Dave Z

What difference does it make what the timing is? You can't adjust it anyway. The truck is perfoming this task to give the operator the optimum performance available with what it is given. This gives you the option of running a lower grade (and lower cost) fuel if your driving conditions warrant.


And if you have read the manual, it does state that the use of premium grade gasoline is needed for towing loads.

Eric Kleven

Good grief... Dude....

It's the difference between burning your fuel IN the cylinder and extracting the work out of it,

or

burning a bunch of it in your exhaust manifolds 'cuz the fire got started too late in an effort to keep things from 'sploding.


Call me crazy, but I prefer to NOT pay to blowtorch my exhaust valves and manifolds.

RandyinTN

I am 64 years old and keep very good records of my mpg. I knew beyond a reasonable doubt that using premium would never result in better mpg data.
At least I thought I did until this truck. Two weeks ago made a 200 mile round trip to buy some fruit trees. Reset the mileage/fuel and hit the highway. Averaged 22.2 for the drive. After that ran into a station having a sale on 93 so filled up (no 91 here). Drove about a week, then topped off the tank again with premium.
Then made the exact same drive back to the tree nursery. This time the average was 25.6. Same highway, same speeds, same driving conditions.
It aint supposed to happen but it did. Going to continue using 93 for a couple of months to see if this was a fluke or not. But today drove 220 miles on the interstate running 70 pulling a utility trailer weighing almost 1600 pounds and averaged 21.6.

acdii

It's hit and miss on whether Premium can improve MPG. I had a 2012 EB, it got poor MPG, I complained to Ford, threw a temper tantrum because I knew the engine could get better than it did based on 2 previous Ecoboost vehicles I drove. Ford said, run premium, it will improve. Being skeptical, I took their advice, and lo and behold, I gained 3, yes 3 MPG, and got the expected MPG.

Now my last EB in a 2014 with 87 got great MPG, and running premium did nothing but emptied the wallet faster, same can be said with my current 2016 EB. I reserve premium for towing up mountains, otherwise sticking with 87. Just not worth the extra cost.

Reapster

Eh, I always run premium in my 3.5 EB. I get around 15.6 MPG average (hand calculated). Never tried 87, but considering it's a twin turbo I want to give it the best fuel possible. The cost difference for a full tank of 87 vs. 93 is usually around $6 anyway. Given my truck is a part-time daily, I usually need one fill up a month. So that's what, $70+ extra a year in gas and I get the peace of mind knowing the engine runs its best and doesn't have to retard timing?

Some people like to save money on silly things, but gas doesn't seem to pay off IMO. I have an uncle who will drive across the county to save a few cents off gas, nevermind the extra 20 miles he went out of his way which burned up all the savings he got anyway...

tsigwing

Certainly not what MY owners manual says. Mine says:

To provide improved performance, we
recommend premium fuel for severe duty
usage, such as trailer tow.

Nothing about NEEDING premium fuel for ANY reason.

tsigwing

and some like to follow the manufacturers recommendations

Reapster

What manufacturer doesn't recommend premium? On nearly every car I've owned, the ones that don't say they need premium will say "Premium Recommended" with the exception being it's not absolutely required. There's almost always a clause that says "For maximum performance, premium fuel is recommended". Forced induction vehicles always benefit from premium fuel, for NA motors not as much. I wouldn't waste the money on premium on any NA 4 cylinder, for NA 6/8 cylinders it would depend on the vehicle.

I mean it's kinda like getting paid a bonus vs. none. You don't really need it, but it's always a good thing if you can get it. If I had the 3.5 Non-EB/3.7 I would just run 87, all the rest I'd feed 93.

acdii

When driven every day for 120 miles, and not getting anything better than what it gets with 87, it is not worth the extra cost. If only driven occasionally though, I can see the use, especially if its ethanol free, no worries about water build up.

I switched to E15 88 octane and found it has a bit more giddy in its giddy-up, and haven't lost any MPG. It still is getting between 19-20 MPG. I also am paying 5 cents less per gallon. Since the truck can take it, might as well use it, since I ain't losing anything.

mass-hole

This is the approach I took. Its only 10-20 cents a gallon difference, or about 5-7%. Its hardly a big deal, especially when you consider a lot of us are paying $800+ a month on loans, insurance, maintenance, etc. The $10-15 a month means little to me.