Hey, hey, I made that post that was linked to in the OP. Sorry I didn't post two years ago... just got linked to this.
For the test I was always fully up to speed at the beginning of the route, so those average MPGs don't include the acceleration to that speed.
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Originally Posted by JJW
He says "90mph" in one of his comments, so that's not kph. I'd still like to know where, honestly, traffic "cruises" at 80 anywhere in the northeast. I think its a psychological effect of traveling that speed, noticing other cars staying in your group, and assuming everyone is going that fast while you disregard all the people you are flying by.
What he means by "gears use more fuel at any speed" is that if you change the final drive gearing higher for better acceleration your fuel mileage will go down. That's why its under mods.
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The M3 come stock with 3.62s. People like to switch to 3.91s or 4.10s-- those are the gear swaps that I meant result in worse economy. Nobody ever goes the other way.
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Originally Posted by diesel_john
that must be 80 kilometers, the data would almost make sense then.
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... it was MPH
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Originally Posted by kevlar
It would be quite a kick in the pride, but I'll bet it would do good around fifty in fifth
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I was doing this plan for a rally I was going on-- comparing the speed vs MPG to figure out what rate of speed would result in the shortest possible driving time with fuel stops factored in (as in, at what speed would I be using so much gas that the extra stops would make my net time slower).
... but you're right, I didn't try anything below 70. I should have tried 50 in 5th, as that's right around the same RPM as 80 in 6th. It would honestly just be for testing sake, though... I can't actually stomach driving that speed...
[QUOTE=RPM;41155]You might also want to see this funny video where Top Gear compares the fuel economy of an M3 and a Prius. The Prius goes flat out around a circuit, with the M3 following in hot pursuit.
YouTube - Top Gear - Toyota Prius Vs BMW M3
Hmm... by that logic, and the way I normally drive, the M3 should always be more efficient for me than a Prius.
I'd be happy to redo testing with someone from this forum if there's interest, though my MPGs are probably going to be worse these days-- I've running 285s on all 4 corners now.