I have a 2002 S60 2.4T. I just bought it from a local dealer and the engine light already came on but that's a different issue. I've heard both that turbo's should have premium and others say it doesn't matter at all. What should I be using?

Personally, I go with the higest octane I can.

From page 128 of your owners manual;
"Fuel requirements
Octane rating
Volvo engines are designed for optimum performance on unleaded premium gasoline with an AKI octane rating of 91 or above. AKI (ANTI KNOCK INDEX) is an average of the Research Octane Number, RON, and the Motor Octane Number, MON. (RON + MON/2). The minimum octane requirement is AKI 87 (RON 91).

Deposit control gasoline (detergent additives)
Volvo recommends the use of gasoline containing deposit control additives. These additives have shown to be effective in keeping injectors and intake valves clean. Consistent use of deposit control gasolines will help ensure good driveability and fuel economy. If you are not sure whether the gasoline contains deposit control additives, check with the service station operator."

91 octane.
And since they dont sell anything but 87, 89 & 93 octane where I live its Premium all the way. Ppl swear by Shell's Premium blend called V-Power.

Good Luck

Keep in mind, that Gasoline blends.

For example, most modern gas stations only have 2 under-ground tanks: One for the lowest octane they offer, and one for the highest. The middle grades are mixed on the fly within the pump as you fill your tank.

This allows the gas station to save loads of money in physical infrastructure and product delivery.

What it means for YOU is that if you put a half a tank of 93 or 94, and a half a tank of 89, you're at 91 octane. I do this when gas is extremely expensive. I always put the 94 in there first so it's used when I drive away from the station before diffusion occurs and the whole tank becomes 91.

EDIT: For the skeptics out there, here is some confirmation from the CarTalk guys: http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Arc...94/June/07.html -- My knowledge about it comes from a father in the gas station business. And I'm white! can you believe it?! :)

:) Coud'nt agree more with....S60 R....Facts are accurate...I've used the 91 octane in my Volvo T6 since purchase.. Out this way presently., 87 Octane is $2.63., 89 is $2.73 and 91 is $ 2.83., so 5 gallons of fuel costa me a exra dollar..

I know the dealer here locally uses only 87 octane in all the new and used Volvos,
of course he's in the selling business and not about to spend the extra money for fuel...The owners manual does'nt specifiy that you must use a particular octane only rcommends.....

If I were driving any non-turbo Volvo, then maybe th 87 octane......
Your choice...Good luck

I tried the 87 for a while and my mpg was deplorable.
I was wondering why in the world my needle was sinking like a rock.

I read my manual switched to 93 octane and now my fuel usage is what i am comfortable with.

Im not a lead foot and most of my driving is by HWY highway commute so I am cruising most of the time. One day I will record my mileage based on gas grade and see if I am saving any $$$ by using the recommended octane rating versus the minimum.

If you can hear it ping, get better fuel, most cars I see are pinging their **** off, even the NAs can't handle the povo fuel.

I never use anything else but premium fule in both of my cars ( S60 T5 and BMW 3 litre )

It'll run Ok on normal unleaded but you'll get more performance from premium. Shell V Power is great if you can get it.

Evo magazine did a test on 2 cars using normal unleaded and premium. Both cars performed better on premium but the difference was more pronounced on the turbocharged car ( a new VW Golf GTI ) producing 12bhp more than the manufacturer claimed.

It's the cheapest performance upgrade you can get, it'll take the knock sensor a little time to adjust to get the performance increase, say a couple of tankfulls.

sorry for the thread necro, but thanks all for the info. I was reading my manual today for a t5 and noticed the "87 required, 91 recommended" statement. didnt know if it was that big a deal, but now know.

As an aside, have you a link for that evo magazine article? id like to see the numbers.

[double edit] in the states, looks like 89 and 93 octane are the commons for mid/premium grade. anybody know brands that sell 91 even?

Thanks again!

I recently bought a 2004 off-lease Volvo S60 2.5T. Not sure I'll ever buy a different car. I love the feel and performance of the S60.

At first I was using 91 octane per recommendation of the owners manual. Here in Iowa we have 89 octane ethanol blended fuel. I wanted to try and see what impact it would have on the car. Performance decreased substaintially. I went back to the 91 octance and saw an almost immediate difference in the performance of the car.

From my research these engines can run on 87 octane but are designed to run on the higher octane. I will continue to use 91. The difference in fuel mileage should offset the higher cost of fuel.