E30 Zone

Im looking for another e30, Ive had a few 325i e30's but with times being a bit hard and petrol prices through the roof i was contemplating the 318is. Are they significantly better on petrol or not really? any advice or stats on the the 318is would be appreciated. TIA

jay

LPG a 325i...

Jim320i wrote:LPG a 325i...

whats the rough cost of a lpg install mate?

It varies pal. I've seen full kits go for £200 on here I think. But previously when I have spoken to Brianmoore about it, he advised me to buy everything seperately rather than trying to find a whole kit. The whole cost? I'm not sure but I would say about £400-500 to be safe?

I'm sure someone who has done it already will confirm this and its all a DIY job too rather than paying someone else.

cheers mate

I have an IS my mate a 325cab - I rec it depends on your driving style! The IS loves to rev and hence your right foot stays firmly on the deck - maybe the 325 with the added torque would balance out as a daily. LPG sounds a great idea but even that is getting more expensive at the pumps - cheers Mr Cameron...

timbmw wrote:I have an IS my mate a 325cab - I rec it depends on your driving style! The IS loves to rev and hence your right foot stays firmly on the deck - maybe the 325 with the added torque would balance out as a daily. LPG sounds a great idea but even that is getting more expensive at the pumps - cheers Mr Cameron...

Yes, but it isn't as expensive, so it makes it cheaper... By loads still aswell, whats lpg at the moment? 80p? Unleaded, £1.30? 50p or so a litre is good saving to me.

Does Lpg reduce the performance much tho?

You also get less mpg out of lpg.

tim_s wrote:You also get less mpg out of lpg.

Yeah but its still cheaper. Thats the point. If you want good mpg, then you need to reduce the cost that you have to put in. As well as having a 325i with it.

Unless you get some sort of diesel... And the point is, he wants an E30.

IS FTW.

318is with multipoint sequential LPG for best MPG and without loosing BHP

M50B25 likes the above aswell

whats the performance like on an is? i've never driven one myself. has anyone owned both cars in question? if so which one should i get? 318is or 325i LPG?

Sorry for hijack, so lpg is m50b25 friendly??

I have had both a 318is and a 325i. My personal feeling is you would be disappointed if you go for an 318is after having had a 325. I dont think there is a lot difference in outrite performance the 325 is quicker in a line however the 318is is better in the twisty bits due to the smaller lump up front. But as timbmw said you do need to have a heavier right foot in the 318is and this harms the economy.

The main thing you lose with an 318is is the low down grunt and the sound of the 6 rather than the raspy 4.

For me the 325 everytime but then its a personal thing

e30-dk wrote:Sorry for hijack, so lpg is m50b25 friendly??

Using sequential multipoint injection LPG yes mate.
The problem with the single piont is you can get blowbacks through the manifold which isn't very clever on the M50, M20's can cope with it due to the metal inlet manifold.

Wingnutleft wrote:I have had both a 318is and a 325i. My personal feeling is you would be disappointed if you go for an 318is after having had a 325. I dont think there is a lot difference in outrite performance the 325 is quicker in a line however the 318is is better in the twisty bits due to the smaller lump up front. But as timbmw said you do need to have a heavier right foot in the 318is and this harms the economy.

The main thing you lose with an 318is is the low down grunt and the sound of the 6 rather than the raspy 4.

For me the 325 everytime but then its a personal thing

Agree with you on this nicely put. My IS does have to be revved abit before it finally comes on cam, when it does it brings a smile to my face lol.
cheers
jann

taking all into consideration. performance, fuel economy, lower insurance and general running costs, i think im leaning toward the is. i really do love the 325i but with the commute every day i'd probably save a bit of dinero with the is.

the IS is cheaper on insurance and if you chip it the power differance between the to doesnt warrant the extra money

i dont have a heavy foot with my is...i can drive around keeping under 3k and driving it normal to cnot waste fuel, and it hass the 3-9k part of the rev range there for when you need it or want to, and when you it can shift a bit for a 1.8 and feels go-kart like as its not got a lot of weight of a 325 engine

i have a 325 touring on lpg and a 318is (although the 318is is heavily modified). the 325 is great and relaxing to drive everyday and has plenty of torque etc. i don't drive it heavily and i get 21mpg out of it (it's less efficient on gas than petrol slightly), the car isn't quite as fast on gas as it is on petrol but it's not a massive difference. the economy equates to around 35mpg if you take the cost per mile so not amazingly cheap but more than adequate. my 318is doesn't get near that but then it is heavily modified so i wouldn't read too much into it although from memory of when it was standard i would say that i'd work the IS alot harder and it wouldn't be as relaxing to drive also therfore it'd be unlikely to reach the same mpg unless it was on gas of course; incidentally it would lose power again on gas so would have to work it a little harder.
if insurance is similar for you for the both cars then i'd go for the 325 on gas if you have the ability to convert it yourself like i did (it's straightforward enough), as it's more of a relaxing car to be in and everyday faster like a turbo diesel is (i.e. in the wrong gear put your foot down and it's still ok).
if however you like to rev it a little and have a drive of it and throw it around i'd go for a 318is and not bother gassing it unless you pay for a full sequential lpg kit (more expensive), as you won't lose any power. the IS won't be quite as relaxing in my experience everyday to cruise around in but you pay your money and take your choice. i have a toy 318is so don't feel the urge to rag my 325 around so it suits me, you need to work out what suits you best.
hope this helps
Kev

I used to run my iS as a daily commuter and loved it, i could get the MPG up to just above 30mpg and compared to 25mpg at best with the 325i's i've had.

