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So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 2:07 pm
by twenty
I thought it would be fun to find out what the real world MPG for our 30 year old cars are these days.

According to the OBC, I get 16 MPG on my 325i auto cab during mixed driving in London (lots of 20 MPH zones and some occasional dual carriage way). Sorry no data for motorway only trips.
I should also note that I use 99 RON fuel to avoid E5/10 altogether, which the old ECU probably doesn't like too much and burns a little bit more than necessary.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:46 pm
by onthames
19-20 on cruises
Much less if I'm having fun

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:09 pm
by twenty
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:46 pm
19-20 on cruises
Much less if I'm having fun
What E30 do you have? Mileage?

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:52 pm
by onthames
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:09 pm
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:46 pm
19-20 on cruises
Much less if I'm having fun
What E30 do you have? Mileage?
88' 325i SE 68000 miles
Yourself?

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:52 pm
by onthames
Oh also try calculating yourself, fill up a full tank and press the milage reset thingy
I don't trust my OBC

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:03 pm
by twenty
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:52 pm
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:09 pm
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 3:46 pm
19-20 on cruises
Much less if I'm having fun
What E30 do you have? Mileage?
88' 325i SE 68000 miles
Yourself?
90’ 325i auto cab 159k miles.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:06 pm
by onthames
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:03 pm
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:52 pm
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:09 pm


What E30 do you have? Mileage?
88' 325i SE 68000 miles
Yourself?
90’ 325i auto cab 159k miles.
Try a motorway run. I read on another post somewhere (iirc) that a guy with a 325i auto convertible was getting 35mpg+ on motorway and early 20s round town

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:24 pm
by Cloggy Saint
My 120k '89 325i returns about 24 mpg with mixed driving. Best I've ever seen was 28 mpg on a long motorway run. Nobody owns an E30 for the economy.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:47 pm
by aimlessrock
mileage is in the low numbers, but who cares when you have the top down, the sun on your back and hooning around on a B road..

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:54 pm
by Be30
M42 swapped touring with 4.10 diff sat at 75-80 on the motorway usually gets me around 35-40mpg so not too bad!

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:30 pm
by steve_k
i aint got a clue what mpg i'll get with my full fat 2.7, i just i'll have to keep pitting £20's in every other day.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:40 pm
by DanThe
3.2 Alpina with 6 gears managed 38mpg on a motorway trip of around 100 miles from Stafford to Manchester and back, used the same pump at the same petrol station to calculate

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:09 pm
by twenty
DanThe wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:40 pm
3.2 Alpina with 6 gears managed 38mpg on a motorway trip of around 100 miles from Stafford to Manchester and back, used the same pump at the same petrol station to calculate
Impressive because that’s the type of mileage I used to get from our A3 2.0 TFSI pushing 200bhp. We now have an A3 1.4 TFSI that’s close to 50 😂

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 9:12 pm
by twenty
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:06 pm
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:03 pm
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:52 pm


88' 325i SE 68000 miles
Yourself?
90’ 325i auto cab 159k miles.
Try a motorway run. I read on another post somewhere (iirc) that a guy with a 325i auto convertible was getting 35mpg+ on motorway and early 20s round town
Lol that was me probably. For a brief but glorious few days after I had my injectors refurbished and fitted new Scorpion exhaust the mileage was insane.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:25 pm
by fixedwheelnut
I fill the tank on both my E30 Tourings and zero the trip meter for an accurate mpg

335i M30 B3.5, 5speed manual 3.46 diff, 18mpg across London 27-30mpg on a long motorway run
318i auto M40 B1.8 22 - 25mpg across London 35mpg on a run

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:18 am
by Elsalmon
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:03 pm
onthames wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:52 pm
twenty wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 4:09 pm


What E30 do you have? Mileage?
88' 325i SE 68000 miles
Yourself?
90’ 325i auto cab 159k miles.
I have pretty much the same car. Live in London and the Auto hates it but then again a manual would be v.tiring. OBC says 14-20 then on a drive down to Devon going around 70mph got a total trip MPG of around 34/35. Of course noting this is from the OBC and not more scientific calcs.

Also note the Range on the OBC changes a lot. When driving in town it is low and then as soon on the motorway it climbs dramatically. Is this linked to current MPG?

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:55 pm
by Blanca
'87 320i auto saloon,
11 L/100 or 23 MPG mostly 80KMH (50MPH) and some around town,
occasionally up to 120KPH (70MPH) on the A7.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:43 pm
by JungleGus
Around 28 mpg on a long trip with a 100K miles + Alpina 3.3 and 3.23 diff. Looking forward to seeing what the new 2.93 does. I am guessing a fresh engine rebuild wouldn't hurt either.

Goes to around 9 mpg on track

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:02 pm
by martauto
316 Auto M10 B18 weber 1987 Baur.
Nearly 24 around town but will leap up to just under 40 on a decent run :clap: :clap:

Mart.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:18 pm
by Be30
martauto wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:02 pm
316 Auto M10 B18 weber 1987 Baur.
Nearly 24 around town but will leap up to just under 40 on a decent run :clap: :clap:

Mart.
Must have the carb set up well that’s good going!

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:16 pm
by DanThe
Baurs are the lightest of E30's so not as much metal to move :)

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:38 pm
by Be30
DanThe wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:16 pm
Baurs are the lightest of E30's so not as much metal to move :)
Are they really?! Never knew that
Also i guess the rustier the car the lighter too lol
Not saying your baur is rusty Mart. Im sure its very tidy

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:08 am
by paultv
paultv wrote:
Sun Jul 05, 2020 12:20 pm
Well I made it just fine!

