Octane vs MPG, 87 vs 93, anyone compared?

[Akuma72387]

What markets have premium ethylene free? Ethylene is used to boost octane. But does not have the energy as gas. Just curious where that is?

Bingham Maine.

High grade/test/premium whatever you wanna call it up here is sold ethanol free. We have alot of recreational machines (ATVs, snowmobiles, side by sides) that come through and people don't like using ethanol in them or their home care equipment (lawn mowers, weed wackers, log splitters, generators and so on) it is more expensive but people swear by it.

As for the gas in mavericks I ran 87 when I got it for the first tank and got around 28mpg since then I have only ran a higher grade and I average around 30-32mpg depending on road and weather factors. I drive Xlt fx4 eb and have had mine since October 21 have over 22k on mine. That being said my sister used it and filled it with regular on me and my range did drop. Regular gas (87) I get about 440ish miles to a tank. Higher grades I get 500miles.
IN MY OPINION and BASED OF MY EXPERIENCE It is worth it but the difference for me in the gas prices is about 30 or 40 cents so 4dollars a tank give or take

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[Dbarr]

Has anyone compared their mpg running 87 verses 93? I'm curious if there is a gain and if so is it enough to overcome the price difference.

On my hybrid, difference is incalculable… anyone try 100% gas vs. ethanol blend? Results?

 

[es7129]

What crystal ball and gypsy woman did you consult to determine this? On the average car with no other changes, changing octane make approximately ZERO difference in HP. Or, are you just trolling this dude and me? LOL

The owner’s manual explicitly tells you premium fuel is required to obtain the advertised power ratings.
Running 87 pulls timing and reduces boost.
Not reflective of OEM tuning but here are the 0-60 mph times for 93 vs e30 (~100 octane):
5.75 on 93
5.48 on e30

 

[GPSMan]

At or near wide open throttle, sure.

Going for groceries or picking up the kids or bringing home the lumber, what does it matter if you are using 100 horsepower out of a possible 240 or 100 out of a possible 250???

Only difference is $$$ spent.

 

[Eagle11]

That’s not true. For example the “Mazda CX-9 engine produces 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque on standard gasoline. Using premium fuel increases horsepower to 250 hp”. Premium fuel makes a bigger difference on turbo engines.

Grasshopper, the CX-9 "requires" premium fuel to get the higher HP, but will run regularly with a lower HP figure.
My M5 will run on 87, but likes 91, but really loves 97.

 

[Eagle11]

Is there really much difference between 2.0EB to 2.3EB architecture?

Mustang EB is not significantly more powerful than the Maverick, especially when you take into account the 2.0 to 2.3 L increase. 2.0L makes 250 HP 2.3L makes 310HP.

2.0EB to 2.5 Hybrid would be a bad comparison for octane needs.

60 hp bump is huge, and it takes more boost, to make that difference.

 

[Eagle11]

I tested 87e10 vs 91 no ethanol, the difference in my 200 mile test loop was 29.7 for the 87e10 & 32.6 for the 91, hand calculated. I believe the difference is more the ethanol than the octane, but the Maverick definately will patch farther with the 91. I do not have 87 without ethanol available where I live to test it.

We have built in basis, now take your experiment to the next level

Have someone (other than you) fill your maverick up for the next 5 fill-ups; they won't tell you what fuel grade was added. At the end of your 5th tank, have a look at the mileage and have your friend tell you what was in each tank. This is the only way to get past our internal biases.

 

[es7129]

At or near wide open throttle, sure.

Going for groceries or picking up the kids or bringing home the lumber, what does it matter if you are using 100 horsepower out of a possible 240 or 100 out of a possible 250???

Only difference is $$$ spent.

You do not need to be WOT to enjoy the additional power and the more aggressive power band.
Some folks enjoy performance, others enjoy hypermiling and some just jump in their truck and drive.
For folks that enjoy performance they can absolutely feel the difference at POT.

 

[Scupking]

Grasshopper, the CX-9 "requires" premium fuel to get the higher HP, but will run regularly with a lower HP figure.
My M5 will run on 87, but likes 91, but really loves 97.

That's what I said in my post you quoted. Premium fuel better hp, regular gas lower HP for the CX -9.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Since original query was mpg difference, I have never seen a claim that higher octane fuel was cost effective…but feel free to enlighten me.

It's not a mpg issue it's a $/mile run 5 tanks of each octane rating and calculate!

 

[Tiger Dude]

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

I have seen a fuel truck turn gas into Chevron Techron by pouring a can per section of Techron additive. A little can from a pack.

Also, Chevron stations must have Techron because it's on the pump. But it does not have to come from a Chevron refinery. Gas stations in the US do not have to sell the gas that's on their sign.

 

[MavDave]

I have seen a fuel truck turn gas into Chevron Techron by pouring a can per section of Techron additive. A little can from a pack.

