Do you use Regular or Premium gas in your Volvo XC60? And why?
Regular or Premium gas?
HowwwwL
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haha the highlander was the 3rd vehicle my mom could see out of.... She used to drive minivans (like all moms in the late 80s and early 90s) and switched to a certified preowned 2002 RX300 in 2004 or 5.... but then the transmission on it went out in august and she was going thru chemo, and the august heat and humidity in Mobile AL is no place for someone whos NOT going thru chemo to go car shopping, sooo they didn't really have a lot of time/patience to shop around fully - and they got a killer deal on the camry. It's just too bad my dad's having a little buyer's remorse from it - which I had a feeling he would.
Sounds good to me. Next time I have to get gas, I'll pump 87 octane. For real this time
It seems to me that the compression ratios of both the 3.2 and 3.0 T6 are low enough to not warrant the use of Premium fuel.
Premium has ignition inhibitors as part of the formulation that high compression engines need. The inhibitors stop premature
detonation in high compression engines. The ECU (engine control unit) is smart enough to advance or retard the dwell based
upon the fuel being used as well as other variables such as RPM, knock and O2 sensor information.
Lower grades, have less ignition inhibitors and thus are easier to in theory "Start" the engine, especially in cold weather.
Here in Connecticut we can get 93, 91, 89 and 87 grades. When I get my T6 in April, I will start out with 87 and see how it performs.
Just my two cents, I have two old muscle cars that need 93 + octane booster, so I do know about this subject.
Premium has ignition inhibitors as part of the formulation that high compression engines need. The inhibitors stop premature
detonation in high compression engines. The ECU (engine control unit) is smart enough to advance or retard the dwell based
upon the fuel being used as well as other variables such as RPM, knock and O2 sensor information.
Lower grades, have less ignition inhibitors and thus are easier to in theory "Start" the engine, especially in cold weather.
Here in Connecticut we can get 93, 91, 89 and 87 grades. When I get my T6 in April, I will start out with 87 and see how it performs.
Just my two cents, I have two old muscle cars that need 93 + octane booster, so I do know about this subject.
Quality Fuel verses Octane rating?
I have the T6 AWD, and like using the 87 now so that I can go up to higher octane later in life if needed - say after 100k or if I ever notice a knock.
Also, mostly when manuals talk of "premium fuel" they mean quality (not crap - though it is really hard to gauge this and you often have few choices and no real way to check).
My Volvo shop swears that I should only use Chevron or BP or Shell etc. (not Costco, or ARCO or other bargain places). He showed me valves out of a plus 100K car that only used Costco fuels for the life of the car (which were very dirty with build up) and then that of a Chevron user (that was clean).
Could be bull but this is the real dilemma because 87 octane at Chevron costs about the same or more than 91 at Costco,...
So do I go for the quality brand 87 that has the additives and cleaners, or the higher octane at Costco?
I have the T6 AWD, and like using the 87 now so that I can go up to higher octane later in life if needed - say after 100k or if I ever notice a knock.
Also, mostly when manuals talk of "premium fuel" they mean quality (not crap - though it is really hard to gauge this and you often have few choices and no real way to check).
My Volvo shop swears that I should only use Chevron or BP or Shell etc. (not Costco, or ARCO or other bargain places). He showed me valves out of a plus 100K car that only used Costco fuels for the life of the car (which were very dirty with build up) and then that of a Chevron user (that was clean).
Could be bull but this is the real dilemma because 87 octane at Chevron costs about the same or more than 91 at Costco,...
So do I go for the quality brand 87 that has the additives and cleaners, or the higher octane at Costco?
In looking at my earlier reply perhaps I was a bit too flip...
If you are driving in high altitudes or in very hot weather, then perhaps upping your 87 (regular) octane to a higher octane would be a good choice.
Here in New England and at about 10' above sea level, we do not have either condition.
The southern coast of the USA, pretty hot in the summer along with Arizona parts of CAL and NM, TEX.
Rocky Mountain states.... pretty high.
If you are running in those areas then perhaps upping a grade or two would be of benefit.
Heat and altitude change the way that gas vaporizes... in a negative manner.
More prone to knock so you need the ignition inhibitors provided in higher octane fuels.
Lastly, the fuels in my area (I can only speak for those) are all pretty clean and uniform.
Some may have more detergents in them.
I for one run my current autos on SUNOCO or BP or SHELL with never a problem.
Dirty fuels and even clean ones do leave residue on the tips of the fuel injector nozzles....
if that happens you may get somewhat poor vaporization of the fuel...
