My 93 Octane Experiment! 2.0L EcoBoost Maverick

[Montana]

Been running 91 since day 1 in the EB. I could tell immediately it didn't perform as well with lower tier octane ratings. 91 is the best we get in MT. Every now and then I'll use ethanol free but I also don't drive as much as I used to and a tank may last a month sometimes. No doubt about it the EBs perform better with higher octane - all of them.

I would also prefer to save the loot, but it's not a huge deal for me. Keeping my vehicle running optimally is more important. For the hybrid Escape I had, I ran 87 with no real noticeable difference. It wasn't worth the upgrade at the pump.

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[Sorren66]

In both cases, the tune was free for me (see signature). I no longer live in a state with emissions, but this shouldn't really negativity impact emissions.

Nice, better than over-zealous emissions police we have here....I wanted to change the shift points in my Avalanche (6th gear OD at 38mph-lugging the heck out of the motor and made it a total slug) but I found out I had to purchase a new PCM out of state, get that tuned and then install. And if I wanted to pass smog I would have to pull it out and reinstall the OEM PCM before I got a smog test which is every other year here. It was about $1200 for all that and not worth it since I am planning to get the 2.0 ecoboost Maverick in the next 12 months.

How much do you charge for a tune and do you need to buy an aftermarket tuning device to do the tune?

 

[Area51BS]

I ran 93 in my Lariat and never noticed any issues. Also run 93 in my Bronco. After a few tanks of 87 when new and switching to 93. You can feel a little more pep in 93. What is a bigger issue is the adaptive trannys. Not a fan.

 

[710-oil-614]

Nope. FX/4 here no sport mode. Not messing with ForScan until my warranty is up and that is 2 1/2 years away. For me, it's high octane or live with it.

At least my dealer - I openly discuss Forscan with them and the changes I've made (Lane Keep, TSR, Sport mode) and they just replaced my EVAP Purge Valve under warranty today.

 

[rlhdweman]

I have used mainly 91 without ethanol for the 2 years I have had my Maverick, & the "lugging" at low speed is still there, but I only notice it when the radio volume is low.

 

[JetFixxxer]

F150 3.5 EB would gain 20 HP if you used 93.

https://www.torquenews.com/3769/ford-f150-performance-reflects-octane-level-93-definitely-better

 

[yamahaSHO]

Nice, better than over-zealous emissions police we have here....I wanted to change the shift points in my Avalanche (6th gear OD at 38mph-lugging the heck out of the motor and made it a total slug) but I found out I had to purchase a new PCM out of state, get that tuned and then install. And if I wanted to pass smog I would have to pull it out and reinstall the OEM PCM before I got a smog test which is every other year here. It was about $1200 for all that and not worth it since I am planning to get the 2.0 ecoboost Maverick in the next 12 months.

How much do you charge for a tune and do you need to buy an aftermarket tuning device to do the tune?

I can fully understand. I was living in Colorado for a long time until about a year and a half ago. My Jeep diesel was a pain because I removed the DPF. I actually passed the opacity test without it, but failed the visual. I then had to put it back in every test, just to pull it back out so I can see improved mileage, power, and oil life. My STi, I didn't bother registering after moving back to CO from NE... I eventually sold it to a collector. My S2000 was the same, I didn't bother registering as it's 'mostly' a track car and on an aftermarket ECU.

As for your question, since I am not a vendor here (though I have though about becoming one as I got rid of my vendor status on the RZR boards), I will have to direct you to my signature. As for the platforms, you'd either need an HP Tuners RTD+, MPVI3, or a Cobb AccessPort. Your cheapest solution is the RTD+, which will allow you to log, flash, clear codes, etc via your phone.

