2000 s70 fuel requirements

davidgmg · Post by **davidgmg** » 24 Dec 2006, 14:24

Hello, I just bought a 2000 s-70 with 79K miles. All is fine, but there wasn't an ouwners manual. Can you guys tell me if most of you run 87 or 91 octane fuel and what sort of economy do you get? This is the basic non turbo version. Wondering if someone who used both grades could determine any difference between the two? The online guides I've read seem to indicate 87 or 91 so a little confused.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 24 Dec 2006, 14:53

Use whatever your owner's manual says recommends at least 91. Here's your owner's manual btw (same one that's printed): http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/200 ... v70_00.htm
If you don't have a paper one, you might consider buying one off of eBay or printing this one out and keeping in your glove box. They do tend to come in handy from time to time.

Post by **JRL** » 24 Dec 2006, 15:30

Gimme a break.
A non turbo will run it life out using 87 octane with no problems.
Why have the guy spend more money when he doesn't have to?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 24 Dec 2006, 15:48

Why did I know you would chime in?
I know you can get away with less octane but that's not what his owners' manual says. Now, my owners' manual for a '98 says something different than his. Without knowing the 2000 S70 personally, I feel I must recommend what the owner's manual says (AKA 87/RON 91).

Post by **JRL** » 24 Dec 2006, 16:37

RON is Euro, correct?
That is higher than ours, 87 (USA) is fine in ALL non turbos

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 24 Dec 2006, 20:20

Actually, JRL, you've made me research something that I wasn't too familiar with, and you are right that these cars can be driven without issue with gas that has a rating of 87, however that does not change the fact that the owners' manual states that "volvo engines are desined for optimum performance on unleaded premium gasoline with a minimum octane rating. AKI 91 or above."

AKI= Anti Knocking Index...this is 87.
RON= Research Octane Number...this is 91 (which apparently I and most others have mistaken as the minimal octane needed).
MON= Motor Octane Number.

AKI in the U.S. is also the same as the Gas Octane calculated as RON+MON/2, and that is 87, so, like I said- JRL is right that these cars (especially the non-turbo's) can be driven on 87, but for the engine to run optimally, still the higher octane gas is recommended.

MON test uses a higher temp. and RPM's to test gas and is a better test but not so good for lower quality or variable quality gas, therefore the RON test is also conducted on the gas at a lower RPM and temp. The two are averaged and this is the standard in the U.S. AKI is also tranlated to PON or the Pump Octane Number....

So, there you have it. Actually due to averaging 2 standards, the quality of gas in the U.S. is more uniform and generally a higher quality than that in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

davidgmg · Post by **davidgmg** » 25 Dec 2006, 11:16

I think you found out why the way its written its a little confusing. It recommends an octane of 91 but at the end it says minimum of 87 is ok. I'd still like to hear from people if they actually have used both grades and if they saw any difference. I'm driving about 300 miles tomorrow so thought I'd try different grades and see if there is any mpg difference.

Tsquared · Post by **Tsquared** » 25 Dec 2006, 11:52

Keep in mind that the manual had to get "approval" from the leagal department. For every vehicle I have owned I have run the lowest octane that would prevent pinging. I run 87 octane in the 96 NA 850 my daughter drives. I have a 96 Harley Sporster that requires 92 Octane due to 11:1 compression.

The turbo Volvo's will work well on 87 but if they have been tweaked for performance then they will probably require a higher octane. Any pinging and I would bump to the next octane level. Keep in mind on a higher milage car there may be carbon buildup in the cumbustion chamber requiring a higher octane due to increased compression in the cumbustion chamber.

Post by **mom** » 26 Dec 2006, 07:45

Tsquared wrote: Keep in mind on a higher milage car there may be carbon buildup in the cumbustion chamber requiring a higher octane due to increased compression in the cumbustion chamber.

Yeah, someone told me that this is cleaner on cars using higher octane, and that's why I put 91 in mine. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm sure JRL will have a comment on this.

cwicker1 · Post by **cwicker1** » 31 Dec 2006, 19:37

Drove from Greensboro, NC to N. Charleston, SC for a total of 290 plus miles. In Greensboro, NC I filled up with 87 Octane. On the way back, two days later, I filled up the tank with 91 Octane to give my motor a 'treat', and the price of gas is way cheaper in SC.

Got 3 miles better gas milage with the higher grade of gas.