Regular vs premium anyone else notice huge difference?

[Doc]

$3.50 for 93 in fla...
Regards

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[Andrew]

Ya the cheap gas stations up here in Redding are about that. I refuse to use cheap gas, unless it’s a hoopty car or somethin. Think I paid $3.99 for Chevron Premium this morning

$3.50 for 93 in fla...
Regards

That’s a shame my gas is around 2.17 in Albuquerque, NM at Costco.

 

[Skylais]

$1.89 here in Houston.
Plus my discounts = $1.73 w/ Chevron fuel.

I definitely notice a difference when I use 93 octane. More power, but also engine is much smoother sounding.

Also, on a road trip from Houston to Through Louisiana and then up to Arkansas. I cleared the trip meter and was hitting 33mpg at one point for at least a couple of hours. leveled back down to around 28 mpg but still... mind blown, wish I would have taken a picture

 

[Indy650]

2.6k miles on Blue and I put regular in rather than premium (was exhausted hit wrong button the deed was done) manual says you can run either.

Anyone else done this and noticed the following?

1. approx 20% drop in mpg
2. Engine sounds like it’s working harder
3. Truck feels like it’s in slomo

Truck goes but it most certainly doesn’t feel the same.

Me thinks I’ll be running premium only from now on.

Many engines don't require or benefit much if at all from high octane fuel but the ecoboost engines will most certainly run better on premium fuel as will any turbocharged engine. It is also better for the engine as lower quality fuel burns more erratic and can even cause detonation in extreme cases causing the computer to retard timing which is felt as a big power loss. Sometimes the detonation is very light and although you can't notice a pinging the computer is pulling timing and you experience a power loss. Yes Ford says you can run lower octane but 91 is recommended and in my opinion that's what should be used unless it's not available for whatever reason. I only run high test 91 or higher and I also only buy non-ethanol gas. I run non-ethanol because I want to avoid phase separation as sometimes I don't drive the truck for a few weeks. Previously with atvs, bikes, and snowmobiles I've had issues with ethanol fuel eating away at gaskets and seals but I've heard that isn't a problem with new vehicles as the manufacturers now use products resistant to ethanol fuel. Older cars however, could have those issues.

 

[outdoorphotog]

Many engines don't require or benefit much if at all from high octane fuel but the ecoboost engines will most certainly run better on premium fuel as will any turbocharged engine. It is also better for the engine as lower quality fuel burns more erratic and can even cause detonation in extreme cases causing the computer to retard timing which is felt as a big power loss. Sometimes the detonation is very light and although you can't notice a pinging the computer is pulling timing and you experience a power loss. Yes Ford says you can run lower octane but 91 is recommended and in my opinion that's what should be used unless it's not available for whatever reason. I only run high test 91 or higher and I also only buy non-ethanol gas. I run non-ethanol because I want to avoid phase separation as sometimes I don't drive the truck for a few weeks. Previously with atvs, bikes, and snowmobiles I've had issues with ethanol fuel eating away at gaskets and seals but I've heard that isn't a problem with new vehicles as the manufacturers now use products resistant to ethanol fuel. Older cars however, could have those issues.

I agree with you. Premium makes turbo motors runs 100x better even if not noticed on the butt dyno.

 

[MTB-BRUH]

I agree as well, I’m not wealthy by any means. But I sure ain’t gonna cheap out on gas for my new rig that’s for sure.

 

[PNW_Ranger87]

I don't drive in hot climates or tow anything (yet) but I still run premium. I also do full synthetic oil changes too frequently according to the book. If you want to pay for the extra maintenance insurance it's your choice. I don't see why this is such a heated issue.

 

[MTB-BRUH]

I don't drive in hot climates or tow anything (yet) but I still run premium. I also do full synthetic oil changes too frequently according to the book. If you want to pay for the extra maintenance insurance it's your choice. I don't see why this is such a heated issue.

Thanks for the info, I haven’t read my manual yet lol this really seems to backup running premium top tier. I’m pretty surprised so many run 87

 

[PNW_Ranger87]

Thanks for the info, I haven’t read my manual yet lol this really seems to backup running premium top tier. I’m pretty surprised so many run 87

The difference is pretty clear especially with a high strung turbo engine in a big vehicle.

 

[PNW_Ranger87]

Thanks for the info, I haven’t read my manual yet lol this really seems to backup running premium top tier. I’m pretty surprised so many run 87

 

[VAMike]

Well, stuff like "sounds better" is so subjective that the placebo effect is almost certainly stronger than any possible effect from a few octane. The only possible difference I can actually measure is fuel economy. I did run a few tanks of premium through the truck and saw no significant change in fuel economy, and that's the extent of what I can say objectively. (Subjectively, the truck didn't drive any differently--but there aren't any numbers to put on that.) Why do so many people run 87? Because Ford says you won't notice a difference if you aren't running hot and heavy, and paying more for the same outcome seems silly.

 

[Onlyone]

I can see at sea level not seeing much of a difference but at 7k feet, I noticed a pretty large increase in peddle response and just overall more power. It took a couple fill ups and maybe a few full throttle hits but definitely a difference. We only have 91 up here. The price difference between 87-91 isn’t much here because our cheap gas is 85.

 

[ZCoker]

I’ve had my Ranger a bit over a month now about 600 miles and it’s doing pretty darn good on the 87 city driving.

 

[Indy650]

anyone that knows anything about engines knows a turbocharged hi-performance engine will run better and cleaner with premium gas. It's a fact. Me and many others out there have proven this on dynos many, many times over. Here is a [particular test with the Ranger. https://www.tfltruck.com/2019/01/20...power-numbers-on-93-octane-fuel-dyno-results/

That said, 87 isn't gonna hurt anything and may not be noticeable from the seat.

 

[VAMike]

I can see at sea level not seeing much of a difference but at 7k feet, I noticed a pretty large increase in peddle response and just overall more power. It took a couple fill ups and maybe a few full throttle hits but definitely a difference. We only have 91 up here. The price difference between 87-91 isn’t much here because our cheap gas is 85.

There are clearly cases where it makes a difference, and high altitude would be one of them (boosting pretty much all the time). My response was directed towards those who can't seem to grasp why people aren't spending extra money for no discernable benefit in ordinary driving. If your requirements don't fall into the normal range than of course you should use the higher octane fuel.

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