Octane vs MPG, 87 vs 93, anyone compared?

[desmobob]

Here's the whole fuel page from the manual...

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[Sleeper 7]

My 2.0 Fusion gets 1.5 MPG better with 87 octane.

 

[desmobob]

My 2.0 Fusion gets 1.5 MPG better with 87 octane.

On my trip home form Ganger, my Maverick's mileage went down .2 MPG after I filled up with 93. It went back up where it was after I filled the next time with 87. It might have been fuel quality, headwind/tailwind, etc.

I've usually don't let my fuel level get down below 1/2, and I've been alternating filling with very expensive non-ethanol 93 and normal, 10% ethanol 87.

Sleeper 7, there is nothing like the sound of a two-stroke triple with expansion chambers. Music!

 

[GPSMan]

A) Octane is a rating of the fuel
B) Octane is not an ingredient per se.
C) Many ingredients can adjust octane ratings. Ethanol is a common one.

MPG is about ENERGY content, not octane content.

Adding 5 psi to your tires costs nothing and will give you higher MPG 100% guaranteed. Measurable boosts to MPG.

And Chevron here Regular is $4.699.
Independent station 3 block away has Regular fuel for $3.499.

Do you think the independent guy is drilling his own oil and refining his own fuel? Don't think so. 99.8% chance his truckload came from the same rack as Chevron's.

Talk about "additives" all you want. Paying $15 more per fill-up you're not getting $15 worth of additives. I can tell you that much. The independent dealer has to use and sell federally mandated minimum amounts of additives.

 

[Ranch]

A) Octane is a rating of the fuel
B) Octane is not an ingredient per se.
C) Many ingredients can adjust octane ratings. Ethanol is a common one.

MPG is about ENERGY content, not octane content.

Adding 5 psi to your tires costs nothing and will give you higher MPG 100% guaranteed. Measurable boosts to MPG.

And Chevron here Regular is $4.699.
Independent station 3 block away has Regular fuel for $3.499.

Do you think the independent guy is drilling his own oil and refining his own fuel? Don't think so. 99.8% chance his truckload came from the same rack as Chevron's.

Talk about "additives" all you want. Paying $15 more per fill-up you're not getting $15 worth of additives. I can tell you that much. The independent dealer has to use and sell federally mandated minimum amounts of additives.

Costco is by far the cheapest place to buy gas here in Sacramento and it's top tier gas. It's a win - win for me.

 

[mamboman777]

% ethanol makes the biggest difference in mpg. Most often 93 contains the maximum allowable amount of ethanol because that's an easy way to boost octane.

That said, for me, neither 93 nor 0% ethanol pays for itself. (The upcharge is more than thepg savings)

 

[LM42]

A) Octane is a rating of the fuel
B) Octane is not an ingredient per se.
C) Many ingredients can adjust octane ratings. Ethanol is a common one.

MPG is about ENERGY content, not octane content.

Adding 5 psi to your tires costs nothing and will give you higher MPG 100% guaranteed. Measurable boosts to MPG.

And Chevron here Regular is $4.699.
Independent station 3 block away has Regular fuel for $3.499.

Do you think the independent guy is drilling his own oil and refining his own fuel? Don't think so. 99.8% chance his truckload came from the same rack as Chevron's.

Talk about "additives" all you want. Paying $15 more per fill-up you're not getting $15 worth of additives. I can tell you that much. The independent dealer has to use and sell federally mandated minimum amounts of additives.

In fairness you are right about many things. But, you cannot go around saying shit like the local quickie mart is selling the same fuel as Chevron, but at a $1.00 less per gallon. Because 99.8% chance you are wrong. Chevron's additives really work. That fuel has been bench marked many times and I think is pretty much still the industry standard for quality. All gasolines are NOT the same

 

[GPSMan]

% ethanol makes the biggest difference in mpg. Most often 93 contains the maximum allowable amount of ethanol because that's an easy way to boost octane.

That said, for me, neither 93 nor 0% ethanol pays for itself. (The upcharge is more than thepg savings)

There are no absolutes on forums like this. Too many variables from state to state. And there are more "blends" of fuels than there are states.

Depending on your specific fuel market "premium" can have high ethanol or no ethanol.

But most often than not, you are correct. And I agree premium fuels are never a financial benefit unless your vehicle specifically needs it.

 

[GPSMan]

In fairness you are right about many things. But, you cannot go around saying shit like the local quickie mart is selling the same fuel as Chevron, but at a $1.00 less per gallon. Because 99.8% chance you are wrong. Chevron's additives really work. That fuel has been bench marked many times and I think is pretty much still the industry standard for quality. All gasolines are NOT the same

Where did I ever say same?
Care to retract your post?

 

[LM42]

Where did I ever say same?
Care to retract your post?

Is there another way to interpret this? " Do you think the independent guy is drilling his own oil and refining his own fuel? Don't think so. 99.8% chance his truckload came from the same rack as Chevron's. "

 

[rlhdweman]

Could you "feel" any noticeable difference in the power between the two?

Yes, you may not have understood my wording, "patch" is spinning the tires on dry pavement with the traction control off, & yes I can feel the difference, when accelerating onto the highway the traction control engages far more often with the 91 fuel when left on.

 

[mamboman777]

There are no absolutes on forums like this. Too many variables from state to state. And there are more "blends" of fuels than there are states.

Depending on your specific fuel market "premium" can have high ethanol or no ethanol.

But most often than not, you are correct. And I agree premium fuels are never a financial benefit unless your vehicle specifically needs it.

Agree. And please note "most often" and "for me" in the original post. That said, I hear ya.... There's a lot of conjecture on this forum. Ultimately, people are gonna spend what they're gonna spend and justify it how they're going to justify it. What "mamboman777" says on some forum doesn't and SHOULDN'T be a determining factor.

 

[Ranch]

all gasoline has detergents that clean your system anyway
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required all gasoline sold in the United States since 1996 to have a minimum level of detergents to clean your system, so you're getting a fuel system cleaning already with every drop of gas that flows through your system. Top Tier gasoline and diesel fuel goes a step further. Top Tier is a standard applied to fuel that was developed by the major vehicle manufacturers to go beyond the minimum level of detergents mandated by the EPA, as well as to prohibit the use of metallic additives that can harm the emission system and fuel components. Top Tier gasoline typically contains about two to three times the amount of detergent compared to minimum EPA requirements and costs about an extra penny per gallon.

https://www.ncconsumer.org/news-art...at-does-it-do-and-is-it-really-necessary.html

 

[Ranch]

When the U.S. minimum additive performance standards were first established in 1995, many gasoline marketers reduced the concentration of detergent additive in market gasoline by up to 50%. As a result, many automakers experienced instances of deposit build up within engines leading to poor performance and sometimes engine damage, both resulting in dissatisfied customers.

https://toptiergas.com/toptier_detergent_gasoline/

 

[GPSMan]

Is there another way to interpret this? " Do you think the independent guy is drilling his own oil and refining his own fuel? Don't think so. 99.8% chance his truckload came from the same rack as Chevron's. "

I didn't think so! And most readers won't misinterpret things but somehow you did.

What percentage of a gallon, or put another way, how many ounces of a gallon do you think are "fuel additives"?

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