Regular or premium
- Thread starter J Ski
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jkayca
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I use regular. I can't imagine any mileage gain would make up for the price difference between the two fuels.
gixer2000
Retrofit or Bust
I ran premium for the first year I owned my 07 and saw no loss when I switched to regular
JExpedition07
That One Member
I think you’d see more of a performance improvement than mileage improvement on it. I only run regular in my 5.4, it’s not a high compression ratio engine so running higher octane which provides greater resistance to combustion does nothing for me but waste my money. I would just stick with regular because you pretty much flushing money using premium other than a hair improvement in performance..... but these are 6,000 pound mammoths so...
chuck s
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I recall the '17 F150 with the same 3.5 EcoBoost engine as we have was tested by AAA and got maybe 3% to 5% better mileage with premium gasoline. There is an increase in horse power but according to the Detroit Free Press you'll never feel it on the way to the grocery store or work. Premium gas is 26% more expensive where I live so premium is an economic waste. I ran it towing my camper 500 miles and, frankly, didn't notice anything special.
Vehicles that require premium should use it. Our Expeditions ain't one of those. Certainly the older 5.4 V8 ain't one either.
-- Chuck
Vehicles that require premium should use it. Our Expeditions ain't one of those. Certainly the older 5.4 V8 ain't one either.
-- Chuck
Knox GSL
Well-Known Member
What's the compression ratio on an EB and how much boost do the have. I'm impressed that you can have a turbo without running premium fuel. I guess the anti knock and fuel injection timing has gotten a lot better.
Premium every tank. I put 87 in one time and the truck ran noticeably worse.
I’ve never owned one vehicle in my life where I was concerned about the gas mileage but what I was concerned about was they all run their best. If that was on 87 then I ran 87 if 93 then they get 93. The EB can run fine on 87 but they run better on 93. Even the owners manual says 93 is recommended.
As of today’s gas prices filling up with 93 over 87 only cost me $7.80 more. Yeah I’ll pay that for better performance
I’ve never owned one vehicle in my life where I was concerned about the gas mileage but what I was concerned about was they all run their best. If that was on 87 then I ran 87 if 93 then they get 93. The EB can run fine on 87 but they run better on 93. Even the owners manual says 93 is recommended.
As of today’s gas prices filling up with 93 over 87 only cost me $7.80 more. Yeah I’ll pay that for better performance
gixer2000
Retrofit or Bust
It'll take it but I cant promise it'll run...
08T1
Full Access Members
Yeah throw diesel in there and it will ping like crazy. Can of marbles.
JExpedition07
That One Member
Throwing gas in a diesel is a bit more problematic...
08T1
Full Access Members
Yeah..... very expensive if not caught soon enough.
My understanding of higher octane (premium) vs regular is that its only needed in high compression engines to avoid knocking or detonation. Octane is a measure of when the gas/air mixture spontaneously ignites based on being compressed vs when it is sparked? You don't want it to ignite/burn/explode early from compression, you want it to combust evenly when the engine spark hits it. Also higher octane fuel has a more controlled burn vs one big bang explosion. I never thought premium fuel had any more "power" or better gas mileage ... unless you had the knocking situation? I'm just an average Joe not a Subject Matter Expert.
In the old days lead was added to gas ... until they realized how many people were being hurt by that process ingesting lead. MTBE was added to gas for a long time to increase octane but that was an environmental disaster when it leaked out of tanks and got in the ground. Ethanol is now the predominant octane booster (E10) and it certainly doesn't increase gas mileage or horsepower, quite the opposite.
Ethanol in gas is a big debate for boat, snowmobile, motorcycle, small engines of all types. Some people like to believe that they can add an additive to "stabilize" it or prevent phase separation. I think that's a bunch of baloney. Just keep E10 away from water vapor and get rid of it by 6 weeks is my strategy. You can buy certain fuels (like VP) that are good in your tank for a year (supposedly) or two but expensive.
In the old days lead was added to gas ... until they realized how many people were being hurt by that process ingesting lead. MTBE was added to gas for a long time to increase octane but that was an environmental disaster when it leaked out of tanks and got in the ground. Ethanol is now the predominant octane booster (E10) and it certainly doesn't increase gas mileage or horsepower, quite the opposite.
Ethanol in gas is a big debate for boat, snowmobile, motorcycle, small engines of all types. Some people like to believe that they can add an additive to "stabilize" it or prevent phase separation. I think that's a bunch of baloney. Just keep E10 away from water vapor and get rid of it by 6 weeks is my strategy. You can buy certain fuels (like VP) that are good in your tank for a year (supposedly) or two but expensive.
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Guys that don't read or comprehend the owners manual make me want to bang my head. The EB is a twin turbo, direct injected engine. It's in the manual - recommended fuel for best performance is premium top tier. You can run less octane and the PCM will adjust it's settings and retard ignition timing accordingly for less power and performance but if pulling a trailer etc premium fuel.
DF5.4
Full Access Members
I run 93 octane. I have run 87 and can feel and hear a difference.
The owners manual recommends premium for towing.
This is from the Owners Manual
"Octane Recommendations Regular unleaded gasoline with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87 is recommended. Some stations offer fuels posted as Regular with an octane rating below 87, particularly in high altitude areas. Fuels with octane levels below 87 are not recommended. Premium fuel will provide improved performance and is recommended for severe duty usage such as trailer tow"
Here's some other information i found.
http://stratifiedauto.com/blog/unde...ons-in-your-high-performance-ecoboost-engine/
The owners manual recommends premium for towing.
This is from the Owners Manual
"Octane Recommendations Regular unleaded gasoline with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87 is recommended. Some stations offer fuels posted as Regular with an octane rating below 87, particularly in high altitude areas. Fuels with octane levels below 87 are not recommended. Premium fuel will provide improved performance and is recommended for severe duty usage such as trailer tow"
Here's some other information i found.
http://stratifiedauto.com/blog/unde...ons-in-your-high-performance-ecoboost-engine/
Foregoing the chemistry lesson and lack of staying on topic, do you run 93 or 87 in your Ecoboost?
And for the record fuel stabilizers are a real thing and they do work. There is an unbelievable amount of science and testing to back this up.
I wish there was a way to quantify the performance gain. I have gone back and forth from 87 to 93 and the butt dyno cannot tell a difference. I use 93 when pulling the camper as recommended but day to day I feel no difference. Based on the mods I did to my Z06 a few years ago you can only "feel" a difference if you are adding +20 HP over stock. And that was using before and after dyno runs to substantiate the gains. Would love to see one of these trucks on the dyno with a pull on 87 and a pull on 93.
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