how far can you drive bmw without stopping?

Check all the fluids and tyres thoroughly.

Get a good night's sleep beforehand (although better IMHO to split the trip over two days).

The UK TV program managed to drive and Audi A8 diesel from London to Edinburgh and back (~800miles) on a tankful, but this probably means cruising at 56mph (90kmph), which makes for even more time behind the wheel.

Reply to
R. Mark Clayton
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doesn't matter how fast or slow you go, if you can keep the car at a good pace burning less petrol you'll be fine.

It shows on the economic display under the speedo

Reply to
ggslash

Yes it does.

The most economic speed is normally 56mph. On big BMW's the auto boxes change up into top at this speed in part because this is the speed that EU consumption figures are given for.

If you go slower a lower gear will be selected, giving more revs and higher consumption.

If you go faster then you just use more fuel.

Interestingly on the 735i that I had cruise control on, it used to do better with cruise set than with me holding a steady speed with the accelerator.

Reply to
R. Mark Clayton

I doubt a 323 will do 850 miles without re-fuelling.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

thanks everyone, for posting ;-) turns out- i'm *terrible* at articulating a question. gas/petrol prices, gas mileage, stops for gas, stops for breaks, etc weren't even my concern(s).

every car has got a capacity, right? a capacity that says 'ok, it can go only so far/long (distance-wise and time-wise) before it needs a solid break'. that's the capacity i was talking about when i was talking about my 99 323i ;-) it's an old car, has 78K on it, and is generally well maintained, but y'know, i've never taken on such a long trip before, so i thought i'd ask. i guess a 900-mile trip is nothing.

thanks again for sharing your experiences and adding your thoughts to my concern. i definitely feel much better now ;-)

btw, go through this link when you get a chance (i'm sure it's been posted elsewhere too, but it still gave me a kick; there was another link on bbc that i can't find now- that's even funnier, htis one is ok):

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-A

ggslash wrote:

Reply to
aagastya

Other cars can be like that. German cars are designed to keep going.

Reply to
Richard Sexton

BMW's almost uniquely have a little indicator that tells you when it needs a service (and what sort). Driven gently you can go ~15,000 miles before the orange light comes on.

Reply to
R. Mark Clayton

wrote

No, not really. It's acutally the driver who needs a "solid break," not the car. Casual hwy driving is very easy on a car and it can pretty much go on forever if not for the fact that you need to add gas, use a restroom, or feed yourself. The startup of a cold engine is what generates the biggest wear and tear.

Ehh.. it's not really that old and 78K miles is nothing if it was well maintained like you said it was. Enjoy the drive.

Cheers,

Pete

Reply to
Pete

I have a '98 Z3, 2.8 litre 5-speed. 55 - 65 mph in 5th gear, cruise control and top down highway driving gives me 25 to 26 mpg. 75 to 85 mph, same conditions gives me 28.5 to 30 mpg.

Reply to
perry lee

Interesting. My '97 Z3, 2.8 5-speed averaged 30 to 32 mpg at 55~65 and about 28 to 29 mpg at 75~85. Are you measuring actual miles driven divided by gallons used, or are you relying on the OBC?

Tom K.

Reply to
Tom K.

And what sort of gearbox?

Reply to
R. Mark Clayton

How far I can go without stopping has alot to do with the guy in front of me.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Believe I wrote "5-speed" (meaning manual) with stock 3.15 differential.

Tom K.

Reply to
Tom K.

Mostly the obc. I did the math when we first had the car, but /I gave it up when I realized the OBC was accurate, at least on a long trip with steady driving between fillups.

Reply to
perry lee

No a car doesn't have a capacity before needing a rest. Machines don't need rest. As long as the fluids are maintained it will run until it wears out, maybe 500k for a BMW.

Reply to
SBS

Didn't BMW run one (engine) continuously for over a million miles?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Mobil did when they were testing Mobil1 oil. There may be other examples.

Reply to
joe_tide

I wonder what this line in the article is supposed to mean?

"AT THE END of the road, when the engine was taken apart, Mobil's engineers discovered that the wear measurements were the same as the manufacturer's specifications"

Do you think it meant the measurements were within build specs? or that they had reached the manufacturers upper wear limits, or just that it was within the mfr. wear limits?

Reply to
Fred W

Yeah, I stumbled over that myself. I guess the point was that it did do

1,000,000 miles, but it would be interesting to know what they meant.
Reply to
joe_tide

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that was the funniest $hit i ever read.... lolllll

Reply to
ggslash

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