Boring and painful experiment: Best MPG in around town driving

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by davem3fan

It is a mixed route on hilly country back roads with many stop signs and a small highway portion at one end.

so in other words, 20 mpgs still not 100% urban.

I dont' think I'll ever see anything north of 13 for a 100% urban driving.

[davesaddiction]

So, I've joked with a friend about "hypermiling" for a full tank, but I don't think I could make it... Thanks for taking one for the team.

I spent the past weekend in the Arkansas Ozarks, spinning above 4500k the majority of the time, and I got the same mpg that I get with my normal commute. Just wish those amazing roads were a little closer to home...

[dcho]

being a recently acquired c63 owner this is more reassuring than i thought. we (i) will struggle to get around 14-15 around town which doesn't seem to be too far off from what you guys are getting. best i've done on a highway was 21.5. i think it'd be better if it weren't for the damn overpasses and headwind.

instead of resorting to violent or verbal road rage, i am trying to find zen in occasional "spirited bursts of acceleration" as a relief from hypermiling.

[davem3fan]

Well, over the weekend I made it to 1/2 tank before I died of boredom.

It was never going to eclipse 20.2 MPG, and no matter how gentle I drove it kept creeping downward. Going for economy runs is not the point of these cars.

Be safe and have fun out there, everybody.

[VMcV3y]

Thanks for trying! 1/2 a tank is still more patience than most of us could muster.

Oh, I'm still registering 99.9 mpg on mine. So it is possible:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...4&goto=newpost

[MTROUBLE93]

It's okay OP I've tried this many times I usually end up punching it and hitting redline somewhere in the first 3 miles. KIDDING more like first 50 miles. But seriously also try throwing it in neutral while going down big hills. Good luck.

[bkrM3]

Originally Posted by Majin Buu

I like your avatar pic. Was that an extra cost option that didn't come with my car?

Haha it's an old stock photo from e90post.

But you're right, in my experience those are always "extra cost" options that, at least where I live, don't come standard with an M3 purchase.

[4corners]

Mine says 20.1 and I drive it like i stole it.

[TexasSpartan]

Originally Posted by JoeKixxon

I like this experiment, and I'm looking forward to the update to see if you can get the MPG even better. I'd really love to be a bit more conservative.

That stated... I had a funny (short) conversation with my wife last week:

Me: "It's my fault for burning all this fuel. I launch out of every stop, and I'm always revving the hell out of the motor"
Wife: "That's true."
Me: "...but I drive an M3"
Wife: "I see your point"


Edit: My wife is a great passenger by the way. She rode for years on the back of my CBRs, Ninjas, and the like... she knows how to lean into a turn, lean back when stopping, etc. on a motorcycle. Now in the M3 people ask her if it frightens her (the way I drive). Her response is "I know he wouldn't let anything happen to the car, so I know I'm OK".

Love the Edit, sounds like my wife.

[JoeKixxon]

Originally Posted by e1000

definitely a keeper. Nice find.

Originally Posted by TexasSpartan

Love the Edit, sounds like my wife.

thanks y'all !!


Oh, and to keep on topic here: I did probably the gas-burniest, fuel-wastiest thing ever yesterday. Drove up and down, up and down the highway, getting on and off at each exit, just so I could floor it on the on-ramps. Prius owners: face-palm away.

Good thing I'm back my bicycle today to try to even out the universe

[TexasSpartan]

Originally Posted by JoeKixxon

thanks y'all !!


Oh, and to keep on topic here: I did probably the gas-burniest, fuel-wastiest thing ever yesterday. Drove up and down, up and down the highway, getting on and off at each exit, just so I could floor it on the on-ramps. Prius owners: face-palm away.

Good thing I'm back my bicycle today to try to even out the universe

Me too, but mine was to school a kid in a Camaro. He actually waited for me at the stop sign. My wife was in the car with me and started laughing at him which probably made things worse for him after I was two car lengths ahead of him a matter of seconds.

