Man, with gas prices on the rise and my 960 getting 16 to 18 MPG the wife is starting to make noise about getting rid of her. I LOVE this car and she's talking about a Civic or some other rattletrap. Is there anything that can be done or are the 960's just luxurious gas hawgs? My 240 didn't get that great mileage either (about 21 MPG). I'd keep the car and get rid of the wife but that would be more expensive ;) Just looking one last time for suggestions to try to hang on to the finest automobile I have ever owned. Thanks, Paul
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'96 965, longtime 240 owner and 200K mile member

Depending on how much city driving your wife does, the mileage your getting is within reason. The more city driving I did with my 92 960 the worse the mileage. Usually got the same as what you getting. Highway mileage alot higher. I could get 24 to 26 depending on how fast I drove. At 70 t0 75 I was happy to get 23 to 24. Also mileage was dependent on octane used. Lower octane, lower mileage in the city and highway.

Hi,

I've got a 960 too, but I had mine converted to work on LPG (Liquified Petrol Gas). While petrol is about €1,2 per liter here in Belgium (maybe even more), I pay €0,37 to €0.40 for every liter of LPG... which is about €1,5 per gallon, if I'm not mistaken. So for now, the high prices haven't affected my wallet as much as yours. I can drive 4 times more miles/kilometres for the same amount of money. On top of that, it produces less toxic emissions. And the engine runs even smoother.

I haven't got any idea if it's possible where you live. Check out www.vialle.nl, which is a producer of conversion kits.

Uturn2. 1992 965 LPi, 315.000km.

Uturn2
I know I have asked this before and you have responded but can you post some pics of your LPG setup in the 960. I lost track of your old post. I'm very interested in doing a similar conversion on my 960.
Thanks for your help.
Justin

Justin,

I will do that as soon as my computer is fixed. I promise.

Uturn2.

First, you can buy alot of gas for your 960 for what you'd pay (even used) for a more fuel efficient car.

Second, depending on what you buy, you may have to factor in higher insurance premiums.

Third, you'll likely be allot less comfortable.

Forth, you'll be hard pressed to find a car that is (relative to the complexity of new cars) as easy to maintain.

Fifth, don't forget safety. While lots of new(er) cars have all the safety bell and whistles, few are as proven as the Volvo line (although I guess you could get a S40/V50)

Sixth, what do you want to drive? The 960 line is still distinctive, turns on a dime, has more than adequate performance and will last forever (if you take care of it).

I agree, the fill ups are painful (same for my wife's 944) esp. since most of my driving is city (I average about 17 per tank in my 956; my wife averages about 21 in her 944) but I can't think of anything else that I'd rather drive. All of the replacements, new or all, also get comparable (17-20 city, mid to upper 20s hwy).

Just my two cents. Good luck whatever you decide.

I really can't afford to drive the 960 around town and most of the time I prefer not to. I have an old Neon 5 speed beater that gets most of the miles around here. I only drive the 960 when I have at least one other passenger. Neon consistently returns 33-35mpg in mixed driving. I realize this isn't an option for everybody, but I think the 960 will be my last large gas guzzling car. It just means I get to keep it longer ;-)

Assuming the engine is in good shape and in good tune, you should be able to get anywhere from 24-28 mpg strictly highway driving (depending on speed). Driving habits, route and traffic play a huge roll in city driving mileage. Drive with your wife and check out her habits, if she's like my wife, you should be able to offer some freindly advice for saving fuel.

Good Luck ;-)

DEWFPO
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1998 S90 071,245 and 1995 964 154,100

Tips:

-all synthetic lubricants (engine, tranny, p/s, rear end): they really do reduce friction and improve mileage. Use 0W-30 in the engine.
-tires pumped to 34 pounds minimum; new tires should be "low rolling resistance"
-run Techron through the fuel system to clean injectors and intake valves occasionally
-hot thermostat
-no lead foot: drive as though an egg is on the pedal.

That said, your maximum mileage in this car will be 26 or so.
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See the 700/900 FAQ under 'Select Link' button on the top right.

