2.0 MPG gas mileage tests (so far) and differences using 87 vs 92 octane

[jc888888888]

Here in Florida the boat capital of the US .Many gas stations sell non ethanol regular unleaded 89 octane. Boat guys like it as ethanol gas is not really good for 2 cycle and four stroke motors .I wonder how that would do. Price is close to premium ethanol

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[Naranjita]

What amazes me is some of you are happy with mileage that is the same as my 95 Ram diesel!

Granted it's 2wd and completely stock but even then it's got 4.10 gears and will get hand calculated 26mpg on the highway and 21 to 24 mix depending on how much city I do!

I was considering the 2.0 AWD but I'd have to get around 30 on the highway to be worth it to me.

I heard a small handful of stories like this, but never have seen it. My Lincoln Pickup with bigger rear end for towing, I got 12 MPG on average over the 100k miles I had it. I would get about 10-11 MPG in the City, 13-14 on the Highway. And if I really babied the throttle at sea level at 55-60 MPH with no grade and no weight except me, I could get 15-16 MPG.

I am loving averaging 24-25 MPG out of a tank. And if I baby it at sea level at 55-60 MPH with no grade and no weight except me, I can get 30. I have doubled my miles per gallon on the highway and in the City.

I don't doubt your accuracy. I just never known anyone personally getting 25 - 26 MPG out of a full size truck with a full ICE, unless they fueled up at the top of Donner Summit and cruised all the way to sea level at San Francisco Bay, down hill virtually the whole way.

 

[nick112288]

I heard a small handful of stories like this, but never have seen it. My Lincoln Pickup with bigger rear end for towing, I got 12 MPG on average over the 100k miles I had it. I would get about 10-11 MPG in the City, 13-14 on the Highway. And if I really babied the throttle at sea level at 55-60 MPH with no grade and no weight except me, I could get 15-16 MPG.

I am loving averaging 24-25 MPG out of a tank. And if I baby it at sea level at 55-60 MPH with no grade and no weight except me, I can get 30. I have doubled my miles per gallon on the highway and in the City.

I don't doubt your accuracy. I just never known anyone personally getting 25 - 26 MPG out of a full size truck with a full ICE, unless they fueled up at the top of Donner Summit and cruised all the way to sea level at San Francisco Bay, down hill virtually the whole way.

You'd be amazed how little fuel a stock 12 valve Cummins uses. But then again it's a 5.9L engine making a whole 160hp.

Slow, loud, and stinky, but great MPG!

 

[Naranjita]

You'd be amazed how little fuel a stock 12 valve Cummins uses. But then again it's a 5.9L engine making a whole 160hp.

Slow, loud, and stinky, but great MPG!

You know, I completely missed the word Diesel in your post. LOL. I thought you were referring to a gas engine. Carry on!

 

[nick112288]

You know, I completely missed the word Diesel in your post. LOL. I thought you were referring to a gas engine. Carry on!

Haha not a problem. If I was going from that Lincoln mileage to the 2.0 AWD mileage I'd be ecstatic! Can't get excited with same mileage though. My goal is to save money!

 

[Dfw Maverick]

Thankfully I don't have to make this choice at the moment...

Regular gas stations - $3.35 for Regular
Costco - $3.09 for Premium

Sam's it's 2.99 for premium here in dfw Texas

 

[mrjspence]

I’m on a road trip. At a Maverick gas station I tried their 88 octane ethanol free gas. Didn’t notice a bit of difference in fuel economy for the entire tank.
99% Hwy. over 1K miles in. We are averaging 21 mpg with 2 adults, child, dog and an entire bed full of luggage + BFG Trail Terrain tires and going 80 through UT, WY

 

[projectvortex]

Everyone is all over the map with their gas milage so everyone can take this data with a grain of salt. It's simply my data.

XLT 4K AWD FX4 Ecoboost - 80% highway 20% city

Autostop Eliminator installed so my vehicle never turns off at lights.

Hand calculated numbers below. Car was very close on calculations.

Only did two tanks of gas of each so this is very preliminary data.

92 Octane - 28.0 MPG avg (car showed 28.3)
87 Octane - 27.0 MPG avg car showed 27.2)

$3.85 for 92 octane x 16 gallons = $61.60
$3.45 for 87 octane x 16 gallons = $55.20

If I use 87 octane for a fillup I save $6.40.

16 gallon tank - so with 92 I might get 16 miles more distance per tank

$3.45/27mpg = $0.127 x 16 = $2.032 to get the extra 16 miles with 87 octane

$6.40-$2.03= $4.37

So by my calculations if I use 87 octane I save $4.37 every fill up. Fill up every 10 days avg = $159.51 per year saving for using 87 octane.

Things I noted -

• Manual recommends 92 octane for best MPG performance and overall engine performance/HP but 87 is acceptable per the manual
• The engine definitely seemed slighly noisier and more "ticky" when running 87 vs 92 but this could also be a placebo effect
• I didn't notice any difference in performance but I drive like a grandma most of the time. It will be interesting to try towing with both octanes at some point.

I plan to own this truck for 10+ years and plan to run 92 as turbos are desgined to run better with higher octane. My view is that although the car has knock sensors it was designed to work best with 92+ and running it that way for 10 years may result in less wear in the long term. The 10 year cost for gas difference would be $1500 at current prices. Everyone can make their own assumptions about whether or not that is worth it vs possible repairs or wear.

