Lower Octane Fuel

[Ranch]

Nice you can get non ethanol gas. Can't get that here in NJ.

Not available here in California either. Unless you go to a drag strip and buy racing fuel.

I'm using 87 octane top tier Costco gas. My Maverick seems to like it just fine. The only problem right now is it's over $5.00 a gallon and rising.

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[NJBob]

Wow I am paying 3.65 for Sunoco here in NJ and that's on the cheaper side. I was in SC this week paid 3.12 for Amoco.

 

[Mervin the Maverick]

There is no such regulation. There are many vehicles that require 91 or 93 octane. The Maverick is not one of them.

RTFM

Correct. Both of my daughters drive Volvo SUVs, and the owner’s manual, and I think even the fuel door say that 91+ Octane is required by the manufacturer.

 

[GPSMan]

Just for fun:

 

[GPSMan]

Correct. Both of my daughters drive Volvo SUVs, and the owner’s manual, and I think even the fuel door say that 91+ Octane is required by the manufacturer.

Then you have to agree to not drive in Florida, Louisiana, much of the Gulf Coast, Northern Canada, or many areas of Alaska.

I drove the Alaska-Canada highway this summer. Unless you were in a major town of greater than 10,000 people ALL THEY SELL IS 87 OCTANE.

No joke. Like 500 miles between "premium" pumps. But like 75 miles between 87 pumps. Go figure.

Back during Hurricane Katrina Emergency and it's many weeks after-math, they only shipped, distributed and sold 87 Octane to storm ravaged areas. And people were glad to have it. When reporters asked officials at the time if this was sufficient for all vehicles, officials were adamant that yes it was, admitting performance may not be top notch but it was suitable for all vehicles. They went on to say something to the effect of government mandates that all vehicles must be able to run on any octane fuel of at least 87 during times of war, national disaster, shortages, rationing, evacuation orders, or any form of normal supply disruptions.

Let me know if you lived through Katrina and how it impacted you. I watched from Denver Colorado at the time where I exclusively used 85 octane in my Ford Escape Hybrid for 12 years.

On the topic of 85 octane. In 2012 the Governor of South Dakota learned that gas stations in the western part of that state SOMETIMES got their "regular" gas from Colorado & Wyoming, and sometimes from refineries farther east.

From Colorado or Wyoming it was 85 octane. From elsewhere it was 87 octane. Pumps were of course labeled 87. But the fuel supply was randomly 85 and 87 octane. AND NO ONE NOTICED FOR 30 YEARS. THE GOVERNOR didn't think this was fair to the consumer, so mandated that the pumps be labeled as 85. And if customers randomly got 87 that was ok. But the other way around was not ok. That's Fair.

But the fact no one noticed for 30 YEARS means something.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

Nice you can get non ethanol gas. Can't get that here in NJ.

We have some gas stations/convenience stores that only sell "real" gas. All grades are ethanol-free. Costs more, though. I use it in my lawn mower.

 

[NJBob]

Nice, I buy ethanol free for my leaf blower and trimmer. Have to buy it in cans from the mower shop very pricey. I actually bought leaded gas for my 69Camaro Z/28. Last time I bought it was 75 bucks for 5 gallons. I use 5 gallons of that and the rest Sunoco Ultra 94. Have not ran that car in a while. Time I get her out of the garage.

 

[James K]

I now have a little over 2100 miles on my Maverick. Up till now I have only used premium fuel. I drive conservatively, can I safely use a lower grade fuel. 2.0 Turbo

At the risk of being trolled again on this subject I will again respond but get a little more technical this time. Higher octane burns slower, think of it as less explosive. A result is slightly less engine stress (good if you plan to keep the vehicle a long time). The timing is retarded if lower octane is used and you don't make as much power along the RPM range. This will result in higher MPG with premium (your throttle pedal will not have to be depressed as far to maintain a certain MPH). The mass air sensor (controlled by throttle is ever so slightly less open) and mass air sensor tell the injectors how much fuel to pump). I see about 2 mpg around town and 4 mpg highway improvement in high test. Also, high test generally has more detergent but with direct injection that is less a factor.
The cost of premium is losing proposition on mileage alone but all things considered I'm a premium only after just 2 tanks of 87 (one to see how it ran and one because there was no premium). Not sure how accurate the gauge is but I average 32.5-38 MPG 2.0 AWD tow package but have been as high as 42. These figures come from about 2/3 highway driving. Towing drops it to 22.5 and that's only a 5x10 landscape trailer with a BMW R1200 RT motorcycle on it. Hope this helps.

 

[todd92]

Premium does not burn slower. Octane is only a measure of resistance to detonation. There is no measure of speed of combustion. Using Premium will not make your engine last longer, but believe whatever nonsense makes you feel good.

 

[Shieldwf]

I have a 23 AWD FX4 with towing. I tow a 5x8 trailer with a quad 2-1/2 hours north several times a year. It’s western Pa so it can get hilly. I tried my own experiment using nothing but 87 and other times using nothing but premium. I see/feel no difference and always seem to get 20.1 to 20.3 MPG’s according to the dash. That’s using Tow/Haul mode.

 

[Mervin the Maverick]

There is no such regulation. There are many vehicles that require 91 or 93 octane. The Maverick is not one of them.

RTFM

Right!

 

[Mervin the Maverick]

Premium does not burn slower. Octane is only a measure of resistance to detonation. There is no measure of speed of combustion. Using Premium will not make your engine last longer, but believe whatever nonsense makes you feel good.

Technically, the higher the octane, the lower the detonation temperature. High Octane retards explosion of fuel so that fuel can further compress. Without that high octane retardation, fuel would explode before the cylinder reached optimum position (NOT TDC).

Vehicle manufacturers program computers to deal with a lower octane, and it makes the ignition happen later than if it was running on 94, or 104 octane. The computer learns when ignition occurs.

There is NO LAW that says every vehicle has to burn 86 Octane, and you are free to use what you like to pay for. With a EB, I would be tempted to see what 92 or higher octane would do, but until you build a truck with options that REQUIRE “premium”, I don’t think it is worth 10 - 20 cents more per gallon.

 

[Joe Mac]

I use 91 if it wasn't a turbo I'd be running 87

 

[crgator]

....I don’t think it is worth 10 - 20 cents more per gallon.

If premium was only 10 - 20 cents per gallon more, I'd be tempted to try it. But here it's up to 80 cents a gallon more. Doing a 10-gallon fill-up at $42 vs. just $34 just doesn't add up.

 

[Mervin the Maverick]

The thing is, with modern ECUs, you CAN run lower octane depending on your owners manual. I bet even you EB (Turbo Boosted engines) can run 87 octane. I agree, you will loose performance, but you will not damage your engine.

What does your Owner’s Manual say about this? What does it say is the minimum octane level?

I’ve had sports/race cars that required 92+ octane, but they were running 11 to 15 pounds of compression at the heads. I doubt that your EB has that high of compression (but I don’t know. let me know!)

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