Also, Chevron stations must have Techron because it's on the pump. But it does not have to come from a Chevron refinery. Gas stations in the US do not have to sell the gas that's on their sign.

It has to be the minimum octane rated. So, a station can sell 93 octane as 89 at their own loss. There are some stations in small towns that will do this. If I find one in Houston that does this tjey will have all of my business.

 

[BlueSnake77]

Perhaps I can simplify. Yes there has been a misconception over the years that higher octane equals more power which is simply not true. A higher octane in simple terms is less prone to pre-detonation. You want the gasoline to ignite when the engine piston is at TDC (Top Dead Center) in the cylinder. Cars with higher compression ratios have higher cylinder temps so the higher octane has a less likely chance of pre-detonating before it reaches the top of the compression stroke. This was important in older cars that didn't have technology like variable cam and valve timing. Today's engines have these so the computer can adjust them for different octanes, otherwise an engine like our ecoboosts would be knocking like crazy on 87 octane and probably damage the engine.

With that being said you will still get better power and mpg using higher octane on a high compression\turbo engine. Even my previous vehicle, a Ford Escape with the 2.5L non turbo got better mpg with higher octane. 87 octane-31 mpg, 93 octane- 32 mpg, 91 octane non-ethanol -33 mpg. Yeah only 1 mpg difference between 87 octane and 93 octane with 10% ethanol. I run 93 octane in my ecoboost Maverick. Occasionally I will run mid grade 89 octane. I won't run 87 octane. But that's just me. I suggest everyone run some dry gas or similar water remover occasionally, especially in the winter because there can be amounts of water in your gas from the pump.

 

[NJBob]

Bingham Maine.

High grade/test/premium whatever you wanna call it up here is sold ethanol free. We have alot of recreational machines (ATVs, snowmobiles, side by sides) that come through and people don't like using ethanol in them or their home care equipment (lawn mowers, weed wackers, log splitters, generators and so on) it is more expensive but people swear by it.

As for the gas in mavericks I ran 87 when I got it for the first tank and got around 28mpg since then I have only ran a higher grade and I average around 30-32mpg depending on road and weather factors. I drive Xlt fx4 eb and have had mine since October 21 have over 22k on mine. That being said my sister used it and filled it with regular on me and my range did drop. Regular gas (87) I get about 440ish miles to a tank. Higher grades I get 500miles.
IN MY OPINION and BASED OF MY EXPERIENCE It is worth it but the difference for me in the gas prices is about 30 or 40 cents so 4dollars a tank give or take

Thanks find it interesting different areas have different types of gas. First time I seen E15 I has no idea what it was. NJ does not have E15 nor ethanol free. Would rather have ethanol free if available

Bingham Maine.

High grade/test/premium whatever you wanna call it up here is sold ethanol free. We have alot of recreational machines (ATVs, snowmobiles, side by sides) that come through and people don't like using ethanol in them or their home care equipment (lawn mowers, weed wackers, log splitters, generators and so on) it is more expensive but people swear by it.

As for the gas in mavericks I ran 87 when I got it for the first tank and got around 28mpg since then I have only ran a higher grade and I average around 30-32mpg depending on road and weather factors. I drive Xlt fx4 eb and have had mine since October 21 have over 22k on mine. That being said my sister used it and filled it with regular on me and my range did drop. Regular gas (87) I get about 440ish miles to a tank. Higher grades I get 500miles.
IN MY OPINION and BASED OF MY EXPERIENCE It is worth it but the difference for me in the gas prices is about 30 or 40 cents so 4dollars a tank give or take

 

[NJBob]

Perhaps I can simplify. Yes there has been a misconception over the years that higher octane equals more power which is simply not true. A higher octane in simple terms is less prone to pre-detonation. You want the gasoline to ignite when the engine piston is at TDC (Top Dead Center) in the cylinder. Cars with higher compression ratios have higher cylinder temps so the higher octane has a less likely chance of pre-detonating before it reaches the top of the compression stroke. This was important in older cars that didn't have technology like variable cam and valve timing. Today's engines have these so the computer can adjust them for different octanes, otherwise an engine like our ecoboosts would be knocking like crazy on 87 octane and probably damage the engine.

With that being said you will still get better power and mpg using higher octane on a high compression\turbo engine. Even my previous vehicle, a Ford Escape with the 2.5L non turbo got better mpg with higher octane. 87 octane-31 mpg, 93 octane- 32 mpg, 91 octane non-ethanol -33 mpg. Yeah only 1 mpg difference between 87 octane and 93 octane with 10% ethanol. I run 93 octane in my ecoboost Maverick. Occasionally I will run mid grade 89 octane. I won't run 87 octane. But that's just me. I suggest everyone run some dry gas or similar water remover occasionally, especially in the winter because there can be amounts of water in your gas from the pump.

Isn't dry gas just alcohol? Was used to soak up water back in the day. Have not seen that stuff in years.

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