Improving economy on older 7's
Discussion
Recently Ive been left pondering about older cars
You read the stats before you buy and obviously, over the course of time things start to change.
The one thing I was wondering was:
Is it possible to improve economy without paying through the nose/fitting lpg/pissing in my tank?
Parkers write that your average E32 730i should get 28mpg.....I get slightly more on the M-ways but round town shes a greedy fat bitch.
Any advice/info/suggestions/piss takes?
You read the stats before you buy and obviously, over the course of time things start to change.
The one thing I was wondering was:
Is it possible to improve economy without paying through the nose/fitting lpg/pissing in my tank?
Parkers write that your average E32 730i should get 28mpg.....I get slightly more on the M-ways but round town shes a greedy fat bitch.
Any advice/info/suggestions/piss takes?
If you get 28-plus mpg you should be happy!
In my 'collection' I have an '89 E32 735i...unfortunately or fortunately (which ever way you want to look at it!) for '89/90 735i BMW chose to change the gearing to give improved acceleration to beat off competition from Mercedes. This drop in gearing means even with the LIGHTEST of right foot on a motorway I can barely get 25 mpg out of this car! Running alongside other 735i's at the same motorway cruising speed I'm constantly running about 500 rpm more. My engine, state of tune etc are in very good order (car has still only done 45K miles!) having recently been set-up at Moseley Motorsport. Luckily, I don't use this car that much...so it's a little academic.
You don't say if your car's a six-cylinder or a V8 730i?...but either way that mpg you're getting is good!
One way to improve youyr fuel costs would be to fit an LPG conversion...Have a friend who has this on his E32 735i and loves it.
In my 'collection' I have an '89 E32 735i...unfortunately or fortunately (which ever way you want to look at it!) for '89/90 735i BMW chose to change the gearing to give improved acceleration to beat off competition from Mercedes. This drop in gearing means even with the LIGHTEST of right foot on a motorway I can barely get 25 mpg out of this car! Running alongside other 735i's at the same motorway cruising speed I'm constantly running about 500 rpm more. My engine, state of tune etc are in very good order (car has still only done 45K miles!) having recently been set-up at Moseley Motorsport. Luckily, I don't use this car that much...so it's a little academic.
You don't say if your car's a six-cylinder or a V8 730i?...but either way that mpg you're getting is good!
One way to improve youyr fuel costs would be to fit an LPG conversion...Have a friend who has this on his E32 735i and loves it.
I dream of 28Mpg I am getting 19.7! Still for a V12 thats not bad eh?
The only practical things I know of would be to use a good fuel injector cleaner, put a first-rate synthetic oil in engine, tranny and diff, make certain the brakes are not dragging (if they are, exercise each caliper and this shoud fix) The thinnest weight of synthetic will give the best MPG but don't get carried away, engine damage from too-thin oil will wipe out your savings immediately. Ignition system should be in top shape, you can err towards the wide side of gap on new plugs. Adjust the valves if they need it, it costs nothing to check.
You *could* go to a low-rolling-resistance tire when it's time for tires, but most of them don't have the grip and turn-in that you would likely want on a BMW. But pay attention to inflation pressure and you can go up a few pounds from the doorjamb recommendations.
Goes without saying to remove any golf clubs, etc. from the trunk if you don't actually plan to use them on the day's journey.
Lastly, it was BMW who published something awhile back about getting better MPG with a stick, in general try opening the throttle more and shifting up sooner, than you do currently. Taking some cue from the little MPG meter in the tach you can figure out what to do, to get best economy. Now in the above I'm not saying to lug the engine, nor to floor the accelerator, it's just to open the throttle a little more and shift a little shorter -
But, yeah, 28MPG (Imperial gallon I guess) is pretty damn good and you have little to complain aboutl
You *could* go to a low-rolling-resistance tire when it's time for tires, but most of them don't have the grip and turn-in that you would likely want on a BMW. But pay attention to inflation pressure and you can go up a few pounds from the doorjamb recommendations.
Goes without saying to remove any golf clubs, etc. from the trunk if you don't actually plan to use them on the day's journey.
Lastly, it was BMW who published something awhile back about getting better MPG with a stick, in general try opening the throttle more and shifting up sooner, than you do currently. Taking some cue from the little MPG meter in the tach you can figure out what to do, to get best economy. Now in the above I'm not saying to lug the engine, nor to floor the accelerator, it's just to open the throttle a little more and shift a little shorter -
But, yeah, 28MPG (Imperial gallon I guess) is pretty damn good and you have little to complain aboutl
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