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SUVs BMW X3 & X5 BMW X3
3287 messages, Last post on Nov 14, 2009 at 6:14 PM
You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: davidc1 (Oct 31, 2005 11:25 am) So, apparently it goes both ways -- use regular in cars so designed and premium in cars so designed. Now, however -- I thought someone told me that the Chrysler 330C Hemi required regular (or mid grade). And, one of the folks I work with used to have a northstar equipped Cadillac and I am thinking it said "regular." My point, even if my details are fuzzy, is to wonder "since it is obviously possible to design cars with "X" horsepower to run on regular, why not just make cars run on 87 or 89 octane as a matter of course. I don't need to use premium to impress the neighbors -- and believe me, if I thought I could get away with running regular in my HIGH COMPRESSION Audi V6, I would. And, of course my wife would run regular in her BMW 3.0 I6 if she but could without long term issues as put forth by Tom and Ray above. Why not make "all cars" run on a single grade (say the one that is readily available) everywhere? It HAS to be (one would hope) more than ego and pride that makes car makers design the car to run on premium. Somewhere I read that the reason for an engine to be designed to run on premium is engine efficiency. That is the higher compression ratio afforded by the use of Premium juice also creates greater efficiency. Efficiency is good, no? More would be better, wouldn't it? In other words, why not make all engines require premium and have a several year cutover, just like we did when we went to 100% unleaded. Some economy of scale would certainly ensue, perhaps lowering the price of premium. Hmmmmm? |
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Replying to: bmwbob277 (Oct 30, 2005 7:40 pm) It all just comes down to simple physics and some chemistry. To quote from howstuffworks.com: "Higher compression ratios produce more power, up to a point. The more you compress the air/fuel mixture, however, the more likely it is to spontaneously burst into flame (before the spark plug ignites it). Higher-octane gasolines prevent this sort of early combustion. That is why high-performance cars generally need high-octane gasoline -- their engines are using higher compression ratios to get more power....... "It turns out that heptane handles compression very poorly. Compress it just a little and it ignites spontaneously. Octane handles compression very well -- you can compress it a lot and nothing happens. Eighty-seven-octane gasoline is gasoline that contains 87-percent octane and 13-percent heptane (or some other combination of fuels that has the same performance of the 87/13 combination of octane/heptane). It spontaneously ignites at a given compression level, and can only be used in engines that do not exceed that compression ratio."
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Replying to: bdr127 (Oct 31, 2005 2:31 pm)  Steve, Host |
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Long-Term Test: 2005 BMW X3 - Oct. update (Inside Line) Steve, Host |
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Hi All, I have not posted here for a while, but figured I would comment on some recent topics. I am still very pleased with my 15 month old X3, and it has done everything I could ask for with no ill effects. I am running premium gas, and like some others here, had poor results using even mid grade gas (lower mpg and lower performance.) I plan staying with the 91 or better. I now have nearly 17,000 miles on my 2004 X3 3.0i 6M. I average a measured 21 MPG in my commute. I average 23+ on highway trips. Trailering knocks my mileage down to 18-19 city or highway. I drive moderately, and save winding it out to the screaming redline for the occasions where I need a big smile to make my day. I have noted that the trip computer on my vehicle does not report the correct MPG compared to measuring it the old fashioned way (miles/gallons of gas.) The computer is optimistic by 1-1.5 MPG. I reset it with most tanks, and this does not seem to matter. I know I am getting about 1 MPG less than the display on any given tank. Anyone else actually checked their trip computer against actual mileage? Cheers, Tom |
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I made a similar post some time ago, but though I would ask again. I was just looking for people's X3 experiences with tires and snow. I find the Pirelli STRs to be just adequate for snow. They are great for everything else, but snow is not their strong point IMO. So, has anyone upgraded tires on their X3? Anybody planning on buying dedicated snows and spare rims? Please share your thoughts, experiences, pricing, and sources used. Thanks, Tom 2004 X3 3.0i 6M
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I just purchased a new Bluetooth phone from Sprint(LG325KIT). I was able to pair the phone, but cannot send nor receive calls. I know this phone is not explicitly listed on the BMW supported list....thought I'd check to see if maybe I'm just doing something wrong. I start the car up, my phone does make a connection, but the Stereo display consistently shows Activate Phone. The steering wheel controls do not seem to change anything. Any advice? 
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Replying to: ozonecat (Nov 03, 2005 8:00 pm) The consensus has pretty much stated that if it's not on BMW's "officially supported" list, then there are no promises as to what will and what won't work. |
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Replying to: bdr127 (Nov 03, 2005 8:33 pm)
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I know certain phones are not offered by all companies. But one of the least costly phones seems to be THE universal phone in all of these late model cars that come with bluetooth: Sony Ericsson's T630 and T637. Moreover, BMW offers a kit that fits in the upper part of the armrest that makes the phone far more powerful in almost every way. If you go with this $99 phone (say a T637) and use the BMW armrest kit, the roof top antenna is activated, the phone's battery is "optimally" charged at all times and full hands free use is activated and due to the use of the roof antenna, there are fewer drop outs. I had purchased a Motorola V505, which did work, but there was NO in armrest kit. The armrest kit has the effect, or so it seems, of quadrupling the power of your phone plus it is very easy to use. No one wants to hear this, but these cars (Audi, BMW and Infiniti) seem to prefer GSM type phones and they work flawlessly with the car's software. Why fight it? |
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