If I only planned to have the truck for 5 years or didn't have the extra dough to spend on gas I would definitely roll with 87 octane. If gas prices continue to go up I might go that route as well. Lots of variables.

Just wondering what “possible repairs or wear” will be avoided by using premium grade fuel? Thanks!

 

[Mavapa]

My ‘96 Dodge Cummins 4WD manual transmission got about 20 mpg, maybe slightly higher on long interstate drives. Unfortunately, diesel runs from 10% to 25% higher than regular around here.

 

[Mark S.]

• Manual recommends 92 octane for best MPG performance and overall engine performance/HP but 87 is acceptable per the manual

Good writeup. One nit to pick: The manual says nothing about fuel economy in the section regarding fuel quality.

Here's the exact quote:

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended.

There is no significant difference in energy content--usually measured as BTUs--between regular and premium gasoline. Higher octane fuel requires greater pressure/heat to ignite, which allows the powertrain control module (PCM) to increase boost pressure and advance ignition timing such that the engine may produce more power.

Considering the regulation-driven priority manufacturers place on fuel economy (auto-start/stop!), if there were mileage gains to be had with premium fuel Ford would require owners use it, or at least make mention of it in the owner's manual.

 

[Mac]

Everyone is all over the map with their gas milage so everyone can take this data with a grain of salt. It's simply my data.

XLT 4K AWD FX4 Ecoboost - 80% highway 20% city

Autostop Eliminator installed so my vehicle never turns off at lights.

Hand calculated numbers below. Car was very close on calculations.

Only did two tanks of gas of each so this is very preliminary data.

92 Octane - 28.0 MPG avg (car showed 28.3)
87 Octane - 27.0 MPG avg car showed 27.2)

$3.85 for 92 octane x 16 gallons = $61.60
$3.45 for 87 octane x 16 gallons = $55.20

If I use 87 octane for a fillup I save $6.40.

16 gallon tank - so with 92 I might get 16 miles more distance per tank

$3.45/27mpg = $0.127 x 16 = $2.032 to get the extra 16 miles with 87 octane

$6.40-$2.03= $4.37

So by my calculations if I use 87 octane I save $4.37 every fill up. Fill up every 10 days avg = $159.51 per year saving for using 87 octane.

Things I noted -

• Manual recommends 92 octane for best MPG performance and overall engine performance/HP but 87 is acceptable per the manual
• The engine definitely seemed slighly noisier and more "ticky" when running 87 vs 92 but this could also be a placebo effect
• I didn't notice any difference in performance but I drive like a grandma most of the time. It will be interesting to try towing with both octanes at some point.

I plan to own this truck for 10+ years and plan to run 92 as turbos are desgined to run better with higher octane. My view is that although the car has knock sensors it was designed to work best with 92+ and running it that way for 10 years may result in less wear in the long term. The 10 year cost for gas difference would be $1500 at current prices. Everyone can make their own assumptions about whether or not that is worth it vs possible repairs or wear.

If I only planned to have the truck for 5 years or didn't have the extra dough to spend on gas I would definitely roll with 87 octane. If gas prices continue to go up I might go that route as well. Lots of variables.

Will these AVGs hold at my current temps of (-1)? I would love for someone to give this a try during colder temps.

 

[bdaniel230]

XLT 4K AWD Fx4 Tow - I have only been filling with 92 no-ethanol fuel and the turbo likes it a lot. This morning it was pretty cold and the engine had warmed for 9 miles so when I kicked it to keep from being overwhelmed in traffic, when I looked in the rear view, there was quite a bit of exhaust. Whether it was water vapor or unburned fuel I don't know but so far my average mileage, 60% highway 40% urban, is 28.9 mpg. This is the first 2.0 L Ecoboost I have had, I did have a 2014 Focus with the 2.0 L, and that was a rocket without the turbo. So far this Maverick is as fun as I thought it would be.
I just bought an Airstream Basecamp and plan to take it in some of the back country this spring. I will keep you posted as to the mpg pulling that trailer. Finally will be graduating to retired in the next couple of years and am planning on taking full advantage of the truck and camp trailer.

 

[Deleted member 4846]

Mines also noisy at startup but it's a direct inject. Just make sure to change oil at 5-7k not 10k +. Also I live in Canada right now and it's $1.50 a litter (about 5$ a gallon) so worth me sticking with 87 octane.

Why do you have a litter box in your truck? (It's spelled "litre".)

 

[pxpaulx]

Will these AVGs hold at my current temps of (-1)? I would love for someone to give this a try during colder temps.

No - I'm in a suburb of MPLS. I'm averaging about 23mpg in mixed driving - when it was warmer I was 26-28+ consistently - you can see my fuelly link for all fill-up details.

 

[mangler]

I would change it sooner. With the ecoboost, I would change the oil every 4k miles. The hybrid every 5k. I would never go over 5k on oil changes, the heck with what the manual says.

It's hard to argue about frequent oil changes on a direct injection (no port) with a turbo. But I can say without those 2 things, for regular engine, 5k is overkill with a good filter and synthetic oil. The car I am retiring now is a 2007 Saturn Vue with about 180k miles on it. Engine is fine, burns very little oil. Oil changes were done when the GM light comes on, which for me around 10k miles. Rust is going to take it, not mechanical wear and tear. Your mileage(and road salt) may vary...

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