and XI system may hinder me from having exceptional gas mileage though :dunno:
My 325xiT got worse highway gas mileage than my M3 does.

BMW303

09-08-2004, 05:29 PM

My personal record is 533 miles from Denver to Beaver Utah which I had the advantage of a big drop in elevation comming out of the rockies. I was getting a little scared of becomming stranded in the middle of nowhere Utah for a little bit. I remember that I ended up pumping about 16.3 gallons which is close to the 32 MPG number. I bet I could get to LA on 1 fillup from Denver.

MG67

09-08-2004, 08:25 PM

The most I have gotten out of a tank of gas was 320 miles...:( that's because I drive on the parkinglot they call the 101 Freeway in LA... One day... One day...

grayghost

09-09-2004, 07:27 PM

you sir should just drive a Buick ;) j/k
Ouch, that hurts :yikes:

Only american muscle cars do well below 2k! My avg shifts are from 3-4k.
Untrue... With the variable timing, intelligent fuel injection and other refinements, the 330 engine is much more comfortable at both low and high RPMs than what we think of as "Muscle Cars". There is no need to shift above 2500 RPM except "because you want to."! There is nothing wrong with that though.

Unfortunately I rarely get "good" gas milage. Current avg for the past 6mo. is 22.3 mpg. But unlike typical SUV drivers that just piss gas out the door, I enjoy every glorious HP delivered :D

Do you think there might be a relationship between the 3-4K shifts and the poor gas mileage?? Your comparsion to SUV drivers is interesting... I'd say you were both very much alike. They appear to get some great satisfaction from hauling around a couple of tons of steel. You get satisfaction from moving a smaller vehicle faster... Just two slightly different ways of enjoying your vehicle. The real difference is that you have a choice. You can get very good mileage if you choose and have the self-discipline.

Now, again, I am NOT advocating that everyone drive their BMWs so as to always mazimize the MPG! Why have a BMW if you don't turn it loose at least every once in a while. I probably just keep mine on a little tighter leash than some of you do. But, believe me, I do enjoy turing it loose! Just don't justify driving the way you WANT to by saying it's better for the car.... If you drive it hard all/most of the time, it's going to cost more for gas, maintenance, and the long term reliability of the car. It is purely a matter of what you want to pay for.... :)

Elwood

09-09-2004, 07:56 PM

Ouch, that hurts :yikes:

Untrue... With the variable timing, intelligent fuel injection and other refinements, the 330 engine is much more comfortable at both low and high RPMs than what we think of as "Muscle Cars". There is no need to shift above 2500 RPM except "because you want to."! There is nothing wrong with that though.

Do you think there might be a relationship between the 3-4K shifts and the poor gas mileage?? Your comparsion to SUV drivers is interesting... I'd say you were both very much alike. They appear to get some great satisfaction from hauling around a couple of tons of steel. You get satisfaction from moving a smaller vehicle faster... Just two slightly different ways of enjoying your vehicle. The real difference is that you have a choice. You can get very good mileage if you choose and have the self-discipline.

Now, again, I am NOT advocating that everyone drive their BMWs so as to always mazimize the MPG! Why have a BMW if you don't turn it loose at least every once in a while. I probably just keep mine on a little tighter leash than some of you do. But, believe me, I do enjoy turing it loose! Just don't justify driving the way you WANT to by saying it's better for the car.... If you drive it hard all/most of the time, it's going to cost more for gas, maintenance, and the long term reliability of the car. It is purely a matter of what you want to pay for.... :)
LOL my gas mileage isn't great because unlike most here who get great mileage, I spend <10% of my commute at cruising speeds, the rest is back country stop and go.....and of course the monthly autox :D (all time high of 8mpg!) My best highway cruising MPG is upwards of 30mpg and around 3k+.

As to RPM's, most cars work best at 2k and above. below that in any gear but 1st, and your lugging the engine....an inefficient use of energy/gearing. My remark to muscle cars actually refers more to a vette. Their engine/gearing seems to be tune for 1.5k to 3k and hence 1.5-2k is very normal with no noticable engine lugging. Course mass quantities of torque is a good thing ;)

Don't mind my SUV comment, I take jabs at them every chance I get. Around here, most are driven by idiots (BMW drivers are saints in comparison!) And your right...we do have a choice whereas they don't :D

atlau

09-09-2004, 10:17 PM

Paul,
Where do you live/drive?
I live in Sydney, with a 2.0L 318i, and can barely squeeze 500kms!! I drive probably 65city/35highway...

I'm using Shell Optimax, and yesterday cost me $65 from empty->full :(

I've managed 930km (580 miles) from one tank in my 2004 318i - and that wasn't all freeway driving! :D

I'm pretty happy with that!

