Performance , 91 octane in 2022 ranger vs 87

[deleriumtremor]

I think the variables that matter a lot and usually go unmeasured from pump gas (mainly seasonal blend status and ethanol content) will have a significant impact on any results (and have little to do with what is printed on the front of the pump). In addition, climate factors also weigh heavily on actual MPG results. So much so, that it makes me very skeptical when one of us makes conclusions about the mileage this gas delivers versus that gas.

Maybe after I get all healed up and have my on board computer and calculated MPG fully harmonized, I will do an open book test of 87 versus 91 octane. My butt dyno is likely not accurate enough to actually feel a 10% increase in HP/TQ with a given grade of gas, but if I can keep the Ethanol content constant (I can test the Ethanol content for each tank fill) as well as the seasonal blend status and temps, perhaps my skepticism about any significant MPG benefit for a given grade of gas might be addressed, or not...

Right now, I am firmly in the camp that if I run 87 or 91, with the exact same blend status and Ethanol content (the Ethanol number printed on the front of the pumps have never been what I receive from tank to tank) and the same ambient temps, the MPG difference will likely be far less than the 10% difference in HP/TQ Ford says I will get.

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[Dgc333]

This more/less matches my experience. I use 92 (premium in OR/WA) and the MPG increase over 87 is more than the cost difference (most of the time).

Never have seen a difference in mileage do to octane.in my 52 years of xriving. My 21 Ranger gets 22 to 24 mpg regardless if I am using 87 or 93.

 

[12Bravo20]

Never have seen a difference in mileage do to octane.in my 52 years of xriving. My 21 Ranger gets 22 to 24 mpg regardless if I am using 87 or 93.

I never saw much of a difference in older vehicles that I have owned over the years. But I definitely can see the difference with my 2020 XLT FX4. I average 22-24 mpg with 91-93 octane and 18-19 mpg with 87 octane.

I live in Missouri and most of my trips are 50 miles one way to go shopping or doctor appointments with a mix of curvy and hilly backroads and interstate highways. Most all gas here in Missouri has ethanol in it. There are only a few gas stations that offer 91 or 93 octane without any ethanol.

Different altitudes along with hilly terrain versus flat terrain will make a difference. Driving habits also makes a difference.

 

[Hightechlofi]

Newbie here. I have always driven full size work trucks on 87. Just picked up my Ranger Xlt FX4 last week and still on the tank the dealer filled. I do about 50/50 hwy/city. Would going with 91 be economical from an mpg standpoint, (this post has mentioned anywhere from 1-5mpg difference)? Will 87 be “bad” for the engine? Again, newbie here, sorry if the questions are elementary…

 

[Superdannyboy]

5 star 93 daily tune, sport mode, floor it and fishtail everywhere. 93 performance tune is for timed laps off-road only, too crazy for the road. Tune make truck go vroom vroom.

 

[FusedLogic]

Newbie here. I have always driven full size work trucks on 87. Just picked up my Ranger Xlt FX4 last week and still on the tank the dealer filled. I do about 50/50 hwy/city. Would going with 91 be economical from an mpg standpoint, (this post has mentioned anywhere from 1-5mpg difference)? Will 87 be “bad” for the engine? Again, newbie here, sorry if the questions are elementary…

87 is not bad for the engine. If it was a problem, Ford would have said so in their documentation.

 

[Superdannyboy]

let us know when tune make truck go boom boom too.

Did someone say mountune performance engine upgrade?

 

[Grumpaw]

My Ranger is a year old now, and with few exceptions I have run 91 in it. Occasionally, when gas was way up, I ran the mid 89, but only around town.
When I tow our travel trailer, always 91-93...runs much smoother with better "seat of the pants...butt-o-meter" drivability.
One time I had to fill up with regular 87 while towing...half tank till I could find some good stuff, and the Ranger seemed to lose it's "get up and go".
Would love to try the 5 Star set up as I've dealt with them before with a Mustang GT and out previous V-10 based Ford motor home, but with warranty and extended warranty, I'm a bit hesitant.

 

[Superdannyboy]

My Ranger is a year old now, and with few exceptions I have run 91 in it. Occasionally, when gas was way up, I ran the mid 89, but only around town.
When I tow our travel trailer, always 91-93...runs much smoother with better "seat of the pants...butt-o-meter" drivability.
One time I had to fill up with regular 87 while towing...half tank till I could find some good stuff, and the Ranger seemed to lose it's "get up and go".
Would love to try the 5 Star set up as I've dealt with them before with a Mustang GT and out previous V-10 based Ford motor home, but with warranty and extended warranty, I'm a bit hesitant.

The Ford performance tune should be fun while keeping your warranty.

 

[Vitis805]

Never have seen a difference in mileage do to octane.in my 52 years of xriving. My 21 Ranger gets 22 to 24 mpg regardless if I am using 87 or 93.

With the FPP Tune and 91 octane I see an increase of +~1 MPG.