So to thwart that, Once ever other month I drop a large bottle of Chevron Fuel Injector Cleaner with TECHRON in the fuel tank.
I do this with about 1/2 tank of fuel. This stuff cleans your injectors really well.
Not very expensive either.
If you are driving in high altitudes or in very hot weather, then perhaps upping your 87 (regular) octane to a higher octane would be a good choice.
Here in New England and at about 10' above sea level, we do not have either condition.
The southern coast of the USA, pretty hot in the summer along with Arizona parts of CAL and NM, TEX.
Rocky Mountain states.... pretty high.
If you are running in those areas then perhaps upping a grade or two would be of benefit.
Heat and altitude change the way that gas vaporizes... in a negative manner.
More prone to knock so you need the ignition inhibitors provided in higher octane fuels.
Lastly, the fuels in my area (I can only speak for those) are all pretty clean and uniform.
Some may have more detergents in them.
I for one run my current autos on SUNOCO or BP or SHELL with never a problem.
Dirty fuels and even clean ones do leave residue on the tips of the fuel injector nozzles....
if that happens you may get somewhat poor vaporization of the fuel...
So to thwart that, Once ever other month I drop a large bottle of Chevron Fuel Injector Cleaner with TECHRON in the fuel tank.
I do this with about 1/2 tank of fuel. This stuff cleans your injectors really well.
Not very expensive either.
Yeap... it is all about listening for the knocking... you cannot miss that...then - up the grade...
Joined
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75 Posts
I just starting putting in 87 as of the last tank. Will see what the MPG says and also will report back on any issues. So far, have not noticed anything noticable under normal driving situations as far as performance or car behavior.
You can track my progress here: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/gassyshawn/xc60
You can track my progress here: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/gassyshawn/xc60
It will be interesting. I am always too lazy to be so methodical...and trust my instincts.
I just start using 89 octane, I've always run chevron 91, but with price of fuel, 3 full tanks and no difference in mpg, no knock, when it warms up here in california I'll switch back, for now all ok on a 07 volvo 2.4i. When I purchased the car the salesman advised ok to run mid grade as long as you don't abuse the car, no hot rodding.
With a non turbo, 89 will be more than sufficient. And hot rodding in a 2.4i?
Joined
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75 Posts
This is usually my "trip car", but with all of the stormy weather lately it's been a joy to commute with it. So, I'm putting more miles on it (commuting: so not as much highway as earlier) and you can check out my Fuelly page to see what I've found so far: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/gassyshawn/xc60
So, stormy weather (wet/windy) and more commuting/city miles and the MPG has apparently dropped about 1 MPG. The jury may still be out for any real conclusions. That said, I'm continuing to use 87 until there's a reason not to do so. So far, I've noticed zero performance difference in everyday driving and occassionally "punching" it.
Joined
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739 Posts
Owners manual states 87 is okay in the 3.2 but optimal performance is obtained by using 91 octane or better. I always use 93, habit from our other car and my previous car. Don't notice much of a difference, but it's only a few bucks per fill up.
"Only 1 mpg" can mean different things. It's highly amplified at lower mpgs.
In my car, I'm currently averaging 16.7 mpg on premium at avg cost of $2.948 (my 2010 #s).
If I drive 10,000 miles in a year - that's (lets round to) 599 gallons. $1766 total spent.
If the regular costs me 1 mpg so I average 15.7 mpg:
I would use 637 gallons to go the same 10,000 miles.
Let's assume $2.648. Gas would cost me $1687.
Let's assume $2.548. Gas would cost me $1623.
$79-$143 difference for the year. $.0079-$.0143 per mile.
Run those same #s at higher mpgs - like in the mid-20s and it means a whole lot LESS $ difference. But down in the teens, the $ saved is negligible.
In my car, I'm currently averaging 16.7 mpg on premium at avg cost of $2.948 (my 2010 #s).
If I drive 10,000 miles in a year - that's (lets round to) 599 gallons. $1766 total spent.
If the regular costs me 1 mpg so I average 15.7 mpg:
I would use 637 gallons to go the same 10,000 miles.
Let's assume $2.648. Gas would cost me $1687.
Let's assume $2.548. Gas would cost me $1623.
$79-$143 difference for the year. $.0079-$.0143 per mile.
Run those same #s at higher mpgs - like in the mid-20s and it means a whole lot LESS $ difference. But down in the teens, the $ saved is negligible.
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