As was previously mentioned, your engine has both port and direct injection and should not have the traditional problem with carbon buildup on the intake valves. Alcohol free gas is more stable and for that reason I use it in small two & four cycle engines. Apparently it also inherently...
Apparently Top Tier Plus gas is specifically designed to control the carbon buildup issue in direct injection engines:
Top Tier Plus gasoline, announced in late 2024, is designed to provide superior protection and performance compared to standard Top Tier, particularly for modern Gasoline...
It may well be true that Top Tier fuel does cause some reduction in intake carbon buildup, but I have never seen a study that backs up that concept. Gemini seems to agree with that and also mentions the big benefit of Top Tier, fuel injector cleaning:
Yes, using Top Tier fuel significantly...
Chops - I really hoped that you were correctly quoting the AAA study, but when I did an AI search about the study I got the following response. If you have more information on this study please let us know.
The Study Engine: The AAA laboratory testing was conducted on a 2.3-liter Ford...
Just change it at 5k miles or less; oil is cheap, engines are expensive. It is false economy to try and stretch it out farther. Keep receipts for oil & filter if you DIY.
Thanks for your account of a great trip. I just picked up my 2025 Lariat Hybrid which is the same color as yours. I hope you are wrong about the towing capacity of the Hybrid versus the turbo. I've seen a Youtube video where a hybrid towed close to 4k lbs in the hills with little difficulty...