Frenchy
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Chris
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2020
- Threads
- 164
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- 7,544
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- Location
- Elizabeth, Colorado
- Vehicle(s)
- 2012 Nissan Frontier, 1994 F150 XL, 2022 Ford Transit
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- Field Service Technician
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- #1
Putting this in the general since it will relate to more than just the Ranger.
This will simply be about some observations I have taken with the 2019 Ranger and the 2012 Frontier on how they act with 87 and 91 Octane Fuel.
For what it's worth we already know that there are plenty of arguments about weather one should use Premium Fuel(aka 91-93) in their vehicle. Well I won't argue that there are plenty of vehicles out there that will not benefit what so ever and there are vehicles that actually do benefit from. What are those benefits? Those benefits will include better engine performance(to an extent), smoother idle(assuming there isn't a major problem with said engine) and better Fuel Mileage(assuming you are driving for such).
First we have the Ranger. With the 2.3L EcoBoost the Engine can certainly benefit from these and I have seen it myself. In the Owner's Manual it will state to not run fuel with an Octane Rating below 87. It also states "for better performance and towing to use Premium Fuel". When I first got my Ranger I was using 87(what Midgrade is here in Colorado and other states). About a month later I went to Premium(91 here in Colorado and many other states). The first thing I noticed was the better performance. I'm not taking a difference of 100 HP, but smoother and fast acceleration like the Engine was not Pinging. Hard to say of the idle was smoother of course. Later I did notice the improved MPG(by about 1-2 if memory serves me right). Overall with those three combined, it was certainly an interesting thing to observe.
Now for the Frontier. In the Owner's Manual it states to run 87 AKI or 91 RON. For reference that means 87 here in the US and Canada. Across the world it would be 91. Previous years would recommend 91 for better performance like what Ford does with the Ranger and other vehicles. That said many would claim no difference. Well today I decided to have fun and experiment.
Keep in mind that my Frontier is heavily modified in terms of performance and OffRoad Capability. It is heavy, but the extra performance parts help along with a tune. The tune is set for 87 since that is what the truck calls for and it made sense to me. Well after running 91 in it, I noticed that the truck certainly idles smoother and the power output has improved(most likely due to pinging from the heavy load). Due to this it is certainly possible the MPG can go up, but it has yet to be run long enough to say for sure. Regardless it was certainly interesting to see especially since the truck only calls for 87.
With that said I know many will want to talk about $ per mile vs the miles per gallon. If that is your concern, then go buy an economy car meant to max the $ per mile ratio. Don't want to do that? Then suck it up since you got a truck.
This will simply be about some observations I have taken with the 2019 Ranger and the 2012 Frontier on how they act with 87 and 91 Octane Fuel.
For what it's worth we already know that there are plenty of arguments about weather one should use Premium Fuel(aka 91-93) in their vehicle. Well I won't argue that there are plenty of vehicles out there that will not benefit what so ever and there are vehicles that actually do benefit from. What are those benefits? Those benefits will include better engine performance(to an extent), smoother idle(assuming there isn't a major problem with said engine) and better Fuel Mileage(assuming you are driving for such).
First we have the Ranger. With the 2.3L EcoBoost the Engine can certainly benefit from these and I have seen it myself. In the Owner's Manual it will state to not run fuel with an Octane Rating below 87. It also states "for better performance and towing to use Premium Fuel". When I first got my Ranger I was using 87(what Midgrade is here in Colorado and other states). About a month later I went to Premium(91 here in Colorado and many other states). The first thing I noticed was the better performance. I'm not taking a difference of 100 HP, but smoother and fast acceleration like the Engine was not Pinging. Hard to say of the idle was smoother of course. Later I did notice the improved MPG(by about 1-2 if memory serves me right). Overall with those three combined, it was certainly an interesting thing to observe.
Now for the Frontier. In the Owner's Manual it states to run 87 AKI or 91 RON. For reference that means 87 here in the US and Canada. Across the world it would be 91. Previous years would recommend 91 for better performance like what Ford does with the Ranger and other vehicles. That said many would claim no difference. Well today I decided to have fun and experiment.
Keep in mind that my Frontier is heavily modified in terms of performance and OffRoad Capability. It is heavy, but the extra performance parts help along with a tune. The tune is set for 87 since that is what the truck calls for and it made sense to me. Well after running 91 in it, I noticed that the truck certainly idles smoother and the power output has improved(most likely due to pinging from the heavy load). Due to this it is certainly possible the MPG can go up, but it has yet to be run long enough to say for sure. Regardless it was certainly interesting to see especially since the truck only calls for 87.
With that said I know many will want to talk about $ per mile vs the miles per gallon. If that is your concern, then go buy an economy car meant to max the $ per mile ratio. Don't want to do that? Then suck it up since you got a truck.
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