88 Octane Gas in Maverick Hybrid?

[OpieGoneBad]

Ya, that and it got colder outside!!
LoL!

Nice try. It got a lot colder here a month before I put the 88 in my truck. The mileage was steady when we were in the low 20's here. It wasn't until I put the 88 in it that the mileage dropped off a cliff.

No brainwashing at all by "big oil". Just my experience with it, that's all. No need to get all snarky about it in your two posts. You like ethanol, use it. Nobody is forcing you to use "big oil".

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[Jonny44]

Read your owner's manual. You know, that bulky thing in your glovebox.

 

[Jonny44]

My state only has 85 and 91 so we usually use 85. Would use 87 but almost never see that in Utah.

85 octane is not safe for the Maverick. It must be a minimum of 87 octane.

 

[huunvubu]

Can I safely use 88 octane gas in my Maverick Hybrid? Often have lower prices for the E88 gas in my local area. Will using iteffect my hybrid engine?

There is a reason it is lower priced and that reason is not good as the more Ethanol percent in the gas the less MPG you will get out of that gas.

Ethanol contains about one-third less energy than gasoline. So, vehicles will typically go 3% to 4% fewer miles per gallon on E10 and 4% to 5% fewer on E15 than on 100% gasoline.

Ethanol E10 and E15

 

[jsus]

85 octane is not safe for the Maverick. It must be a minimum of 87 octane.

Well, then let's just include that entire section from the manual, shall we?

Indeed, using anything below 87 octane is not recommended.

 

[huunvubu]

I accidentally put a tank of 88 in my hybrid last week. It made a significant drop in my mileage. Was seeing 42 MPG average on the gauge. With this junk fuel it dropped to around 35-36 MPG. Can't wait until I get this junk burned up and refuel with 87. That extra 5% ethanol makes a lot more than a 2% difference in my case!

Ethanol contains about one-third less energy than gasoline. So, vehicles will typically go 3% to 4% fewer miles per gallon on E10 and 4% to 5% fewer on E15 than on 100% gasoline.

Ethanol E10 and E15

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Very interesting info, do higher altitude places require lower octane fuel in their vehicles?

Yes the air is less dense and the 87 at sea level is what the vehicle is recommended to not knock. But at higher altitudes the lower octane will function the same. It would be best, of course if the manual would have octane rating needed for specific altitudes. If I am in the mountains and headed to lower altitude I may buy 88 or 89 (E10 or less not E15 88) but usually will just top off with 87 when it's available usually at about 2 hour intervals that I do to walk around, etc any time I am tripping!.

 

[GPSMan]

85 octane is not safe for the Maverick. It must be a minimum of 87 octane.

Three short things:

1) the truck, as every modern vehicle adjusts to any octane gas. The adjustment time is minutes to hours. Not great to change it up and experiment tank after tank. You can, but performance (mostly MPG) will suffer during the adjustment period.

2) octane is a rating based upon a behavior. Octane is not an ingredient.

3) ethanol is an ingredient (among others) that raises octane (it's 115) which is why it is literally race fuel. Turbocharged engines benefit from ethanol. It is (well can be) a power booster but at the cost of MPG

I won't tell you to use 85 octane in Denver and above. And probably best not to if you are visiting or just "passing through". But anyone who lives there and uses it consistently will be fine. Been there. Done that. As have millions of drivers for decades. There is nothing "unique" about the Maverick to prohibit this.

 

[nandesho]

I run E15 whenever possible in my thirsty 3.5 Ecoboost Explorer. That 1 octane point is noticed in performance but it does get 1-1.5 less MPG. However that’s offset by it being 15¢ cheaper on average.
Recently, I have hesitantly ran it in my 2007 Escape Hybrid because it’s a whopping 55¢ cheaper than E10, haven’t noticed any MPG difference. I’ll certainly let y’all know if it rots anything.

 

[Jonny44]

Three short things:

1) the truck, as every modern vehicle adjusts to any octane gas. The adjustment time is minutes to hours. Not great to change it up and experiment tank after tank. You can, but performance (mostly MPG) will suffer during the adjustment period.

2) octane is a rating based upon a behavior. Octane is not an ingredient.

3) ethanol is an ingredient (among others) that raises octane (it's 115) which is why it is literally race fuel. Turbocharged engines benefit from ethanol. It is (well can be) a power booster but at the cost of MPG

I won't tell you to use 85 octane in Denver and above. And probably best not to if you are visiting or just "passing through". But anyone who lives there and uses it consistently will be fine. Been there. Done that. As have millions of drivers for decades. There is nothing "unique" about the Maverick to prohibit this.

