I'm thinking about buying one, can I get by with Regular
Unleaded gas? Thank you
Unleaded gas? Thank you
Any Volvo Turbo Owners out there?
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Yes - you can get by. My wife uses regular unleaded in her XC. I use only premium in the T5.
The OM states, "Use of premium fuel is recommended for best performance and economy."...recommended, not required. It's my contention that the car does get better MPG on premium.
More germane: what year and model are you considering? some are great, some, not so much...beware of a cheap Volvo...and beware of one with no service records...
The OM states, "Use of premium fuel is recommended for best performance and economy."...recommended, not required. It's my contention that the car does get better MPG on premium.
More germane: what year and model are you considering? some are great, some, not so much...beware of a cheap Volvo...and beware of one with no service records...
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Originally Posted By: Astro14
Yes - you can get by. My wife uses regular unleaded in her XC. I use only premium in the T5.
The OM states, "Use of premium fuel is recommended for best performance and economy."...recommended, not required. It's my contention that the car does get better MPG on premium.
More germane: what year and model are you considering? some are great, some, not so much...beware of a cheap Volvo...and beware of one with no service records...
Thats means any 740, 850 SLT T5 and 960 Turbo!
Seriously, its a good looking car but a problem in the waiting if i understand correctly.
Another question, what cars and makes (turbo? Euro?) really DO need Premium and which ones "dont really need it?"
Yes - you can get by. My wife uses regular unleaded in her XC. I use only premium in the T5.
The OM states, "Use of premium fuel is recommended for best performance and economy."...recommended, not required. It's my contention that the car does get better MPG on premium.
More germane: what year and model are you considering? some are great, some, not so much...beware of a cheap Volvo...and beware of one with no service records...
Thats means any 740, 850 SLT T5 and 960 Turbo!
Seriously, its a good looking car but a problem in the waiting if i understand correctly.
Another question, what cars and makes (turbo? Euro?) really DO need Premium and which ones "dont really need it?"
Some of the ones that you mention can be great cars, if they were taken care of, but those won't be cheap (relative to their market segment), and they will have records...my 1994 850 was a great car. It was purchased from the original owner, who kept meticulous records, when it had nearly 200K on it, it ran flawlessly (it was killed by a Caddie in a collision...).
If the manual recommends premium, then I would use it. If you're using regular in a car that recommends premium, you're counting on the knock sensor to sense detonation and the ECU to pull back the timing a few degrees to prevent it...
I would rather not count on that...but that's just me...
If the manual recommends premium, then I would use it. If you're using regular in a car that recommends premium, you're counting on the knock sensor to sense detonation and the ECU to pull back the timing a few degrees to prevent it...
I would rather not count on that...but that's just me...
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Only use 91(Premium in CA) in my R.
Kestas
Staff member
Yes, you can get away with using regular in a turbo engine. Many of them have a knock sensor and will appropriately adjust the ignition timing.
But this will result in false economy. Anything you save in the price of gasoline will be lost in the lower gas mileage you get from the knock sensor detuning your engine.
But this will result in false economy. Anything you save in the price of gasoline will be lost in the lower gas mileage you get from the knock sensor detuning your engine.
Some turbo cars lower the boost pressure when regular unleaded gas is used, this was how SAAB did it in the early 1980s.
Use high octane whenever possible.
One solution is to keep a bottle of octane booster additive in the trunk, and pour that in at the same time you pour in lower octane gasoline.
Use high octane whenever possible.
One solution is to keep a bottle of octane booster additive in the trunk, and pour that in at the same time you pour in lower octane gasoline.
I honestly can't tell the difference when running 87 or 91 in my V70 GLT. My boss used nothing but 87 in his C70 HPT and that car scooted around fairly quickly.
The key is the price split between 87 and 91.
I figure the loss in mpg in my BMW is about $.05-.08/gal, so if the price between premium and midgrade is somewhere near there, I'll spring for the good stuff. If it's dramatically more, I'll use 87 and live with the 1.5 mpg loss.
This dilemma is familiar to Costco shoppers, which only carries 87 and 93 (for $.20 more). When I fuel up there, I almost always go for the cheap stuff; it's still costing less even with the lower mpg.
Figure out how much your mpg drops with your Turbo, and you can make your own cheapskate judgement!
I figure the loss in mpg in my BMW is about $.05-.08/gal, so if the price between premium and midgrade is somewhere near there, I'll spring for the good stuff. If it's dramatically more, I'll use 87 and live with the 1.5 mpg loss.
This dilemma is familiar to Costco shoppers, which only carries 87 and 93 (for $.20 more). When I fuel up there, I almost always go for the cheap stuff; it's still costing less even with the lower mpg.
Figure out how much your mpg drops with your Turbo, and you can make your own cheapskate judgement!
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I have 2 Volvos, a 2004 XC70 and a 2008 S40. I just sold the S40 because I was having constant problems with it. The XC70 has been a great car with no problems. Volvo seems to be hit or miss. I bought a Honda CRV to replace the S40.
have a 91 940 turbo wagon. Can't control myself running 87 even though it runs better on 91. Can't speak for MPG as the tank rarely shuts off the pump at the same place twice, and I'm running snow tires now which adds dramatic drag.
Auto trans uses a TV cable and it actually holds lower gears longer on 87 as I'm giving it more throttle for the same amount of power.
Car has an awesome powertrain but the plastic interior is getting shabby in a hurry.
Auto trans uses a TV cable and it actually holds lower gears longer on 87 as I'm giving it more throttle for the same amount of power.
Car has an awesome powertrain but the plastic interior is getting shabby in a hurry.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
have a 91 940 turbo wagon. Can't control myself running 87 even though it runs better on 91. Can't speak for MPG as the tank rarely shuts off the pump at the same place twice, and I'm running snow tires now which adds dramatic drag.
Auto trans uses a TV cable and it actually holds lower gears longer on 87 as I'm giving it more throttle for the same amount of power.
Car has an awesome powertrain but the plastic interior is getting shabby in a hurry.
As bad as your interior is, I am betting it is in far better condition than the majority of cars made in 1991.
Volvo bricks are some of the most durable cars made.
have a 91 940 turbo wagon. Can't control myself running 87 even though it runs better on 91. Can't speak for MPG as the tank rarely shuts off the pump at the same place twice, and I'm running snow tires now which adds dramatic drag.
Auto trans uses a TV cable and it actually holds lower gears longer on 87 as I'm giving it more throttle for the same amount of power.
Car has an awesome powertrain but the plastic interior is getting shabby in a hurry.
As bad as your interior is, I am betting it is in far better condition than the majority of cars made in 1991.
Volvo bricks are some of the most durable cars made.
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