Fuel Economy estimate?

[viking325i]

Hi,

I currently have a 1992 525i BMW with a 2.5L engine, getting a rather low 15MPG. Most of this fuel seems to be getting sucked up in accelerating, getting the car actually moving and all the stuff low down.

What do you think I could expect with a 1UZFE? Weight seems similar to the soarer, (owners manual claims an unladen weight of 1610kg (3549lbs)

 

[xirforever]

well i just bought a 97 sc400 and drove it 400 miles back home from the previous owner, it told me my average MPG was 30.1 mpg, mind you, it was ALL highway driving. So highway id expect around 30 mpg i guess. I was kind of suprised by this number though because in my LS400 i barely got 25 if i was careful, but the sc is lighter so i guess that makes up for it.

 

[XxSC400xX]

Getting 400 miles from a tank on one of these cars is definately not easy, as the motor can be a thirsty one. If you floor it constantly in race conditions expect about 8 miles per gallon [ouch], but with average city driving 15-17 mpg is the norm. When I take the 300 mile trip to Las Vegas my SC can get there on 3/4 of a tank. Nobody believes it when you tell them that a 10+ year old V8 gets over 20 miles per gallon.

xir,
The gas tank on an SC is 18.5 gallons, you would need to go 555 miles to get 30 mpg (Unless you didn't fill it up, might wanna double check your #'s) The LS400 IS heavier than an SC400, but the LS has a slightly lower aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.27 than the SC's 0.31 (with factory wing). This could easily counteract the weight difference when driving at freeway speeds. Your differences in milage may have been contributed to something else like driving on a downhill grade, tail wind, stop and go traffic, etc. Go through a few more tanks of gas with your SC and congrats. on buying one of the best cars on the planet.

 

[V8TOY]

all depends on how you drive it,
Thrash it up and like any good engine your goin to suck away the fuel,
or drive like grandma and save money.

Its your choice.

 

[Lextreme II]

Xirforever drove 400 miles downhill with the wind (JK)

 

[xirforever]

Getting 400 miles from a tank on one of these cars is definately not easy, as the motor can be a thirsty one. If you floor it constantly in race conditions expect about 8 miles per gallon [ouch], but with average city driving 15-17 mpg is the norm. When I take the 300 mile trip to Las Vegas my SC can get there on 3/4 of a tank. Nobody believes it when you tell them that a 10+ year old V8 gets over 20 miles per gallon.

xir,
The gas tank on an SC is 18.5 gallons, you would need to go 555 miles to get 30 mpg (Unless you didn't fill it up, might wanna double check your #'s) The LS400 IS heavier than an SC400, but the LS has a slightly lower aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.27 than the SC's 0.31 (with factory wing). This could easily counteract the weight difference when driving at freeway speeds. Your differences in milage may have been contributed to something else like driving on a downhill grade, tail wind, stop and go traffic, etc. Go through a few more tanks of gas with your SC and congrats. on buying one of the best cars on the planet.

Id say your comments are pretty right on. I was however under the impression from some sites that the drag on the LS was .28, not a big deal though.

The way i got the 30.1 MPG was from the computer on my car. The 97 tells me lots of nifty stuff, Average MPG, average speed, instant MPG, outside temp, time car has been on. Anyway i got 30.1 MPG driving from tulsa OK, to saint louis, MO, it was about 400 miles, 6 hours with stop. But yeah i did no calculations, i figured the onboard computer would be accurate enough, especially if they bother to go into the decimals. i could be wrong though?

 

[viking325i]

So given my driving generally is half city half highway driving I could expect around the 19-24mpg mark at a guess?

The current engine only annoys me cause its sucking fuel and gutless at the same time Must be a vaccum leak somewhere.

 

[Zuffen]

For all those non United States people, remember their gallon is smaller the the UK one we all talk about.

To get 30+MPG on a US gallon is something to write home about.

 

[robie]

i have a 92' sc400 and my baby with a full tank of gas was getting 315 per full tank with original filter. now, with a replacement k&n box filter i get 250 per full tank? i feel more of a pick up. but, gas isn't cheap.

 

[Peewee]

In metric terms, I got 11.5L/100km on the highway, and ranging from 12.5-14L/100km around the city, depending on how many cold starts I do.

I'm tempted to get some new o2 sensors in the future, and see if it gets better.

 

[hi-lex]

I get 11.3L/100km highway an 16L/100 round town but I drive fairly hard thats 25mpg an 18mpg

 

[jtjerry]

I have 10-12 litres per 100 km (about 24-23 mpg in US) on highway and about 16-18 litres per 100 km on town

 

[daking]

I Have A 95 Sc400 And Am Getting 23.9 Miles To The Gallon,,is This Good, As I Donot Know

 

[Kiwi.in.aus]

I have had my 90 Celsior for just over 3 mths now , I'm getting between 12 and 13 litre's per 100 K's around town and having just arrived back from a 1500 K round trip down to New South Wales , averaged 10.66 litre's per 100 K's !!
Very very pleased , that included some cruizing at 140 KPH and some quick overtaking hard on the gas , so a pretty good result , I fitted a new air filter when I got the car so I think I will replace it every 3 mths , the extra cost will pay for itself with good fuel figures .

 

[budzsc]

Man i love sc400's but their fuel ecomony is brutal... My heavy ass van eats less gas. lol
BTW, are there any ways to make your sc400 burn less fuel? Other than not punching it, i mean like any mechanical stuff or things to add on to it.

 

[stevechumo]

The average miles per gallon (MPG) depends on how you drive your car. Let's assume all engines have the same operating condition. If you step on the gas pedal quicker, the gas will be consumed quicker given the same distance as when you step on it slowly. The average MPG that I could get in city street on my SC400 is about 15, and 24 on highway. The SC400 drinks gas. But if anyone worries about gas consumption on these SC400 or LS, then these cars are not the ones you want.

 

[budzsc]

Ya thats true, you have a point there... its the same about people buying an Escalade and then bitching about gas... you kinda had it coming if you bought an SUV like that.

Either way tho, is there anything to do your car to make it that little bit more fuel efficient?

 

[WDoherty]

except the sc400 is only 4 liters and weighs a 1/3 less, but stil drinks gas like an suv. of course i got 15mpg city last tank and i definately did some spirited driving.

 

[Pro]

fit taller rear end gearing or get a gearbox ecu trick that locks up the torque convertor at cruise for highway economy.

fit shorter rear end gearing if you're in the city and you'll get better fuel economy.

 

[stevechumo]

Either way tho, is there anything to do your car to make it that little bit more fuel efficient?

Replace sparkplugs & wires, use the hot type for normal engine. Replace rotors & caps, air filter. Clean throttle body. Use high-end gas treatment, not the cheap kind, and you'll see a difference. Use synthetic engine oil and tranny. Last but not least, fill the gas to its max capacity and you'll feel why it takes so long for the tank to get empty...lol.