I'm just going by the owner's manual:

 

[GPSMan]

I run E15 whenever possible in my thirsty 3.5 Ecoboost Explorer. That 1 octane point is noticed in performance but it does get 1-1.5 less MPG. However that’s offset by it being 15¢ cheaper on average.
Recently, I have hesitantly ran it in my 2007 Escape Hybrid because it’s a whopping 55¢ cheaper than E10, haven’t noticed any MPG difference. I’ll certainly let y’all know if it rots anything.

I found E25, that's 25% ethanol ran great in my 2005 Escape Hybrid. A custom blend not readily available unless you are in the corn belt, but you can make your own.

Ran great for 235,000 miles. Obviously only a fraction of the miles were E25. I did go all the way up to E85 and nothing blew up. You won't even get any codes or check engine light until above 40%. Would still be driving it today but someone rear-ended it ending it's life prematurely.

 

[Decayed]

Your snark is okay but others' in response to your incorrect information is not. Understood.

Now that we've cleared that up, back to the topic at hand...

While 87/88/89 octane sound like E85, they mean two different things.

Octane rating essentially has to do with "knocking" or "pinging" during combustion - higher octane ratings help to minimize this. Some engines are designed to run better or require higher octane ratings. That's the 87, 88, 89, etc. that you'll see on the pump. Unless otherwise specified, vehicles are designed to handle regular unleaded, which is often 87 octane. Maverick falls into this category, so it does not require more expensive fuels; regular unleaded is sufficient.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/octane.shtml

The E number is different. E is ethanol, basically a type of alcohol derived from corn. It's alleged to be better for the environment than petroleum products, though it's less efficient by volume. That's where E85 comes in - it's a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Due to the nature of ethanol, it requires the vehicle be designed for it, often carrying a "Flex Fuel Vehicle" branding. Neither Maverick engine is designed for this fuel. Do not use E85 in your Maverick.

Beyond that, unless otherwise specified, most gasoline in the US is sold as a blend, but in the opposite direction - mostly gasoline with a bit of ethanol. E10, probably the more common of the two, is 10% ethanol, 90% gasoline.

Some stations offer E0, which contains 0% ethanol. This is often preferred in use cases such as lawn equipment and other small motors. There's often little benefit in a street car to justify seeking it out and paying the higher price.

Then you get this "88 octane" stuff, which is also referred to as E15. Thus, it's 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline. Your Maverick is capable of handling E15/88 octane. However, keep in mind that the lower cost comes with lower fuel economy. Depending on the specifics, it may be cheaper to stick with 87 over 88, but you'd need to do some math to be sure.

All this to say:

No E85 in any Maverick
E10 regular unleaded (87 octane - higher elevations use a lower octane, but Ford recommends against it) is commonplace and perfectly fine.
E15 is also referred to as 88 octane, available in select markets. It's not likely to cause issues but may not be worth the cheaper price per gallon.

Feel free to experiment with higher grades of gas as well as E15/88 octane. Or just stick with regular unleaded/87. It's designed to handle any of those, so long as you avoid E85. And diesel.

Glad to hear we are all in agreement that there is no such thing as E88 and if there was, OP shouldn't run it in his maverick.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

Ethanol is not junk.
Ethanol is not corrosive.
Ethanol can go in your body.
Ethanol is vodka.

Try putting gasoline in your body (no don't) just imagine the difference in "corrosion" and "poison".

Ethanol is a small, simple, clean molecule that when burned produces two clean molecules: water and carbon dioxide, the same "junk" you just exhaled.

If gasoline didn't exist (and one day it will run out) you'd ALL be calling ethanol a godsend.

Ethanol puts the premium in "premium".
You've all be duped. Brainwashed by big oil companies.

Lord, save us.

 

[SLWKRT]

Watch any Big Ten game. You will see constant ads for it. I have yet to see it at a pump in MI. stick with the fuel recommended in a manual. If nothing else, if something goes wrong Ford can’t say you were using the wrong fuel.

 

[dbest1]

Can I safely use 88 octane gas in my Maverick Hybrid? Often have lower prices for the E88 gas in my local area. Will using iteffect my hybrid engine?

Thanks to all who responded to my question. After reviewing the comments I plan to stick to regular unleaded. (87 octane)

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