gas mileage in a TI

[dorkunderfire]

i'm considering buying a 318ti, probably a '98, but i'm a little hesitant to let go of the gas mileage on my civic. however, i want air bags, and the sweet ride-feel of the BMW...plus there's so many standardized things i'd have to install aftermarket on my car, it would just be a mess. [power locks, power windows, air conditioning, better shocks..and i couldn't even add power steering if i wanted to]

i'm wondering what things i can do mod-wise to improve the gas mileage. i read up on the cold air intake, and cat-back exhaust...brands would be helpful, and i'm not looking to make my car sound like a cheap-ass ricer. i also read something about the M3 light-weight flywheel...i dunno man. also my sister has a 2004 toyota matrix XRS, with the 6-speed, and it handles, feels, and accelerates beautifully...and matrix's have decent MPG. i wouldn't mind having that in my TI.

thanks for your help!



- Sean

[96cali]

I don't think we've ever discussed ways to improve fuel economy! Our ti's get around 32 highway, 26 city which is not quite a civic but good. A cold air intake will use colder (and denser) air so more fuel will combine with it for more power but less economy. I would think narower, firmer tires would be a good start. Sounds like you could go Japanese too and be happier.

[michaelhofastcar]

When it comes down to performance upgrade, you are doing the opposite to fuel economy. A stock ti is already very fuel efficient, I see no reason to improve it. I had a Honda Civic and Nissan Sentra before. I can tell you a BMW is no comparison to any Japanese economy cars. It is of a several class above Civic.

[twomato]

I commute 80 miles round trip with my '95 ti auto @ 75 MPH and I am averaging 28 MPG.

[bmwracerchick]

I average about 350 miles on a full tank in the city...and I live in a very congested area. A civic probably does average better but at least you have a quality car and not a car that can break on you at any second.....unfortunetly if the ti does have a problem you are paying 3x more then you would pay to fix the civic. If you feel you can afford the upkeep of the car and drive nice and not like a maniac then the MPG should be what you need. Good luck, let us know if you do get the ti.

[Tyler]

I get about 390 miles to the tank,but that is all highway miles. I drive 500+ miles a week on my ti 20,xxx since last october/november.

[CirrusSR22]

I get 32 MPG, if I keep it under 70 MPH (113 KMH) on the freeway.

[not2fast]

What do you see if you go 80mph?

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by not2fast

What do you see if you go 80mph?

If you drive 80mph i get about 30 miles to a gallon,but evryone's car is different.

[GREX1969]

I get 34-36MPG out of mine and I hardly drive it like a granny

[sparkchaser]

Originally Posted by GREX1969

I get 34-36MPG out of mine and I hardly drive it like a granny

Interesting. I am getting 23 in the city (driving like a granny) and around 31 hwy (going about 80).

[maxt]

if your thinking of going from civic to BMW, you will definitely LOVE the luxury feel of the BMW.

I just did 2 2,000 mile road trip and averaged about 31-33 mpg highway with premium. crappier gas lowers my MPG by about 3-4 mpg.

[AlaskaBlue]

I went to did a about a three and a half hour drive from my house to Columbus Ohio over the summer. My crusing speed was around 75-80 mph and I averaged 35 mpg by the car computer.

[bmwpwr]

I just checked mine. I got 33.4 MPG on my last tank of gas which was regualr day to day driving. Not bad!

[weezer]

Since I live IN DC, city milage is very poor.
I get about 20mpg in the city, and last I went to Cleveland (about 375 miles) I didn't have to refill along the way and lasted an extra 45 miles. So I calculated I got 30-31 mpg on the highway driving about 75-80 avg.