Thanks for all the input. I should have told you that I have an automatic transmission. However- my method is sound for measuring the mileage- I pretty much run it to empty and then put 5 or 10 gallons in and measure the mileage on the trip odometer. My MPG have been pretty consistent around 22 so I have confidence in that number. I gotta put my Nokians on with bigger rims for winter which may screw up my methodology.

'79 245, M46 with non-funct OD gets 23-24.5 MPG, mixed driving. could be better, but not bad for a car that's older than i am! what's funny is that all of these older volvos get waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy better mileage than some new cars.. i frequently shout expletives at random hummers..

acetone in gas, 16% increase in my 240, google it interesting reading, can also use in diesel. Gary

I just got back from another long road trip in my 87 240. It is decently maintained and has 245k miles on it. I have seen 30 mpg...... The last trip, about 600 miles between 70 and 75 mph, we got 27.5 mpg. More exciting though, my wife gave me the OK to push the limits of miles per tank. I usually end up filling the tank after about around 300-350 miles where the gauge reads empty (the needle on the bottom of the gauge range). Today, we drove 410 miles on a tank! We stopped for gas and found that one gallon remained (not sure if that last gallon is usable?) Exciting stuff for a 20 year old tank.....

Now that the a/c is off, my 240 gets 35mpg around town, and I can eke out 40 by driving carefully on the highway.

Oh yeah, you guys have gassers.

Next time, try a Diesel :)

These are great resources:
cleanmpg.com
and
gassavers.org

At cleanmpg, I definitely recommend the "Articles" section.
Read "Beating the EPA..." by Xcel
and "External Factors Affecting Mileage, or why 'YMMV'" by tarabell

gassavers has some good stickies at the top of most of the forums.

I'm on both boards, user name brucepick
There's another 240 also on the gassavers board, named SL8Brick
--
Sven: '89 245 NA, 951 ECU, expanded air dam to 7' from ground, forward belly pan reaches oem belly pan, open-front airbox, E-fan, 205/65-15's at 44 psi, IPD sways, E-Codes, amber front corner reflectors, quad horns, tach, small clock. Wifemobile '89 245

Hello... I haven't the time today to read all of the replies, but here's my two cents:

My '82 240 has the relatively rare B21F-MPG motor (K-Jet)... I thought that would be a real drag at first, but now I'm enjoying having it. That, along with a manual trans with overdrive gets me a consistent 30 MPG going 65 to 70 MPH. One run on flat ground at 55 MPH got me an astounding 35 MPG! Around town, it gets 26 or so. It ain't no rocket, but it will get out of its own way and has enough power to keep me out of trouble if I'm willing to wind the motor out a bit.

I didn't catch how your car is equipped. If your car has an automatic, you'll lose 2 to 3 MPG over the manual trans. Turbos tend to eat more fuel, as well.

Some generalizations for you:

As mentioned, keep your tires inflated! 35 PSI is usually good, check the tire sidewall for the maximum pressure.

Not having steamroller tires helps, too. Wide rims and tires can be lots of fun and look cool, but they'll suck down more gas, no two ways about it. I finally decided it wasn't worth it, now I stick with the smaller stock tire size (P185-70s, as I recall) and they handle just fine.

Keep your speed down! Seems obvious, but the difference in mileage between 55 and 75 MPH can be pretty striking.

And, of course, keep up your on your maintenance. Clean air filters, make sure it's in tune, that kind of thing. Use either 5W-30 or 10W-30 oil and change it regularly (every 3 to 5K is good).

If you're mechanically inclined, check for fault codes from the ECU, they may point to something that's needs attention. 22 MPG seems a little low to me. Also, make sure your ignition parts are up to snuff (spark plugs gapped correctly, good wires, cap and rotor), they'll definitely affect your mileage if they're not.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

Victor
Portland, OR

IMOP the single most important factor in gas milage is the driver.

Cases in point:

Two autos: 85 and 91 245's. Both automatics.