After 330 miles on the clock I refilled the tank to the very top and squeezed in 39 litres - 8.579 uk gallons.

So thats 38.466 miles to the gallon.

I certainly spent some time doing a steady 70 ish but also plenty doing 90 and more...so I reckon this is pretty good...the replacement 3.46:1 diff I fitted has certainly reduced the over excited rev behaviour of the engine and it still pulls like mad...so I reckon this ratio is a great compromise for this car if you do a lot of long haul.



Paul :-)
Yeah - it was me after changing my diff - I must admit that the roads were really clear so no stop start - perfect for good mpg

Paul :-)

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:56 am
by aimlessrock
recently removed the 4.27 diff on the cabby for an overhaul and replaced it with a rebuilt 4.10. Its not as quick down the road now but once up to speed is much better rev wise.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:55 am
by twenty
paultv wrote:
Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:08 am
paultv wrote:
Sun Jul 05, 2020 12:20 pm
Well I made it just fine!

After 330 miles on the clock I refilled the tank to the very top and squeezed in 39 litres - 8.579 uk gallons.

So thats 38.466 miles to the gallon.

I certainly spent some time doing a steady 70 ish but also plenty doing 90 and more...so I reckon this is pretty good...the replacement 3.46:1 diff I fitted has certainly reduced the over excited rev behaviour of the engine and it still pulls like mad...so I reckon this ratio is a great compromise for this car if you do a lot of long haul.



Paul :-)
Yeah - it was me after changing my diff - I must admit that the roads were really clear so no stop start - perfect for good mpg

Paul :-)
Mine has a 3.91 open case medium diff. Pulls fantastically in the mean roads of London but clearly rev happy and less fuel efficient :)

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:14 am
by Lemon98
I get low 30s MPG on the motorway cruising over 70 at around 3250-3500rpm in my 320i with 4.10 ratio diff.

I keep my OBC in the german units of l/100km purely so that the temperature is in celsius and not Fahrenheit.
OBC 1.jpeg
OBC 2.jpeg
Those figures were with a pretty loaded car doing my final move-out trip from uni with some traffic and slower periods, hence the average speed of below 70.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:09 pm
by martauto
Be30 wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:18 pm
martauto wrote:
Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:02 pm
316 Auto M10 B18 weber 1987 Baur.
Nearly 24 around town but will leap up to just under 40 on a decent run :clap: :clap:

Mart.
Must have the carb set up well that’s good going!
The guy who looks after the oily pieces is old school and took the carb through to pieces and cleaned and set it back up "right"and said "I have really enjoyed myself today , took me back a bit" and only charged me for the MOT (straight through) and it has run great ever since.
Imagine my face when I went to pick her up and there he was sat on the garage floor with the weber in pieces 8O 8O

Mart.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:05 pm
by Be30
Must have the carb set up well that’s good going!
[/quote]

The guy who looks after the oily pieces is old school and took the carb through to pieces and cleaned and set it back up "right"and said "I have really enjoyed myself today , took me back a bit" and only charged me for the MOT (straight through) and it has run great ever since.
Imagine my face when I went to pick her up and there he was sat on the garage floor with the weber in pieces 8O 8O

Mart.
[/quote]

:clap: Legend!

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2021 10:47 am
by Cypriotgeeza
I prefer not to think about it or try to calculate it...

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2021 2:33 pm
by Blanca
interesting to see different RPM v MPH, mine is a steady 2,500 at 70 mph

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:18 pm
by twenty
Currently in Lincolnshire on a break and drive from London on mainly A roads and some motorway and got 26mpg according to the OBC mainly driving at 60mph with the top down all the way.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:47 am
by steve_k
twenty wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:18 pm
Currently in Lincolnshire on a break and drive from London on mainly A roads and some motorway and got 26mpg according to the OBC mainly driving at 60mph with the top down all the way.
there's some fantastic roads in lincolnshire, just depends on where abouts you are in the county.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:12 am
by twenty
steve_k wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:47 am
twenty wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:18 pm
Currently in Lincolnshire on a break and drive from London on mainly A roads and some motorway and got 26mpg according to the OBC mainly driving at 60mph with the top down all the way.
there's some fantastic roads in lincolnshire, just depends on where abouts you are in the county.
We’re in Woodhall Spa.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:52 am
by steve_k
twenty wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:12 am
steve_k wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 7:47 am
twenty wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:18 pm
Currently in Lincolnshire on a break and drive from London on mainly A roads and some motorway and got 26mpg according to the OBC mainly driving at 60mph with the top down all the way.
there's some fantastic roads in lincolnshire, just depends on where abouts you are in the county.
We’re in Woodhall Spa.
not to far from the bluestone heath road then, there's a few good back roads heading over to horncastle, nice part of the county.

Re: So... what mileage are you getting?

Posted: Tue May 03, 2022 9:40 am
by wilma84
Bit late to the party on this but anyway... was getting around 25mpg in my '88 320i auto with Motronic 1.3 and a mild chip... however recently refurbed my injectors and replaced the fuel filter and got 29mpg on a 200 mile run this weekend so I'm happy with that! Not driving like a lunatic, cruising at 70 on the motorway.