[stevens]

Not in the us but uk. I did motorway (highway) miles only and avg was 32mpg and just over 420 miles out if the tank sitting at 70. Most boring thing I ever did

[JoeKixxon]

OK at the risk (read: goal) of completely derailing this thread from improved MPG to obscene waste of energy... I suppose it gives me the opportunity to post this:

[emanresu]

Originally Posted by 4corners

Mine says 20.1 and I drive it like i stole it.

Sounds like you're a pretty economical thief

[emanresu]

Originally Posted by MTROUBLE93

It's okay OP I've tried this many times I usually end up punching it and hitting redline somewhere in the first 3 miles. KIDDING more like first 50 miles. But seriously also try throwing it in neutral while going down big hills. Good luck.

Every time that I go to the gas station with the intent to baby it out of there so as to maximize that tank's efficiency, I punch it as soon as I get back on the road. LITERALLY every time. I forget during the fuel up process (takes me a long time because I fill up on the slowest setting to maximize the fuel I get) and then just say "screw it" once I ruin the average.

Also, little tip that I read once: don't put it in neutral for fuel efficiency (or really anything for that matter). If you slow down while still in gear, then the rotation of the wheels will actually turn the engine, which reduces the amount of fuel needed to keep it spinning during idle. I could be wrong about this, so flame away if I am!

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by emanresu

Sounds like you're a pretty economical thief

This.

Or the cars are stolen while on a tow truck.

I would go crazy and pull my hair out to try and achieve that MPG. I've gotten 21 before, but mostly city streets and my driving make it near impossible.

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by stevens

Not in the us but uk. I did motorway (highway) miles only and avg was 32mpg and just over 420 miles out if the tank sitting at 70. Most boring thing I ever did

I don't think that's possible. The cluster lied to you

That is... unless you were on a perpetual downhill slope (flashbacks of the perpetual elevator come to mind)

[stevens]

Originally Posted by Mike Benvo

I don't think that's possible. The cluster lied to you

That is... unless you were on a perpetual downhill slope (flashbacks of the perpetual elevator come to mind)

I know I couldn't believe it myself, but I swore I would never to do it again (I was trying to compare it with my outgoing 330d), on the other scale I have had close to just 100 miles out of a tank

[lsmkr01]

I rest my gauge this tank full and so far in the past 2 days i'm averaging 19.2mpg. 90% non-city driving and coast down hills but still having multiple speed bursts when the road begs for it. Ave speed during this time is about 70mph.

[US///M3]

Originally Posted by davem3fan

To satisfy my curiosity, I'm trying a boring little experiment.

For this tank of fuel I am trying to see how high I can keep the MPG by simply doing the following:

1. Using the engine auto start/stop (mine is a 2011.5)
2. Driving very gently to conserve any/all momentum
3. Minimizing complete stops when possible
3. Obeying most posted signs for a change

On 4/25/13 I got a fresh tank of on a fresh tank of Shell 93.
I then reset fuel consumption and trip computer.

I normally get 16mpg driving the same route.
It is early going yet, but after 44 miles on my typical commuting roads:

Average speed: 33.9mph
MPG: 20.2mpg

I am somewhat pleased with this, but quite bored.
It will take all the willpower I've got to do this for the whole tank.

Feel free to make fun of this.
Trust me when I tell you this is not normal for me.

E9X M3 fuel meters are notoriously off, usually they show 10-15% better than actual mpg.
A good way to get an accurate mpg is with pencil and paper at the pump.
Fill up,get your mileage, next time you fill up,get the number of gallons you put in. You'll get the actual mileage driven on that tank of gas.
In the interest of science ,please run an experiment that's not misleading.

[jpan08]

haha this is awesome

[dreamspeed]

So while i was stuck in medium traffic today I reset the onboard info average MPG and proceeded to drive around 40-50 mph in 5th gear, the mpg screen held steady at 28-29mpg the entire time.

Is that number for real or BS?