A 0W-30 synthetic oil is appropriate for any US climate including Alaska to Arizona, and any Volvo engine including B23XF/T or B6304. Film strength and viscosity are superior, fuel economy is better (especially at start up) and engine cooling is better. Note that I wrote "synthetic" not dino oil, since a 0W-30 dino oil would have a high proportion of non-lubricating viscosity index improvers, absent from a synthetic. See the FAQ for more details. From Mobil:

Product Description
Mobil 1 0W-30 is the most advanced performance synthetic engine oil designed to provide the cleaning power, wear protection and enhanced fuel economy performance. Mobil 1 0W-30, Enhanced Fuel Economy Formula, exceeds the requirements of the latest industry standards required by newer modern gasoline and diesel powered automobile engines. The Mobil 1 technology is race proven and is the choice of race car drivers around the world. Mobil 1 0W-30 is perfect for all types of driving anywhere in the world and has the performance to protect where conventional engine oils do not.
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See the 700/900 FAQ under 'Select Link' button on the top right.

second that...

I rented a new Ford Taurus a little while ago on a trip to S.F. and the oil filler cap said "0W-20" on it - no mention of synthetic; apparently the Ford engineers have determined that even conventional petroleum oils will do the job in that viscosity rating. So Steve's comments on 0W-30 synthetic look correct.
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Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F/M46, dtr's 83-244DL B23F/M46, 94-944 B230FD; grocery-getter Dodge minivan, hobbycar 77 MGB, and a few old motorcycles)

Just a couple of ideas....

1) Make sure the thermostat is the higher temperature 92 degree C (I think) one and that it is working properly as indicated by a full mid scale indication on the temperature gauge. Most fail by staying open and cooling the engien too much.

2) Put a scanner on the OBD II port and look at the real time response of the #1 O2 sensor. It should be "lively" with voltage changing every reading and range between about .3 to .7 volts.

3) Some people have reported bad knock sensors killing the milage. I've had no experience with that.

4) Tell you wife to develop gas saving driving habits. No hard acceleration, plan ahead to avoid having to brake a lot, etc. Every application of the brakes wastes energy that the engine had to burn gas to put into the car.
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'96 965, 16" wheels, Michelin Pilot Sports, rear 18mm bar + Koni, 204HP cams, 128K. Put 200K on '85 745 TD.

I got a 4 % increase in mpg's by changing from 87 to 89 octane. It only costs 4% more, so I got the improved performance for free. I measured this over more than 1500 miles of driving for EACH of the two octanes, over the same commuting route.

OK, I drive an '89 245 w/ 2.3L NA engine. Not the same as your 965.

BUT both engines have a knock sensor. When it detects knock - probably on the very first ping - it retards the timing as a remedy. This retarded timing gives reduced peformance, however no knock. Thus the improved performane with a higher octane that doesn't require the frequent retard of the timing. (Any old-timer who used tune engines and adjust timing will remember the rpm's dropping as the timing was retarded, speeding up when advanced.)

Some say the 960s need 91 or 93 octane; you'll have to judge for yourself.
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[aka Sophie's Maintainer] Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, E-fan conversion, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 850 mi/week commute.

Give the car a tune up but expect no more than 20 mpg around town.

Actually, that is pretty good for a car of this calibre.

Buying a Civic? It will take a long time to recoup the expense of changing cars.


Dan

In my case, I just let the wife drive and the mileage goes up! Seriously. I discovered on a recent cross-country trip that she consistantly gets 25 to my 23. Must be my heavy foot. That said, my intown mileage has been as low as 15, never higher than 18. Car's too nice to sell, I'm just going to live with it. And besides, my pals with minivans would love to get 25 on the road.
Richard
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86 740T/87 745GLE/96 960 Wagon

I would add to the above to look for vacuum leaks on your vacuum hoses--this will kill gas milage-any air leaking into the systems will send the engine into a rich situation-knock sensors helped mine when I changed them out last year, but vacuum leaks are the worst on fuel metering--check down below on the last one I just found. Change out all the rubber vacuum short hoses that are connected to your plastic hoses on your engine is a start, snoop around with a hose to your ear and see if you have any air entering anywhere.
Change your air filter, check your plugs-have you changed your O2 sensor since you have had the car-the front one is the most important one .
Hope that helps
Poolman