Paul Martin
Australia

solsurfr

09-10-2004, 06:18 AM

My 325xiT got worse highway gas mileage than my M3 does.
You think it is the extra weight of the XI system?

grayghost

09-10-2004, 06:57 AM

LOL my gas mileage isn't great because unlike most here who get great mileage, I spend <10% of my commute at cruising speeds, the rest is back country stop and go.....and of course the monthly autox :D (all time high of 8mpg!) My best highway cruising MPG is upwards of 30mpg and around 3k+.

As to RPM's, most cars work best at 2k and above. below that in any gear but 1st, and your lugging the engine....an inefficient use of energy/gearing. My remark to muscle cars actually refers more to a vette. Their engine/gearing seems to be tune for 1.5k to 3k and hence 1.5-2k is very normal with no noticable engine lugging. Course mass quantities of torque is a good thing ;)

Don't mind my SUV comment, I take jabs at them every chance I get. Around here, most are driven by idiots (BMW drivers are saints in comparison!) And your right...we do have a choice whereas they don't :D

Well, we'll have to "agree to disagree" on the RPM issue.... I'll just say that modern engines are perfectly happy 'cruising' at 1500 RPM. (Mild acceleration at that RPM is fine, but I would not recommend heavy acceleration at that low RPM.) Drive an automatic transmission equipped BMW and see what RPMs it shifts at under light acceleration. The hard part is keeping to the "light acceleration" part....

Since I work out of my home office, I don't have to fight much of the rush hour traffic, except for when I get caught going to/from the airport. My most common "commute" is to the health club. That and my other common local trips average about 1.5 stop signs/lights per mile and speed limits of 35- 45 mph (I might run just a "little" ;) faster than that) but relatively light traffic. In this mode I can get about 27 mpg if I try. Or, I can get about 23 mpg if I decide to have more fun :) . Interstate cruising, which is probably about 30% of my driving, gives from 30 to 34 mpg, depending on the speed/conditions.

Believe me, I understand (and agree) concerning the typical SUV drivers.!

nitram_luap

09-10-2004, 09:04 PM

Paul,
Where do you live/drive?
I live in Sydney, with a 2.0L 318i, and can barely squeeze 500kms!! I drive probably 65city/35highway...

I'm using Shell Optimax, and yesterday cost me $65 from empty->full :(

I live in Queensland and those figures were from a very long drive up the coast - probably 95% at 100km/h and the rest at 60km/h

Normal figures aren't quite that good, but still much better than my 2000 318i (1.9L engine)... This new engine is great - I 'think' it is an N46 all alloy engine (build date April 2004).

Paul

atlau

09-13-2004, 04:58 AM

Thanks Paul. Beautiful up there mate.

Agreed mate - should just learn to love the bloody beautiful engine, and bugger the fuel costs!!!!!!!!!

I live in Queensland and those figures were from a very long drive up the coast - probably 95% at 100km/h and the rest at 60km/h

Normal figures aren't quite that good, but still much better than my 2000 318i (1.9L engine)... This new engine is great - I 'think' it is an N46 all alloy engine (build date April 2004).

Paul

SealBeemer

09-22-2004, 11:14 AM

Most of my driving in my 04 325T has been the usual freeway stop-and-go variety around Orange County. Over the weekend, we visited family 150 miles away, in Tehachapi. I got 34.8 MPG per the trip computer on the drive home, and 68.9 average speed. Woo-hoo!! :thumbup:

iateyourcheese

09-23-2004, 09:30 AM

The xi's just get worse gas mileage. It's a matter of two things... First, there's more weight to lug around with the extra equipment needed. Secondly, there are energy losses when the transmission divides the power between the front and the back (38% front - 62% rear, if I remember correctly). This is just the way AWD works and it affect every AWD car out there.

It would also seem that an AWD car would therefore be slower off the line than a RWD, but it can work in your favor. For example, a car that puts so much torque to the rear tires that they spin easily would benefit from distributing the torque amongst all four wheels instead. But the real advantage of the xi's are the increased poor weather handling.

norihaga

09-23-2004, 11:03 AM

Well, we'll have to "agree to disagree" on the RPM issue.... I'll just say that modern engines are perfectly happy 'cruising' at 1500 RPM. (Mild acceleration at that RPM is fine, but I would not recommend heavy acceleration at that low RPM.) Drive an automatic transmission equipped BMW and see what RPMs it shifts at under light acceleration. The hard part is keeping to the "light acceleration" part....

I'd heard -- in the biking context -- that putting a lot of load on the engine by making it pull high gears at low speeds leads to excessive big-end wear. I don't know how the mythical "they" proved that, but that's my recollection. Obviously you'd need to be dumping the throttle to do that...but perhaps there's something in it.

Just a thought... :dunno:

grayghost

09-23-2004, 07:45 PM

I'd heard -- in the biking context -- that putting a lot of load on the engine by making it pull high gears at low speeds leads to excessive big-end wear. I don't know how the mythical "they" proved that, but that's my recollection. Obviously you'd need to be dumping the throttle to do that...but perhaps there's something in it.

