Regular or premium gas??

[TBoe1776]

What do you all run? Premium in southern CA is about $0.30 more a gallon than regular. I'm just debating if it's worth it or not to run premium. I wouldn't be towing at all and would mainly just commute and occasional road trips. Also, would using regular take a noticeable hit in MPG?

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[thunaman]

Quote from Owners Manual:

"For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer. See Towing a Trailer (page 263).

Do not be concerned if the engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if the engine knocks heavily while using fuel with the recommended octane rating, contact an authorized dealer to prevent any engine damage."

The last part is mainly why I have chosen to use 91. I'm not interested in my engine knocking at all. also I live in AZ where some would consider the winter to be hot.

from what I understand the ECM can somehow detect the difference between octane levels and adjust accordingly. This will manifest itself as a drop in HP which could effect the MPG and per the Owners manual you will notice it most in hot weather or while towing.

being in So-Cal, I assume Oceanside as it appears your in the Marines...... I would say use 87, and if you don't have issues stick with it. but if the temps get up in the 90+ pay attention to the engine sounds and if you hear knocking up it to 91.

 

[Thrillhouse]

I plan to run premium.

 

[TBoe1776]

Quote from Owners Manual:

"For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer. See Towing a Trailer (page 263).

Do not be concerned if the engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if the engine knocks heavily while using fuel with the recommended octane rating, contact an authorized dealer to prevent any engine damage."

The last part is mainly why I have chosen to use 91. I'm not interested in my engine knocking at all. also I live in AZ where some would consider the winter to be hot.

from what I understand the ECM can somehow detect the difference between octane levels and adjust accordingly. This will manifest itself as a drop in HP which could effect the MPG and per the Owners manual you will notice it most in hot weather or while towing.

being in So-Cal, I assume Oceanside as it appears your in the Marines...... I would say use 87, and if you don't have issues stick with it. but if the temps get up in the 90+ pay attention to the engine sounds and if you hear knocking up it to 91.

I was in the Marines for 4 years but now I'm a LEO in Orange County! I honestly might just use premium from hearing everyone and online searching... It will still be cheaper than running regular in my Tundra with the thirsty 5.7

 

[BullyHayes]

Regular is fine. Only go to a higher octane if your engine knocks.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a14425998/premium-gas-fuel-benefits/

 

[SugaryPlumbs]

Fuel economy will go a few % in either direction. We won't know the exact difference until someone extensively tests it with enough precision to say for sure, but probably slightly better on higher octane if Ford is recommending 91. Suffice to say it will be within the margin of error of how aggressively you drive from one day to the next. Typically not worth it since premium costs around 20% more than regular (at least right now where I live). Higher octane fuel doesn't change the amount of energy in it, just what pressure it ignites at. The exact timing of this can change the total torque and power of the engine output, which is why the manual mentions knocking on cheaper fuels, and any increase in torque output is important when towing.

I would say it doesn't matter most of the time. If you are towing or off-roading, particularly when towing near the max loads, then get the higher octane fuel. Otherwise save your money. At worst you'd have slightly less acceleration but a lot more money in your pocket. I'm speculating here, but I would also say it especially doesn't matter on the hybrid drivetrain since the gas engine itself offers very little power to the wheels. Early 2000s toyota prius models actually had problems if you put higher octane fuel than the recommended 87, but newer engines should be more than capable of compensating the engine timing for whatever you put in.

 

[widetrax]

Regular is fine. Only go to a higher octane if your engine knocks.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a14425998/premium-gas-fuel-benefits/

Regular for me also,,,,[ hell, it's a 4 cylinder ]

 

[Mavman123]

Use 87 just like the owners manual says. Use a higher octane if you'll be towing or hauling a heavy load that puts more stress/heat on the engine

 

[Down]

My experience with EB engines has been that there's a noticeable difference in the summer when I run premium, so I typically just do that anymore.
I live on the surface of the sun tho, so it's really situation dependent.

 

[BMCGC]

In Tucson regular is 86. Once it hits around 100° my engine would start to knock so I would up grade to midlevel.

 

[vezpa]

I plan on running midgrade. It may not make peak hp but it wont knock.

 

[Decayed]

Econo gas unless I get knock, then when the tank is half empty I'll top off with 91 and see if that mix works. No reason to spend a penny more for everyday applications.

 

[JASmith]

Difference in fuel economy will be minimal, and will never pay for itself in the price difference between the two except perhaps when towing long distance.

For 2018 Ford Fusion with essentially the same 2.0 Ecoboost, Ford actually published the horsepower numbers on 87 octane and not just 93 and it was 231hp. So expect reduced peak torque/hp numbers on 87 octane.

If you're in the South during the peak hot summer months I would run 93 octane personally (and do on our vehicles that recommend it) or when you know you'll be towing, and for the winter I'd kick it down to midgrade, and if doing a cross country trip or something I would definitely only put in 87 if not towing as highway cruising is very easy on an engine and you'd see no performance difference. That's what we do with our Mercedes that is also 93 recommended but can run 87 safely.

 

[JASmith]

from what I understand the ECM can somehow detect the difference between octane levels and adjust accordingly. This will manifest itself as a drop in HP which could effect the MPG and per the Owners manual you will notice it most in hot weather or while towing.

Only flex fuel vehicles actually have sensors to try and see what fuel you're running, regular cars simply use the knock sensor to listen for ping and adjust various map settings accordingly. The vehicle itself is otherwise blind to what octane fuel is in the vehicle. On turbo vehicles like the ecoboost when knock is detected it will often just drop the peak boost a little and/or retard the timing and if still pinging richen the fuel mixture slightly. The knock sensors are extremely sensitive, so they can detect "micro-knock" that does not damage the engine and adjust before there's any problems.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

My experience with EB engines has been that there's a noticeable difference in the summer when I run premium, so I typically just do that anymore.
I live on the surface of the sun tho, so it's really situation dependent.

Just look at ten day forecast when you buy gas and if temp projected 98+(depending on your altitude and time of day you tend to drive you can tweak when you want to pay for premium) buy the grade you feel will be best. Should get feel quickly which grade you are comfortable with. If nothing else maybe "shopping for which gas you want to buy" will make the price ($7.77??) a little less painful?

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