320i fuel consumption

[pjw]

hi everyone, i'm thinking of buying a 1989 2 door E30 320i - can anyone give me an idea of what sort of urban mpg i could expect from this car? thanks.

[Brianmoooore]

24 - 26. It's not a car to buy if fuel economy is your priority.

[pjw]

ok thanks a lot for that, i'd hoped for nearer 30 but it's still tempting

[Brianmoooore]

LPG it. That'l give you the equivalent of 45 MPG.

[georob]

Brian, how much would the lpg conversion cost?

Is there any disadvantages to this system?

[Brianmoooore]

About £500 for a new lambda controlled venturi kit.
Only disadvantages are loss of boot space or spare wheel well, a very slight power loss (with a venturi system), and you can'y go through the channel tunnel. Apart from that, it's all good - Doing your bit for the enviroment, doing your bit for your wallet, nearly doubling your range without refuelling if you use petrol and gas, the ability to continue driving when your fuel pump packs up completely in the middle off France, and greatly reduced engine wear and oil contamination.

[e30bmlover]

hi mate, i get 270 miles to £40 and i dont give the 320 a hard time at all, sometimes give her a clear out. shes haveing a complete service sunday inc oil+cam belt+tensioners+tappets being re-set. so should get more, the car has done 105,000.

[eldarvanyar]

Hi Brian, how do I find out more about the LPG? I have looked on the web and they all quote £2-2500k to supply and fit. I am in the essex area.
In the past my OBC has said that I have got 18-21mpg around town so I put an Ecotech on it which helped but I have never had more than 28mpg on a steady run on the motorway at 70mph according to the obc. Is it the obc that's wrong or is my 320ise drinking to much?

[Brianmoooore]

The kits you are looking at are LPG vapour injection kits for that kind of money.
Not needed on primitive E30 engines. A venturi system, fitted with a lambda sensor and electronic control is more than adequate!
You should be able to get this kind of kit supplied and fitted for about £1000, or better still, go the DIY route.
A new complete kit should be around £600 retail, and fitting is EASY, and can be done in stages without taking the car off the road. E.g. Fit tank and filler one weekend, pipework and wiring the next, engine bay stuff the third.
Another option is to buy second hand bits, preferably still on a car.
One thing to be certain to do is, check up on your insurance first. There is an organisaton in this country, the LPGA, whose sole real purpose is to protect the profits of their members by attempting to create a closed shop under the guise of safety concerns, and they have waged a pretty effective campaign on the insurance companies.
Some insurance co.s will only insure LPGA supplied and fitted installations, some insist on only complete kits fitted and then LPGA certification, some just insist on the certificate, and a few don't care what fuel your car runs on (unless it's NO2).
A few even try it on by increasing premiums.

[eldarvanyar]

thanks Brian, lpg would save on the London Congestion Charge as well. Where can I obtain a kit from & have any other zoners fitted one?

[Brianmoooore]

lpg would save on the London Congestion Charge as well. ?

No it won't, I'm afraid. Ken doesn't give away his income that easily!
There are a few firms who supply DIY kits. Tinleytech and lpgkitsdirect are two that come to mind, and there's a couple who advertise via ebay.
There's even a stalled thread in the "group buy" forum.
There's s few other zoners besides me who run on lpg.
Savings in fuel cost depend largely on how much you can buy your LPG for - prices vary widely. At the moment, gas is cheap where I live, and I'm saving about 50%.