Fuel economy on SUPER. not high test
08-25-2003, 05:08 PM
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1987 300D Turbo, 2007 ML63 AMG
Fuel economy on SUPER. not high test
Most of the messages seem to be concerned with hotrodding. How dull! I used to drive Diesels before and found that my '98 E320 Engine is as efficient on gasoline as the 300 Diesels were 30 years ago. (Don't read further unless you are interested in a thread like this.) A year or so ago in one of the glossy MB magazines was an article telling you what to do if you are out of fuel and can get only regular gasoline. The recommendation was to go ahead and use it but keep the engine below 2,000 RPM. Well, with 2,000 RPM you can do 55 MPH, what's wron with that? I have since switched, not to REGULAR but to SUPER, (not the high test with 92 octane.) I keep the maximum RPM below 3,000, which is good for 80 MPH. I don't need to go faster than that. By accellerating slowly, staying below 2,000 RPM through the gears, I get fantastic fuel economy as well. I average 27 to 30 MPG per TANK FULL in suburban and highway driving.
08-28-2003, 12:05 PM
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That is the whole idea of having overdrive. At highway speeds your RPMs will only be 1800 or 2000 when you are in overdrive. You have to drive around town like a old granny to keep the RPMs that low in city driving.
09-03-2003, 02:38 PM
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1987 300D Turbo, 2007 ML63 AMG
You were guessing. The E320 does 30MPH in third, 45MPH in fourth and 55MPH in overdrive when the engine turns at 2,000RPM. The transmission adapts to your driving habits. If you are going for fuel economy and don't exceede 2,000 RPM , the transmission will shift smoothly as can be, even in town. This is a very good automobile and my only concern would be spark plug fowling. That's why you should drive at least with 'Super', so you can take the engine up to 3,000 RPM and go for a fast drive every so often.
09-03-2003, 03:09 PM
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2003 CLK55AMG
Cars have knock sensors
I think all of the M-B cars sold today have knock sensors so if you use a low octane fuel but don't go hot rodding the engine will not suffer any damage. I ran 89 in my 2002 E320 once and didn't notice any difference in mileage or performance.