I used HP Tuners on our Ranger as Cobb doesn't offer anything for it. It works great and Ford is one of the things HP Tuners does pretty well. I used Cobb on the Maverick as I've been a Cobb ProTuner for quite awhile and like the AccessPort. And back to the Ranger, I never even bothered adding power. All I did was tune the transmission. I will go back and add power because I like playing with things, but the transmission was a must. Although, I did upgrade the intercooler and made a few minor changes for it. The Maverick is staying stock for parts because I'm 'older' and I like quiet... And it's my wife's vehicle.

 

[Maverexic]

Hello, think this is my first post here (still waiting for my maverick 2 years after ordering).

I haven't driven an ecoboost, but if you have a lug or vibration that goes away with either higher octane or later shifts... then that's detonation and its BAD

There are people who waste money on too high of octane because they don't understand the point of octane. The only time you need to go up in octane is if your engine is knocking aka detonating. This is really hard on your engine-- If you are running less than the specified octane then look out for that knock, you don't want to hear it. Knocking will hurt your economy and power and wear the engine out prematurely.

 

[yamahaSHO]

Hello, think this is my first post here (still waiting for my maverick 2 years after ordering).

I haven't driven an ecoboost, but if you have a lug or vibration that goes away with either higher octane or later shifts... then that's detonation and its BAD

There are people who waste money on too high of octane because they don't understand the point of octane. The only time you need to go up in octane is if your engine is knocking aka detonating. This is really hard on your engine-- If you are running less than the specified octane then look out for that knock, you don't want to hear it. Knocking will hurt your economy and power and wear the engine out prematurely.

It's not knocking, it's just lugging. I have confirmed this on many occasions.

 

[colinl]

There's been a lot of previous discussions about this, but let's first start with the fact that Ford rated the 2.0L ecoboost in the Maverick with premium unleaded. It's right there on the official specs, with an asterisk. A few Ford vehicles are actually rated with 87 vs premium on their official specs, such as the Bronco, but in the Maverick we can only take educated guesses as to how it performs on 87.

Cobb Tuning explained Knock Octane Modifier and speculated as to the hp & torque the 2.0 ecoboost makes on 87 in this reply:
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/premium-vs-regular-fuel-data-point.35480/post-642696

Regarding 87 being 'enough' for a Maverick ecoboost owner - or that they've never noticed issues - yes, the latter especially is very possible. But no, your Maverick does not make 250hp/277lbft on 87.

 

[23MAVLariatAWD]

Btw driving back home hit 'South of the Border' NC/SC line & I noticed Sunoco had 94 Octane at $3.79 so I filled about a quarter a tank w it in my Mav hybrid (I know it doesn't matter)...just FYI for you all traveling

 

[ndmiller]

Computer adjusts the tune back to normal by removing the retarded timing from 87 gas to avoid engine knocking. I'm sure the tuning guys know this already, same in most engines, especially small displacement high compression turbos. Used to bother me and now it doesn't as the car has learned my driving a bit more throttle gives me a downshift from the highest gear.

 

[WNYEscapee]

Interesting observation. Yes, I have noticed the "lugging" effect too. Again, interesting to see that octane has had an effect on that, but also somewhat sensible too.
As the PCM via sensors is adjusting timing along parameters programmed into the software, it is also using information from the sensors as to whether or not it can advance or retard timing -- this perhaps made the difference. As this made a difference, I'd be interested to see if 91 octane makes a difference too, and how much of one.
Of course, mileage will come into play as nobody likes to not have more "bang for the buck."

 

[es7129]

Hello, think this is my first post here (still waiting for my maverick 2 years after ordering).

I haven't driven an ecoboost, but if you have a lug or vibration that goes away with either higher octane or later shifts... then that's detonation and its BAD

There are people who waste money on too high of octane because they don't understand the point of octane. The only time you need to go up in octane is if your engine is knocking aka detonating. This is really hard on your engine-- If you are running less than the specified octane then look out for that knock, you don't want to hear it. Knocking will hurt your economy and power and wear the engine out prematurely.

The owner’s manual explicitly states premium fuel is needed to get the advertised power & efficiency.

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