1 MPG x 18 Gal tank = ~18 more miles per tank with the tune and 91.

91 octane is usually at least .30 cents more expensive in my area.

My truck with my driving habits in my environment averages about 20.5 MPG on 87, so running 91 octane is a toss up either way in my situation ?‍. Save ~$6-7 per fill up or get slightly more performance and slightly more efficiency.

If I'm towing in the near future, I'll go 91. If I want a coffee or beer that day I'll go 87.

 

[bluemonstr]

ok, I have to admit that I can't tell that my tremor lariat is any faster with the Ford Performance tune but "it feels faster" in the drivers seat and that's all that matters......I run strictly 91 octane and NEVER see 93 octane here in So CA......but, I did see 101 octane racing fuel for $9.99 a gallon at a regular 76 gas station here in SO CA.....I asked the guy inside if it would improve performance in my tuned Ranger and he said "I dunno"....."might harm it if it's not tuned for it".......I have no idea but what are your thoughts?.......should I fill my tank with 1/2 91 octane and the other 1/2 with 101 octane and see what happens?.....will it hurt my engine/cat?....or is it just a waste of $$$??

I just thought it was cool seeing 101 octane at a regular76 gas station especially here in So CA.....

If you are looking to add anything...find E85 and put about 3.5 gallons in your tank when you fill up. It will bump up your octane for the tank to about 93.5 (instead of 91) - this will give you more power if you are tuned. I do this all the time with my livernois 91/93 tune. Yep...it pulls well.

I've been tuning (CPUs of) cars/trucks for 20+ years and since 2006 when I got an evo I started tuning turbos and have been thru quite a few different ones. Mixing in a little e85 is amazing and smooths out the whole tune in these trucks. I am NOT happy that I cannot tune this myself - but I do like the set it and forget it on the tuners.

 

[RescueMe1060]

In AZ all we get is the weak Californication version of premium gas, 91 Octane. I can sort of tell the difference in my Ranger. Kind of. When I get 93 Octane gas in Tx, the truck is unleashed. Obvious performance +. I ran a tank of 110 Octane no lead no alcohol racing fuel in it once. Mistake. Sarted getting a Catalytic Convertor warning. Ran a couple tanks 87 Octane fuel with Catalytic Convertor Treatment and the light went off. Probly to run the race fuel would need Tuning.

Can these trucks even handle race fuel to begin with? What made you even think to put that in the gas tank?

 

[Ranger Lariat]

I get a kick out of people, and not just here, that “know” they get more “power” when they use higher octane fuels. When in a sense octane is an inhibitor to combustion. Of course some engines require this retardation of combustion because the engine itself is designed to operate at higher compression values. Our Fords, being turbocharged, can to a small degree benefit when being taxed (towing?) and actually Ford mentions this.

But in these cases you are not really getting more “power” per se, just inhibiting pre detonation and I guess some loss of power during certain driving situations.

Of course, some higher “tier” fuels, which are almost always a refiners “High Octane” fuels, also contain certain “detergent” additives, which have been proven to be beneficial to some small degree over time.

Our engines are not particularly high performance, even if you “tune” them. They are very much “just a Ford” off the shelf engine.

“…higher octane gas doesn’t change the energy content of a gallon of gasoline. A higher octane rating means that your engine is more resistant to knocking. So, buying it will be a waste of money unless your engine requires a higher octane gas.”

https://www.mach1services.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-high-octane-fuel/

 

[Dynawide]

I get a kick out of people, and not just here, that “know” they get more “power” when they use higher octane fuels. When in a sense octane is an inhibitor to combustion. Of course some engines require this retardation of combustion because the engine itself is designed to operate at higher compression values. Our Fords, being turbocharged, can to a small degree benefit when being taxed (towing?) and actually Ford mentions this.

But in these cases you are not really getting more “power” per se, just inhibiting pre detonation and I guess some loss of power during certain driving situations.

Of course, some higher “tier” fuels, which are almost always a refiners “High Octane” fuels, also contain certain “detergent” additives, which have been proven to be beneficial to some small degree over time.

Our engines are not particularly high performance, even if you “tune” them. They are very much “just a Ford” off the shelf engine.

“…higher octane gas doesn’t change the energy content of a gallon of gasoline. A higher octane rating means that your engine is more resistant to knocking. So, buying it will be a waste of money unless your engine requires a higher octane gas.”

https://www.mach1services.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-high-octane-fuel/

TV show Engine Masters just did an episode dedicated to various octane levels. They maxed out a motor on 87 octane and it made basically 500 hp, then they tried 91, 100, 110, and eventually E85. They played around with timing and fuel and the only fuel that made any difference was the E85 where it made something like 10-12 more hp. All of the others were within 1 hp of each other.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I get a kick out of people, and not just here, that “know” they get more “power” when they use higher octane fuels. ...

While it's true that there is no more energy content, the Ford Ecoboost engines use OAR, or Octane Adjust Ratio, so they do indeed make more power on premium fuel.

Search for Ecoboost OAR. There are tons of articles about it and how well it works.

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