Unbelievable GAS consumption (EXPENSIVE)

Originally posted by bobm3

don't drive with your air condition on.

To tell you the truth, its actually better to drifve with the windows up and a/c on then with the windows down with a/c off. The air resistance causes more strain on the engine and thus lower gas mileage (believe me, I was surprised when I heard this too) It was on the pep boys website I think

oh, and i just checked my MPG and it recently went up from 16.9 to 17.0! Allllllright!

my car has pretty bad milage too expecially after installing all these dinan ****

$2.11 gallon? Maybe Arnold can help you guys out - it's at least .50/gal less here.

I never let the tank get that low, but I can go 300 miles pretty easy around town though I have a hard time believing anyone can get 30 mpg - depsite what the epa says. A/C off, 5th gear, tailwind, and 55-60 on the highway...maybe.

i get close to 380 miles per tank, and i fill up about once a week. i don't think those numbers are bad at all.

Originally posted by ILLCOMM



my 330i zhp gets ~20mph since i got it

same here.. and my 323 used to get 20/21 or right at 300 miles to a tank (bone dry)

get cams and a differential and see where your gas mileage goes! i get 18 average TOPS!

Poor baby. I get around 220 miles per tank during the summer and you sure don't hear me complaining, even when I'm paying near or above $2/gallon! (And I seek out Sunoco 94 during the hot months, so I pay even more than normal Premium prices.) If the amount of money you spend on gas is such a big deal to you, then you should have bought a Prius.

Hey, I also heard that about keeping windows up and using AC instead is better.
It's also possible that your oxygen sensor is not functioning correctly... if so, your engine isn't mixing your oxygen/fuel in the correct ratio and you'll waste a lot of gas that way. Maybe have that looked at.

if you can't afford or complain about the cost of ownership, you shouldn't have gotten the car. pretty simple.

i get around 14.5 mpg.. always stuck in LA traffic. i have a step.

when i go on the highway, i can get about 25mpg, but that's solely for the highway portion. also the highways here are annoying b/c sometimes everyone's going 90 and then two seconds later it's a jam and you have to stop.

i get about ~20 miles in the city and as for the gas goes.........i'm happy my dad owns a gas station

I get 13.8-14.2MPG @ 15.1-15.7 MPH. Talk about gas consumption. City driving just sucks up to much gas!!!!! In my loaner car I get about the same. I did just switch job locations which I'm on slow highway DC traffic so it showed 15.4 MPG @ 20.1 MPH woohoo

Originally posted by Foxy UK
Wow.. 30USD for a tank full???
I know it sounds like I'm moaning but when I tell you it costs around 74USD to do the same over here (UK) .. I'd happily move over the pond just to drive the beast more...

Yup, here in South Korea... it costs me around $75 USD to fill up my 330...

Damn, if gas was $30 to fill up, I would drive my car a lot more~ You guys in the states are so lucky~

Sometimes I wonder if I should have gotten a 318.... hmmmm naaaaa 318 would get whooped by all the Hyundais~

Yes, the 318 engine is available for the e46 here....

If you can't afford to fill it up every week buy something else.

I don't get why you guys are complaining so much,

BMW's are allot ($ 10,000 depending in options even more ) cheaper in the US
Gas is cheaper
Insurance is cheaper
Taxes are cheaper

+ the averige american makes more money then the averige european SO STOP COMPLAINING AND LOOK HOW GOOD YOU GUYS HAVE IT !!!

Just wanted to clarify that I am not complaining about this. I am fairly new to having own a German car because all my previous cars were Japanese makes. I am just shocked as to why the gas in my car is burning up so fast. I was just wondering if this is normal and if there are any techniques out there to prevent the gas from doing so. Also wanted to get some feedback from other owners to see how they come about with this issue.

Understand that this is the price I have to pay to own and drive such a nice car, I don't really mind!

Thanks for all ya'll inputs.

I must admit it was really depressing when i found out my sisters camaro ss was getting a little better gas mileage than my car. BUt the intake did improve my gas mileage

Your MPG should get better once the engine wears in a bit more.
Also, you're probably enjoying your new car more so now then you will in a few months once the novelty wears off a bit.
The 330 3.0 engine actually rates pretty well in MPG compared to what's out there AND it does this with very low emissions. The 2.5 litre engine seems a bit outdated given it's modest power output and low MPG. The 2.5, I think, rates about 1 MPG lower than the 3.0.

As far as city traffic, low speed driving does SUCK the fuel. It's the "pumping loss" of the engine working just to breathe at such a low rpm with such a great demand/load. You may be able to improve you city MPG if you can find a comfortable way to crawl along rather than move, stop, move, stop, etc...
Also, many engines actually achieve better MPG even when working at higher rpm as they suffer less pumping loss at higher revs. Maybe try keeping the engine spinning in 2nd gear if traffic is moving at a slow MPH, instead of shifting to 3rd and dropping engine speed to the point where it would "lug" (too low rpm for power being asked for). Lugging puts a big stress on an engine and it's one of the worst things that can happen to a new engine, especially during "break in".

And, CHECK that tire pressure on a regular basis, at least once or twice a week minimally. Higher tire pressure can help MPG as there is less rolling resistance than when tire pressue is low. During long trips where you'll be doing sustained high speed driving, you can increase tire pressure by a few pounds. This will help improve MPG as well as keep the tires cooler as the added air pressue keeps the sidewalls stiffer. Less sidewall flex means lower heat generation.

The other big issue with many of the "sport" BMW's is that we run wide low profile summer (read "sticky") traction tires. There is a tradeoff for added grip and that's greater resistance which means less MPG. Performance tires means checking for proper tire pressure more often.

TT

Before my recent mods, I was averaging 29.1 mpg city&freeway driving. I drive about 20,000 miles per year too. Freeway alone, I was getting 32-34mpg. I think it has a lot to do with how you drive.

This 323i (5 spd) gets incredible gas mileage.

Frank

Originally posted by mickey513


My friend.....you are complaining???????????? Dude, I only get about 240 miles on a full tank!! And that is with a 13 .5 gallon fill up, about $28! According to the computer on board, I average 17.8 mpg. ****, I'll be happy to your mileage sheesh.....

Oh and my car is a 02 330i with 7k miles.

It'll get better with time. My 2001 330i, now well broken in, averages 29 mpg @ 85 mph.

Of course, in its first 600 miles, I averaged 7.9mpg (!!!!) on my new M3, and none of it was stuck in traffic while obeying the break-in guidelines. Bet you can't do THAT too easily on your 325.