Fuel Type Experiences, 2006 XC70

[Skater]

After much debate between a Subaru Legacy, VW Passat 4Motion, and a Volvo xc70, I went with the xc70. I don't pick it up till next week, so I don't have too many opinions of it yet, other than the 30 minute test drive, which really impressed me. My question is regarding the fuel type.
I know volvo recommends premium (91 octane) fuel, but I want to know about what your experience has been using different grades.
I look forward to hearing from anyone. I have been scouring this site for months for info on the xc70, and I learned a lot from everyones posts. Seems like a great community to join.
I'll post pictures later once I get the car.

[Astro14]

I know that my wife does not put premium in it. I do and I do in the T5 as well. I am of the opinion that you should follow recommendations. But as I read the owner's manual, it is a recommendation, and not a requirement...

No adverse effects noted in 50K of running on regular and the occasional tank of premium.

[JRL]

I know volvo recommends premium (91 octane) fuel, but I want to know about what your experience has been using different grades.




I do not believe that is said anywhere!:confused:
In fact Volvo states that any of their engines will run on 87 (although the performance will be lacking, you won't cause any damage)

89 octane (US) is fine for all LPT engines.

If you're fully loaded up and you're driving in HOT summer heat, THEN you may want to use a tank of premium, otherwise 89 is fine.

I've owned these cars for years (14) and I almost exclusively use 89 with these engine with no issues

[Ars Gladius]

Manual lists AKI 87 (RON 91) as the minimum octane requirement.

The AKI (Anti-Knock Index) is what we call the Octane rating in the US/Canada.

The higher the anti-kock index the higher the compression can be in the engine (good for turbos). This is why high performance cars that have high compression ratios require the higher AKI.


The other thing to consider is that ethanol is being mixed into the gas we well. Taking Shell Canada fuel as an example: Bronze (AKI 87) can have up to 10% ethanol, Silver (AKI 89) can have up to 5% ethanol and Gold (AKI 91) has 0% ethanol. Running the 10% ethanol blend can negatively affect gas millage by up to 2-3% vs 0% ethanol fuel.


I run Shell Canada Silver (89 AKI) in my car with no issues. I find that it gives me the best balance between gas millage, performance and price.






Octane Rating (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating)

In most countries, including Australia and all of those in Europe, the "headline" octane rating shown on the pump is the Research Octane Number (RON).

But in Canada, the United States and some other countries, like Brazil, the headline number is the average of the Research Octane Number and the Motor Octane Number (MON), called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI).

[Skater]

I do not believe that is said anywhere!:confused:

I don't have the owners manual yet, I was just going off of what I read on various reviews/specifications on the car, and they just stated "premium fuel". I assumed that meant 91 octane, but I guess I was wrong.
What is the compression ratio of the 2.5, and what kind of boost is the light pressure turbo putting out?

[ForestRanger]

I generally run Shell 89 in mine for around-town driving and for long road trips with highway cruising, I'll put 91 in it for the extra bit of power the engine gives for passing. There is a slight difference in fuel economy using the higher grade fuel, but not a whole lot.

87 runs fine.... but there is a definite degrading in fuel economy and the engine feels like it runs rougher (a completely subjective feeling on my part)

I've been keeping track of my mileage on an iphone app since I owned the car. Really haven't noticed a whole lot of difference between mid and premium grades of fuel - where, how much weight you've got in the vehicle and how you are driving are the biggest factors determining fuel economy.

Of course, if I'm traveling to the US then I'm putting in the highest grade possible all the time - with the price difference it's like they're giving it away for free down there.

[wgriswold]

I have used 87 since new for 80K miles. Everything seems fine and I average 25-27 mgp depending on God knows what, maybe seasons. I must also say that I am not an aggressive driver and almost never push the engine. That is probably the reason for the mileage numbers. My owner's manual says that 87 is ok and I figure the engineers know what they are doing.

[Seamus]

What about gas for an s60 t5? I bought one 2 days ago and filled it up with regular (87) and it seems to run fine with decent mileage. But after reading this, I'm thinking about putting 89 in, depending on the price

[JRL]

I don't have the owners manual yet, I was just going off of what I read on various reviews/specifications on the car, and they just stated "premium fuel". I assumed that meant 91 octane, but I guess I was wrong.
What is the compression ratio of the 2.5, and what kind of boost is the light pressure turbo putting out?

First of all don't alwasy believe what you "read off of reviews"
Your fuel requirements should be inside the gas cap.

Cars that REQUIRE and say premium fuel required usually say it on the dash/gauges somewhere and on a sticker inside the gas cap flap.
Boost is like 8 lbs and the compression is (I believe) 8.9 (low) or close to that.
That's why it's called a LIGHT pressure turbo! [sly]

[sjonnie]

What is the compression ratio of the 2.5, and what kind of boost is the light pressure turbo putting out?
My 2.4 will peak at just under 10psi before the engine management cuts it back to around 8. The easiest time for me to observe that is when the car is in cruise control and we hit a mountain pass at 70mph or so, it'll boost up to 10psi and then drop back and hold at a 8psi. Usually on trips like those I'm running premium because the improved highway gas mileage more than makes up for the cost, but around town I use 87 although if I have cause to punch it that hard it'll still boost just the same.

[tgwillard]

As others have reported I use 89 in both my T5 S80 and XC70. Turbo response almost the same as when using 92.

[Skater]

First of all don't alwasy believe what you "read off of reviews"
I always read as many reviews as possible to try and get the greatest sample of information. It actually made buying this car quite difficult as there was such a huge range of opinions and stories of reliability issues. In the end it came down to the stats provided by mkaresh and truedelta, as it was unbiased and the emotional aspect was removed.
On a different note, it has snowed about 15cm here in Calgary. I normally wouldn't be that happy about spring snow, but now I don't have to wait till next year to try out the XC all wheel drive.