I found the iS easier to drive carefully than the 2.5s as well, may have been noise related.

What kind of mielage are you going to be doing and have you driven both cars?

I have owned plenty of both, going from a 325i to an IS is a major step backwards... you will wish you just paid for petrol !

I have had both 325i sport and 318is.

Currently have the 2.5, but tbh I do miss that revy little engine.I found the handling on the 318is fantastic because of the lightweight engine, and the sport a little duller on the handling front because of the heavyweight engine

I would own a mint 318is again, but The sport feels more solid and smoother than the rattly 4 pot.

The 325i is a proper BMW and you can feel that if you drive a good example, where as the 318is is more of a street racer. You have to rev it hard to get any performance out of it, but with right mods the 318is isnt bad at all. In standard form there a little boring because of the lack of torque and smoothness.

I would defo have the sport over the 318is.

kevo wrote:i have a 325 touring on lpg and a 318is (although the 318is is heavily modified). the 325 is great and relaxing to drive everyday and has plenty of torque etc. i don't drive it heavily and i get 21mpg out of it (it's less efficient on gas than petrol slightly), the car isn't quite as fast on gas as it is on petrol but it's not a massive difference. the economy equates to around 35mpg if you take the cost per mile so not amazingly cheap but more than adequate. my 318is doesn't get near that but then it is heavily modified so i wouldn't read too much into it although from memory of when it was standard i would say that i'd work the IS alot harder and it wouldn't be as relaxing to drive also therfore it'd be unlikely to reach the same mpg unless it was on gas of course; incidentally it would lose power again on gas so would have to work it a little harder.
if insurance is similar for you for the both cars then i'd go for the 325 on gas if you have the ability to convert it yourself like i did (it's straightforward enough), as it's more of a relaxing car to be in and everyday faster like a turbo diesel is (i.e. in the wrong gear put your foot down and it's still ok).
if however you like to rev it a little and have a drive of it and throw it around i'd go for a 318is and not bother gassing it unless you pay for a full sequential lpg kit (more expensive), as you won't lose any power. the IS won't be quite as relaxing in my experience everyday to cruise around in but you pay your money and take your choice. i have a toy 318is so don't feel the urge to rag my 325 around so it suits me, you need to work out what suits you best.
hope this helps
Kev

Thanks mate, gave me a lot to think about.

Kedge wrote:I used to run my iS as a daily commuter and loved it, i could get the MPG up to just above 30mpg and compared to 25mpg at best with the 325i's i've had.

I found the iS easier to drive carefully than the 2.5s as well, may have been noise related.

What kind of mielage are you going to be doing and have you driven both cars?

Ive never owned or driven a 318is but have owned a few 325s. my mileage is about 15-20 miles per day.

it's a pity you're the other side of the country from me or you could have come and have a look for yourself.
Kev

kevo wrote:it's a pity you're the other side of the country from me or you could have come and have a look for yourself.
Kev

i appreciate the gesture. funny thing is, i was in Rhondda Valley 4 weeks ago. lol

well if you come back my way pop down i'm about 20mins from there.
Kev

kevo wrote:well if you come back my way pop down i'm about 20mins from there.
Kev

cheers pal

I wouldn't have thought any E30 would be a good choice for someone concerned about petrol consumption.

h7fal wrote:I wouldn't have thought any E30 would be a good choice for someone concerned about petrol consumption.

the e30 is my favourite car, im just trying to get the most fuel economic one.

Ok, according to Mr Waltons 3 Series book combined mpg is as follows:

318i 27.4 (no mention of figures against 318is)
325i 24.6 (although surprisingly 26.5 for cab)

Given the high rev nature of a 318is, I'd imagine the difference will be negligible. Insurance might be a bit cheaper though.

cabs are worse they are heavier
early h/c engines are better on fuel than later 325's
is's are better still.

I have an -is motor in a touring chassis. You will see ~30 mpg out of town from it, but no more. Especially with that heavy flywheel, you have to keep it over 3,000rpm in second, 3,300 or so in third and 4,000 in fourth to make a lot of progress (of course the touring is a bit heavier than a 2 door).

I wouldn't describe it as revvy really - with all that flywheel, it holds onto revs very well, but getting it into the power gives you time to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea. IOW it doesn't "like" to rev, it just has to for you to get any power. I haven't tried an M20 B25 before (more's the pity), but I reckon the bottom-end punt plus the 168hp must give it more flexibility and a lot more sideways action.

Because of the lighter engine (but note it's not that much lighter - it's an iron block, not all-ally) pushed further back in the nose and the heavy flywheel that lets it hold onto revs once you've got them, it makes a great "safe" B road car that's good at changing directions and crap surfaces. As my commute (when I'm not on the bike) is 60% B road and 40% crowded A road, it's perfect for me. If you drive faster roads or want something that you can punt sideways in third without a bit of driver encouragement, it may disappoint.

That said, it's not "bad" at motorways. I've taken it all the way across France and back (plus the drive to Folkestone, and loaded to the gunnels as well) at 130-140kmh all the way and had no real complaints. You can pass stuff, you will just use more revs.

Also, can you put regular unleaded in the M20s?