||
08 Starting and driving
08
272
drive in countries where it may be difficult to obtain the correct fuel.
• Consider your destination. If you will bedriving through an area where snow or iceare likely to occur, consider snowtires (p. 302).
Related information
•Changing a wheel – removing wheel(p. 288)
• Bulbs – introduction (p. 330)
Driving in cold weather
Check your vehicle before the approach of cold weather. The following advice is worth noting:
• Make sure that the engine cool- ant (p. 327) contains 50 percent anti-freeze. Any other mixture will reducefreeze protection. This gives protectionagainst freezing down to –31 °F (–35 °C).The use of "recycled" antifreeze is notapproved by Volvo. Different types ofantifreeze must not be mixed.
• Volvo recommends using only genuineVolvo antifreeze in your vehicle's radiator.
• Try to keep the fuel tank well filled – thishelps prevent the formation of condensa-tion in the tank. In addition, in extremelycold weather conditions it is worthwhileto add fuel line de-icer before refueling.
• The viscosity of the engine oil is impor-tant. Oil with low viscosity (thinner oil)improves cold-weather starting as well asdecreasing fuel consumption while theengine is warming up. Full synthetic0W-30 oil is recommended for driving inareas with sustained low temperatures.
• The load placed on the battery is greaterduring the winter since the windshieldwipers, lighting, etc., are used moreoften. Moreover, the capacity of the bat-tery decreases as the temperature drops.In very cold weather, a poorly chargedbattery can freeze and be damaged. It is therefore advisable to check the state ofcharge more frequently and spray an anti-rust oil on the battery posts.
• Volvo recommends the use of snow tireson all four wheels for winter driving, seeSnow tires/studded tires (p. 302).
• To prevent the washer fluid (p. 340)reser-voir from freezing, add washer solventscontaining antifreeze. This is importantsince dirt is often splashed on the wind-shield during winter driving, requiring thefrequent use of the washers and wipers.Volvo Washer Solvent should be dilutedas follows: Down to 14 °F (–10 °C): 1 partwasher solvent and 4 parts water Downto 5 °F (–15 °C): 1 part washer solventand 3 parts water Down to 0 °F (–18 °C):1 part washer solvent and 2 parts waterDown to –18 °F (–28 °C): 1 part washersolvent and 1 part water.
• Use Volvo Teflon Lock Spray in the locks.
• Avoid using de-icing sprays as they cancause damage to the locks.
08 Starting and driving
08
274
Refueling – octane rating
Volvo recommends premium fuel for best per- formance, but using 87 octane11
or above will
not affect engine reliability.
Minimum octane
G028920
Typical pump octane label
NOTE
Vehicles equipped with the high perform- ance 4-cylinder engines (B4204T9 and B4204T10) require premium fuel 12
.
TOP TIER Detergent GasolineVolvo endorses the use of “TOP TIER Deter- gent Gasoline” where available to help main-tain engine performance and reliability. TOPTIER Detergent Gasoline meets a new stand- ard jointly established by leading automotivemanufactures to meet the needs of today’sadvanced engines. Qualifying gasoline retail-ers (stations) will, in most cases, identify theirgasoline as having met the “TOP TIER Deter-gent Gasoline” standards.
NOTE
Information about TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is available atwww.toptiergas.com.
Demanding drivingIn demanding driving conditions, such as operating the vehicle in hot weather, towing atrailer, or driving for extended periods athigher altitudes than normal, it may be advis-able to switch to higher octane fuel (91 orhigher) or to change gasoline brands to fullyutilize your engine's capacity, and for thesmoothest possible operation.
NOTE
When switching to higher octane fuel or changing gasoline brands, it may be nec-essary to fill the tank more than oncebefore a difference in engine operation isnoticeable.
Fuel FormulationsDo not use gasoline that contains lead as a knock inhibitor, and do not use lead addi-tives. Besides damaging the exhaust emis-sion control systems on your vehicle, leadhas been strongly linked to certain forms ofcancer. Many fuels contain benzene as a solvent. Unburned benzene has been strongly linkedto certain forms of cancer. If you live in anarea where you must fill your own gas tank,take precautions. These may include:
• standing upwind away from the filler noz- zle while refueling
• refueling only at gas stations with vaporrecovery systems that fully seal themouth of the filler neck during refueling
• wearing neoprene gloves while handling afuel filler nozzle.
Use of AdditivesWith the exception of gas line antifreeze dur- ing winter months, do not add solvents, thick-eners, or other store-bought additives to yourvehicle's fuel, cooling, or lubricating systems.Overuse may damage your engine, and someof these additives contain organically volatilechemicals. Do not needlessly expose yourselfto these chemicals.
11
AKI (ANTI KNOCK INDEX) is an average of the Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON), MON+RON/2.
12 Refer to your Warranty and Maintenance Records booklet for additional information.
09 Wheels and tires
09
298
Loading specifications
Properly loading your vehicle will provide maximum return of vehicle design perform-ance. Before loading your vehicle, familiarize your- self with the following terms for determiningyour vehicle's weight ratings, with or withouta trailer, from the vehicle's Federal/CanadianMotor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS/CMVSS) label, and the vehicle's tire informa-tion placard:
Curb weightThe weight of the vehicle including a full tankof fuel and all standard equipment. It doesnot include passengers, cargo, or optionalequipment.
Capacity weightAll weight added to the curb weight, includingcargo and optional equipment. When towing,trailer hitch tongue load is also part of cargoweight.
Permissible axle weightThe maximum allowable weight that can becarried by a single axle (front or rear). Thesenumbers are shown on the Federal/CanadianMotor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS/CMVSS) label. The total load on each axlemust never exceed its maximum permissibleweight.
Gross vehicle weight (GVW)The vehicle's curb weight + cargo + passen-gers.
NOTE
•The location of the various labels in your vehicle, see Label information(p. 363).
• A table listing important weight limitsfor your vehicle, see Weights (p. 368).
Loading specifications – load limit
The load limit of your vehicle is the combined weight of the occupants and cargo.
Steps for Determining Correct Load
Limit
1. Locate the statement "the combined weight of occupants and cargo shouldnever exceed XXX pounds" on your vehi-cle's placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be ridingin your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX kilo-grams or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage loadcapacity. For example, if the "XXX"amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will befive 150 lb. passengers in your vehicle,the amount of available cargo and lug-gage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400 – 750 (5 × 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of lug- gage and cargo being loaded on the vehi-cle. That weight may not safely exceedthe available cargo and luggage loadcapacity calculated in Step 4.