Just a thought... :dunno:

Yes, and I've also heard stories about "burning up" a big diesel rig (tractor for 18 wheeler)by accelerating in a high gear and low RPMs. I suppose that's possible...
But I certainly don't suggest accelerating or loading up the engine at these low RPMs. If I need to accelerate (or go up a significant hill), I'll drop down a gear (or two). I figure 1500 RPM is fine for 'straight and level' (or down hill), but not for any real acceleration. Remember, at a constant 40 - 45 MPH you are only using about 15 - 20 HP and that is not going to put much of a strain on a 330.

I believe if you drive a step equipped BMW and accelerate slowly and then maintain constant moderate speeds, you might be surprised at how low an RPM the shifts will happen. The torque converter may buy a little acceleration, but it won't "protect" the engine from low RPM induced problems and I assume BMW wouldn't allow the engine to operate in a "dangerous" RPM range. Then again.... ;)

cwsqbm

09-23-2004, 08:07 PM

I'd heard -- in the biking context -- that putting a lot of load on the engine by making it pull high gears at low speeds leads to excessive big-end wear. I don't know how the mythical "they" proved that, but that's my recollection. Obviously you'd need to be dumping the throttle to do that...but perhaps there's something in it.

Just a thought... :dunno:

The thought of this thread occured to me as I rode home on my motorcycle today. My current bike, a '94 CB1000, doesn't like to accelerate hard in high gears under 2k rpms. My previous bike didn't like a load under 3k. The load makes it "shudder". I sort of remember a similar experience with an old, carbureted, econo car from my youth. However, later EFI cars I owned would pull cleanly from idle to redline in any gear. I wonder if the myth is a fact only for carb-based vehicles, with the root cause being improper fuel metering at high throttle openings, low vacuum, and low rpms. A properly designed EFI system prevents this.

A turbo diesel truck is a different animal. At high loads and low rpms, you're running a ton of fuel and boost to create that torque, so your exhaust gas temperatures would be sky-high. Most modifed diesel pickups monitor their EGT's for that reason. The same power produced at a higher engine rpm requires less torque, so the EGT's are lower. Think more air, less fuel per combustion event.

car_for_mom

09-24-2004, 04:03 AM

I've gotten as high as 26.5 MPG; right now I'm at 24.8 (2003 325i).

I've heard that the 330 tends to get better mileage than the 325i, strangely enough?

I did manage to get 460 miles out of a tank on a trip from Chino Hills to Las Vegas, once; my company has a site there, and I needed to do some work at this site. With security being what it is these days, it can take you a good hour or more to get through Ontario Airport and McCarran in Vegas can be a zoo, sometimes.

I figured, well, it's about a 4.5 hour drive, so why not?

The best time is before dawn; to see the sunrise over the Mojave Desert is something else!It's also nice and cool then - a very enjoyable drive!

glaws

09-24-2004, 04:41 AM

SchwartzBlack

09-24-2004, 04:51 AM

I commute to work along back roads with some moderate stop and go at certain points. Most times I'm stuck behind a truck or someone crawling along at 25mph. So, since I was bored I tried to maximize mileage by driving like a granny. So far I'm averaging 29mpg. Interestingly enough I get slight better mileage (about 0.5mpg) when I fill up with regular instead of premium. Too many variables to conclude that the grade of gas is totally to blame of course, but that's just an observation.

norihaga

09-24-2004, 08:15 AM

The thought of this thread occured to me as I rode home on my motorcycle today. My current bike, a '94 CB1000, doesn't like to accelerate hard in high gears under 2k rpms. My previous bike didn't like a load under 3k. The load makes it "shudder". I sort of remember a similar experience with an old, carbureted, econo car from my youth. However, later EFI cars I owned would pull cleanly from idle to redline in any gear. I wonder if the myth is a fact only for carb-based vehicles, with the root cause being improper fuel metering at high throttle openings, low vacuum, and low rpms. A properly designed EFI system prevents this.

My old TRX-850 is pretty bad with the juddering under 2,000 and it's a carby...but 3,000 rpm on your old bike has me beat! :) Carb throttle response rules, though. No jerkiness.

Sounds like your knowledge far exceeds mine, but I always assumed the lack of appetite for high load at low rpms had a lot to do with the ignition and cam timing on bikes. I thought your average car needs lots of low rpm torque so it can pull around the sofa set and home entertainment system on wheels, whereas bikes weigh so little that you can put all the power in the second half of the rev range and still do fine.

My '02 'Blade pulls cleanly at any revs, any gear...so either you are right about EFI, or 8 years of development have improved 1000cc engines :) Could also be the lower weight, I suppose. :dunno: