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      12-26-2019, 11:44 AM   #1
frankenm
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Improved MPG - 20+MPG Highway - Catchcans...

Ok boys hear me out I recently took 300 mile round trip drive with the X5M and got a stunning 20MPG average on the dash - it fluctuated between 19-21 and I drove a bit hard towards the end and when I got home it was right at 20 and still had a 1/4 tank of gas.

I didn’t change my driving style at all to improve this - I was actually able to get about 24 if I granny foot it the entire time but that isn’t fun.

Now here’s the kicker before I took this trip I installed two radium catch cans, had some new freshly cleaned and oiled air filters and 91 octane gas, I use the royal purple 5w-30 oil at 5k intervals

Prior to the catch cans I was getting shit mileage lucky to be above 15, what are the odds those catch cans increased mileage that significantly?

I expected some improvement due to the amount of blow by these engines produce but this is significant

My tune and exhaust are stock - I have the M5 TU turbos and manifolds though so that likely helps just putting this out there wondering if anyone else that added some saw such a vast improvement.

Maybe I have magic fingers or am extremely lucky but the great mileage continues as well...

Seriously amazed at how much better it is doing... my clock is at 120k btw as well just saying might be worth investing in some
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      12-26-2019, 12:34 PM   #2
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I noticed a mild bump in mileage but not to the extent you did. Biggest change for me was off-idle and part throttle performance. I installed an adjustable vacuum valve and tuned to -8psi crankcase vacuum which is responsible for the increase in performance. I plan to add an electric vacuum pump to retain the performance benefit under boost....that is when I finally finish porting and polishing the heads....
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      12-26-2019, 05:33 PM   #3
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Been thinking of doing this on my 13' as well. Any DIY write up on how you installed them and advise on what catch can models you went with? Did a walnut blasting on my wife's traverse and was amazed at how much these DI motors build up. Probably best to do it on my X5M now as I've only got 17K on the clock and I'm hoping to help prevent it.
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      12-26-2019, 06:29 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave00 View Post
Been thinking of doing this on my 13' as well. Any DIY write up on how you installed them and advise on what catch can models you went with? Did a walnut blasting on my wife's traverse and was amazed at how much these DI motors build up. Probably best to do it on my X5M now as I've only got 17K on the clock and I'm hoping to help prevent it.
Radium catch cans x2 - 12AN ( I used 10 and i had to use some additional hose to bridge the connections because it is too small ) and fittings I used about 4 feet of hose.

For the OEM PCV I used the ones from the 50i part numbers are 11157575642 and 11157575643 - Install is pretty straight forward and removes the middle pipe that causes leaks with the PCV

To install you just cut the breather hoses at the ends and completely remove the plastic hose holding the two ends together so u have two separate ends - 4 total two for each side, if your using the radium cans route the first hose to the end that bolts to the valve cover to the top port of the can then the bottom one to the other end of the breather connection that plugs into the intake.

The intake manifold hoses will clip into the breather like normal and make sure you route the one way valve correctly this is really the most important part since the radium cans can actually route either way, I’ll try and get a pic of my install.

Hardest part is finding where to mount them

End result is the intake vacuum pipe sucking air is getting clean air from the can and the intake is sucking clean air from the can as well removing all the blow-by.

I did this for the new turbos to extend the life not sure why BMW thought it was such a good idea to dump so much oil into the turbo like thisz
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      12-27-2019, 12:29 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenm View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave00 View Post
Been thinking of doing this on my 13' as well. Any DIY write up on how you installed them and advise on what catch can models you went with? Did a walnut blasting on my wife's traverse and was amazed at how much these DI motors build up. Probably best to do it on my X5M now as I've only got 17K on the clock and I'm hoping to help prevent it.
Radium catch cans x2 - 12AN ( I used 10 and i had to use some additional hose to bridge the connections because it is too small ) and fittings I used about 4 feet of hose.

For the OEM PCV I used the ones from the 50i part numbers are 11157575642 and 11157575643 - Install is pretty straight forward and removes the middle pipe that causes leaks with the PCV

To install you just cut the breather hoses at the ends and completely remove the plastic hose holding the two ends together so u have two separate ends - 4 total two for each side, if your using the radium cans route the first hose to the end that bolts to the valve cover to the top port of the can then the bottom one to the other end of the breather connection that plugs into the intake.

The intake manifold hoses will clip into the breather like normal and make sure you route the one way valve correctly this is really the most important part since the radium cans can actually route either way, I'll try and get a pic of my install.

Hardest part is finding where to mount them

End result is the intake vacuum pipe sucking air is getting clean air from the can and the intake is sucking clean air from the can as well removing all the blow-by.

I did this for the new turbos to extend the life not sure why BMW thought it was such a good idea to dump so much oil into the turbo like thisz
Thanks for the write up man. Looking forward to some pics of your setup. Been wanting to do this for a while.
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      12-27-2019, 10:58 AM   #6
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I think I'd check to see if something else is going on with your car. Your claiming going from 15mpg to say 20mpg, that would be a 33% improvement in fuel economy. Of course this is so variable in the real world, rear winds, down hills, temps, altitude, modifications and etc affect fuel economy. Maybe a leak is throwing the fuel economy readings way off... I'd also mention the others who have added catch cans didn't report any significant change in fuel economy, so something else has to be going on for such a large change in your readings.

Catch can's can improve fuel economy slightly if you have an oil leak in the intake. Say bad oil separator, bad turbo seals leaking oil into the intake. Oil in the combustion chamber on gasoline cars lowers fuel octane increasing knock and causing the engine to pull timing. Pulled timing reduces fuel economy, but unless things are really, bad its not going to yield a 33% increase in highway fuel economy.

I would state your 15mpg on the hwy is lower than average. I've seen generally 16.8-18.2mpg in highway driving on my 2011 X5M, while not towing. Never above 18ish, but definitely at times below 16.

Last edited by Thecastle; 12-27-2019 at 11:12 AM..
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      12-30-2019, 06:26 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenm View Post
Radium catch cans x2 - 12AN ( I used 10 and i had to use some additional hose to bridge the connections because it is too small ) and fittings I used about 4 feet of hose.

For the OEM PCV I used the ones from the 50i part numbers are 11157575642 and 11157575643 - Install is pretty straight forward and removes the middle pipe that causes leaks with the PCV

To install you just cut the breather hoses at the ends and completely remove the plastic hose holding the two ends together so u have two separate ends - 4 total two for each side, if your using the radium cans route the first hose to the end that bolts to the valve cover to the top port of the can then the bottom one to the other end of the breather connection that plugs into the intake.

The intake manifold hoses will clip into the breather like normal and make sure you route the one way valve correctly this is really the most important part since the radium cans can actually route either way, I’ll try and get a pic of my install.

Hardest part is finding where to mount them

End result is the intake vacuum pipe sucking air is getting clean air from the can and the intake is sucking clean air from the can as well removing all the blow-by.

I did this for the new turbos to extend the life not sure why BMW thought it was such a good idea to dump so much oil into the turbo like thisz
Excellent work and thank you!!! Pics would be great and where did you end up mounting them? Looking forward to seeing your install.
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      01-06-2020, 06:34 PM   #8
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this gets me thinking.. i am getting an avg of 12.9 mpg on my 2011 X5m 69k.. now i do drive with a pretty heavy foot and a good amount of stop and go traffic. Does that sound normal and if not.. where do i look identify the issue?
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      01-10-2020, 04:09 PM   #9
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Hey Frankenm any update? I'd love to see some Pics on how you mounted and routed the cans on your build. Any and all you can provide would be really helpful.
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      01-12-2020, 06:40 PM   #10
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Interesting. I get a decent amount of oil burn and definitely low gas mileage. Interested to see what this looks like.
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      01-13-2020, 10:39 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by igell View Post
this gets me thinking.. i am getting an avg of 12.9 mpg on my 2011 X5m 69k.. now i do drive with a pretty heavy foot and a good amount of stop and go traffic. Does that sound normal and if not.. where do i look identify the issue?
Normal for an X5M, Generally I get around 12.3MPG around town and 16-18mpg highway. So your better than average.

The EPA rating for an E70 X5M is 12 city / 17 hwy. Which is about what most folks get. This isn't an economy vehicle, no one ever buys a SUV or pickup for fuel economy. LOL

BTW I doubt the above is reproducible by anyone. There is no way catch cans will make a 20% improvement in highway fuel economy, from stock running correctly. No one gets consistently 20mpg hwy in an X5M, maybe with a tail wind, slight downhill, cruise on, a/c and all accessories off while drafting....

Most fuel economy stories are like fishermen describing the size of their catch.

Last edited by Thecastle; 01-13-2020 at 10:45 AM..
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      01-22-2020, 12:52 PM   #12
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Here is my setup, I’m not saying your going to get an instant improvement and make 20+mpg highway on a stock X5M.

Everyone has a different setup, I’m a bit more modified than most so results are going to vary ... I forgot to take a pic of the amount of oil I already collected as well was a decent amount

I think these are worth it just for the amount of oil you keep out of the turbo and intakes there is so much blowby

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      01-22-2020, 06:42 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frankenm View Post
Here is my setup, I’m not saying your going to get an instant improvement and make 20+mpg highway on a stock X5M.

Everyone has a different setup, I’m a bit more modified than most so results are going to vary ... I forgot to take a pic of the amount of oil I already collected as well was a decent amount

I think these are worth it just for the amount of oil you keep out of the turbo and intakes there is so much blowby

Nice, thanks for the Pic. Any advise on where you mounted them (I can't see them in the pic) and or your connections/routing of the lines?
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