Octane Question

[GTGallop]

Octane is the measure of resistance to burning - not the amount of power in the gas.
Gas that has a lower octane will ignite and burn more cleanly giving you access to the power within in that gas. Too low and it pre-detonates (knock) and you lose power.

You should always use the LOWEST possible octane you can get away with that doesn't cause knock. Our direct injection engines are much less susceptible to knock because of the DI feature and that allows you to get a good clean burn on low-o fuel.

quoted from another duplicate thread on the same topic

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[THLONE]

I did a little google research and found that state politicians decide what octane is available in your state. In CO and WY 85 octane is allowed to to be sold to save money. It is supposed to be marked as low regular. Since Ford says use 87 octane then probably the engine has trouble adjusting to the lower octane. So my conclusion is, better be safe and dont use the cheap chit in your truck.
On a side note did everyones gas prices just spike this week since we have a new president. ?

 

[GTGallop]

I did a little google research and found that state politicians decide what octane is available in your state. In CO and WY 85 octane is allowed to to be sold to save money. It is supposed to be marked as low regular. Since Ford says use 87 octane then probably the engine has trouble adjusting to the lower octane. So my conclusion is, better be safe and dont use the cheap chit in your truck.
On a side note did everyones gas prices just spike this week since we have a new president. ?

Gas spiked because we re-entered the Paris climate accord.
#DumbDecisions

 

[Arly]

Speaking of Wally world or Sam's fuel products. Our long term mechanic says he gets to see the insides of engines that the owners buy 100% of the fuel from Walmart. He claims that fuel is no good and these engines exhaust manifolds are full of carbon or junk that shouldn't be in there.. He recommends not burning. We won't touch the stuff.

 

[Tim H.]

Speaking of Wally world or Sam's fuel products. Our long term mechanic says he gets to see the insides of engines that the owners buy 100% of the fuel from Walmart. He claims that fuel is no good and these engines exhaust manifolds are full of carbon or junk that shouldn't be in there.. He recommends not burning. We won't touch the stuff.

It’s not a “Top Tier” gasoline which means it doesn’t have all of the extra additives required to be TT. However it has to meet the minimum guidelines set by the EPA, NFPA, state governments, and other regulatory bodies.

 

[dtech]

[

Speaking of Wally world or Sam's fuel products. Our long term mechanic says he gets to see the insides of engines that the owners buy 100% of the fuel from Walmart. He claims that fuel is no good and these engines exhaust manifolds are full of carbon or junk that shouldn't be in there.. He recommends not burning. We won't touch the stuff.

I'd ask him to show you a GDI engine whether top tier fuel or not that doesn't have carbon buildup on the exhaust manifold. Lot's of differing opinions on what difference using top tier fuel makes, IIRC some time yrs back some branch of the US government reduced the required amount of detergent in gas and the oil companies got together to create the top tier initiative. And a turbo charged gdi mill is going to create more carbon than a na gdi.

 

[Big Blue]

Another gas thread that has morphed into discussion of octane and milage, with seat of the pants opinions on performance and milage comparisons based on suspect vehicle calculations and various peoples driving styles.

To answer the original posters question, IMHO follow the manual and use a minimum of 97 octane.

The where this topic has evolved. I will add my personal experiences and opinion. My truck is my daily personal vehicle. I'm retired, so run around town with occasional longer trips to friends or relatives. During summer I occasionally tow my 4,000 pound camper. I normally run 87 octane E10. I have run 91 octane E0, highest readily available here. With premium I did notice a slight improvement in performance and smoothness, both normal and towing. As far a milage, I only noticed again a slight increase with premium. Maybe 1 to 2 at most mpg. Because premium here costs about .70 more per gallon ($2.80 vs $2.10 last check). For me personally it makes no economic sense to use premium normally. This summer when we take an extended trip with the camper I will probably try running premium to see how it works while extended towing. That's my take on the whole octane thing.

I'm sure others milage and opinions will vary.

 

[Tim H.]

It’s not a “Top Tier” gasoline which means it doesn’t have all of the extra additives required to be TT. However it has to meet the minimum guidelines set by the EPA, NFPA, state governments, and other regulatory bodies.

List of Top Tier gas retailers in the US

https://toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

 

[EJH]

It’s not a “Top Tier” gasoline which means it doesn’t have all of the extra additives required to be TT. However it has to meet the minimum guidelines set by the EPA, NFPA, state governments, and other regulatory bodies.

I won't run non "Top-Tier" gas in a direct injection turbo engine. I have one in my Forester (2.0L DIT). From the Subaru forums, most people experiencing worse LSPI (Low-speed pre-ignition) used cheaper fuel. YMMV.

 

[dtech]

In the owners manual Ford recommends use of top tier fuel - to minimize engine deposits. As to octane the manual specifically states the use of lower than 87 octane could result in engine damage and mentions some stations in high altitude areas that sell octane less than 87 and it's not to be used in our trucks.
I know years back a couple of Saab owners used 85 octane in their turbos and a guy with a super charged buick who did the same - the result 2 had cracked pistons, the other had a prematurely stretched timing change the result of years of elevated engine temps from pre-ignition with 85 octane fuel. Not wise to use it.

 

[Big Blue]

List of Top Tier gas retailers in the US

https://toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

Interesting to see many of the common truck/rest stop chains not listed.

 

[Tim H.]

Interesting to see many of the common truck/rest stop chains not listed.

Top tier diesel brands

https://toptiergas.com/diesel-licensed-brands/

 

[JonB]

Two things:

1. RTFM - Page 187 of the Ford manual for my 2019 XLT:
"Some fuel stations, particularly those in high altitude areas, offer fuels posted as regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating below 87. The use of these fuels could result in engine damage that will not be covered by the vehicle warranty."

2. The "octane debate" is best covered in another post in the forum. It's extensive and puts to rest almost all of the 10,000 myths and falsehoods about octane. Look for it.

Bottom line, run 87 normally and, when towing or in hot weather, run 91.

Period.

 

[Trigganometry]

Not all gas is the same. My old 3.0 V6 liked Sunoco. Just always seemed to run the best on it. With the 2020 I’m in now it‘s not. So far seems Gulf is the preferred blend. Think its rated at 89. That’s winter blend too.

 

[D Fresh]

List of Top Tier gas retailers in the US

https://toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

Anybody know where to find Ranger Fuel?

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