Wife's milage: 1991 21.6 MPG 1985 20.2MPG
Hubby's milage: 1991 26.9 MPG 1985 23.6 MPG

Major differences in driving style:

Hubby rarely has tach over 2000RPM while accelerating, does go to 2200 just before shifts or to 2750 when in OD. Coasts a lot when lights are yellow or red ahead, even if green and traffic not moving stays off gas. Raw egg between foot and gas pedal.

Wife: A racer by heart. Heavy foot,( whiplash acceleration :>)!!), late to get off gas, early on the gas then has to brake since traffic ahead is not moving.

Duane

I average 27mpg with my '86 auto sedan. I did get my best of 30mpg when the cruise control worked and I drove a 40 mile run with no stops about 5 years ago, but am pleased with my 27 now.
--
'86 sedan with 372K miles with original engine and automatic transmission

Long discussion here... http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1224571 from a previous post. I record meticulously every tank and am still getting better than 30 MPG. I use the "same pump fill till you get an auto shut off" method. Run 35 psi in my tires, drive 55, and shift using the shift arrow. I am still scratching my head as to why the mileage is so good!

Wiglaf

Your method will give inaccurate results. The only way to be spot on is to fill/empty several tanks and average the result. This allows for the different shutoff points caused by the spill preventer in the gas nozzle. It's also good to use the same dispenser if possible.

When you get the input from other drivers keep in mind there is one other factor that will influence mileage, altitude. So folks who drive a similarly equipped 240, say both LH2.2 with AW-70 with 195/65/15s on Virgos will have different results if they have a few thousand feet difference in elevation between them.

My 240 is slightly modified and driven hard, it went from ~20mpg to 25-26mpg simply by moving from sea level to 7200' I run the car just as hard up here but less air = less fuel.
--
Dave Shannon
Durango, CO
'63 P-210
'67 1800s
'88-240
'01 Wrangler
'06 F250 Diesel 4X4
my pages

While 22 MPG is at the low end of the range for Volvo gas mileage, but not really awful if you have an automatic, there may be a problem with your method of measuring. Putting in the same amount of gas each time will not give you an accurate reading. What you need to do is fill the tank to the same LEVEL each time. Probably the best way to do this is to always use the same pump, at the same gas station, every time, and fill up until it shuts off automatically. Do not top off beyond that. Then drive as usual. When you fill up again, (same pump etc.) the car will be sitting at exactly the same angle, and the automatic mechanism will (hopefully) shut off at the same point, giving you the same fuel level as the previous time. Then figure your mileage. Repeat this process several times and average the results. This should give you a fairly good picture of what kind of mileage you are getting.

If its still low, there are a number of things to check:

Tires---can use somewhat more pressure than the label recommends, but do not exceed the maximum figure on the tire sidewall. I usually run 32-34 all around. This will make the ride somewhat harder, but steering feel will improve.

Air filter---if it is dirty, the engine can't breathe easily. This hurts mileage.

Tune-up---plugs, plug wires, cap and rotor. If they've been on there a while, (15K for the plugs, 50K for the other parts) replace them. You don't need fancy super duper plugs. Bosch Copper or Regular NGKs seem to work best in these engines. Don't buy cheap off-brand tuneup parts.

Thermostat---if it is broken, and the engine never fully warms up, mileage will suffer. You will also notice weak heater output.

Front end alignment---if it's off, there will be extra rolling resistance. Same if the brakes are dragging.

Splash pan---car is more aerodynamic with it in place.

Roof rack---if not permanently mounted to the roof, take it off when you aren't actually using it----big contributor to air resistance.

Wash and wax---the difference is small, but it is enough to make it cost efficient for the airlines to wash their planes regularly.



Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that you can't do anything about that can put a big dent in your mileage, such as city driving, lots of short trips, cold weather etc.

Realistically you are getting about all you can expect assuming you have an auto trans or 25 with a stick. Max out tire pressure and make sure you have good air filter, plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. Dan